n tongue, at the same time flinging up her hands; but the
other pushed past her and walked straight down upon me, albeit with a
mincing, tripping motion, as if she was pacing a dance.

Twice she spoke, and in two different languages (as I recognized,
though able to make nothing of either), and then, halting before me,
she tried for the third time in English.

"Boy"--she looked at me inquiringly--"what you do here--will you
tell?"

"I come from the ship, ma'am," said I, finding my tongue.

"The sheep? He bring a sheep? But why?--and why he bring you?"

I stared at her, not understanding. "Ma'am," said I, pointing over
my shoulder, "we came here in a ship--a schooner; and she is lying in
the creek yonder. I landed and climbed up through the woods. On my
way I found this."

I held out the paper boat. She caught it out of my hand with a sharp
cry. But the black woman, at the same instant, turned on her and
began to scold her volubly. The words were unintelligible to me, but
her tone, full of angry remonstrance, could not be mistaken.

"I am not sorry," said the white woman, speaking in English, with a
glance at me. "No, I do not care for his orders. It was by this
that you came to me?" she asked, turning to me again, and pointing
mincingly at the paper.

"I found it in the stream," I replied; "almost a mile below this."

"Yes, yes; you found it in the stream. And you opened it, and read
the writing?"

I shook my head. "The writing, ma'am, was blotted--I could read
nothing."

"Not even my little song?" She peered into the paper, threw up her
head and piped a note or two, for all the world as a bird chirrups,
lifting his bill, after taking a drink. "La-la-la--you did not
understand, hey? But, nevertheless, you came, and of your own will.
_He_ did not bring you?"

I shook my head again, having no clue to her meaning.

"So best," she said, changing her tone of a sudden to one of extreme
gravity. "For if he found you here--here of all places--he would
kill you. Yes"--she nodded impressively "for sure we would kill you.
He kill all these."

She waved a hand, indicating the grave-mounds. Her voice, at these
dreadful words, ran up to an almost more dreadful airiness; and still
she continued nodding, but now with a sort of simpering pride.
"All these," she repeated, waving her hand again towards the mounds.

"Did you see him kill them?" I asked, wondering whom "he" might be,
and scarcely knowing