And yet there must be members enough to furnish money enough.
And more than that, a contract must be made with the mica-mine people, so that the business should not be diverted from Harry's company into any outside channels.
All these things occupied Harry's mind, and it is no wonder that he hardly looked up when Selim stopped.

The horse had been walking so slowly that stopping did not seem to make much difference.
But when he heard a voice call out, "Oh, Mah'sr Harry! I'se mighty glad to see yer!" he looked up quickly enough.
And there was old Uncle Braddock, on horseback! Harry could scarcely believe his eyes.
And what was more astonishing, the old negro had no less than four other horses with him that he was leading, or rather trying to lead, out of a road through the old-field pines that here joined the main road.
"Why, what's the meaning of this ?" cried Harry.

"Where did you get those horses, Uncle Braddock ?" And then, without waiting for an answer, Harry burst out laughing.

Such a ridiculous sight was enough to make anybody laugh.
Uncle Braddock sat on the foremost horse, his legs drawn up as if he were sitting on a chair, and a low one at that, for he had been gradually shortening the stirrups for the last hour, hoping in that way to get a firmer seat.

His long stick was in one hand, his old hat was jammed down tightly over his eyes, and his dressing-gown floated in the wind like a rag-bag out for a holiday.
"Oh, I'se mighty glad to see yer, Mah'sr Harry!" said he, pulling at his horse's bridle in such a way as to make him nearly run into Selim and Harry, who, however, managed to avoid him and the rest of the cavalcade by moving off to the other side of the road.
"I was jist a-thinkin' uv gittin' off and lettin' em go 'long they own se'ves.