The Big Brother | Page 7

set
up a wail of sorrow and fright. If poor Sam were wounded, he might

die, she thought, and the thought was too much for her.
Sam soothed her, however, and the poor, tired little girl was soon fast
asleep in his arms.
"Bring some moss, boys," he said to his companions, "and make a bed
for Judie here by this log."
When he had laid her down, he drew off his shoe and wrapped the
wounded foot in some of the long gray moss which hangs in great
festoons from the trees of that region. Joe, with the true negro genius
for sleeping, was already snoring at the foot of a tree. Sam quietly
called Tom to his side.
"Tom," said he, "my foot is bleeding pretty badly, and I can't see till
morning to do anything for it. I have wrapped it up in moss, stuffing the
softest parts into the wound, and that may stop it after a while. But I
may not be able to travel to-morrow night, and if I can't you must leave
me here and try to find your way to Fort Glass, with Judie. You must
remember that her life will depend on you, and try to do your duty
without flinching. Don't try to travel in the daytime. Go on to the south
as fast as you can of nights, keeping in the woods and thickets, and as
soon as you see a streak of gray in the sky find a good hiding-place and
stop. You can get some corn and some sweet potatoes out of any field,
but you must eat them raw, as it wont do to make a fire. Now go to
sleep. I may be able to travel myself, but if I shouldn't, remember you
are a brave man's son, and must do your duty as a Hardwicke should."
And with that he shook the little fellow's hand.
After a time Tom, overcome by weariness, fell asleep, but Sam
remained awake all night, trying to staunch the flow of blood from his
foot. He knew that if he could go on with the others their chance of
safety would be vastly greater than without him, and so he was
disposed to leave no effort untried to be in a fit condition to travel the
next night. When morning came Sam called Tom and Joe, and directed
them to examine his wound, into which he could not see very well.
"Is the blood of a bright red, as it comes out, or a dark red?" he asked.

"Bright," they both said.
"Then it comes from an artery," he replied. "Are you sure it is bright
red?"
The boys were not quite sure.
"Does it come in a steady stream or in spurts?" he asked.
"It spurts, and stops and spurts again," said Tom.
"It is an artery, then," said Sam. "Look and see if you can find the place
it comes from."
The boys made a careful examination and at last found the artery, a
small one, which was cut only about half way across.
"All right," said Sam. "If that's the case, I think I know how to stop the
blood. Put your finger in, and break the artery clear in two".
"O Sam, then you'll bleed to death," said Tom.
"No I won't. Do as I tell you."
"Let me cut it, then. It wont hurt you so much."
"No, no, no," cried Sam, staying his hand. "Don't cut it. Tear it, I tell
you, and be quick."
Tom tore it, and the blood stopped almost immediately. Sam then
bound the foot up with strips of cloth torn from his clothing, and as he
did so said:
"Now I'll tell you both all about this so that you'll know what to do
another time. If you know only what to do, you may forget; but if you
know why, you'll remember. The blood comes out from the heart to all
parts of the body in arteries, and when it leaves the heart it is bright red,
because it is clean and pure. Your heart is a sort of force-pump, and
every time it beats it forces the blood all over you. The arteries fork and

branch out in every direction, until they terminate in millions of little
veins smaller than the finest hairs, and these running together make
bigger veins, through which the blood is carried to the lungs. In the
veins it flows steadily, because the capillary veins, the ones like hairs,
are so small that the spurts can't be felt beyond them. The blood in the
veins is thick and dark, because it has taken up all the impurities from
the system; but when it gets to the lungs your breath takes up all these
and carries