Drum (51 page)

Not daring to do anything else, Drumson sat on the edg of his cot from where he could see Hammond's figure on th bed. After a hungry hour, he was rewarded by a movemer and heard a shifting of weight on the mattress. He was u and out in the other room, standing beside the bed as Harr mond opened one eye slowly and then the other. With som difficulty, he managed to focus them both on Drumson.

"Who're you, boy?" There was a belligerent gruffness i his voice.

"Drumson, Master Hammond, sir. Your boy, Drumsor the,06e you bought from Madame Alix yesterday."

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"Sho' nuflF." Hammond pulled the nightshirt down over his nakedness. "Remember now. Thought for a moment you someone else. Musta been a-dreamin'."

"Last night you called me Mede, Master Hammond, sir. But I'm Drumson."

"What else did I say to you? Anything?" Hammond sat up in bed, staring intently at Drumson.

"Nothing, Master Hammond, sir, just nothing. Called me Mede, that's all. Didn't disabuse you of it. Master Hammond, sir. Just pretended I was Mede. What can I do for you, master, sir? Can I help you?"

"Jes' a 'semblance, boy, jes' a 'semblance to a slave I once had. Nice boy, name of Mede. Best nigger I ever had."

But you killed him! The words ran through Drumson's mind but were never spoken. Aloud he repeated his question. "What can I do for you, Master Hammond, sir?"

Hammond seemed to be scarcely the worse for wear for his last night's drunkenness. He hung his legs over the edge of the bed, rubbing the soles of his feet on the carpet, and pointed to the bell cord.

"Give it a tug," he said, and almost as soon as Dnmison had finished ringing the same boy in the sky-blue uniform appeared at the door.

Hammond ordered breakfast for them both, deviating not at all from the menu he had ordered for dinner on the previous night but instructing the boy to bring, in addition to the breakfast, a copper pitcher of hot water. He ate from the tray on his knees, while still sitting on the side of his bed, and told Drumson to prepare a bath for him in the big tin tub. When he had finished eating, he shed his nightshirt and squatted in the tub, letting Drumson soap his back, scrub it and then pour water over it to rinse the lather off. When he had finished, he bade Drumson take his own clothes off and use the same water to bathe himself.

What with bathing, breakfasting and dressing, the remainder of the morning p>assed. Drumson spent most of his time in his own dark little room, polishing Hammond's other boots and his own shoes, then puttered around, putting the big room to rights, seeing that his master's clothes were in order and gathering up the soiled linen. The hotel's laundress was summoned. She rustled in noisily in stiffly starched white, mumbling a string of pleasantries, gathered up the pile of soiled linen, which included Drumson's shirt, and departed, promising the lot back by evening.

Hammond took a large, leather-bound ledger out of one of the drawers in the bureau and started making entries in it,[ slowly and painstakingly, with a sputtering pen.

"Can I go out on the balcony, Master Hammond, sir?"

"Look first to see if n they's any white ladies a-sittin' out there." Hammond didn't look up from his work.

"Ain't nary a one, Master Hammond, sir."

"Then you kin go but don't set down, keep standin'. Mayhap the HO-tel don' like niggers a-sittin' on the balcony. Don' know myself if n they do or not, so keep standin'."

The streets of New Orleans at noon were practically dfr serted and did not afford the colorful spectacle of the night before, but Drumson found plenty to interest him in the itinerant vendors who paced up and down calling out their wares in lilting cadences.

But all these everyday sights were nothing compared to the procession of Negroes which turned the comer onto the street of the hotel. The straggling procession was headed by the red-bearded man whom Drumson recognized as Beard, the slave dealer. He was followed by a banjo-strumming Negro and he in turn by two others who bore between them a crudely lettered sign. Had Drumson been able to read, he would have seen that it advertised a sale of slaves.

VENTE A L'ENCAN

EXTRAORDINAIRE

SALE BY AUCTION

67 MALE NEGROES, ALL YOUNG AND VERY LIKELY

23 FEMALE NEGROES, SOME WITH CHILD

ALL OF THE FAMOUS FALCONHURST BREED,

NEVER SOLD BEFORE TODAY,

ST. LOUIS HOTEL, PROMPTLY AT TWO O'CLOCK

MAJOR JAMES BEARD, AUCTIONEER.

Behind these followed a straggling, shuffling line of slaves, two by two, some of them jigging in time to the crackling of the banjo, but all smiling, laughing, talking, bantering knowing that they were the center of attraction.

The music seemed to attract spectators from nowhere and by the time the procession reached the hotel, the banquettes were lined with people. Hammond had heard it and came out on the balcony to stand beside Drumson.

"Them's my bucks and wenches," he said proudly as he Ipdked down on the marching column. They were all

dressed neatly in black trousers and clean white shirts with a strip of red cotton cloth wound around their waists. The women had long black dresses, white aprons and white turbans, with a fichu of some thin white material at their throats. "Beard's having his vendue here at two o'clock. Been marching them bucks and wenches all over the city this mornin'. Hope he ain' got them all tuckered out. Hope he's fed and watered 'em. Can't trust these damn dealers—cut costs at every comer." He leaned over the railing, just as Beard had halted before the entrance of the hotel.

"Major Beard," Hammond called down and waited for the red-bearded man to look up. "Major Beard, did my niggers get fed and watered this noon?"

"Feed and water waitin' fer 'em at the stable out in back," Beard shouted up. "Feedin' em good, I am—spare-ribs and pone."

"And see that they gits sweetnin' on their pone,'* Hammond shouted back. Then Hammond re-entered the room and instructed Drumson to help him on with his boots, straighten his stock and hand him his hat.

"You might's well go with me," he said, sensing Drum-son's reluctance to be left alone. "Might need you for errands or somethin'. Put on yo' coat and look smart, boy. You's my servant and wants you to be a credit to me." He waited for Drumson to get ready and together they descended the wide front stairs to the lobby below, then through its maze of potted palms, heavy furniture and fanning ladies to the bar beyond. There was a milling crowd under the high dome and men were lined up three-deep at the marble bar. Feverish activity on one side of the room attended the hauling out and placing of a wooden stand which had two steps on one side, a platform on top and two steps down on the other side. Behind this, in a permanent rostrum, set into one of the niches between the marble pilasters. Major Beard was seated, directing the frenzied comings and goings of two of his white assistants and a number of his own slaves. When the hands of the big clock over the bar pointed exactly to two, he stood up, rapped sharply on the desk with his gavel and waited for the men standing at the bar to turn around and face him. Gradually the hum of conversation ceased and all eyes were directed to Beard. Noticing a group of three ladies at the door, he gallantly invited them in, caused chairs to be placed for them and saw to it that they were

comfortably settled and supplied with large palm-leaf fans and tall glasses of iced raspberry shrub.

"Ladies and gentlemen." He cleared his throat and bowed deeply to the seated women. "Today I have the honor and the great distinction of presentin' you all with some most superyor stock—the famous Falconhurst breed of slaves— sold by my good friend and valued patron, Mista Hammond Maxwell of Falconhurst Plantation who is here hisself to guarantee his stock and answer any questions you might want to ask." He gestured to where Hanmiond was standing and all eyes turned to him. Many of the men bowed and the ladies applauded prettily with their lace-mitted hands. "You-all know the great superyority of the Falconhvu-st breed 'thout my a-tellin' you. Falconhurst slaves is carefully bred and raised from dams and sires personally selected by Mista Hammond Maxwell hisself who is carryin' on the same scientific breedin' methods his father, Mista Warren Maxwell, 'naugurated many years ago. None of these slaves has ever bin sold afore, 'cept possibly as young 'ims, when they was purchased by Mista Hammond Maxwell after most careful 'samination 'cause he's mighty perticular 'bout his stock. Most of the stock here, however, was bred, homed and raised right there at Falconhurst from Falconhurst sires and dams. Conditions for sale as always—one-third down and remainder to be paid on delivery. Temp'rary 'cora-modations, awaitin' time of delivery, can be obtained at my: slave jail on Magazine Street where stock will be well fed, and cared for at the rate of two bits a day. Ev'ry precaution will be taken to restrain slaves remanded to my care after the sale but will not be personally responsible for any slaves imless spancelled." He leaned forward, lowered his voice and addressed the three women seated below him. "For the convenience of the ladies assembled here, I'll ask if there is anythin' special they have in mind. If so, shall sell sech stock as they wishes fust, so that they will not be forced to wait through the entire sale."

A black lace-mitted hand was delicately raised.

"Madame Duchamps." Beard bowed low, acknowledging the elderly lady.

"Would you be ofifering a wet nurse. Major Beard? We have a new grandchild, with not a slave in the city or on the plantation to nurse him."

"Several." Beard lowered his voice confidentially. "And one I can particularly recommend. She's one of the Falcon-

hurst lot that's just birthed a healthy male child. Full of milk, strong and healthy, Young'un being sold with her at no extry charge." He laughed at his own attempt at witticism, turned and addressed one of his assistants. "Bring out that Judith wench and her young'un."

Drumson, standing behind Hammond, saw a door at the

rear of the circular room open and a young woman step

out. She was carrying a baby in her arms, wrapped in a

length of white cloth. Two of the slave assistants helped

I her up the steps.

I "Now here's Judith," Beard announced. "A clean, healthy,

I well-spoken, well-trained wench of . . ."—^he referred to a

\ paper on his desk—"approximately twenty years. She has

already birthed three children and this is her fourth which

shows her to be a good investment for any owner. She's

1 been housebroken and trained as a seamstress. Young'un is

I male, 'bout a week old, sound and perfect in every way.

Juditii, hold up your child."

She uncovered the face of the baby and held him forward i for all to see. She seemed nervous but not frightened. i "Five hundred dollars." It was a man's voice bidding from the bar.

"And fifty." Madame Duchamps raised her hand. "Six hundred," the male voice was quick to respond. "And fifty." The lace-mitted hand was raised again. The bidding continued, through the seven hundreds and - the eight hundreds until it reached the sum of $950 with the bid on Madame Duchamps. For several minutes Beard exhorted his audience, finally being rewarded for his exertions by another bid for $975 which was quickly topped by the lace-mitted hand with $1,000. Sensing that the bidding had reached its peak. Beard brought his gavel down.

"Sold! To Madame Duchamps, the slave Judith and young'un for the sum of one thousand dollars."

The lady stood up, fumbled in her reticule for a roll of bUls from which she carefully counted a certain number, walked over to Beard and handed them up to him.

"Will you accept this as a deposit, Major Beard, and let my husband's office attend to the balance tomorrow? They will also collect the bill of sale, but I would like to take the wench with me now as we need her badly."

"Quite all right," Beard assured her and motioned for Judith to get down off the platform. She followed the woman back to where the other two ladies were still sitting, where-

upon they abandoned their chairs and fans and swept out of the room, Judith following. An audible sigh of relief escaped from the male spectators as soon as the women had departed. Now the sale could proceed in its proper manner. Women at a sale were a damned nuisance.

Dnimson saw Hammond fish a stub of pencil out of his pocket, flip through the pages of a small notebook and enter the amount opposite a name.

Beard rustled the papers on his desk.

"Next, gentlemen, the male slave Apollon, nineteen years old. Bred, homed and raised at Falconhurst imder the personal supervision of the late Mr. Warren Maxwell and his son Mr. Hammond Maxwell. Has already had apprentice training as a blacksmith, knows how to shoe horses and do simple ironwork. 'Cordin' to Mr. Maxwell's carefully kept records, has already sired three suckers so's there's good sap in him." Beard peered at the door imtil it opened to admit a superb young Negro, who strode with confident steps to the platform and moimted it.

Beard scanned the audience carefully, shading his eyes with his hand.

"Is Mista Raoul Duplessis present this afternoon?"

A foppishly dressed young man with dark curling side-whiskers raised his hand languidly.

"This is the buck I wrote you about, Mista Duplessis." Beard spoke in the direction of the raised hand.

"Examination permitted. Major Beard?" Duplessis asked. "I have but just arrived back in the city and was imable to come to your jail,"

"Most certainly, suh." Beard bowed ingratiatingly, "All, Falconhurst slaves can be privately inspected in the small! room." He directed his assistant to lead the fellow down from the platform and take him out the door where he' entered. Duplessis squeezed through the crowd and followed.i

"And while we are waiting, we'll proceed with the sale," Beard continued. "Next the male slave, Seneca, experienced dairy hand. Already sired two suckers at Falconhurst and" —he winked at the audience—"rarin' to go to sire more for some lucky owner."

Seneca, a husky young man, entered, walked arrogantly! to the platform and produced a storm of bidding, finally being knocked down for $1575. By this time, Duplessis had: reappeared, having conducted his examination of Apollon. i