n I out with my saw, and went to work
Le, en done all I could for ‘em. You go en git in de river agin, whah
you b’longs, en doan’ do nuffn to Ole Jim, ‘at ‘uz awluz yo’ fren’.”
Well, I warn’t long making him understand I warn’t dead. I was ever so
glad to see Jim. I warn’t lonesome now. I told him I warn’t afraid of
HIM telling the people where I was. I talked along, but he only set
there and looked at me; never said nothing. Then I says: “It’s good
daylight. Le’s get breakfast. Make up your camp fire good.” “What’s de
use er makin’ up de camp fire to cook strawbries en sich truck? But you
got a gun, hain’t you? Den we kin git sumfn better den strawbries.”
“Strawberries and such truck,” I says. “Is that what you live on?” “I
couldn’ git nuffn else,” he says. “Why, how long you been on the island,
Jim?” “I come heah de night arter you’s killed.” “What, all that time?”
“Yes–indeedy.” “And ain’t you had nothing but that kind of rubbage to
eat?” “No, sah–nuffn else.” “Well, you must be most starved, ain’t
you?” “I reck’n I could eat a hoss. I think I could. How long you ben on
de islan’?” “Since the night I got killed.” “No! W’y, what has you lived
on? But you got a gun. Oh, yes, you got a gun. Dat’s good. Now you kill
sumfn en I’ll make up de fire.” So we went over to where the canoe was,
and while he built a fire in a grassy open place amongst the trees, I
fetched meal and bacon and coffee, and coffee-pot and frying-pan, and
sugar and tin cups, and the nigger was set back considerable, because he
reckoned it was all done with witchcraft. I catched a good big catfish,
too, and Jim cleaned him with his knife, and fried him. When breakfa
I can say that I’m not sure if you’re sending me a coded message through your Twainian verse, but one can admire the huckleberriness that my other self must have found charming yet I despise. May I also interject that everything is about perspective, as in, how is taking a knife and murdering an animal “cleaning” for the animal, as in “he ben done clean dead, i rekon Huck,” is about the only clean that I can associate with animal slaughter.