"Yes, we did--heard a howl or two. Does that prove anybody was killed?
Course it don't. And we seen four men run, then this one come walking out
and we took it for a ghost. No more ghost than you are. It was Jake
Dunlap his own self, and it's Jake Dunlap now. He's been and got his
hair cropped, the way he said he would, and he's playing himself for a
stranger, just the same as he said he would. Ghost? Hum!--he's as sound
as a nut."

Then I see it all, and how we had took too much for granted. I was
powerful glad he didn't get killed, and so was Tom, and we wondered which
he would like the best--for us to never let on to know him, or how? Tom
reckoned the best way would be to go and ask him. So he started; but I
kept a little behind, because I didn't know but it might be a ghost,
after all. When Tom got to where he was, he says:

"Me and Huck's mighty glad to see you again, and you needn't be afeared
we'll tell. And if you think it'll be safer for you if we don't let on
to know you when we run across you, say the word and you'll see you can
depend on us, and would ruther cut our hands off than get you into the
least little bit of danger."

First off he looked surprised to see us, and not very glad, either; but
as Tom went on he looked pleasanter, and when he was done he smiled, and
nodded his head several times, and made signs with his hands, and says:

"Goo-goo--goo-goo," the way deef and dummies does.

Just then we see some of Steve Nickerson's people coming that lived
t'other side of the prairie, so Tom says: