The Book of Night Women (47 page)

—Me is nigger just like you! Pollux say.

—They force me just like you! Pollux say.

—They never beat me belly with riding whip! Only you, a woman shout back. The flood of nigger consume him. He scream four time, then no more. When they pull back, in the dirt be a chop-up nigger with him cocky stuff in the mouth.

Hippolyta run to the cart and take a pail from Gorgon. She dip dry cane leaf in the coal until fire catch. The other womens and mens follow suit. They throw the flame at the foot of the cane stalks. Fire rise and roar and sweep the field section like a great plague in the Bible. The smell of sugar cane burnin’ bitter and sweet. The slave have to run fast to not get burn. Two womens run too slow and the fire close them in. They scream but nobody going back to save nobody.

Callisto leave Gorgon in the field and run to the cotton tree. She push the barrel under Homer and climb. Callisto saw and saw with a knife until the rope pop and Homer drop into her arms. They both nearly fall off the barrel. Callisto put her arm round Homer waist and help her back to the great house.

—Me can walk, goddamn! Me can walk, Homer say. But she make three step and nearly fall. Callisto catch her and help her back to the great house. All around they hear the sound of crackling and burnin’ and the sky start to rain with cane ash. Callisto leave Homer in the kitchen and go fetch her a dress. Callisto have to put the dress on and as soon as the dress cover Homer, blood seep through the cloth and the whole dress look it make with a pattern of red stripe goin’ all the way down.

 

 

Only one slave-driver on horseback
and he get away. In another section they kill the Johnny-jumpers first, chop off they head and stick it on a cane stalk. Then they run through the cane piece rooting out more turncoat nigger. A niggerman who didn’t like a niggerwoman ’cause she wouldn’t fuck him and call him stink, shout out say she is turncoat nigger and they jump her and stomp her and beat her to death before she could scream out that he not telling true. They sweep in the field for driver and Johnny-jumper and leave the field burnin’.

Plenty mens, when they see woman giving command, don’t like that at all. They do as they please and break into the stable and try to grab horse. But niggerman can’t ride. Plenty horse get ’way. One horse near kick a nigger head clean off. He still upright with him head swinging down like loose branch. Outside, other man push the womens away and try to get the negroes to go where they say. Some heading for the hills already while some setting more fire to the ratoon field, the produce field, the coconut field and the pasture, which cause the cows and goats to run. Soon black smoke rising from Montpelier like a tower, just like the smoke that rise from Worthy Park in the east and Ascot Pen in the south. Soon the sky so black with smoke that afternoon look like night.

Callisto getting word that the negroes, the mens in particular, out of control. She cuss loud. She still in the kitchen with a rifle in her lap with Homer.

—Nigger setting they own house afire, Homer say.

—Goddamn man! They can’t do nothing right! Callisto say. Homer slam her hand on the kitchen counter. Callisto look at her. Homer head still swinging and swaying.

—Come, we leaving now, Callisto say.

—You go. Me have unfinished business, Homer say.

From behind Miss Isobel room door come the sound of bolting and key locking. Then the
bang bang bang
of things she shoving up to the door to bar anybody from coming in.

 

 

Massa Humphrey and Richardson
reach the gate. He riding up the narrow hill road that lead to the great house but get caught up watching the cloud of black smoke and him fields burnin’. Some negroes see and run to him with hoe and pickaxe and shovel. Massa Humphrey ride through them, firing him musket and shooting one in the neck and trampling a woman who was waving a stick. Then Massa Humphrey hear a crack to the west and an echo in the east. Him horse buckle and crash to the ground. The throw send him flying and he fall down the hill side of the road and roll until a rock slam into him head and stop the fall. Richardson look over for a little, then go on riding.

 

 

Lilith in the bedroom watching
Robert Quinn sleep. She run to the window and see some negroes walking up to the cottage. Some carrying stick and some carrying fire. Lilith run outside with two of Robert Quinn musket.

—We come for de overseer, a man say.

—You go all over the field and miss him? Lilith say.

—He deh yah wid you, he say.

—No man keeping my company. Why you don’t find some Johnny-jumper to kill?

—Them all kilt. Fi him time now.

—No damn nigger coming in this house.

—Black cow, you cain’t kill all o’ we.

—But me can kill one. Who want to dead first, step up and get you judgement.

They look at her. She look at them. Nobody move.

—We coming back, the man say and the group run off.

Lilith run back in the room. Robert Quinn still sleeping. Lilith look at the great house and think of Miss Isobel. She look to the west and the east and see fire dancing underneath a cloud of black smoke. She hear cheering and yelling and shouting and screaming. A herd of cows run past, knocking down every post and barrel in the way. More nigger run past the house and she clutch the musket and feel for the pellets in her apron. She run to the next window and see a group of mens run up the stairs and into the great house. The mistress and Miss Isobel.

 

 

The burnin’ cane wake
Massa Humphrey mother. She remember that today is the day she go riding.

—Patrick! Patrick, what is that smell? Do not even think to enter my room with such a fetor, the mistress say. The room door swing open and Homer step in. She still wobbling and her eye shut more than open.

—Who is it? Who is it, I said? And what is that goddamned smell? Where’s Patrick? I said where’s Patr—

—Patrick d . . . Patrick dead two year, two year now, you stupid, shrivel-up cunt.

—Oh, my God—

—Hell he be, and you soon pay a visit.

—Homer? What is the meaning of this? What is the meaning of all this?

Homer cock her rifle.

—You know what this mean?

—Oh, dear lord. Oh, dear lord. What do you want from me? I’ve always treated you niggers well. I have always treated you well!

—You, you is the one who tell old Jack Wilkins to whip me, then sell me pickneys.

Homer out of breath.

—Pickneys? What would you want with pickneys? You’re brutish animals, brutish! What need have you for children? I did you a favour. That I de—

—They’s dead. All of them. The pickneys Jack Wilkins make nigger rape out o’ me. The pick . . . pickneys that you, you, you sell just ’cause you don’t want me to have or love nothing but you.

Homer swaying like she drunk. She swing round the gun and hold the nozzle.

—For that, me goin’ deal with you special, she say.

 

 

Callisto running across the path.
Lilith seeing her from her window. Bullet fly through the sky and explode in Callisto head. Gorgon scream and run to the body. Whole heap of negro run away but some stay to watch the plantation burn. The great house still standing and Wilkins’ house and the cottage where Lilith be with Robert Quinn. Lilith watching out from the window, she looking at the field as they burn and the negroes as they run past the house. Sooner or later some goin’ stop and try to burn the house down again. Sooner or later they coming.

—God feckin’ damn, I had the strangest dream. I’m sorry, luv, I thought you had...

Lilith turn around. She see Robert Quinn up and looking at her. He get up quick and go to the kitchen, seeing the stove and the teapot. Then her. He over to her so quick that before Lilith could move, him hand on her throat.

—Talk, him say.

But Lilith choking. She grab him arm but he squeeze tighter.

—I said talk, him say. She choking.

—C . . . c . . . can’t . . . tal . . . she say, pointing to her throat. He let go.

—They goin’ kill you! They goin’ kill you if you go outside. Don’t go outside! Don’t go, Robert.

He look at her with so much anger that Lilith step back. Him eyebrow raise high and him face getting red. Not taking him eye off her, Robert Quinn grab the musket from the table. He go into him room and come out a minute later with another musket and a rifle and bullets that he stuffing in him military jacket with the shiny button. She grab after him but he push her. He go to hit her again, but eye and eye meet and he stop.

—Goddamn you, Lilith, goddamn you, he say and leave. Lilith look out and see him ride off in the direction of the great house. Far off, the fields burnin’.

Negroes from four estate taking to the hills. Hundreds. Some the Maroons most likely goin’ catch, but the number too big to catch them all. Plenty negroes on the estate. Plenty in the great house. Pallas run upstairs and see Miss Isobel room open. She go in to see a light-skin nigger fuckin’ Miss Isobel hard while the chocolate-skin nigger hold her up and cussing that he taking till Judgement Day fi cum. Miss Isobel don’t look like she living. They holding her up by the arm while the chocolate nigger have her two leg on him shoulder and him breeches at him knees. Pallas fire a shot and they drop Miss Isobel.

—Stinking nasty nigger, she say while she reach for her other rifle. We fighting for freedom and all you want to free is you breeches. Get out before I shoot the two of you.

—You have mouth. What say we have fun with you too?

—Can’t fuck me when I shoot you balls off.

The mens quiet.

—Now get out, she say. The mens walk past her, looking at the barrel of the rifle. She point her gun at Miss Isobel. Miss Isobel sputter.

—Oi, Miss Isobel, me know you name. You know mine? Miss Isobel nod and sputter. Pallas stoop down.

—You know me? Me name Pallas, the nigger who soup you love spit in.

Pallas pull off her head wrap and red hair tumble down.—Me same one who hair you can’t stand ’cause it remind you that your kind fuck nigger to get me. Me was goin’ kill you. Just right now, but guess what, Miss Isobel? Me goin’ make you live. Me goin’ make you remember for the rest of you life how two niggerman take what is not them to take, just like how you love take what is not yours. Hope you pussy stay tear out and you breed nigger twin too.

Pallas get up and leave Miss Isobel sputtering. She pass the mistress room and see it open slight.

—Homer? What you doing? We have to go, Pallas say.

—Me ready when me ready. Right now, me and the mistress having correspondence, Homer say. Pallas look at Homer barely standing up, her dress stripe with blood. Pallas look down and see the old mistress knees on the floor but Homer holding her up by the neck of her nightgown. The mistress face punch up and bloody. Homer swinging wild and for a instant the two women looking like they holding each other up.

—Next meeting in the hill? Pallas say.

—Next meeting in the hill, Homer say as Pallas close the door.

 

 

Lilith by the window as
Montpelier go down. Then the window on the other side of the door explode and she scream. The rock land on the floor, followed by a burnin’ stick. The carpet catch afire and spread so fast Lilith think the flame chasing her. The floor crackle. Lilith run to the back door but it locked. She turn back and see the fires already attacking the chair and table and the curtains that Quinn just buy. Smoke blacking the space and she can’t see. Lilith coughing. There be nowhere but behind her. The door won’t budge, but the window open. She climb through, but the drop from the window too high. Lilith thinking about what very stupid and very necessary. She thinking that it can’t be more than two yard or so between window and ground. She out on the window ledge now and smoke rushing out from behind her. Lilith stunned that fire could move so fast. She wonder what Robert Quinn doing. And Homer. She jump.

Lilith wonder how safe she be if some of the negroes have her off as Robert Quinn woman. She don’t know where to run. What not full with smoke and fire full with niggers running like flock of fowl with they head chop off. Behind her be the niggers that set fire to the cottage, niggers who mark her for killing. Ahead she see something that stun her, but there it be standing still like a dead house. Like everybody forget who live there. Unless nobody is there. And even so, by now even turncoat nigger would burn down the place out of spite.

Jack Wilkins’ house.

Wilkins’ house have a staircase round the back. Lilith run up to the glass and wood door but it lock. She run back down for a rock and hear some niggers coming. She drop flat on the ground and don’t breathe. Soon as she couldn’t hear them no more she run back up to the door and break a hole in the glass.

She down the hallway and see a half-open door. Prop up on the bed be Jack Wilkins, him hair wild and white and him chin resting on him chest like he dead. A big explosion shake the room and wake him up. Jack Wilkins stare at Lilith for a long time, then hiss.

—Haven’t I done enough for you? What more do you want? he say.

Lilith look at Jack Wilkins and try to think of him as anything but a devil. She think to leave him to either the fire or the negroes, but then he look at her again and she see a weak old man in the bed. Just a weak old man who can’t hurt or promise. She look at him eyes and try to see herself.

—You can walk? she say.

Jack Wilkins lighter than feather. She have her hand round him waist and him arm on her shoulder, but she could have easily just carry him, she reckon. She wonder if the smell on him is the father smell. He not weak, just drunk, and even him arm stink with liquor. Lilith seek connection with him once, but now she wondering what connection mean, and snap herself back to the present when she smell the smoke coming through the window. She think of her own burnin’ home, the home that she make with Robert Quinn. Jack Wilkins can barely step. As they reach the last step Lilith walk into the mouth of a shotgun.