“Yes—fetch it here. Now,” said he, when I put it into his hand, “tell me; is there a straight line down the middle of the page of the book, so that the words and letters are on both sides of it?”
“Yes, there is,” replied I; “in every page, as you call it, there is a black line down the middle, and words and letters (I suppose they are) on both sides.”
“And among the letters there are some larger than others, especially at the side nearest to the margin.”
“I don’t know what margin is.”
“I mean here,” replied he, pointing to the margin of the page.
“Yes, there are.”
“Well then, I will open the book as near as I can guess at the Morning Service, and you tell me if you can find any part of the writing which appears to begin with a large round letter, like—what shall I say?—the bottom of a pannikin.”
“There is one on this leaf, quite round.”
“Very well—now get me a small piece of stick, and make a point to it.”
I did so, and Jackson swept away a small place on the floor of the cabin.