dem camels come along I jes nacherly looked at 'em a minute, an' de fus thing I knowed dere was sech a crowd I couldn't git nowhar. You-all was gone, an' I hollers to dis nigger, 'Side, which way did de Cunnel go?'—and 'peared like he couldn't understand nothin'. Jes den a big yaller feller come up an' p'inted us de wrong way. Dat crowd kept shovin' an' shovin' till us got wedged in one o' dem crookety alleys an' couldn't go no place."
"Why didn't you come home?"
"Couldn't, Cunnel; whole passel o' dem niggers crowded roun' an' p'inted at me."
"What did they say?" demanded General Durham so abruptly that Zack jerked for breath.
"Lordee, Mister, couldn't nobody tell what dem niggers wuz sayin'. Dey said a-plenty jes jabber, jabber, jabber—all at de same time. I tried to push through 'em an' git back to de big road, but twarn't no use. Dey kep' scrougin' an' crowdin' an' shovin' 'til dey got me furder an' furder from whar de Cunnel was at. 'Peared to me like some of 'em wanted to crowd me plumb down to de fur end o' de street. D'rec'ly one ole man come along in a long blue night shirt an' a big head-hankcher; he step out an' lif up his han'. Den all of 'em shet up whilst he makes 'em a speech—an' all de time he bowed to me mighty
