DISCOVERIES. 61

eyes, open mouth and white teeth? There were several appearances
and disappearances of this kind, and Ralph thought that it went
ahead of any “magic exhibition” that the Rogers brothers had
ever given in the old barn at Concord. “It is gone!” said Ralph.
“No, there it is!” Agam, he saw the face, and heard a lion
roaring as if in full pursuit of dog, cat and rat. Ralph had seen and
heard enough in this magic-haunted spot and turned to leave it, when
a familiar and pleasant voice said, “Chile, don’t you know me?”

“Siah!” exclaimed Ralph. “It’s Siah! It’s Siah!” he shouted.

It was indeed the rollicking, laughing Siah who came out of the
shadows in the corner, at the same time that he took down his coal-shovel
screening his face. He came forward with a funny air of self-importance
as if he were the ruler of Soudan showing himself to his subjects.

“Don’t you see it is your ole frien’, Siah?”

“Yes, but how did you get here?” asked Ralph.

“Well, I couldn’t get here without doin’ some walkin’, sartin
sure. So much to begin wid. You see after you left it was awful
lonesome roun’ de place, an’ I jes’ axed Massa Peters ef he couldn’
spare me.. An’ he said, he hated to hab me fur to go, but ef I
couldn’ be contented, I might go. So I trabeled on—”

“Not all the way on foot?”

Yes, the ardent Siah had footed it to San Francisco.

“J felt like takin’ a-sea-viyage wid my frien’s, I tole de boss
—dat’s Massa Peters—an’ trab’lin’ here, J foun’ out de steamer
dat was gwine, an’ I knew from what you said which one it was,
an’ I jes’ hired out as one ob de han’s. You know I want fur
to see de worl’, an’ ef I do I must begin early. Den it gibs me
a chance to see you and your libely bruder.”

And so Siah was following his friends to Japan. What he
would do when arriving there, he had not considered.