The negroes, however, either were too excited or were unwilling at first to heed the request, and in a screaming, laughing, shouting mob they still pressed forward. The negress, as has been said, apparently a field-hand, was possessed of great physical strength, and it was plain that Dennis was unable to protect or even release himself as long as he held to the body of the pig. As Noel approached, Dennis shouted excitedly to him, "Take the porker, Noel, me boy! Take me gun, too! Help me out o' this!" "Bress ye, honey! We hab bin waitin' fo' yeahs fo' yo' to come! We's been prayin' all de time and when I hear yo' singin' about 'Ole massa run, ha! ha!' and 'De darkies stay, ho! ho!' den I des know de kingdom was come shore 'nuff and de yeah of Jubilo was right yere!" Too angry to respond, Dennis waited until Noel had relieved him of his gun and the pig, and then with one violent effort freed himself from the grasp of the excited black woman. When she made as if she was about to approach him once more and renew her expression of delight over the coming of the boys in blue, Dennis suddenly seized the little pig that Noel was holding and swinging it with all his strength struck the woman with it upon the side of her face. The effect of his effort, however, was plainly not more than to cause the huge mass of flesh to stop a moment, but not to abandon the efforts in which the negress was engaged. Again Dennis drew back the little pig and again struck at his tormentor. His second effort, however, like his first, was unable to check the fervor of the powerful woman. The remaining negroes now were almost upon the struggling pair. The fear in Noel's heart that some harm might come to Dennis or to himself became real. "Stand back there!" he shouted. "Don't come any nearer!" At his word the crowd halted and, quickly taking advantage of the interval, Noel said, "This woman says you have been praying for four years for us to come." "Yas, suh! Yas, suh! We shore has! Dis yere is de Jubilo, shore 'nuff! Shore 'nuff! Ole massa goin' to run, and de darkies goin' to stay!" "Do you know that song?" inquired Noel. "We shore does! Yas, suh! Yas, suh! We knows it!" "Then I want you to stand up by the side of the road and sing it while we march back to camp." Laughingly the dusky crowd arranged themselves in lines along the roadside according to Noel's bidding. Even the huge negress, after some persuasion, reluctantly took her stand at the head of the line on the right. "Now, then, everybody sing!" called Noel, after he had whispered to Dennis, "Take your gun and pig and start out of this, but don't try to be in too much of a hurry." "All right," he called loudly, as he passed the negress. There was a laughing response and instantly Noel and Dennis, as they quickly advanced began to sing,-- "Ole massa run, ha! ha! De darkies stay, ho! ho! It must be now dat de kingdom's comin' And de year ob Jubilo."