hear nuthin' nowhere. I le' down the chain jest es ca-areful es I
could, 'n' tuk off the blindfold. 'Twas all dark; could n't see my
hand afore me. Crep' 'long the floor. See 't was covered with
sawdust. Tuk off m' boots, 'n' got up on m' feet, 'n' walked
careful. Did n' dast holler t' Ray. Cal'lated when the squabble
come I 'd be ready t' dew business. All t' once I felt a slant 'n
the floor. 'T was kind o' slip'ry, 'n' I begun t' slide. Feet
went out from under me 'n' sot me down quick. Tried t' ketch holt
o' suthin'. Could n't hang on; kep' goin' faster. Fust I knew I
'd slid int' some kind uv a box. Let me down quicker 'n scat over
thet air grease a little ways. I out with my tew hands 'n' bore
ag'in' the sides o' th' box powerful 'n' stopped myself. Then I up
with these here feet o' mine. See the top o' the box wa'n't much
more 'n a foot above me. Tried t' crawl up ag'in. Couldn't mek
it. Dum thing slanted luk Tup's Hill. Hung on awhile, cipherin'
es hard es I knew how. Hearn suthin' go kerslap. Seem so the hull
place trembled. Raised up my head, 'n' peeked over my stumick down
the box. A bar o' light stuck in away down. Let myself go careful
till I c'u'd see my nose in it. Then I got over on my shoulder 'n'
braced on the sides o' the box, back 'g'in' one side 'n' knees
'g'in' t'other. See 't was a knot-hole where the light come in,
'bout es big es a man's wrist. Peeked through, 'n' see a lot o'
lights 'n' folks, 'n' hearn 'em talkin'. Ray he stud on a platform
facin' a big, powerful-lookin' cuss. Hed their coats 'n' vests
off, 'n' sleeves rolled up, 'n' swords ready. See there wus goin'
t' be a fight. Hed t' snicker--wa'n' no way I c'u'd help it, fer,
Judas Priest! I knew dum well they wa'n't a single one of them air
Britishers c'u'd stan' 'fore 'im. Thet air mis'able spindlin'
devil I tol' ye 'bout--feller et hed the women--he stud back o'
Ray. Hed his hand up luk thet. 'Fight!' he says, 'n' they got t'