I believe he did it on purpose.
He was a fine shot, and could catch fish and game in all sorts of ways that came in handy when we had to keep dark.

He had pluck enough, and could fight a pretty sharp battle with his fists if he wasn't overweighted.

There were white men that didn't at all find him a good thing if they went to bully him.

He tried it on with Jim once, but he knocked the seven senses out of him inside of three rounds, and that satisfied him.

He pretended to make up, but I was always expecting him to play us some dog's trick yet.