"His bones are bleaching in the valley where he fell." "Sho!" said Joshua.
The Pike County man looked from one to the other to see what effect had been produced by his blood-curdling narration.

Joshua looked rather perplexed, as if he didn't quite know what to think, but Joe seemed tranquil.
"I think you said it happened last week," said Joe.
"If I said so, it is so," said the Pike man, who in truth did not remember what time he had mentioned.
"I don't question that.

I was only wondering how his bones could begin to bleach so soon after he was killed." "Just so," said Joshua, to whom this difficulty had not presented itself before.
"Do you doubt my word, stranger ?" exclaimed the Pike man, putting his hand to his side and fingering his knife.
"Not at all," said Joe.

"But I wanted to understand how it was." "I don't give no explanations," said the Pike man haughtily, "and I allow no man to doubt my word." "Look here, my friend," said Joshua, "ain't you rather cantankerous ?" "What's that ?" demanded the other suspiciously.
"No offense," said Joshua, "but you take a feller up so we don't know exactly how to talk to you." "I take no insults," said the Pike man.

"Insults must be washed out in blood." "Soap-suds is better than blood for washin' purposes," said Joshua practically.