in' 'Nay, nay, nay!'

[Illustration: Music]

Ducks in de yard goin' 'Quack, quack, quack!'
Guineas in de tree tops goin' 'Rack-pot-rack!'"

DURING the two weeks since they had come to the land of sugar-cane
Horatio and Bosephus had learned some of the old negro songs of
Louisiana and sang them to their own music. They were doing so now as
they marched along the bank of a quiet bayou, where the blue grass came
to the water's edge and the long Spanish moss from big live oak trees
swung down twenty feet or more till it almost touched the water. They
had had a good day and were going to camp.

"Bo," said the Bear presently, "we are doing well. We are making money,
Bo."

"Fifty dollars since we left the boat," said the little boy.

"These fat babies--little darky babies--are very amusing, too, Bosephus,
don't you think so?" Horatio added, nodding in the direction of some
they were just then passing.

[Illustration: "THESE LITTLE DARKEY BABIES ARE VERY--AMUSING."]

"I notice that you think so," said Bo, dryly. "If you'll take my advice,
though, you won't show any special fondness for them. People might not
understand your ways, you know, and besides," he added, with a grin,
"I've heard say these darkies down here are mighty fond of bear meat,
and there's such a lot of them----"

"Don't you mention it, Bo; I never dreamed of such a thing as you are
hinting at."

"Well, you said you were dreaming yesterday when we met that little
darky boy, and you nearly tore the jacket off of him before I could wake
you up with a club."

Horatio drew his bow hastily across the strings and began singing--

[Illustration: Music]

"Keemo, kimo, kilgo, kayro,
Horses in de stable goin' 'Nay, nay, nay!'

[Illustration: Music]

Rop strop, periwinkle, little yaller nigger,
Cum a rop strop bottle till the break of day."

The sun was just setting behind a large, white, old fashioned sugar
house, where the bayou turned, and made it look like an ancient castle.
The little boy sighed. He had never believed that any country could be
so beautiful as this, and he wanted to stay in it forever. Horatio liked
it, too. They had played and danced at many of the sugar houses, and the
Bear had been given everywhere all the waste sugar he could eat. He was
fond of the green cane also, and was nearly always chewing a piece when
they were not busy with a performance. But the big fellow had never
quite overcome his old sa