It came easier after I noticed he didn't seem to be angry about
anything.

"Where is your hunting ground, and what game are you after?" he
asked gravely.

"You can see the great African jungle over there. I am going to
hunt for lions and tigers."

You always must answer politely any one who speaks to you; and
you get soundly thrashed, at least at our house, if you don't be
politest of all to an older person especially with white hair.
Father is extremely particular about white hair. It is a "crown
of glory," when it is found in the way of the Lord. Mahlon Pryor
had enough crown of glory for three men, but maybe his wasn't
exactly glory, because he wasn't in the way of the Lord. He was
in a way of his own. He must have had much confidence in
himself. At our house we would rather trust in the Lord. I only
told him about the lions and tigers because he asked me, and that
was the way I played. But you should have heard him laugh. You
wouldn't have supposed to see him that he could.

"Umph!" he said at last. "I am a little curious about your
ammunition. Just how to you bring down your prey?"

"I use portulaca powder and tiger lily bullets on the tigers, and
four o'clocks on the lions," I said.

You could have heard him a mile, dried up as he was.