ll no use," persisted Primus. "You just hab to pay for de boat
and my sarvices, and git noting. Dat is what I call a berry bad spec,
Missa Basset."

"Well, what's that to you, I tell you? If I choose to run the risk,
that's enough, and you ought to be satisfied. You git your pay, and
what more do you want?"

"Dere is someting more I want," exclaimed the General, "I want de
satisfacshum ob victory. I want de satisfacshum here," he repeated,
laying his hand on his breast. "Do you tink, sar, dat a genlmn, dat
fight in de Resolutionary war, and gib one leg, dat you may stand on
two free leg, hab no feeling ob honor? Beside, dis old soger don't
want no bread he don't arn."

"Well, I'll make a bargain with you, that if we don't catch Holden,
you shan't have anything. That horse is soon curried."

"Ah, dat won't do. My time is precious, and de hire is wordy ob de
laborer. No, Missa Basset, if you want to go in de day time, you can
go. Dere is nobody will hender you. But dis child you will please
'scuse. Beside, dere is a good reason I say noting about 'cause I
don't want to hurt you feelings."

"What's that?" said Basset. "Don't be afeared, spit it out."

"Well, seeing as how you is so pressing you see I tink someting ob my
'spectability."

"Your what?" exclaimed the constable, utterly at a loss to imagine the
meaning of the other.

"My 'spectability," repeated Primus, gravely. "You see, when I was a
young man I sociate wid da best company in de country. I members de
time when General Wayne (dey called him Mad Antony cause he fight so
like de dibble) say afore de whole army dat haansome fellow--meaning
me--look like anoder Anibal (Anibal I guess was a French General).
Ah," sighed Primus, "dey made more 'count ob colored pussons den, dan
dey does now."

"What has all this to do with your respectability?" inquired Basset
who began to be a little impatient.

"I come to dat at de end ob de roll call," responded Primus. "Do you
tink it bery 'spectable now, for a man who, in his younger day, fight
for liberty, to go for to take it away in his old age from anoder
man?"

"But just consider," said Basset, whose cue was flattery and
conciliation, "Holden went agin the very laws you made."

"I make de law, Missa Basset?" roared Primus, "haw! haw! haw! I make
de law, haw! haw! haw! does you want to kill me! O dear!"

"Yes," said Basset stoutly, "and I can prove it. Now say, if the
Americans didn't make their own laws, wo