IN the morning we went up to the village and bought a
wire rat-trap and fetched it down, and unstopped the best
rat-hole, and in about an hour we had fifteen of the
bulliest kind of ones; and then we took it and put it in
a safe place under Aunt Sally's bed. But while we was
gone for spiders little Thomas Franklin Benjamin
Jefferson Elexander Phelps found it there, and opened the
door of it to see if the rats would come out, and they
did; and Aunt Sally she come in, and when we got back she
was a-standing on top of the bed raising Cain, and the
rats was doing what they could to keep off the dull times
for her. So she took and dusted us both with the hickry,
and we was as much as two hours catching another fifteen
or sixteen, drat that meddlesome cub, and they warn't the
likeliest, nuther, because the first haul was the pick of
the flock. I never see a likelier lot of rats than what
that first haul was.
We got a splendid stock of sorted spiders, and bugs,
and frogs, and caterpillars, and one thing or another;
and we like to got a hornet's nest, but we didn't. The
family was at home. We didn't give it right up, but
stayed with them as long as we could; because we allowed
we'd tire them out or they'd got to tire us out, and they
done it. Then we got allycumpain and rubbed on the
places, and was pretty near all right again, but couldn't
set down convenient. And so we went for the snakes, and
grabbed a couple of dozen garters and house-snakes, and
put them in a bag, and put it in our room, and by that
time it was suppertime, and a rattling good honest day's
work: and hungry? — oh, no, I reckon not! And there
warn't a blessed snake up there when we went back — we
didn't half tie the sack, and they worked out somehow,
and left. But it didn't matter much, because they was
still on the premises somewheres. So we judged we could
get some of them again. No, there warn't no real scarcity
of snakes about the house for a considerable spell. You'd
see them dripping from the rafters and places every now
and then; and they generly landed in your plate, or down
the back of your neck, and most of the time where you
didn't want them. Well, they was handsome and striped,
and there warn't no harm in a million of them; but that
never made no difference to Aunt Sally; she despised
snakes, be the breed what they might, and she couldn't
stand them no way you could fix it; and every time one of
them flopped down on her, it didn't make no difference
what she was doing, she would just lay that work down and
light out. I never see such a woman. And you could hear
her whoop to Jericho. You couldn't get her to take a-holt
of one of them with the tongs. And if she turned over and
found one in bed she would scramble out and lift a howl
that you would think the house was afire. She disturbed
the old man so that he said he could most wish there
hadn't ever been no snakes created. Why, after every last
snake had been gone clear out of the house for as much as
a week Aunt Sally warn't over it yet; she warn't near
over it; when she was setting thinking about something
you could touch her on the back of her neck with a
feather and she would jump right out of her stockings. It
was very curious. But Tom said all women was just so. He
said they was made that way for some reason or other.
We got a licking every time one of our snakes come in
her way, and she allowed these lickings warn't nothing to
what she would do if we ever loaded up the place again
with them. I didn't mind the lickings, because they
didn't amount to nothing; but I minded the trouble we had
to lay in another lot. But we got them laid in, and all
the other things; and you never see a cabin as blithesome
as Jim's was when they'd all swarm out for music and go
for him. Jim didn't like the spiders, and the spiders
didn't like Jim; and so they'd lay for him, and make it
mighty warm for him. And he said that between the rats
and the snakes and the grindstone there warn't no room in
bed for him, skasely; and when there was, a body couldn't
sleep, it was so lively, and it was always lively, he
said, because THEY never all slept at one time, but took
turn about, so when the snakes was asleep the rats was on
deck, and when the rats turned in the snakes come on
watch, so he always had one gang under him, in his way,
and t'other gang having a circus over him, and if he got
up to hunt a new place the spiders would take a chance at
him as he crossed over. He said if he ever got out this
time he wouldn't ever be a prisoner again, not for a
salary.
Well, by the end of three weeks everything was in
pretty good shape. The shirt was sent in early, in a pie,
and every time a rat bit Jim he would get up and write a
little in his journal whilst the ink was fresh; the pens
was made, the inscriptions and so on was all carved on
the grindstone; the bed-leg was sawed in two, and we had
et up the sawdust, and it give us a most amazing stomach-ache.
We reckoned we was all going to die, but didn't. It was
the most undigestible sawdust I ever see; and Tom said
the same. But as I was saying, we'd got all the work done
now, at last; and we was all pretty much fagged out, too,
but mainly Jim. The old man had wrote a couple of times
to the plantation below Orleans to come and get their
runaway nigger, but hadn't got no answer, because there
warn't no such plantation; so he allowed he would
advertise Jim in the St. Louis and New Orleans papers;
and when he mentioned the St. Louis ones it give me the
cold shivers, and I see we hadn't no time to lose. So Tom
said, now for the nonnamous letters.
"What's them?" I says.
"Warnings to the people that something is up.
Sometimes it's done one way, sometimes another. But
there's always somebody spying around that gives notice
to the governor of the castle. When Louis XVI. was going
to light out of the Tooleries a servantgirl done it. It's
a very good way, and so is the nonnamous letters. We'll
use them both. And it's usual for the prisoner's mother
to change clothes with him, and she stays in, and he
slides out in her clothes. We'll do that, too."
"But looky here, Tom, what do we want to WARN
anybody for that something's up? Let them find it out for
themselves — it's their lookout."
"Yes, I know; but you can't depend on them. It's
the way they've acted from the very start — left us to
do EVERYTHING. They're so confiding and mulletheaded they
don't take notice of nothing at all. So if we don't GIVE
them notice there won't be nobody nor nothing to
interfere with us, and so after all our hard work and
trouble this escape 'll go off perfectly flat; won't
amount to nothing — won't be nothing TO it."
"Well, as for me, Tom, that's the way I'd like."
"Shucks!" he says, and looked disgusted. So
I says:
"But I ain't going to make no complaint. Any way
that suits you suits me. What you going to do about the
servant-girl?"
"You'll be her. You slide in, in the middle of
the night, and hook that yaller girl's frock."
"Why, Tom, that 'll make trouble next morning;
because, of course, she prob'bly hain't got any but that
one."
"I know; but you don't want it but fifteen
minutes, to carry the nonnamous letter and shove it under
the front door."
"All right, then, I'll do it; but I could carry
it just as handy in my own togs."
"You wouldn't look like a servant-girl THEN,
would you?"
"No, but there won't be nobody to see what I look
like, ANYWAY."
"That ain't got nothing to do with it. The thing
for us to do is just to do our DUTY, and not worry about
whether anybody SEES us do it or not. Hain't you got no
principle at all?"
"All right, I ain't saying nothing; I'm the
servantgirl. Who's Jim's mother?"
"I'm his mother. I'll hook a gown from Aunt Sally."
"Well, then, you'll have to stay in the cabin
when me and Jim leaves."
"Not much. I'll stuff Jim's clothes full of straw
and lay it on his bed to represent his mother in
disguise, and Jim 'll take the nigger woman's gown off of
me and wear it, and we'll all evade together. When a
prisoner of style escapes it's called an evasion. It's
always called so when a king escapes, f'rinstance. And
the same with a king's son; it don't make no difference
whether he's a natural one or an unnatural one."
So Tom he wrote the nonnamous letter, and I smouched
the yaller wench's frock that night, and put it on, and
shoved it under the front door, the way Tom told me to.
It said:
Beware. Trouble is brewing. Keep a sharp lookout.
UNKNOWN FRIEND.
Next night we stuck a picture, which Tom drawed in
blood, of a skull and crossbones on the front door; and
next night another one of a coffin on the back door. I
never see a family in such a sweat. They couldn't a been
worse scared if the place had a been full of ghosts
laying for them behind everything and under the beds and
shivering through the air. If a door banged, Aunt Sally
she jumped and said "ouch!" if anything fell,
she jumped and said "ouch!" if you happened to
touch her, when she warn't noticing, she done the same;
she couldn't face noway and be satisfied, because she
allowed there was something behind her every time — so
she was always a-whirling around sudden, and saying
"ouch," and before she'd got two-thirds around
she'd whirl back again, and say it again; and she was
afraid to go to bed, but she dasn't set up. So the thing
was working very well, Tom said; he said he never see a
thing work more satisfactory. He said it showed it was
done right.
So he said, now for the grand bulge! So the very next
morning at the streak of dawn we got another letter
ready, and was wondering what we better do with it,
because we heard them say at supper they was going to
have a nigger on watch at both doors all night. Tom he
went down the lightning-rod to spy around; and the nigger
at the back door was asleep, and he stuck it in the back
of his neck and come back. This letter said:
Don't betray me, I wish to be your friend. There is a
desprate gang of cut-throats from over in the Indian
Territory going to steal your runaway nigger to-night,
and they have been trying to scare you so as you will
stay in the house and not bother them. I am one of the
gang, but have got religgion and wish to quit it and lead
an honest life again, and will betray the helish design.
They will sneak down from northards, along the fence, at
midnight exact, with a false key, and go in the nigger's
cabin to get him. I am to be off a piece and blow a tin
horn if I see any danger; but stead of that I will BA
like a sheep soon as they get in and not blow at all;
then whilst they are getting his chains loose, you slip
there and lock them in, and can kill them at your leasure.
Don't do anything but just the way I am telling you; if
you do they will suspicion something and raise whoop-jamboreehoo.
I do not wish any reward but to know I have done the
right thing.
UNKNOWN FRIEND.