cheap. I have
known a great wariety since secesh times pegan. But as for your
particular case, sir, I peg to give some adwice. There is some ladies
present, and you must keep quiet. Do you remember how I vas kept quiet
ven I vas _your_ prisoner? I had pracelets on. And do you remember I vas
putting some supper in my pocket ven you took me to show you the cave?
Veil, I make von great mishtake; instead of supper, vat I vas putting in
my pocket vas them wery pracelets!"

And Carl produced the handcuffs. At that moment Penn and Cudjo arrived;
and Lysander, observing them, submitted to his fate with beautiful
resignation. The irons were put on, and Carl mounted guard over him with
the pistol.

XXXVIII.

_LOVE IN THE WILDERNESS._

Cudjo was highly exasperated to find strangers in the cave. He became
quickly reconciled to the presence of Virginia's sister, but not to that
of Lysander. To pacify him, Carl made him a present of the sword which
he had removed from the captain's noble person on arriving.

Cudjo received the weapon with unbounded delight, and proceeded to
adjust the belt to his own Ethiopian waist. It mattered little with him
that he got the scabbard on the wrong side of his body: a sword was a
sword; and he wore it in awkward and ridiculous fashion, strutting up
and down in the fire-lighted cave, to the envy and disgust of old Toby,
the rage of Lysander, and the amusement of the rest.

Penn meanwhile related to his friends his evening's adventures. He had
gone down to the ravine with the negroes to bury the horse and his dead
rider. He was keeping watch while they worked; the man was interred, and
they were digging a pit for the animal, when they discovered the
approach of the soldiers, and retired to a hiding-place close by. There
they lay concealed, whilst Ropes and his men descended to the spot,
exhumed the corpse with Cudjo's shovel, made their comments upon it, and
put it back into the ground. During this operation it had required all
Pomp's authority, and the restraint of his strong hand, to keep Cudjo
from pouncing upon his old enemy and former overseer, Silas Ropes.

"There were three of us," said Penn, "and only three of them, besides
Pepperill; and no doubt a struggle would have resulted in our favor. But
we did not want to be troubled with prisoners; and Pomp and I could not
see that anything was to be gained by killing them. Besides, we knew
they had a strong reserve within call. So we