“Cawprul uh de gyaa’d! Pos’ number t’ree!” he bellowed. “Mek’ace en’ come’yuh! T’ree mans dey yuh duh try fuh git t’ru bedout no passwu’d. Ef dem got’um dem cyan’ call ’e name. Uh dunkyuh ef one is de cap’n, oonuh done tell me ’sponsubble suh ’e yent fuh pass bedout ’e got de wu’d.”
The thick-lipped corporal came.
“’Smattuh, Unk’ Cæsar? Yuh fuh call me?”
“Yaas, uh fuh call you fuh true. Mek dese’yuh man fuh gi’ we de sign.”
“Raccoon!” bellowed Prince.
“You shum, enty! Enty uh tell you ’e yent hab’um!”
“Yaas, man, da’ duh him! ’Rokkoon’ duh de passwu’d wuh Buh Prince gi’ we, but him ent call ’e name lukkuh we call’um, ’cause him bin Beefu’t rebel time ’long dem Nyankee en’ t’ing, en’ duh so dem call’um.”
“Uh dunkyuh how dem eegnunt Nyankee call rokkoon’ name, demself cyan’ pass dis t’icket ’scusin’ dem call’um lukkuh we call’um ’puntop Toogoodoo. En’ ’cause dis nigguh bin Beefu’t, him fuh ’spute ’long me en’ tell me how fuh call rokkoon’ name w’en uh binnuh ketch rokkoon befo’ ’e daddy hab ’e maamy! Ef ’e cyan’ call rokkoon’ name, uh keep’um yuh ’tell t’unduh roll!”
“Rokkoon!” conceded the chapfallen captain, and he passed, somewhat chagrined at the outcome of his picketing experiment.
The outposts were recalled, the other negroes aroused from among the roadside bushes where they had been resting, and the full company assembled for drill. The outfit was heavily officered, and the captain allowed them to take turns at putting the men through their paces. At last they were turned over to Mingo Brown, a pompous corporal, so puffed up with “a little brief authority” that most of the negroes grinned in his face, and some openly guffawed, “eh, eh, Buh Mingo swonguh fuh sowl!” The men, a ragged line, were ranged on one side of the road, and, facing them on the other, Mingo drew a great cavalry sabre and began to cut such anthropoidal antics before high heaven, that three gentlemen, returning from a successful hunt, reined in their horses a few yards away and paused to see the fun.