"'Sartin, dat's de idee,' said Sam. 'Mas'r Haley hits de thing right in de middle. Now, der's two roads to de river,--de dirt road and der pike. Which Mas'r mean to take?' "Andy looked up innocently at Sam, surprised at hearing this new geographical fact; but he instantly confirmed what Sam said. "'I'd rather be 'clined to 'magine that Lizy'd take der dirt road, bein' it's the least travelled,' said Sam. Though Haley was an old bird, and inclined to be suspicious of chaff, he was rather brought up by this view of the case. He pondered a moment, and said, 'If yer wasn't both on yer such cussed liars, now!' "The pensive tone in which this was spoken amused Andy prodigiously. He fell a little behind, and shook so with laughter as to run a great risk of falling from his horse. But Sam's face was immovably composed into the most doleful gravity. "'Course, Mas'r can do as he'd ruther,' said Sam. 'It's all one to us. When I study 'pon it, I think de straight road is de best.' "'She would naturally go a lonesome way,' said Haley. "'I should 'magine so,' said Sam; 'but gals is pecular. Dey nebber does nothin' ye thinks they will; mose gen'lly de contrar; so if yer thinks they've gone one road, it's sartin you'd better go t'other, and then you'll be sure to find 'em. So I think we'd better take de straight road.' "Haley announced decidedly that he should go the other, and asked when they should come to it. "'A little piece ahed,' said Sam, giving a wink to Andy. He added gravely, 'I've studded on de matter, and I'm quite clar we ought not to go dat ar way. I nebber been over it no way. It's despit lonesome, and we might lose our way. And now I think on't, I hearn 'em tell dat ar road was all fenced up down by der creek. A'n't it, Andy?' "Andy wasn't certain; he'd only 'hearn tell' about that road, but had never been over it. "Haley thought the first mention of the road was involuntary on Sam's part, and that, upon second thoughts, he had lied desperately to dissuade him from taking that direction because he was unwilling to implicate Eliza. Therefore he struck briskly into the road, and was followed by Sam and Andy. "The road in fact had formerly been an old thoroughfare to the river, but after the laying of the new pike it had been abandoned. It was open for about an hour's ride, and after that it was cut across by various farms and fences. Sam knew this perfectly well; indeed, the road had been so long closed that Andy had never heard of it. He therefore rode along with an air of dutiful submission, only groaning occasionally, and saying it was 'desp't rough, and bad for Jerry's foot.' "'Now, I jest give yer warning, I know yer,' said Haley. 'Yer won't get me to turn off this yere road, with all yer fussin'; so you shet up.'