He showed himself to be most active in putting things straight, making up the loads, and every now and then glancing furtively first at one of us and then at the other.
"Oh, I do like Jimmy, that I do," said Jack Penny to me, and then he threw himself down and began to laugh heartily, shutting his eyes and rolling himself gently to and fro till he declared that he felt better, and got up.
"I don't care about laughing when I'm standing up," he said seriously, "it waggles my back so." When breakfast time came, for we had a seven or eight mile walk first in the cool of the early morning, we made a halt and the rations were served out by the doctor, who gave me a look and handed each black his portion in turn, but omitted Jimmy.
The latter stood disconsolately looking on for some minutes in the hope that he was to be remembered after all; but when he saw everybody busy at work eating and himself utterly neglected, he walked slowly away some distance from where we were seated and, laying his head against the trunk of a tree, let out a series of the most unearthly howls.
"Oh, I say!" exclaimed Jack Penny.
"Pleasant," said the doctor, going on with his breakfast; and seeing that he was observed, and that his howls were having some effect, Jimmy displayed the utter childlike disposition of a savage by redoubling his cries.
"If he don't stop directly I shall go and talk to him with this," I said, snatching up a stick.
"How--aw--ooo!" cried Jimmy, and I jumped to my feet, when he became silent, and I resumed my place.
Jimmy watched us eagerly for a few minutes, when, left half starved himself, and unable to bear the neglect when others were enjoying themselves, the howls burst out again followed by a self-commiserating--"Poor Jimmy, Mass Joe not care poor Jimmy never now." No one took any notice, and we went on eating grilled turkey and damper and drinking coffee, and all the time I was rather enjoying my importance and the fact of being able to control, boy as I was, a stout powerful fellow like Jimmy and make him as obedient as a dog.
"Poor old Jimmy cut handums.

Ebber so sorry, poor Jimmy.

Go and die himself.

Haw--ow!" "I say," said Jack Penny, "he couldn't dye himself any blacker, could he, Joe Carstairs ?" "Have some more coffee, Joe ?" said the doctor aloud.

"Here, give me a piece more turkey." "Poor Jimmy go starve a deff," was the next that met our ears, and it had such an effect upon Jack Penny that some of his coffee got into his windpipe and he choked and coughed and laughed till he was obliged to lie down.
"If I was to cough much like that I should break my back," he said, sitting up and wiping his eyes.