re fightin'
against another chief whom they call Sultan, and who lives upon Turk's
island. Where shall we get our salt from now, I should like to know?"{F}

The storm that had been for some time brewing, now burst forth with a
roar that shook the rafters of the log-built tavern. Although
immeasurably tickled by Bob's speech, Richards and I had struggled
successfully with our disposition to laugh. At this moment, however, a
stifled giggling was heard behind us, which immediately attracted the
attention of Bob and his friends. "A spy! a spy!" shouted they; and
there was a sudden and general rush to the door, through which an
unfortunate adherent of the opposite party had sneaked in to witness
their proceedings. The poor devil was seized by a dozen hands, and
dragged, neck and heel, before Bob's tribunal, to account for his
intrusion. He set up a howl of terror, and probably pain, that
immediately brought to his assistance a whole regiment of his friends,
who were assembled in the adjacent tavern. A furious fight began, from
which Richards and myself hastened to escape. We made our way into the
kitchen, and thence into a court at the back of the house.

"Stop!" said a whispering voice, as we were groping about in the
darkness; "you are close to a pool that would drown an ox. I guess you
won't refuse my invitation now?"

It was no less a person than Mr Isaac Shifty; and we began to consider
whether it would not really be better to put ourselves under his
guidance. Indoors we could hear the fight raging furiously. We paused to
think what was best to be done. Suddenly, to our great astonishment, the
noise of the contest ceased, and was replaced by a dead silence. We
hurried through the kitchen to the field of battle, and found that the
charm which had so suddenly stilled the fury of an Alabamian election
fight, was no other than the arrival of the constable and his
assistants, who had suddenly appeared in the midst of the combatants.
Their presence produced an effect which scarcely any amount of mere
physical force would have been able to bring about; and a single summons
in the name of the law to keep the peace, had caused the contending
parties to separate--the intruding one retiring immediately to its own
headquarters.

We passed a quiet and tolerably comfortable night, except that Bob
thought proper to favour us with his society, so that we lay three in
one bed. Before break of day he got up, and went away. Tired as w