Turpentine shook his head and chuckled again.
“Well,” said Calhoun, “you're after that reward naturally.”
“Oh!” said Mr. Todd, “'tain't likely I'd get it, no, other folks bein' smarte'n me.”
“But suppose, being in trouble and seeing no other way out, we thought we might as well go to Norfolk with you and take our chances. Course, we'd try to slip you there. That would be our point. And your point would be to see we didn't.”
“Jemima!” said Mr. Todd sarcastically. “Ain't you fixin' things pretty nice?”
“Well, course, I don't know that we could get clear of you any better than we could Cavarly's men. Likely we'd slip up either way. We take our chances. But how's your point? Why, if Cavarly's men catch sight of us, they grab us. Course, they want the reward. Give and take's the rule. We give you a chance at the reward, and take a chance to cut loose, sort of exchanging commodities. Now, that's square.”
“My, my!” said Mr. Todd with bland admiration, “ain't it the beatenest thing, the way you go on makin' plans! Saves me a heap o' trouble. Ain't got a jackknife to trade for a mule, have ye? Jemima!”
“Well, what do you say?”
“Me! I don' say nothin'.''
“Tha's it!” said Turpentine softly. “He don' say nothin'. Oomm! He min' wukkin'.”