e'f, an' I tell you he feel right
lonesome. He git a bad spell er de low-downs an' go squanderin' roun'
thu de woods wid his years drapt an' his paws hangin' limp, studyin' how
he kin git revengemint. Las' he pull hisse'f toge'rr an' he say: 'Come,
Hyar', dis ain't gwine do. Is you done fool ev'yb'dy all dese 'ears an'
den let yo'se'f git fooled by a passel er gals? Naw, suh! I knows w'at I
gwine do dis ve'y minnit. Ef I kain't git me a gal, I kin git me a
widdy, an' some folks laks dem de bes', anyhows. Ef you ma'y a widdy,
she got some er de foolishness knock' outen her befo' you hatter tek her
in han'.'

"Wid dat he step out ez gaily ez you please. He go an' knock at de do'
uv ev'y house, an' w'en de folks come ter de do' dey say, 'W'y, howdy,
Mistah Hyar', whar you bin keepin' yo'se'f all dis time?' He say, he do:
'Oh, I bin tendin' ter de 'fairs er de kyountry, an' I is sont unter you
ez a messenger. I is saw'y ter tell you dey done hilt nu'rr big meetin'
an' mek up der min's de worl' gittin' too many creeturs in hit, so dey
pass de law dat dar mus' be a big battle, an' you is all ter meet
toge'rr at de 'pinted time, an' each man mus' fall 'pun de man nex' him
an' try fer ter kill 'im.'

"De creeturs assept dis wid submissity, dey ain' 'spicion Hyar' 't all.
On de 'pinted day dey met toge'rr, an' each wuz raidy ter defen'
hisse'f. Hyar' wuz dar lak all de res', an' ef you'd 'a seed all de
spears an' bows an' arrers he kyarry, an' all de knifes stickin' in his
belt, you'd 'a thought he wuz de bigges' fighter dar. But sho! W'en de
fightin' begin, hit wuz far'-you-well, gentermans! 'Twan't no Hyar' dar;
he jes' putt out tight 'z he kin go. W'en dey see him goin' dey sing
out: 'Hi, dar! Whar you gwine? Whyn't you stay wid we-all?'

"Hyar' ain' stop ter talk, he jes' look roun' over his shoulder w'iles
he 'z runnin' an' he say, sezee: 'De man I wanster kill, he done runned
'way an' I'se atter him. Kain't stop to talk; git outen my way,
ev'yb'dy,

_'Cle'r de track, fer yer me comin',
I'se ol' Buster whar keep things hummin'.'_

"W'en de battle wuz over, de creeturs miss Hyar', an' dey say he mus' be
'mongs' de kilt, so dey go roun' lookin' at de daid, but 'twan't no
Hyar' dar. Dey hunt ev'ywhar fer him an' las' dey foun' him squattin' in
de bresh, tremlin' ez ef he have de ager an' nigh mos' skeert ter de'f.
Dey drug him outen dat an' dey ses: 'So dish yer's Buster whar keep
things hummin'! Well, we gwine m