Louis Becke

The Call of the South Louis Becke

Book Excerpt: ...and slings it down, right inter the middle of the crowded canoes, and before it went off he sent the second one after it."Boss, I hev seen some dynamite explosions in my time--especially when I hev hed to blow up wrecks--but I hev never seen anything like thet. The two shots killed over thirty niggers, wounded as many more, and stunned a lot, who were drowned. Those who were not hurt swam out of the cove, and neither Docky nor me had the heart to shoot any of 'em--though we might hev picked off a couple of dozen afore they got outer range."Before we could stop him our prisoner jumped down among the dead and wounded, got a long knife, an' in ten seconds he had Baian's' head off, and held it up to us, grinning like a cat, on'y not so nice, ez he hed jet black, betel-nut stained teeth, and red lips like a piece ev raw beef."We hed no more trouble with the niggers after thet turn-up, you can bet yer life."The buck stayed with us until the luggers came back, and a few days after we..