Goodenough's request, and,
lighting a fresh cigar, he began the story of his adventures.
"I was born in dis berry village somewhere about seventy years ago.
I not know for sure widin two or three year, for when I young man
I no keep account. My fader was de chief of dis village, just as
I am now, but de village was not like dis. It was not so big, and
was berry dirty and berry poor, just like the oder nigger villages.
Well, sar, dere am nothing perticlar to tell about de first years
of my life. I jus' dirty little naked nigger like de rest. Dose
were berry bad times. Ebery one fight against ebery one else. Ebery
one take slabes and send dem down de river, and sell to white men
dere to carry ober sea. When I grow up to seventeen, I s'pose,
I take spear and go out wid de people of dis village and de oder
villages of dis part ob country under king, and fight against oder
villages and carry the people away as slabes. All berry bad business
dat. But Sam he tink nothing, and just do the same as oder people.
Sometimes oder tribes come and fight against our villages and carry
our people away. So it happened to Sam.
"Jus' when he about twenty years old we had come back from a long
'spedition.
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