heap lazy all time. Me no likum. Agent one time givum plenty
flour, plenty meat, plenty tea. Huh. Them damn' folks no eatum.
All time playum cards, drinkum whisky. All time otha fella
ketchum flour, ketchum meat, ketchum tea--ketchum all them thing
b'longum." In the rhetorical pause he made there, his black eyes
wandered inadvertently to Evadna's face. And Evadna, the timid
one, actually smiled back.

"Isn't it a shame they should do that," she murmured
sympathetically.

"Huh." Peppajee turned his eyes and his attention to Peaceful,
as if the opinion and the sympathy of a mere female were not
worthy his notice. "Them grub all gone, them Injuns mebbyso
ketchum hungry belly." Evadna blushed, and looked studiously at
her plate.

"Come my wikiup. Me got plenty flour, plenty meat, plenty tea.
Stay all time my wikiup. Sleepum my wikiup. Sun come up"--he
pointed a brown, sinewy hand toward the east--"eatum my grub.
Sun up there"--his finger indicated the zenith--"eatum some more.
Sun go 'way, eatum some more. Then sleepum all time my wikiup.
Bimeby, mebbyso my flour all gone, my meat mebbyso gone, mebbyso
tea--them folks all time eatum grub, me no ketchum. Me no playum
cards, all same otha fella ketchum my grub. Kay bueno. Better
me playum cards mebbyso all time.

"Bimeby no ketchum mo' grub, no stopum my wikiup. Them folks
pikeway. Me tellum 'Yo' heap lazy, heap kay bueno. Yo' all time
eatum my grub, yo' no givum me money, no givum hoss, no givum