toe-hold among the strata of limestone.

The negro deck-hand came out and pumped the hand-power whistle in three
long discordant blasts. Then a queer thing happened. The whistle was
answered by a faint strain of music. A little later the passengers saw a
line of negroes come marching down the river bank to the wharf-boat.
They marched in military order, and from afar Peter recognized the white
aprons and the swords and spears of the Knights and Ladies of Tabor, a
colored burial association.

Siner wondered what had brought out the Knights and Ladies of Tabor. The
singing and the drumming gradually grew upon the air. The passengers in
the white cabin, came out on the guards at this unexpected fanfare. As
soon as the white travelers saw the marching negroes, they began joking
about what caused the demonstration. The captain of the launch thought
he knew, and began an oath, but stopped it out of deference to the girl
in the tailor suit. He said it was a dead nigger the society was going
to ship up to Savannah.

The girl in the tailor suit was much amused. She said the darkies looked
like a string of caricatures marching down the river bank. Peter noticed
her Northern accent, and fancied she was coming to Hooker's Bend to
teach school.

One of the drummers turned to another.

"Did you ever hear Bob Taylor's yarn about Uncle 'Rastus's funeral?
Funniest thing Bob ever got off." He proceeded to tell it.

Every one on the launch was laughing except the captain, who was