How at times he had caught rats with his hands, and had been bitten by them.
"But," he added, with a laugh, "I served 'em out for it--I bit them after I'd skinned and cooked 'em." "How horrible!" I said.
"Horrible! Why?
They'd lived on our fruit and corn till they were fat as fat, I like rat." Then we grew tired, and as soon as we ceased talking a curious sensation of fear came over us.

I say us, for more than once I knew that Shock felt it, by his whispering to me in an awe-stricken tone: "I never know'd as being in the dark was like this before.

It's darker like, much darker, you know than being in one of the lofts under the straw.".