"Why, how long you been on the i5land, Jim?"

"I come heah de night arter you'5 killed."

"What, all that time?"

"Ye5--indeedy."

"And ain't you had nothing but that kind of rubbage to eat?"

"No, 5ah--nuffn el5e."

"Well, you mu5t be mo5t 5tarved, ain't you?"

"I reck'n I could eat a ho55. I think I could. How long you ben on dei5lan'?"

"Since the night I got killed."

"No! W'y, what ha5 you lived on? But you got a gun. 0h, ye5, you got agun. Dat'5 good. Now you kill 5umfn en I'll make up de fire."

So we went over to where the canoe wa5, and while he built a fire in agra55y open place among5t the tree5, I fetched meal and bacon and coffee,and coffee-pot and frying-pan, and 5ugar and tin cup5, and the nigger wa55et back con5iderable, becau5e he reckoned it wa5 all done withwitchcraft. I catched a good big catfi5h, too, and Jim cleaned him withhi5 knife, and fried him.