Now, you see, get all dese yer hosses loose,...

Posted at 7:57 PM, Friday, January 29, 2010

Now, you see, get all dese yer hosses loose, caperin? permiscus round dis yer lot and down to de wood dar, and I spec Mas?r won?t be off in a hurry ?Yer see,? said Sam, ?yer see, Andy, if any such thing should happen as that Mas?r Haley?s horse should begin to act contrary, and cut up, you and I jist lets go of our?n to help him, and we?ll help him?oh yes!? And Sam and Andy laid their heads back on their shoulders, and broke into a low, immoderate laugh, snapping their fingers and flourishing their heels with exquisite delight At this instant, Haley appeared on the verandahSomewhat mollified by certain cups of very good coffee, he came out smiling and talking, in tolerably restored humorSam and Andy, clawing for certain fragmentary palm-leaves, which they were in the habit of considering as hats, flew to the horseposts, to be ready to ?help Mas?r Sam?s palm-leaf had been ingeniously disentangled from all pretensions to braid, as respects its brim; and the slivers starting apart, and standing upright, gave it a blazing air of freedom and defiance, quite equal to that of any Fejee chief; while the whole brim of Andy?s being departed bodily, he rapped the crown on his head with a dexterous thump, and looked about well pleased, as if to say, ?Who says I haven?t got a hat?? ?Well, boys,? said Haley, ?look alive now; we must lose no time ?Not a bit of him, Mas?r!? said Sam, putting Haley?s rein in his hand, and holding his stirrup, while Andy was untying the other two horses The instant Haley touched the saddle, the mettlesome creature bounded from the earth with a sudden spring, that threw his master sprawling, some feet off, on the soft, dry turfSam, with frantic ejaculations, made a dive at the reins, but only succeeded in brushing the blazing palm-leaf afore-named into the horse?s eyes, which by no means tended to allay the confusion of his nervesSo, with great vehemence, he overturned Sam, and, giving two or three contemptuous snorts, flourished his heels vigorously in the air, and was soon prancing away towards the lower end of the lawn, followed by Bill and Jerry, whom Andy had not failed to let loose, according to contract, speeding them off with various direful ejaculationsAnd now ensued a miscellaneous scene of confusionSam and Andy ran and shouted,?dogs barked here and there,?and Mike, Mose, Mandy, Fanny, and all the smaller specimens on the place, both male and female, raced, clapped hands, whooped, and shouted, with outrageous officiousness and untiring zeal Haley?s horse, which was a white one, and very fleet and spirited, appeared to enter into the spirit of the scene with great gusto; and having for his coursing ground a lawn of nearly half a mile in extent, gently sloping down on every side into indefinite woodland, he appeared to take infinite delight in seeing how near he could allow his pursuers to approach him, and then, when within a hand?s breadth, whisk off with a start and a snort, like a mischievous beast as he was and career far down into some alley of the wood-lotNothing was further from Sam?s mind than to have any one of the troop taken until such season as should seem to him most befitting,?and the exertions that he made were certainly most heroicLike the sword of Coeur De Lion, which always blazed in the front and thickest of the battle, Sam?s palm-leaf was to be seen everywhere when there was the least danger that a horse could be caught; there he would bear down full tilt, shouting, ?Now for it! cotch him! cotch him!? in a way that would set everything to indiscriminate rout in a moment Haley ran up and down, and cursed and swore and stamped miscellaneouslyShelby in vain tried to shout directions from the balcony, and MrsShelby from her chamber window alternately laughed and wondered,?not without some inkling of what lay at the bottom of all this confusion At last, about twelve o?clock, Sam appeared triumphant, mounted on Jerry, with Haley?s horse by his side, reeking with sweat, but with flashing eyes and dilated nostrils, showing that the spirit of freedom had not yet entirely subsided ?He?s cotched!? he exclaimed, triumphantly?If ?t hadn?t been for me, they might a bust themselves, all on ?em; but I cotched him!? ?You!? growled Haley, in no amiable mood?If it hadn?t been for you, this never would have happened ?Lord bless us, Mas?r,? said Sam, in a tone of the deepest concern, ?and me that has been racin? and chasin? till the sweat jest pours off me!? ?Well, well!? said Haley, ?you?ve lost me near three hours, with your cursed nonsenseNow let?s be off, and have no more fooling ?Why, Mas?r,? said Sam, in a deprecating tone, ?I believe you mean to kill us all clar, horses and allHere we are all just ready to drop down, and the critters all in a reek of sweatWhy, Mas?r won?t think of startin? on now till arter dinnerMas?rs? hoss wants rubben down; see how he splashed hisself; and Jerry limps too; don?t think Missis would be willin? to have us start dis yer way, no howLord bless you, Mas?r, we can ketch up, if we do stopLizy never was no great of a walkerShelby, who, greatly to her amusement, had overheard this conversation from the verandah, now resolved to do her partShe came forward, and, courteously expressing her concern for Haley?s accident, pressed him to stay to dinner, saying that the cook should bring it on the table immediately Thus, all things considered, Haley, with rather an equivocal grace, proceeded to the parlor, while Sam, rolling his eyes after him with unutterable meaning, proceeded gravely with the horses to the stable-yard ?Did yer see him, Andy? did yer see him? and Sam, when he had got fairly beyond the shelter of the barn, and fastened the horse to a post?O, Lor, if it warn?t as good as a meetin?, now, to see him a dancin? and kickin? and swarin? at usDidn?t I hear him? Swar away, ole fellow (says I to myself ); will yer have yer hoss now, or wait till you cotch him? (says I)Lor, Andy, I think I can see him now And Sam and Andy leaned up against the barn and laughed to their hearts? content ?Yer oughter seen how mad he looked, when I brought the hoss upLord, he?d a killed me, if he durs? to; and there I was a standin? as innercent and as shop humble