Jim Leonard said, "You're not afraid, are you, just because that fellow
got took up? You're not such a cowardy-calf as to want to back out now?"
The tears came into Pony's eyes.
"Cowardy-calf yourself, Jim Leonard! You've backed out long ago!"
"You'll see whether I've backed out," said Jim Leonard. "I'm coming round
to sleep in the barn with you to-night, and help you to get a good start
in the morning. And maybe I'll start myself to-morrow. I will if I can get
anybody to help me make the raft and bring it through the woods. Now let's
go up into the loft and see if the provisions are all safe."
They dug the provisions up out of the hay and Jim Leonard broke one of the
eggs against the wall. It had a small chicken in it, and he threw it away.
Another egg smelt so that they could hardly stand it.
"I don't believe these eggs are very good," said Jim Leonard. "I got them
out of a nest that the hen had left; mother said I might have them all."
He broke them one after another, and every one had a chicken in it, or
else it was bad. "Well, never mind," he said. "Let's see what the
bread-and-butter's like." He bit into a piece, but he did not swallow any.
"Tastes kind of musty; from the hay, I reckon; and the meat seems kind of
old. But they always give the sailors spoilt provisions, and this
bread-and-butter will do you first-rate, Pony. You'll be so hungry you can
eat anything. Say, you ain't afraid now, are you, Pony?"
"No, not now," said Pony, but he did not fire up this time as he did
before at the notion of his being afraid.
Jim Leonard said, "Because, maybe I can't get mother to let me come here
again. If she takes a notion, she won't. But I'm going to watch out, and
as soon as supper's over, and I've got the cow into the lot, and the
morning's wood in, I'm going to try to hook off. If I don't get here to
stay all night with you I'll be around bright and early in the morning, to
wake you and start you. It won't be light now much before six, anyway."