He came back and lifted me, putting his arm under my shoulder and saying, "Why, you're a good man, Bennie, but we pushed hard last night," and so helped me slowly through the wood.
It is oftentimes, in cities and among comfortable folk, that one hears talk of friendship; but I notice that, in the famous examples of this thing in old times, it always lay between men who saw trouble together, and maybe the open sky at night, and knew what it was to be two alone among enemies. For the man that you have been hungry with, and weary, and frightened, and comforted is never like other men to you again. And, though I suppose men may have friendship for each other for pleasant companionship, and that may be one kind; still, when they have walked together in narrow ways of fortune there comes to be another bond which is quite different.
So much we were thinking of this new trouble and what would come of it, that we hardly looked before us on coming to the road till someone shouted quite near; and there were a mule team, resting in the shadow, a loaded waggon, and at either end Tommy Todd and the old, bent negro, Turpentine.
|The waggon was loaded with barrels and bags, and plainly Mr. Todd was taking produce to some market. The great lean mules hung their heads and flopping ears hear the ground.
"Hiop!" said Mr. Todd. "Here you be! An' the cap'n pine blank mad like a teeter end hornet! Well, sirs, I'm s'prised!"
Calhoun went up calmly, as if he had naturally supposed Mr. Todd would be resting his mules about there. I remember that Calhoun once said to me: "If a man expects corn for dinner, and finds it's turnips, what will he do? It depends on the man, Bennie. I generally eat turnips." And in the way of a figure of speech, he did, taking events easily, as they came to him.
"Going my way!" said Calhoun, "I declare! And here's Bennie Cree with cramps in his legs and crimps in his chest, just waiting for you."
"Why, get aboard," cried Mr. Todd. "Get aboard."
And presently we were riding comfortably, Calhoun beside Mr. Todd, and I on a bag behind that had something lumpy inside it.
"Mad, was he?" said Calhoun. "So as to miss his boat?"
"Not he. No, sir. But he went off r'arin' an' tearin' like he'd caught the Old Boy. He cer'nly did. He ac' rippanacious. He say you two Yanks fool him both ends, an' he'd plough up Vaginia an' sow grass seed but he'd get you. He did so."