“Say w’en,” said Sipes, as he tilted the jug over the cup.
“Jest a leetle, not more’n a thimbleful!”
“Some thimbles is bigger’n others,” observed the old sailor, as he half filled the cup.
While protesting against the liberal offering, the old man disposed of the “little sump’n” with much relish.
Narcissus watched the proceedings from behind his kitchen bench with appealing eyes.
“How long you been liv’n’ ’round ’ere, Ancient?” asked Sipes.
“I come here in the fall o’ forty-eight. It was all open water whar that slough is then. It’s weeded up sence. We used to chase deer out all over the ice thar in the winter. They’d slip down an’ couldn’t git up, an’ we got slews of ’em that way. In the fall we’d find ’em on the beach ’long the big lake. We’d shoo ’em out in the water, an’ then stay ’long the shore an’ yell at ’em an’ keep ’em from comin’ in. They’d swim ’round fer a couple of hours, an’ they’d git so tired the waves ’ud wash ’em in, an’ we’d cetch ’em. We’d lay up enough meat to last all winter.
“We had to save amminition, fer we had to go twenty miles to the trading post fer wot we used. The Injuns was thicker’n hair on a dog ’round ’ere then. Many’s the time, in the summer, I’ve looked down the marsh an’ seen ’em set’n’ on the mushrat houses suckin’ wild duck eggs wot they’d found ’round in the slough.”
“I bet them was big pearls wot they was munchin’ on,” observed Sipes.
Not noticing the interruption the Ancient continued.