“Sho’?” Uncle Bill was astonished at his asking. “Sho it’s so! I’ve seen a coach-whip do it plenty o’ times.”
He spat far out into the stream when he had said it, then held one oar still in the water to wheel the boat to one side, as he asked:
“Did you ever catch one of dose pretty little garter snakes an’ see him break hisself all up into little joints? Dey go back all togedder again when dey gits ready.”
Sherry never had.
“Well did you ever burn a blacksnake an’ make him show you his feet. You must be have done dat, Sherry?”
“No, suh,” Sherry answered solemnly. “I ain’ done em not yet, but I’ve seen plenty o’ people what has done em.” And after a thoughtful silence he added:
“Deys one t’ing I do know, Uncle. If a snake bites you and you don’t die, all you’ hair will drop out every time dat snake sheds its skin. Dat’s so, ’cause my own done it about ten years until Uncle Isaac told me to put a boxwood poultice on my hand ebery night las’ spring. An’ dat cured me.”
“Sho’!” Uncle Bill agreed. “Boxwood’s good for most eberyt’ing what ails you.”
“Poultices made out of boxwood will make you’ hair grow and cure tooth-ache or either rheumatism. Boxwood tea’ll cure de itch or de spring fever, too.”
“I heard so,” Sherry approved. “Boxwood roots is good for foot troubles too.”