of the
operation, now that he had "farly come to it."

"Your master, I s'pose, don't keep no dogs," said Haley, thoughtfully,
as he prepared to mount.

"Heaps on 'em," said Sam, triumphantly; "thar's Bruno--he's a roarer!
and, besides that, 'bout every nigger of us keeps a pup of some natur or
uther."

"Poh!" said Haley,--and he said something else, too, with regard to the
said dogs, at which Sam muttered,

"I don't see no use cussin' on 'em, no way."

"But your master don't keep no dogs (I pretty much know he don't) for
trackin' out niggers."

Sam knew exactly what he meant, but he kept on a look of earnest and
desperate simplicity.

"Our dogs all smells round considable sharp. I spect they's the kind,
though they han't never had no practice. They 's _far_ dogs, though,
at most anything, if you'd get 'em started. Here, Bruno," he called,
whistling to the lumbering Newfoundland, who came pitching tumultuously
toward them.

"You go hang!" said Haley, getting up. "Come, tumble up now."

Sam tumbled up accordingly, dexterously contriving to tickle Andy as
he did so, which occasioned Andy to split out into a laugh, greatly to
Haley's indignation, who made a cut at him with his riding-whip.

"I 's 'stonished at yer, Andy," said Sam, with awful gravity. "This
yer's a seris bisness, Andy. Yer mustn't be a makin' game. This yer an't
no way to help Mas'r."

"I shall take the straight road to the river," said Haley, decidedly,
after they had come to the boundaries of the estate. "I know the way of
all of 'em,--they makes tracks for the underground."

"Sartin," said Sam, "dat's de idee. 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 instantly confirmed what he said, by a vehement
reiteration.

"Cause," said Sam, "I'd rather be 'clined to 'magine that Lizy 'd take
de dirt road, bein' it's the least travelled."

Haley, notwithstanding that he was a very old bird, and naturally
inclined to be suspicious of chaff, was rather brought up by this view
of the case.

"If yer warn't both on yer such cussed liars, now!" he said,
contemplatively as he pondered a moment.

The pensive, reflective tone in which this was spoken appeared to
amuse Andy prodigiously, and he drew a little behind, and shook so as
apparently to run a great risk of failing