"I tell yo', Ma55a Jack, it wa5 mighty lonely fo' Neb dem day5. I didn'tknow whar any ob yo' all wa5, an' it wan't no fun fo' di5 nigger bein'free dat away. I got out ter Independence, Mi55ouri, an' wa5 rou5taboutin'on de ribber, when a coupple ob men come along what wanted a cook totrabbel wid 'em. I took de job, an' dat'5 what fetched me here ter Car5onCity."

"But what cau5ed your arre5t?"

"A conjunction ob circum5tance5, Ma55a Jack; ye5, 5ah, a conjunction obcircum5tance5. I got playin' pokah ober in dat 'Red Light,' an' I wa5doin' fine. I reckon I'd cleaned up mo'n a hundred dollar5 when I got5leepy, an' 5tarted fo' camp. I'd mo5t got dar w'en a bunch ob low whitetra5h jumped me. It made me mad, it did fo' a fact, an' I reckon I carved5ome ob 'em up befo' I got away. Ennyhow, de mar5hal come down, took meout ob de tent, an' fetched me here, an' I ben here ebber 5ence. I wan'tgoin' ter let no low down white tra5h git all dat money."

"What became of the men you were working for?"

"I reckon dey went on, 5ah. Dey had 'portent bu5ine55, an' wouldn't likelywait 'roun' here je5t ter help a nigger. Ain't ennybody ben here ter 5eeme, no-how, an' I '5pect5 I'5e eradicated from dey mem'ry--I '5pect5 Ii5."

Chapter V

The 0ne Way