Jeremiah and Grater dismounted. "Well," said Jeremiah lazily, "I was sure we'd never catch them this way. You'll have to lie in wait and pounce on them." "You and your mousing tricks!" said Grater contemptuously. But Jeremiah only yawned. "There's a cooky jar at home with something in it," he reminded Grater. "Let's go." With a bound Jeremiah and Grater mounted their weary steeds, and in a moment they were out of sight over the tree tops. "Did you ever!" exclaimed Hortense. "I think we'd better go home," Andy suggested. Accordingly, they struck down the steep mountain side and soon were at the foot, where ran the brook. "We'll have to wade," said Andy. They plunged in and across, and with wet shoes and stockings, ran across the pasture, through the orchard to the house. "It's late. Whatever will they think!" said Hortense. "I'm going straight to bed without being seen," said Andy. It seemed the only thing to do, so Hortense stole quietly in and up the dark stairs to her room. "Where have you been?" Highboy demanded when she had shut the door. "You've been looked for everywhere." Hortense was too sleepy to reply, and in the morning no one questioned her, for Uncle Jonah had a sorry tale to tell of the horses, who lay in their stalls too tired to move, their manes and tails in elflocks, and their flanks mud stained. "Dey's hoodooed," said Uncle Jonah, shaking his head. To this, Grandfather made no answer but looked puzzled, and Hortense, who could have told him how it all happened, didn't know how to begin; so said nothing. CHAPTER IX "_Tell us a story about a hoodoo, Uncle Jonah,_"-- Andy had driven Tom and Jerry in from the upper pasture for Uncle Jonah, who was forced to admit that Andy wasn't so bad a boy as he had thought. It seemed a good time, therefore, to ask Uncle Jonah about the hoodoo. "What is the hoodoo, Uncle Jonah?" Hortense asked. "How come yo' 'quire 'bout dat?" Uncle Jonah asked. "Ah dunno nuffin' 'bout no hoodoo." "You said Tom and Jerry were hoodooed," said Andy and Hortense together. "Jes' foolish talk," said Uncle Jonah. "Tell us a story about a hoodoo, Uncle Jonah," Hortense begged. "Ah don' know nuffin' 'cept about Lijah Jones an' old Aunt Maria," said he at last. "Tell us that," said Andy and Hortense together. Uncle Jonah put a coal from the fire in the palm of his hand, and while Andy and Hortense watched breathlessly to see whether he would burn himself, he slowly lighted his corncob pipe. Then he began. * * * * * One mawnin' dis yere Lijah Jones was a-traipsin' along when he met Aunt Maria. "Mawnin'," says Lijah, keerless like, "yo' been a hoodooin' any one lately, Aunt Maria?" Dis yere Aunt Maria, she got a bad name and Lijah know it. Aunt Maria, she stopped an' looked kinder hard at Lijah. "Huh," she says, "Don' yo' fool wid me, niggah."