now, massa?’ said Jup, evidently shamed into compliance; ‘always want for to raise fuss wid old nigger. Was only funnin anyhow. Me feered de bug! what I keer for de bug?’ Here he cautiously took hold of the extreme end of the string, and, maintaining the insect as far from his person as circumstances would permit, prepared to ascend the tree.
In youth, the tulip-tree or Liriodendron Tulipiferum, the most magnificent of American foresters, has a trunk peculiarly smooth, and often rises to a great height without lateral branches; but, in its riper age, the bark becomes gnarled and uneven, while many short limbs make their appearance on the stem. Thus the difficulty of ascension, in the present case, lay more in semblance than in reality. Embracing the huge cylinder, as closely as possible, with his arms and knees, seizing with his hands some projections, and resting his naked toes upon others, Jupiter, after one or two narrow escapes from falling, at length wriggled himself into the first great fork, and seemed to consider the whole business as virtually accomplished. The risk of the achievement was, in fact, now over, although the climber was some sixty or seventy feet from the ground.
‘Which way mus go now, Massa Will?’ he asked.
‘Keep up the largest branch—the one on this side,’ said Legrand. The negro obeyed him promptly, and apparently with but little trouble; ascending higher and higher, until no glimpse of his squat figure could be obtained through the dense foliage which enveloped it. Presently his voice was heard in a sort of halloo.
‘How much fudder is got for go?’
‘How high up are you?’ asked Legrand.
‘Ebber so fur,’ replied the negro; ‘can see de sky fru de top ob de tree.’
‘Never mind the sky, but attend to what I say. Look down the trunk and count the limbs below you on this side. How many limbs have you passed?’
‘One, two, tree, four, fibe—I done pass fibe big limb, massa, ’pon dis side.’
‘Then go one limb higher.’
In a few minutes the voice was heard again, announcing that the seventh limb was attained.
‘Now, Jup,’ cried Legrand, evidently much excited, ‘I want you to work your way out upon that limb as far as you can. If you see anything strange let me know.’
By this time what little doubt I might have entertained of my poor friend’s insanity was put finally at rest. I had no alternative but to conclude him stricken with lunacy, and I became seriously anxious about getting him home. While I was pondering upon what was best to be done, Jupiter’s voice was again heard.
‘Mos feerd for to venture pon dis limb berry far—’tis dead limb putty much all de way.’
‘Did you say it was a dead limb, Jupiter?’ cried Legrand in a quavering voice.
‘Yes, massa, him dead as de door-nail—done up for sartain—done departed dis here life.’
‘What in the name of Heaven shall I do?’ asked Legrand, seemingly in the greatest distress.
‘Do!’ said I, glad of an opportunity to interpose a word, ‘why come home and go to bed. Come now!—that’s a fine fellow. It’s getting late, and, besides, you remember your promise.’
‘Jupiter,’ cried he, without heeding me in the least, ‘do you hear me?’
‘Yes, Massa Will, hear you ebber so plain.’
‘Try the wood well, then, with your knife, and see if you think it very rotten.’
‘Him rotten, massa, sure nuff,’ replied the negro in a few moments, ‘but not so berry rotten as mought be. Mought venture out leetle way pon de limb by myself, dat’s true.’
‘By yourself!—what do you mean?’
‘Why, I mean de bug. ’Tis berry hebby bug. S’pose I drop him down fuss, and den de limb won’t break wid just de weight ob one nigger.’
‘You infernal scoundrel!’ cried Legrand, apparently much relieved, ‘what do you mean by telling me such nonsense as that? As sure as you drop that beetle I’ll break your neck. Look here, Jupiter, do you hear me?’
‘Yes, massa, needn’t hollo at poor nigger dat style.’
‘Well! now listen!—if you will venture out on the limb as far as you think safe, and not let go the beetle, I’ll make you a present of a silver dollar as soon as you get down.’
‘I’m gwine, Massa Will—deed I is,’ replied the negro very promptly—‘mos out to the eend now.’
‘Out to the end!’ here fairly screamed Legrand; ‘do you say you are out to the end of that limb?’
‘Soon be to de end, massa—o-o-o-o-oh! Lor-gol-a-marcy! what is dis here ’pon de tree?’
‘Well!’ cried Legrand, highly delighted, ‘what is it?’
‘Why, ’tain’t noffin but a skull—somebody bin lef him head up de tree, and de crows done gobble ebery bit of de meat off.’
‘A skull, you say!—very well!—how is it fastened to the limb?—what holds it on?’
‘Sure nuff, massa; mus look. Why dis berry curous sarcumstance, ‘pon my word—dare’s a great big nail in de skull, what fastens ob it on to de tree.’
‘Well now, Jupiter, do exactly as I tell you—do you hear?’
‘Yes, massa,’
‘Pay attention, then—find the left eye of the skull.’
‘Hum! hoo! dat’s good! why dey ain’t no eye lef at all.’
‘Curse your stupidity! Do you know your right hand from your left?’
‘Yes, I nose dat—nose all bout dat—’tis my lef hand what I chops de wood wid.’
‘To be sure! you are left-handed; and your left eye is on the same side as your left hand. Now, I suppose, you can find the left eye of the skull, or the place where the left eye has been? Have you found it?’
Here was a long pause. At length the negro asked:—
‘Is de lef eye ob de skull ’pon de same side as de lef hand side of de skull too?—cause de skull ain’t got not a bit ob a hand at all—nebber mind! I got de lef eye now—here de lef eye! what mus do wid it?’
‘Let the beetle drop through it as far as the string will reach—but be careful and not let go your hold of the string.’
‘All dat done, Massa Will; mighty easy ting for to put de bug fru de hole—look out for him dare below!’
During this colloquy no portion of Jupiter’s person could be seen; but the beetle, which he had suffered to descend, was now visible at the end of the string, and glistened, like a globe of burnished gold, in the last rays of the setting sun, some of which still faintly illumined the eminence upon which we stood. The scarabaeus hung quite clear of any branches, and, if allowed
