d fell. We soared up and found him laying on top
of the head panting and most tuckered out, partly from howling for help
and partly from scare. He had been standing a siege a long time--a week,
HE said, but it warn't so, it only just seemed so to him because they
was crowding him so. They had shot at him, and rained the bullets all
around him, but he warn't hit, and when they found he wouldn't stand up
and the bullets couldn't git at him when he was laying down, they went
for the ladder, and then he knowed it was all up with him if we didn't
come pretty quick. Tom was very indignant, and asked him why he didn't
show the flag and command them to GIT, in the name of the United States.
Jim said he done it, but they never paid no attention. Tom said he would
have this thing looked into at Washington, and says:

"You'll see that they'll have to apologize for insulting the flag, and
pay an indemnity, too, on top of it even if they git off THAT easy."

Jim says:

"What's an indemnity, Mars Tom?"

"It's cash, that's what it is."

"Who gits it, Mars Tom?"

"Why, WE do."

"En who gits de apology?"

"The United States. Or, we can take whichever we please. We can take the
apology, if we want to, and let the gov'ment take the money."

"How much money will it be, Mars Tom?"

"Well, in an aggravated case like this one, it will be at least three
dollars apiece, and I don't know but more."

"Well, den, we'll take de money, Mars Tom, blame de 'pology. Hain't dat
yo' notion, too? En hain't it yourn, Huck?"

We talked it over a little and allowed that that was as good a way as
any, so we agreed to take the money. It was a new business to me, and I
asked Tom if countries always apologized when they had done wrong, and
he says:

"Yes; the little ones does."

We was sailing around examining the pyramids, you know, and now we
soared up and roosted on the flat top of the biggest one, and found it
was just like what the man said in the Sunday-school. It was like four
pairs of stairs that starts broad at the bottom and slants up and comes
together in a point at the top, only these stair-steps couldn't be clumb
the way you climb other stairs; no, for each step was as high as your
chin, and you have to be boosted up from behind. The two other pyramids
warn't far away, and the people moving about on the sand between looked
like bugs crawling, we was so high above them.

Tom he couldn't hold himself he was so worked up with gladnes