The Book of Night Women (10 page)

—Girly, certain talk I don’t take from nigger, Pallas say and the musket click.

—Pallas, Homer say.

Pallas stick the gun on Lilith forehead. Lilith push herself straight into the rock.

—We only need six, Homer. That is what you same one tell me. Six tell six tell six. Seven just goin’ curse we.

—Bloodcloth true. You same one say so, Homer, Iphigenia say.—Six nigger tell six nigger tell six nigger. Seven nigger? That is like six finger, or three nipple or two cocky. One alone bad enough.

Everybody laugh but Pallas, who eye and musket still on Lilith.

—Massa Jack give me this. Believe it? Then the sum’bitch only give me one bullet, Pallas say. She right in front of Lilith face. Lilith turn away.

—Pallas.

—But methinks that only mean that whoever me shoot, me better don’t miss.

—Pallas!

—What! What, Homer? We did deal with that last bitch for less than what this one just say.

—She young and she fool.

—Me not—

—Me’d watch it before this musket fuck up me mouth if me was you. See it there now, she have me talking like Iphigenia.

The womens laugh. Callisto say, Pallas, you know if you fire you goin’ have to tell why.

Pallas shove the gun back in her stocking. Lilith hope they think is sweat running down her cheek.

—Me gone, Lilith say.

Iphigenia laugh and say, Then Pallas right. You too fool. You better go practise you pussy with some plantain tonight for Johnny-jumper goin’ fuck you till you fool.

—The mistress pick me, so me not going back to the field.

—The mistress do what me tell her, Homer say.

—She be the nigger and you be the backra. Me gone.

—And where you going? Homer ask.

—Me no have to tell you nothing, say Lilith. So keep you woman secret and you woman loving to youself. Me no forget how you slap me, she say to Homer.

—God strike me down dead if worse don’t happen to you sake of that mouth. Now get out. Get out!

The cave tremble. The womens all stand and they don’t look like womens no more. Lilith back away through the cave and stumble. Then she run.

7

TANTALUS THE MAD NIGGER RUN AWAY. NOBODY KNOW HOW that sore foot, bad back, mad-as-hell bastard free himself from the rope, considering Robert Quinn retie it himself with a knot he learn while sailing for His Majesty. Tantalus’ hair near totally white and years of bad living throw a hump in him back that stay there. Everybody think he was goin’ mad again but he did have this thing that Robert Quinn call method to it.

Lilith say out loud that she hope they catch him ’cause she don’t understand why anybody would want to run away from people as nice as the mistress. But as soon as she go down to the cellar, she be a different story. Truth be told, only Tantalus ever pay her any mind. He used to show her him most precious thing, a page tear out from a white girl storybook with picture and word. The page had a girl who mayhaps be a queen or princess sleeping in a big bed and a white boy standing over her who mayhaps be a king or prince or duke or any hoity-toity white man. The white boy look at the white girl like she be the beautifullest, preciousest thing. Almost every night, Tantalus would take out the picture and make up a fresh story about it, a new one every night. And when Lilith finally thief the picture so that she can make up story in the daytime, Tantalus never say nothing. Lilith tell herself these days that word is wind that passeth by, and he get what he deserve. That mad nigger was not her father. Not at all. Jack Wilkins be her daddy now.

—Ah goin’ ask Massa Wilkins if you talking true, Lilith say couple morning later in the kitchen when only she and Homer up.

—Suit yourself. If you feel you must ask the sky why she blue, me not goin’ stop you.

—Talk straight, woman.

—You seem to be thinking lately that me and you is same size. You don’t think it uncanny that in slave life you be the only nigger who live in house with mama and papa? Even man and woman who soft for each other can’t live together, for they know how things go.

—How you mean?

—Look beyond you mirror, chile. This be Montpelier. It no matter who you be, nigger is nigger and any day you could get whip, kill or sell. Just like that. Only thing sure in nigger life is that nothing sure. Nothing but you. Which other pickney you know did have mama and papa in they house? When you ever see Circe or Tantalus work?

—Why that be?

—Now you be the one who want to chat with you papa? Go ask him.

Massa Humphrey did bring him hunting ways to Jamaica but couldn’t find nothing smelling of that mad nigger since Circe did done burn all of him clothes and him was naked most of the time. The hounds runs all over the estate and attack anybody who stink with cane work—plenty nigger and even a driver who say he couldn’t remember when last he take a bath. Robert Quinn say Tantalus be an old worthless nigger so let him go, but Massa Humphrey say an example must be made in Montpelier. He go to send for the militia but nobody need militia when you got the Maroons.

Every nigger done know of the Maroons. Before they sign treaty with the king to end all the warring ’gainst white man, they was the greatest scourge backra ever face. The first Maroons was slaves let loose by the Spanish back when the British invade and take the island over. Them niggers run all the way up into the mountains and deep in the bush and no white man could reach them, but they could reach any backra they choose. Word was that they was four Maroon town in the colony, including one run by a niggerwoman ugly as Ol’ Hige herself. At night they raid any estate, even Montpelier back in them early days before Homer born. They take pig, goat, corn and woman, but many womens leave by they own free will and plenty mens too. Soon it be the wisdom that any nigger who want to be free should wait for the night and set for the hills.

White man couldn’t beat no Maroon. They fight and they war but Maroon could become ground, air or bush if he wish. Green as leaf or black like midnight. One hundred militia go into the hills, less than thirty was coming back. The Maroon trick be to get the infantry to pass through a passage so narrow that they can only go one by one. Then they pick them off. Who know why then in 1738, Cudjoe, the big leader, who did really small and hunchback, sign treaty with the king. Word was that some Maroon village was starving after white man burn down they provision grounds but nobody know for sure. What every nigger done know was that after the treaty, the Maroon, the slave sworn friend, become him sworn enemy. The backra pay two pounds for every captured nigger but most time Maroon done hunt and send back niggers even for free. A nigger who choose to run ’way to freedom now face a new enemy who breathe like he breathe and look like he look. One slave who run from Montpelier back in the days of Jack Wilkins talk ’bout how they fly through the bush and crawl ’pon the ground and lock him neck in chains before he make it to the river. They talk like they still in the Africa, like nigger who come from ship, and they knock him out when he beg and plead and bawl for them to not send him back. Maroon even side with whitey when estate explode in rebellion, taking they guns to catch and shoot nigger.

Tantalus get as far as the coconut fields seven mile from Montpelier when three Maroon catch him. Everybody in fear and trembling at the sight of them three strapping nigger from the bush, two with gun, one with machete, as they drag Tantalus with a rope tie round him hands and neck. One Maroon with hair down him shoulder was wearing breeches, the other pantaloon that tear off at the knee and the third one didn’t wear no clothes at all. He have machete in one hand and spear in the other. Is like the whole estate stop when them Maroons come back with Tantalus and wouldn’t leave until a slave-driver tell Quinn that they waiting for they two pounds. Quinn cuss when he see the other two hold out they hands for two pounds each.

Tantalus old and at first we think they was goin’ show mercy. Three Johnny-jumper tie up Tantalus good and Tantalus start whimper and ask for Jesus to intervene. Everybody expecting Robert Quinn to come with a new whip, but the whole estate shudder when they see he come with an axe. Robert Quinn wave he hand and the niggers pull out Tantalus right foot and use plaster to draw a white line across all the toe. Two hold Tantalus foot while he scream and fight and one grip the axe with two hand and swing.

Homer see Lilith in the kitchen. She say, Worse thing him could ever do was run away. Better he kill another nigger than run away. You feel sorry for the man who raise you?

—No, me don’t feel sorry, and he weren’t no man, Lilith say.

But then something mighty peculiar happen.

As soon as they chop off Tantalus’ toe him madness leave. He still huff and puff and bawl in a fever, but people understand him this time and some chuckle while others tremble at what he say. But the mistress’ madness come back. Or maybe it was just old womanness, people start to reckon. Nobody live too long in the colonies and mayhaps that was not a bad thing. But nobody know what to do because is twelve weeks to the ball and the mistress take to talking to her husband in her bedroom. Mark this word: When the mistress head take her, she be something else. Most of the niggers in spite of the madness come to like that something else. When she mad she don’t have no sense but she also don’t have no care and do what she want. She do her business in a bonnet that a man she didn’t like give to her. And her mouth! When she mad she say what her unthinking mind think and plenty time it funny, like negro love.

—Why would I ever be caught dead at Coulibre with Mr. Roget and that slattern second wife of his? She’s a Frenchwoman in every base sense of the word, the mistress say one day when she get another invitation to a ball.—I swear the cur carries ahead and behind her a fishy fetor! The mistress say this about the father priest who come pray for her—Pray for your own damn soul, you eunuch! Face’s fatter than a pig’s arse.

Other times, the mistress say that good-for-nothing son of hers better get married soon or even she is goin’ to start pronouncing him a sodomite. White woman madness sound like black woman sense and the house slaves find her more agreeable to live with, even though the trouble was more than a handful. But the ball was goin’ to hell and Massa Humphrey huff and puff ’cause he didn’t want to take part in arranging nothing.

—And what in blazes are we supposed to do? Massa Humphrey say in the kitchen, couple days after the mistress’ head take her again. Is morning and he in the kitchen talking to Homer while Robert Quinn drinking tea. Homer dismiss the other negroes for a spell, for she don’t want nobody hearing white people affairs. But Lilith, who was down in the cellar, didn’t get the warning. She climb up the steps but stop when she hear a voice that she never hear up close. Massa Humphrey. She see him plenty time from far but never look at him before. She look at him hair blaze. She lick her bottom lip until it soft, and touch her hair. Lilith look at him as he pace from one end of the kitchen to the next and she rip the breeches off him legs and watch him pacing again. Lilith regarding the massa like she never regard a man before. She don’t know what be the different, if he suddenly get new looks or she suddenly get new eye. She looking at a man who might be a prince or a king, not just a massa. She watch him turn again and stomp up the kitchen like bull. She listen how he voice rise and fall and laugh at Robert Quinn and cuss at Homer. She watch him and try to match them words with them pink lips.

There be two things that a white man can do at once. A white man can save her from the Johnny-jumpers and put her above other negrowomens. A white man like Massa Humphrey can also take her and hold her with the gentle hand that niggerman don’t got and bury him head in her bosom and make him man sound and it wouldn’t be like what she hear coming from Circe hut. Whatever Circe do for tuppence she would be doing something as different as dawn be from dusk. A white man can be a prince or a lord, and whether in the bed or by the pen can free a niggerwoman. This she know because she be a woman now. But there be what she don’t know and would never say, why she need him to look at her but feel to run when he do, why she need him to say something but not to her, and why when Robert Quinn interrupting him, that bastard don’t know him place. Why when breeze blow through him hair she feel hot and why when he smile at a good working nigger she feel hate for that one so bad she could scratch her eyes out. She don’t understand why big woman sense also mix with folly and can’t ask Homer. She watch the massa shiny boots and him breeches and the green waistcoat with flower trim. After that Lilith make every effort to see him, and that was not difficult.

Lilith catch glimpse of Massa Humphrey in the evening as he ride out to see the sunset. Sometimes he and Robert Quinn would come home at dawn, before even Homer wake up, and both mens reeking of rum and whiskey and tobacco and man-stink. Lilith would run between the two as they ignore her and put a kettle on the stove and make tea.

—Toss it all, my memory is as bad as my mum’s, lately. Have I fucked this one? Massa Humphrey say one morning.

—Nay, I can’t say ye have, Quinn say, and both think it so funny that they laugh till they cough. Massa Humphrey push back the chair and lose him balance and fall back to a crash on the floor and both mens laugh even harder. But that same day he back to him surly self, cussing Homer over the ball plans and wondering why he making a nigger plan his ball and not even once looking in Lilith direction. She bite her bottom lip and swing her hip and walk but when Lilith look up he not looking. That make her want to cease but it also make her want to go on. If only she could say something un-niggerlike. Uncommon. Like a lady of good breeding and learning. A woman who have quality that a dirty hussy like Circe never have. Something Homer would know if her bosom was of any use to a man.

Lilith tell herself that she not no foolish nigger. She know what being the massa favourite mean in real speak. She know that a nigger who not uncommon should think and plot. But she also see him hair blaze afire and she remember a white boy on a page tear from a book and everything come together and make her mind burn. Lilith hoping every day that just once he recognise her as the slave who make him tea whichever morning he come in from carousing. One afternoon Massa Humphrey make a trip to the kitchen huffing and puffing. Everything stop. Right behind him was Robert Quinn eating a banana.