“Why I-I-I done ketched one of the wild men and turned him ovah to the guard and I done got three mo’ corked up in a bottle.”
“Great Guns! This is exciting. Tell me about it,” cried the General.
“Well, you see it’s dis way,” said Gogo, sitting down on a pebble and mopping his head with his tiny handkerchief. “I done took a walk out beyond the picket lines yonder. I knew I had no business wanderin’ out dere, but I jus’ kept on and pretty soon I run across a big bottle a-layin’ on its side.
“I was kind of ’spicious about dat bottle, fo’ I done see through de glass where some dry grass had done been fixed up fo’ a bed, mighty like some one been sleepin’ dere.
“‘Gogo,’ I says to myself, ‘some one been sleepin’ heah in dis bottle and it ain’t none of de Teenie Weenies, fo’ none of dem has been out heah dis far.’ Den I made up my mind that it mus’ be some of dem scalawag wild men and I reckon dey mus’ stayed in dis bottle when dey was on guard duty watchin’ our army.
“‘But why did dey-all stay in dis heah bottle?’ I says to myself. ‘It’s not cold nights.’ But jus’ den a big mosquito cam’ a-buzzin’ and a-buzzin’ round and den I knew dat the wild men been a-stayin’ in dat bottle fo’ to keep de mosquitoes from bitin’ ’em.
“I says to myself, ‘Some of dese wild men will be comin’ ’round heah pretty soon and maybe I can done cotch ’em and extinguish myself.’”
“Distinguish yourself,” corrected the General.
“Yes, sah,” continued the little colored fellow. “Well, I done crawl under a leaf and waited. I done wait fo’ a long time, but pretty soon I done see fo’ of de wild men come sneakin’ along and pretty soon dey done make right fo’ de bottle. Three of ’em done crawl in de bottle and one of ’em done squat down outside by de openin’ of de bottle kinda like he was guardin’.