th
me on her back, an' purticklarly as at that time these hyur ribs had a
sight more griskin upon 'em than they hev now.

"Wal, I wur about reckinin' up. I hed got to thinkin' o' Mary an' the
childer, and the old shanty in the Mississippi, an' a heap o' things
that I hed left unsettled, an' that now come into my mind to trouble me.
The mar wur still plungin' ahead; but I seed she wur sinkin' deeper an'
deeper an' fast loosin' her strength, an' I knew she couldn't hold out
much longer.

"I thort at this time that if I got off o' her back, an' tuk hold o' the
tail, she mout manage a leetle hotter. So I slipped backwards over her
hips, an' grupped the long hair. It did do some good, for she swum
higher; but we got mighty slow through the water, an' I hed but leetle
behopes we should reach land.

"I wur towed in this way about a quarter o' a mile, when I spied
somethin' floatin' on the water a leetle ahead. It hed growed
considerably darker; but thur wur still light enough to show me that the
thing wur a log.

"An idee now entered my brain-pan, that I mout save meself by takin' to
the log. The mar ud then have a better chance for herself; an' maybe,
when eased o' draggin' my carcass, that wur a-keepin' her back, she mout
make footin' somewhur. So I waited till she got a leetle closter; an'
then, lettin' go o' her tail, I clasped the log, an' crawled on to it.

"The mar swum on, appeerintly 'ithout missin' me. I seed her disappear
through the darkness; but I didn't as much as say good-bye to her, for I
wur afeard that my voice mout bring her back agin', an' she mout strike
the log with her hoofs, an' whammel it about. So I lay quiet, an' let
her hev her own way.

"I wan't long on the log till I seed it wur a-driftin', for thur wur a
current in the water that set tol'uble sharp acrosst the parairy. I hed
crawled up at one eend, an' got stride-legs; but as the log dipped
considerable, I wur still over the hams in the water.

"I thort I mout be more comfortable towards the middle, an' wur about to
pull the thing more under me, when all at once I seed thur wur somethin'
clumped up on t'other eend o' the log.

"'Twan't very clur at the time, for it had been a-growin' cloudier ever
since I left the shanty, but 'twur clur enough to show me that the thing
wur a varmint: what sort, I couldn't tell. It mout be a bar, an' it
mout not; but I had my suspects it wur eyther a bar or a painter.

"I wan't left long in do