By this time the attention of the passengers in the vicinity was attracted, and all eyes were turned upon the darkey. As for myself, I felt somewhat annoyed, and wondered why the black cuss didn’t go below and carry on his animated chat with his friend, instead of standing up there, yelling down, and disturbing the tranquillity of the passengers.
“Well, why didn’t you sleep? It was your own fault.”
“O, let me ’lone, Sam,” came from below. “I don’t want no foolin’!”
“I won’t let you ’lone. You ain’t gwine to get no sleep dis day, you isn’t,” said Sam, thrusting a cane he had in his hand down through the open sky-light.
Some one appeared to seize it from below, and at the same time the voice of Bill said:
“Now, look yere, I say, I’ll break dis ’ole cane fur you, if you don’t look out!”
“Yes, you bettah try dat,” said Sam, thrusting the cane down several times, as though he were stirring a ’possum out of a hollow log.
“Now you be keerful!” vociferated the voice below, angrily; and the stick was seized again and an effort made to wrench it from Sam’s hand.
“Let go o’ dat now, I say,” said Sam, at the same time freeing it with a savage jerk.
“Den you let me ’lone,” said Bill, in a kind of compromising tone.