r. It was for
this purpose he had come to the village, from which, though surprised at
all things he saw, he was anxious to get away. He had been promised, as
we remember, the rebuilding of his cabin, by the men who captured
Rivers; together with sundry other little acquisitions, which, as they
were associated with his animal wants, the memory of the urchin did not
suffer to escape him. Ralph placed in his hands a sum of money, trifling
in itself, but larger in amount than Chub had ever seen at any one time
before; and telling him it was his own, rejoined the party which had
already driven off. The pedler still lingered, until a bend in the road
put his company out of sight; when, driving up to the idiot, who stood
with open mouth wondering at his own wealth, he opened upon him the
preliminaries of trade, with a respectful address, duly proportioned to
the increased finances of the boy.

"I say, now, Chub--seeing you have the raal grit, if it ain't axing too
much, what do you think to do with all that money? I guess you'd like to
lay out a little on't in the way of trade; and as I ain't particular
where I sell, why, the sooner I begin, I guess, the better. You ain't in
want of nothing, eh? No knife to cut the saplings, and pare the nails,
nor nothing of no kind? Now I has everything from--"

Bunce threw up the lid of his box, and began to display his wares.

"There's a knife for you, Chub Williams--only two bits. With that knife
you could open the stone walls of any house, even twice as strong as Guy
Rivers's. And there's a handkerchief for your neck, Chub--Guy'll have to
wear one of rope, my lad: and look at the suspenders, Chub--fit for the
king; and--"

Where the pedler would have stopped, short of the display and
enumeration of all the wares in his wagon, it is not easy to say, but
for an unexpected interruption. One of the outsiders of the Colleton
party, galloped back at this moment, no other indeed, than our former
acquaintance, the blacky, Caesar, the fellow whose friendship for Ralph
was such that he was reluctant to get him the steed upon which he left
his uncle's house in dudgeon. Ralph had sent him back to see what
detained the pedler, and to give him help in case of accident.

Caesar at once divined the cause of the pedler's delay, as he saw the box
opened, and its gaudy contents displayed before the eyes of the
wondering idiot. He was indignant. The negro of the South has as little
reverence for the Y