Tump was defensive at once.

"'T ain't piffle, either! I's talkin' sense, nigger."

Peter shrugged, and strode a little way in silence, but the soldier'snonsense stuck in his mind and worried him. Finally he turned, ratherirritably.

"Stoppers--what do you mean by stoppers?"

Tump opened his jet eyes and their yellowish yellows. "I means nigger-stoppers," he reiterated, amazed inside his turn.

"Negro-stoppers--" Peter began to laugh sardonically, and abruptly quitthe conversation.

Such rank superiority irritated the soldier to the nth power.

"Look heah, black man, I knows I _is_ right. Heah, lonme look atdat-aiuh, deed. Maybe I can find 'em. I knows I suttinly is right."

Peter walked on, paying no attention to the request Until Tump caughthis arm and drew him up short.

"Look heah, nigger," said Tump, in a different tone, "I faded dad deedfuh ten iron men, an' I reckon I got a once-over comin' fuh my money."