Drum (66 page)

"Wha's a-goin' on?" a voice asked out of the darkness.

Clees brought the heavy crowbar down on the floor.

"Any man what speaks gits his head bashed in. If'n you-all stays in yo' beds, nothin' happens to you. If'n you starts to make trouble, you gits yo'self kilt. We a-leavin'. Them boys who stay in bed and keep they's mouth shut ain' a-goin' git hurt. Won' get whupped, come tomorrow neither."

"I'se a-sleepin'," the voice said. "Ain' heard nothin'. Ain' seen nothin' neither."

Another heave on the crowbar and the door opened. Clees led them all outside and they placed the wooden bars in their iron stanchions, barring the door once again.

They stood in a circle in the shadows, arms around each others' shoulders, heads together while Clees developed his plan.

'Tust off, we goes to the ol' house. That ol' she-goat, 'Cretia Borgia, she over to de new house. Ain' nobody there 'cept ol' Memnon, Miz Ellen and her kids and that slave dealer man. Rex, he a-goin' wid me. We takes care of the slave trader. Rex takes his clothes and dresses up in 'em, so don' tackle him when he come out, all dressed up like a white man. You, Dobbin, you comes along wid us. We do in ol' Memnon. He ol' and he won' put up no fight. Kill de ol' bastard. Archer, you 'n Cobalt ten' to Miz Ellen and the kids. Don' kill 'em. Jes' tie 'em up good. Simeon, you 'n Maresfoot take

de crowbar and go over to de pen and loosens them two there. Tell 'em if n they don' come wid us, they goin' get they's balls cut ofifn 'em tomorrow. Pip 'n Dode you go over to de tool house and git all the scythes you kin find. Loosen 'em from the snathes, if'n you has time. Git pitchforks too. Git crowbars, git anything you-all kin kill wid. Micah, you 'n Plutarch go down to de barn 'n harness up de slave man's wagon. Tell them boys down in de bam we'se all a-runnin' and that I come soon with the keys to take off'n they's spancels. Keep in the shadows. Anybody see you, just pop him on de head."

They all separated. Big Archer, Clees' best friend, walked along with him and Rex, Dobbin, Amos Jesse and Cobalt followed. Archer was a big man, small of head but wide of shoulders.

"Whaffor you wants me jes' to tie up that Miz Ellen? Ties her up 'n come momin', she works hersel' loose and puts the 'larm on us. She a white nigger, all fur de white folks."

"You thinks you better kill her too?"

"Kill her I goin' ter, but fust I'se going to have her. She mos' white. Al'ays hankered fur a white woman. Now goin' to have me one."

"Take too much time."

"Won't take me long. Ain' had no woman fur three months. Masta Hammond ain' give me none."

"Don' make me no diff'rence what you do, jes' so long you ready to leave when we are."

"Kills them kids too. They Masta Maxwell's. They git away and run a-screamin' to the new house. Got to surprise the new house. Cain't have nobody a-runnin' there."

"Jes' you say. Archer." In his desperation, Clees was not particularly concerned with murder. The punishments he had inflicted at Hammond's order had inured him to pain and the flogging he had received had further calloused him. Catlike and stealthy, he crept up the steps of the old house and moved along the gallery without even a board creaking under him. The open kitchen door yawned, showing its gullet of blackness, and he turned and waited for Rex and the others.

"Memnon a-sleepin' in thar." He pointed into the blackness from which issued Memnon's stentorian snores. His lifted hand froze the others into immobility as he entered, slow step after slow step. He could see the dark heap on the

pallet and he sensed that Memnon would be lying with his head to the wall. Cautiously he raised the heavy crowbar, then brought it down with all the strength of his arms. The; sound of contact was dull and hollow with only the sharp crack of bone and a hiss of air from emptied lungs. Clees; waited, anticipating a move from the mound, but none came. His fingers, fumbling in the darkness, encountered the woolly skull and came away with the warm wetness of blood. He had aimed well in the darkness. Memnon's head was cracked open like a watermelon.

"He done fer," Clees whispered. "Whar's Archer?"

"I'se here."

"Miz Ellen, she sleep in the front room cause I's watched her undress some nights. Kids sleep in the next room. Cobalt and Dobbin, you tends to de kids. Archer, you takes Miz Ellen. Rex and me, we find the slave trader." Clees was familiar with the downstairs and he led the way through the dining room into the parlor and opened the door that led upstairs. He paused at the door leading up and grabbed Archer's arm.

"What you goin' to do, do it goddam quick and make no noise. Don' let 'er scream. An' you, Cobalt and Dobbin, make sure them kids don' squawk." He left them at Ellen's door and then, together with Rex, crept down the dark hall. One by one they opened the doors, peering into the half-darkness, listening for a man's breathing. At the end of the hall, a door which opened into a small room disclosed the sounds of an occupant—a regular, hoarse breathing. Clees entered, the crowbar raised, but he had no sooner crossed the threshold when the man sat up in the bed.

"Who there?" he asked. He did not seem to be particularly frightened and his voice did not quaver. He probably thought that it was Memnon. Clees stopped, holding Rex back with one hand. He kept quiet, not answering Montgomery's question.

They could see Montgomery moving on the bed and the dim motions of his hand as he reached out to the small table beside the bed. Suddenly there was a flicker of light from a tinder box and Montgomery applied it to the candle which stood on the table. As the flame caught, he blinked, then opened his eyes to see the two men standing just inside the door.

"What you niggers want?" There was fear in his voice now.

Clees advanced with the crowbar and Montgomery knew j what they wanted. He knew they were going to kill him. His mouth opened, showing the snags of teeth in his lower jaw. He tried to scream but with a sudden lunge, Clees was upon him, belaboring him with the heavy bar. With the full strength of his arms he brought it down again and again and again. The white sheets became encrimsoned and the mass on the bed that had been a man lost all human resemblance. j Clees reached under the bloody pillow and foimd what he had expected to be there, a long-barreled pistol. He pointed to the worn valise on the floor.

"If n he got this, mus' be powder and bullets thar." Rex rummaged in the valise and found them.

"Shuck yo'self down, boy, and git yo'self in them clothes." Clees indicated the rusty black suit that hung over the back of a chair. "Reach in de pockets and see if'n you kin find de key for de spancels that locks up dem boys in de stable."

Rex shed his pants on the floor and reached for the suit. Before he put it on, he felt in the pockets and produced a bunch of keys which he handed to Clees. "These them?"

From the front of the house came a muted scream. Then silence again.

"Archer a-gettin' his, I reckon," Clees laughed.

Rex dressed as quickly as possible in the unaccustomed clothes, experiencing some difficulty in pulling on the boots. When he had dressed, even to the slouch hat, Clees pulled him back beside the door. Steps were coming down the hall but it was only Big Archer with Cobalt and Dobbin.

"They gone," Archer said.

" 'n Archer, he didn't give us no chance. Pleasured her his-self and then killed her while we a-doin' in de kids. Wanted her myself, I did." Cobalt glared at Archer.

"Ain' got no time. You-all gits plenty of pleasurin' onct we free. White women over to de new house, too. Takes 'em if'n you wants 'fore we kills 'em." Clees herded them out into the hall. He turned to look at the shapeless mass on the bed, leaned over and spat on it.

"Go ahead, white man! Go ahead and buy me tomorrow if n you wants." He picked up the burning candle and threw it in the midst of the bloody sheets. He waited a moment to see that it caught. When the cornhusk mattress was blazing, he backed out of the room. Together the four of them ran down the hall and out of the house.

L, Now they were bolder. There was nobody nearer than the f

new house to see them, and there was only one light in the new house across the little valley. That was high up on the third floor. The moon had come up and although it was only a last quarter-moon, it shed sufficient light for them to see where they were going. As they passed Lucy's cabin, the door opened. Big Pearl stuck her head out and quickly withdrew it.

Clees found the doors of the barn open. Montgomery's slaves were all awake, milling around, restive at their span-celled restraint. When Clees entered, they besieged him with questions.

"We a-goin' to get outa here?"

"Wha's happening, nigger? Whar's that old bastard, Masta Montgomery?"

"You men wants free?" Clees asked them.

"Sho' wan's it, nigger."

"Then you-all do like I says. I'm de overseer here now." Clees was leaving no doubt about his authority.

"We follows you."

In the wan light the moon let in thfbugh the open door they could see Rex, and the sight of a white man in white man's clothes silenced them.

"He a nigger, jes' like you-all, but he a mustee. He a-goin' to be yo' new masta 'cause he looks white and whilst we on de road, he's a-goin' to be de slave trader. You pertends to min' him but don' forgit, he's a-takin' he's orders from me. I rides wid him on de wagon and you-all come 'long, span-celled behind. That way nobody thinks we's a-runnin'. Thinks we jes' 'nother slave trader 'n he's caffle on de road. Unner-stand?"

They all voiced their assent.

Four more figures appeared in the doorway. Simeon and Maresfoot led Meg and Alph into the circle of light. Meg stepped up, facing Clees.

"Who're you, big boy? Tell me what's a-happenin' here. Wha's all this talk 'bout me and Alph gettin' gelded tomorrow?"

"I'se Clees. Masta Maxwell done goin' ter sell me tomorrow, he says, and says too he goin' have that vet come over ter cut yo' balls off. Knows it's true. My wench Clytie she cook over to the new house. She tells me. You wants to run wid us o' you wants to stay here 'n get yo'sel's nutted? But," Clees lifted the crowbar, "if'n you stays, you stays as

dead men. Ain' havin' nobody a-runnin' to the new house, tellin' on us."

"We goes wid you." Meg answered for himself and Alph. "You a-knowin' how to shoot that gun?" He pointed to the pistol m Clees' belt.

"Kin shoot it but don' know how to load it," Clees answered.

"I do," Meg asserted, "if n you wants to let me have it."

Clees handed the pistol over.

"Any com here?" Alph questioned.

Clees pointed to a rough cupboard, locked with a padlock. His crowbar quickly wrenched it off and it disclosed a line of jugs on the shelves. He handed one to Alph who drank long and then passed it to the row of Montgomery's slaves who were standing in line, waiting for Rex to remove their spancels. All drank deeply. Pip and Dode arrived at the bam, wheeling a handcart, piled high with farm tools. Clees gathered up the spancels from the floor and threw them in the back of the covered wagon which had already been harnessed with Montgomery's horses. His mind had gone far beyond the present. He envisioned himself and Rex and Clytie in the wagon, with the long line of spancelled slaves behind. When he got far enough away from Falcon-hurst, he'd start selling off the slaves.

As each man was unchained he moved out from the bam and grabbed a scythe blade, a crowbar, a pitchfork, a sickle, a sledge-hammer or some other weapon. When they were all loose, Clees held up his hand for silence.

"Now, we goes to de new house. Got to git us rid of all of 'em over there, white folks and niggers too. Coin' to be harder but we's got 'bout forty men and not more'n ten of 'em, white and niggers together. Likely they got guns and we got only one so we'll have to rush 'em."

The last jug of corn was passing down the line and as it was handed up to Rex, on the wagon seat, Clees knocked it to the ground.

"Ain' havin' you drunk. Aims to have you keepin' yo' wits 'bout you. Drive dis wagon down to whure the lane comes down from de new house. My wench waitin' for you there. We comes soon. Soon's we arrive, we spancel all dese boys 'hind de wagon and start out. Heads north. Hear tell they's free country up there. Mayhap we gets there in a day or two. Nobody goin' to pay no 'tention to a slave trader and his caffle goin' 'long the roads. Come on boys."

They started for the new house. The last gleam of light on the third floor was now out. No longer did they move slowly and furtively, seeking the shadows. Instead they marched with heads held high and backs straight. The flames from the old house were now mounting, and the bright light gilded the blades of the scythes. The slaves from the cabins were standing in little knots on their doorsteps. There was nobody to tell them what to do and they were unable to think for themselves. They merely stood, huddled together dumbly like sheep. A shout arose from the men's barracks and they could hear the men inside, frightened! of the fire, beating on the door. The long line plunged from i the moonlight into the darkness of the woods by the creek.. A figure glided from Lucy's cabin, and crept along seeking^ cover under the trees, running with long determined stepsi but keeping out of sight of the men. J

chapter xiv

When Drumson had finished his chores for Hammond, he made his customary rounds of the house, snuffing the candles, bolting the outside doors, closing the windows on the ground floor and doing a superficial tidying-up. He, along with Brutus and the rest of the household servants, would be up again at dawn, giving the entire house a final polish so that when the white folks arose, everything would once again be clean, sparkling and in order. He was fatigued—it had been a long day—but he was not sleepy. He wondered if he dared skip out of the house and leg it down the path to Big Pearl. The idea excited him and he was half tempted to try it until he returned to the kitchen and realized that Clytie had already skipped out. He wondered if she had returned. Already he was regretting his rashness in spilling the news about Clees. He knew he was never supposed to divulge any of the plantation business he might overhear to the other servants but it was a rule seldom observed. The life of the white people in the big house was always the principal item of conversation in the kitchen.