olly! wanted to see if you was
afeard, too."

"But," said the soldier, assuming a more serious air, "let the jesting
cease. When did you put those logs together, Cato?"

"Dis morning, arter _dey_ went away," he replied, with a shudder,
casting a look of terror around him.

"And when did they--the Shawnees--go away?"

"Didn't stay long, Massa; come in de night, berry late--bust on de
house all at once."

Lieutenant Canfield felt a painful interest in all that related to Mary
Prescott. Although the Huron had given him the principal incidents of
the attack and massacre, he could not restrain himself from questioning
the negro still further.

"Had you no warning of their approach?"

"Nothing; didn't know dey war about till dey war among us."

"What was the first thing you heard, Cato? Give me the particulars so
far as you can remember."

"Hebens, golly! I'll neber forgit _dat_ night if I lib a fousand
years. Wal, you see I and Big Mose had just gwane to bed and blowed de
candle out----"

"Had Miss Mary retired?"

"Yes--she'd been gone a good while. You see, me and Big Mose am
generally de last niggers dat am up, specially myself. I goes around
for to see if de t'ings am all right about de house. Wal, me and Mose
had been around to see if eberyt'ing was right, and was coming back
from de barn and got purty near de house, when Mose whispers, 'Cato, I
see'd a man crawling on de ground back dar. I didn't say nuffin' for
fear ob scaring ob _you_.' 'Oh! git out,' says I, 'you's _skeart_.'
But I felt a little oneasy myself, 'cause I kind ob fought I heern
somefin' when we was a little furder off. I commenced for to walk
fast, and Big Mose commenced for to walk fast, and afore we knowed it,
we bofe was a canterin', and when we come aginst de door, we'd like to
've busted it in, we was tearing along so fast. We tumbled in ober
each oder, and fastened dat door in a hurry you'd better beliebe."

"Wal, we went to our room, and blowed out de candle and said our
prayers and went to bed. We hadn't been laying dar long, when Big Mose
turned ober toward me, and whispers, 'I tell you, Cato, dar am Inj'ines
about de house. 'Cause why I see'd one, and I had a dream last night
dat a whole lot ob dem comes here in de night and killed all of us
niggers and burnt Missis Mary!' Hebens, golly! Massa Canfield, I begun
to turn white about de gills when I heerd him say _dat_. I'd been
shibering and shaking, and now I sh