to hold an eel, when I catch him. You've got to fork over fifty dollars,
flat down, or this child don't start a peg. I know yer."

"Why, when you have a job in hand that may bring a clean profit
of somewhere about a thousand or sixteen hundred, why, Tom, you're
onreasonable," said Haley.

"Yes, and hasn't we business booked for five weeks to come,--all we can
do? And suppose we leaves all, and goes to bush-whacking round arter yer
young uns, and finally doesn't catch the gal,--and gals allers is the
devil _to_ catch,--what's then? would you pay us a cent--would you? I
think I see you a doin' it--ugh! No, no; flap down your fifty. If we
get the job, and it pays, I'll hand it back; if we don't, it's for our
trouble,--that's _far_, an't it, Marks?"

"Certainly, certainly," said Marks, with a conciliatory tone; "it's only
a retaining fee, you see,--he! he! he!--we lawyers, you know. Wal, we
must all keep good-natured,--keep easy, yer know. Tom'll have the boy
for yer, anywhere ye'll name; won't ye, Tom?"

"If I find the young un, I'll bring him on to Cincinnati, and leave him
at Granny Belcher's, on the landing," said Loker.

Marks had got from his pocket a greasy pocket-book, and taking a long
paper from thence, he sat down, and fixing his keen black eyes on it,
began mumbling over its contents: "Barnes--Shelby County--boy Jim, three
hundred dollars for him, dead or alive.

"Edwards--Dick and Lucy--man and wife, six hundred dollars; wench Polly
and two children--six hundred for her or her head.