in danger for myself.' "

"Well," says I, "you're a nice kind of a white man!"

"O, I understand; you're riled," said he. "I would be myself. I
can make excuses."

"All right," I said, "go and make excuses somewhere else. Here's
my way, there's yours!"

With that we parted, and I went straight home, in a hot temper, and
found Uma trying on a lot of trade goods like a baby.

"Here," I said, "you quit that foolery! Here's a pretty mess to
have made, as if I wasn't bothered enough anyway! And I thought I
told you to get dinner!"

And then I believe I gave her a bit of the rough side of my tongue,
as she deserved. She stood up at once, like a sentry to his
officer; for I must say she was always well brought up, and had a
great respect for whites.

"And now," says I, "you belong round here, you're bound to
understand this. What am I tabooed for, anyway? Or, if I ain't
tabooed, what makes the folks afraid of me?"

She stood and looked at me with eyes like saucers.

"You no savvy?" she gasps at last.