“To-morrow, Son of Ben Ali. Not now. They are too far from home. To-night, when the moon stands high, I’ll come through the long lane that has been closed, and hide in the plum thicket that has been left in the peach orchard.”
“So then,” said Aaron, “we will go. Before long I’ll come and have a race with you in the swamp.”
“Oof—ooft!” grunted the White Pig. “You shall win if you can!”
Then Aaron and the children started back to where they had left the wagon. The White Pig trotted with them a quarter of a mile or more, and then paused and sniffed the air.
“Gooft! The sun is too bright here. As for me, I travel in the dark.”
With that he turned and went galloping back into the swamp.
IX.
THE WHITE PIG’S STORY.
The next day the children were ready to go to the plum thicket in the peach orchard as soon as they had their breakfast, but while they were talking about it a new trouble arose. It grew out of a question asked by Drusilla.
“Is Unk A’on gwine ’long wid us?” she inquired.