"Have you seen my repeating-gun, Toby?" demanded Bluff, striding up to him.
"'Deed an' I hasn't seen any gun since I jumped into de bush to find dem young raskils wot trowed dat stone at me. I war just a-wishin'! I had a gun along. Wouldn't I jest a peppered dem scalawags as dey run past me?" replied the old fellow.
"Say, did you see them then?" demanded Frank.
"I shore did, Marse Frank."
"How many were there?" came the quick question.
"I war jest a-countin' ob dem jailbirds, an' had 'rived at 'leven w'en a 'streperous root she keeled me ober. Wen I gits up agin dey had gone. Den I heard Marse Frank a-callin' me to come back," went on Toby, glibly.
The boys looked at each other and smiled. They knew that without doubt he had been cowering close to the ground in mortal fear the whole time, for Uncle Toby had little reputation for bravery.
"Did you see any of them have a gun?" asked Bluff, faintly.
"I done t'ink de whole bunch hab guns; leastway dat was my 'pression at de time dat creeper
