only on hard axing, I'd take as
many hard words of you as you can pick out of a dictionary,--I will,
'tarnal death to me. But as for madam thar, the anngel, she saved my
life, and I go my death in her sarvice; and now's the time to show
sarvice, for thar's danger abroad in the forest."

"Danger!" echoed Roland, his anxiety banishing the disgust with which he
was so much inclined to regard the worthy horse-thief; "what makes you
say that?"

"Strannger," replied Ralph, with a lengthened visage and a gravity
somewhat surprising for him, "I seed the Jibbenainosay! 'tarnal death to
me, but I seed him as plain as ever I seed old Salt! I war a-hanging
thar, and squeaking and cussing, and talking soft nonsense to the pony,
to keep him out of his tantrums, when what should I see but a great
crittur come tramping through the forest, right off yander by the fallen
oak, with a big b'ar before him--"

"Pish!" said the soldier, "what has this to do with danger?"

"Beca'se and because," said Ralph, "when you see the Jibbenainosay,
thar's always abbregynes[4] in the cover. I never seed the crittur
before, but I reckon it war he, for thar's nothing like him in natur'.
And so I'm for cutting out of the forest jist on the track of a streak of
lightning,--now hy'yar, now thar, but on a full run without stopping. And
so, if anngeliferous madam is willing, thump me round the 'arth with a
crab-apple, if I don't holp her out of the bushes, and do all her
fighting into the bargain,--I will, 'tarnal death to me!"

[Footnote 4: _Abbregynes_--aborigines.]

"You may go about your business," said Roland, with as much sternness as
contempt. "We will have none of your base company."

"Whoop! whoo, whoo, whoo! don't rifle[5] me, for I'm danngerous!" yelled
the demibarbarian, springing on his stolen horse, and riding up to Edith.
"Say the word, marm," he cried; "for I'll fight for you, or run for you,
take scalp or cut stick, shake fist or show leg, anything in reason or
out of reason. Strannger thar's as brash[6] as a new hound in a b'ar
fight, or a young boss in a corn-field, and no safe friend in a forest.
Say the word, marm,--or if you think it ar'nt manners to speak to a
strannger, jist shake your little finger, and I'll follow like a dog, and
do you dog's sarvice. Or, if you don't like me, say the word, or shake
t'other finger, and 'tarnal death to me, but I'll be off like an elk of
the prairies!"

[Footnote 5: To _rifle_--to ruffle.]