Chapter Thirty Six.
“Berry much ’fraid.”
Julius Caesar, after getting over his first fear of the white strangers and a natural dread of the fierce American slaver, whose threats seemed to dominate his life, threw himself bravely into the enterprise upon which he was engaged and proved himself to be an admirable guide, one too with a full knowledge of the risks he ran. He grew more and more confident now of the strength to protect him of the man-o’-war’s men, and every now and then, as the party continued its way along what proved to be a carefully constructed tunnel, he stopped short and whispered to Murray to shade the light while he hurried on into the pitchy darkness.
The first time he did this, after laying his black arm across both Murray’s and the lieutenant’s breasts, he seemed to be so long gone that the latter expressed it as his belief that he had tricked them and escaped; but this opinion had hardly been whispered in the middy’s ear before there was a faint rustling as of bare feet heard, and then, breathing hard, the black was close upon them.
“Come ’long now, massa,” he said. “Show light now.”
Thrice more this was repeated, and then all at once upon their guide’s return he exclaimed—
“Massa put out light now.”
“What for?” said Murray sharply.
“Candle burn all away sure. Wantum go back. All dark.”