“Why, the way you tell it.”
“Well, how does it seem. Let us hear you tell it. Let us have your dream.”
“Give us the dream![dream!] Let’s have yer dream!” cried the crowd.
“Well, you see I was a layin’ thar in my blankets—But I’ll be dogoned ef I believe I did dream it!” cried Pike. “I can almost hear the guns crack now!”
“Of course you dreamt it. Ain’t we all here?”
“Yes; I know. But how did I act—what did I do?”
“Why, I’ve just told you all you did. You know that after you went to bed you was bouncing up on your knees every five minutes, and at last you bounced up and took to your heels.”
“Yes; I know I was a little oneasy like. I kept a-hearin’ somethin’ rattle up on that hill, so I kinder kept on my guard like.”
“Well, let us have the dream,” all again cried.
“Well,” began Pike, “at first I was a-dreamin’ along kinder nice and easy like, when all at once I heard the rocks clatter—I mean I thought[thought] I heard ’em clatter. Then bang, bang! pop, pop! went the guns, and O! sich yells—sich yells! I thought my hair riz straight on end, and I seed more’n five hundred Injuns, all a-hoppin’ down the hill like turkeys. All this time I thought that you fellers was a blazin’ away at about two hundred of ’em that was all round you, and about five hundred on the hill. Then I thought I grabbed up a pick and went right inter the thick of the cusses and fit and fit till I’d wore out the pick, and then fit a long time with the handle. By this time I thought you fellers was all killed and I thought I’d git up and dust. But jist then I thought that Hank got holt round my legs and said he was wounded, and wouldn’t let go of me ’thout I’d carry him off. I thought I tuck him on my back and carried him ’bout four miles, and hid him in some brush. Then I thought I run on and waded across the river—”