'er side er de river, en de man w'at run
it look like he gone off some'rs. I holler en I whoop, en I whoop en I
holler, but ef dey wuz any man 'roun', he wuz hidin' out fum me. Arter
so long I got tired er whoopin' en hollerin', en I went ter de nighest
house en borrer'd a chunk, en built me a fier by de side er de road, en
I set dar en nod twel I git sleepy, en den I pull my blanket 'cross my
head en quile up--en w'en I do dat, hit's good-bye, Mingo!

"Boss," said Mingo, after a little pause, "you don't b'leeve in no
ghos'es en sperrits, does you?"

An apparently irrelevant inquiry, suddenly put, is sometimes confusing,
and I fear I did not succeed in convincing Mingo of my unbelief.

"Some does en some don't," he continued, "but ez fer me, you kin des
put me sorter 'twix' en between. Dey mout be ghos'es en den ag'in dey
moutent. Ole nigger like me ain't got no bizness takin' sides, en dat
w'at make I say w'at I does. I ain't mo'n kivver my head wid dat
blanket en shot my eyes, 'fo' I year somebody a-callin' un me. Fus' hit
soun' way off yander.

"'_Mingo!--oh, Mingo!_' en den hit got nigher--'_Mingo!--oh, Mingo!_'

"I ain't 'spon' ter dat, but I lay dar, I did, en I say ter myse'f--

"'Bless gracious! de man on t'er side done come, but how in de name er
goodness is he know Mingo?'

"I lay dar, en I study en I lissen, en I lissen en I study; en den I
doze off like, en fus' news I know yer come de call--

"'_Mingo!--oh, Mingo!_'

"Hit soun' nigher, yit hit seem like it come fum a mighty fur ways, en
den wiles I wundin' en studyin', yer she come mo' plainer dan befo'--

"'OH, MINGO!'

"I snatch de blanket offn my head, en sot up en lissen, I did, en den I
make answer--

"'Who dat callin' Mingo way out yer?'

"I lissen en I lissen, but nobody ain't callin'. I year de water
sneakin' 'long under de bank, en I year de win' squeezin' en shufflin'
'long thoo de trees, en I year de squinch-owl shiver'n' like he cole,
but I ain't year no callin'. Dis make me feel sorter jubous like, but I
lay down en wrop up my head.

"I ain't bin dar long 'fo' bimeby yer come de call, en it soun' right
at me. Hit rise en it fall, en de wud wuz--

"'_Mingo!--oh, Mingo! Whar my little baby? My little baby, Mingo! Whar
my little, baby?_'

"En den, boss, hit seem like I year sump'n like a 'oman cryin' in de
dark like 'er heart gwineter break. You kin laff ef you mineter, but I
ain't dast ter take dat blanket offn my head, kaze I