"But hadn't you a tongue in your head? Couldn't you have told the people here that you were free?" demanded Judge Merlin impatiently. "An' sure, didn't I do it? Didn't I pallaber till my t'roat was sore? And didn't poor Jim and Sally pallaber till deir t'roats was sore? And didn't all t'ree of us pallaber togeder till we mos' wore out our tongues? Didn't do no good, dough! 'Cause you see, de people here is sich barbariums dat dey cannot unnerstan' one word o' good Christian talk." "And if they had understood you, Katie, as some of them probably did, it would not have served you; your unsupported words would have never been taken. As you are aware, my dear judge, if you will take time to reflect," added Ishmael, turning to Judge Merlin, "Certainly, certainly," replied the latter. "But, Katie, you mentioned Sally and Jim. Is it possible that they also were kidnaped?" inquired Ishmael. "You better beliebe it, honey! 'Cause it's true as gospel, chile! Now I gwine to tell you all about it. One o' de fust tings I t'ought when I woke up and stared around to find myself aboard dat vessel on de water, was dat I had died in dat cell and dat de angels was a- takin' my soul across de Riber ob Jordan to the City ob de New Jerusalem 'cordin' to de Scriptur'. On'y you see, chile, I wasn't dat downright sure and sartain as I myse'f was a saint prepared for hebben; nor likewise did de man as sat smoking and drinking at de table look like the chief ob de angels." "In what part of the ship were you when you recovered your consciousness?" inquired Ishmael, who wished to have a clear idea of the "situation." "In de cap'n's cabin, Marse Ishmael. And dat was de cap'n, dough I didn't know who he was, nor where I was, at de time. So I up and ax him: "'Please, marster, if you please, sir, to tell me is I to go to hebben or t'other place?' "'Oh! you've come to, have you?' says he, and he takes a pipe from de table and he whistles. "And den a bad-lookin' man comes down. And says de captain to him: "'Jack, bundle dis 'oman out'n here and put her into the steerage.' "And de ill-lookin' man he says to me: "'Come along, blacky!' "And so I up and followed him to de deck, 'cause why not? What was de use o' resistin'? 'Sides which, I t'ought by going farder I might fine out more. And sure 'nough so I did! for soon as ebber I got on deck, de fuss person I see was Jim. Which soon as ebber I see him, and he see me, he run, de poor boy, and cotch me 'round de neck, and hugged and kissed me, and said says he: "'Oh, my mammy! is dis you?' "And says I: "'Yes, Jim, it's me! I died down dere, in a wault, in de bottom o' de castle. When did you die, Jim?' "'Am I dead, mammy?' says he. "'Why, to be sure you are,' says I, 'else how you come here?'