the constant watch day and night, as I was a-telling you, and not a one of us could catch hide nor hair nor sight nor sound of them; and here at the last minute, lo and behold you, they slides right in under our noses and fools us, and not only fools us but the Injun Territory robbers too, and actuly gets away with that nigger safe and sound, and that with sixteen men and twenty-two dogs right on their very heels at that very time!

I tell you, it just bangs anything I ever heard of. Why, sperits couldn’t ’a’ done better and been no smarter. And I reckon they must ’a’ been sperits — because, because, you know our dogs, and ther’ ain’t no better; well, them dogs never even got on the track of ’m once! You explain that to me if you can! — any of you!”