"I am told there is another man here," I added; "where is he? Call him up to me. I am determined to punish you all."
"He not here, mas'r," said the old man, in a subdued tone. "He am gone over to see what de row over dere. Dey tell him, him cousin shot. I only do what I'se told. It's mas'r's fault, not mine. He tell me keep Miss Bessy here, and not let her see nobody, no account whatebber. What can I do, poor nigger man?"
"Your master cannot make you do an illegal thing," I answered. "But come, bring out whatever you have got to eat: we are all hungry."
"I see arter that," cried aunt Jenny, who seemed quite at home in the kitchen. "Now, Venus, where you put de milk?" Venus, who was as unlike her Grecian namesake as could well be conceived, declared the cows were not milked; adding,--
"That black nigger Jack had gone away across de Swamp, and forget 'em." But Jenny, who could play termagant when the occasion required it, drove out the old man to milk the cows himself. Our meal was certainly unwillingly given; but the grudging did not detract from its savour to very hungry people; and I must say, we made perfectly free with Mr. Thornton's house, without any remorse of conscience. After we had supped, Aunt Jenny gathered together whatever she could find of an edible quality, helped herself to a basket, and piled upon the top, besides a candle or two, a number of knotty pitch-pine pieces, which often, in this part of the country, served the purpose of torches.
"Now, come along, Sam'l," she said; "I'se not going to let you 'bide here, plotting. I hope you fed de horses well, for we'se a long way to go, to-night, and 'praps mayn't get to de sheriff's afore to-morrow morning. Dat's why I'm taking all these purvisions; and if Mas'r Thornton say I stole 'em, you tell 'im Sir Richard Conway will pay for 'em when he send in his bill." The old man grumbled; but she drove him out before us, to the stable, where we found my own horse, and that which had carried Bessy thither. There was also a mule in the stable, which I had a strong inclination to borrow, for the purpose of mounting old Jenny; but the good woman declined the honour, saying she had rather walk; she didn't like "'orseback," it made her "uncomferable." With some little trouble, we got everything in order, and set out; the moon, though not yet above the trees, afforded us light sufficient. We went very slowly, and more than once I turned my head to make sure that the old negro was not following to watch us. Jenny seemed to divine my suspicion, and, at length, said, with a laugh,--
"Don't you be afraid, mas'r. He'll not come after we. He's a lazy old debbil, as cross as two sticks; but he would not walk ten steps to save his own soul, if he could help it. I know him long time, and was two months in de house wid him. Oh! and he tell such big lies too. He go and say to Mas'r Thornton, you came wid ten men and took away Miss Bessy, and he couldn't help it; and he'll give all their names too, jist as if he see 'em wid his own eyes."
"Those are lies which can do us no possible harm, Jenny," I answered; "for if these two Thorntons were by any chance to get bailed out to-night, they would not like to pursue us, if they thought we had a large party." Bessy was very silent as we rode along, and doubtless was tired and exhausted; but we had good reason to thank Heaven for the hardy education she had received from Aunt Bab; for one half of what she had gone through during the last two days would have killed any ordinary Virginia girl. After having ridden on for about twenty minutes, we passed a very large tree standing nearly alone, and Aunt Jenny said in an oracular tone,--
"Nort Carolina line. Now we'se in Virginny. Tank God for dat!" Here she turned away to the left, keeping, I supposed, along the boundary line of the two states; and, in little more than a quarter of an hour, we came to an open space just upon the edge of the Swamp land, where, though the moon had now risen, and I looked round on every side, I could perceive nothing at all like the cabin she had mentioned. She trudged on sturdily, however, for a hundred yards further, and then turned round the edge of a little clump of bushes which had hitherto concealed, completely, a low hut, formed of logs, roughly hewn square with the axe, and placed one upon the top of the other, to form the walls. It seemed well thatched with branches and reeds, and had two windows, or rather apertures, and a door, giving it somewhat the appearance of the houses made out of a cat's head, which we draw to amuse children.
"Ah! here it is!" cried Aunt Jenny. "Dis is de place, mas'r, where ole Habakkuk live for a long time, 'cause he would not be under Mas'r Thornton, when ole missus die. Mas'r Thornton could never find him out; and we, none of us, never say a word. De ole man build it all himself wid his own hands. A mighty smart man he were, and made himself quite comferable here. I guess his ole bedstead here still; so dat you and Miss Bessy can lie down and rest." By this time we had arrived at the door--and Jenny was about to open it, when I suggested that it might be better to have some light before we went in, if she had the means of procuring any.