The Haitian Trilogy: Plays: Henri Christophe, Drums and Colours, and The Haytian Earth (28 page)

POMPEY
(
Touching his face.
)

You remember this?

You are the most beautiful thing

That ever pass through here since the last full moon.

(
Pause. The others laugh.
)

Angelle, that was very nice.

She is a good girl, but she so damn hot.

YETTE

I thought it was you who was hot.

POMPEY

I hot, too.

(
He draws
ANGELLE
apart and whispers to her.
ANGELLE
nods and runs over to the
MUSICIANS
.)

My foot is like two yams, mulatresse.

But I can play drum, and I could sing,

I have the best voice in this valley.

And for you, I ask them to play this song.

Come dance. Or you doesn’t dance with niggers?

One day you will dance in this big house.

(
The
CHORUS
joins in.
ANGELLE
claps.
POMPEY
draws
YETTE
gently to the ring in the yard.
ANGELLE
impulsively runs up and hugs
YETTE. POMPEY
dances.
)

Is I who write this song.

Is my own song. Now,

When you hear this song, up in that hill,

When you hear it as you planting,

You will know, down in this valley

Is Pompey singing. And I will sing,

I will sing every day, every day,

Until you get so vex you will married me.

(
He sings his song. The
SLAVES
watching,
TOUSSAINT
grinning.
)

Or you doesn’t married niggers?

(
YETTE
laughs. They dance.
)

Scene 12

Exterior. Night. The barracks yard. A circle of
SLAVES
’
faces watching others dancing. Travelling behind them,
MOISE
,
a fine-featured, tall young black, a bag over his shoulder, a soft hat still dripping from rain on the back of his head. In another group, showing off for
YETTE, POMPEY
telling stories with excessive gestures.
YETTE
,
fascinated by the obvious intensity of his approach, assessing him. Laughter.

YETTE

For your remembrance, in case you think I easy.

And for my own pride. I …

POMPEY

Yes, I know. Come on. He gone.

Scene 13

Interior. The mansion; morning streaks the windows.
ANTON
,
dressed for the day’s work, comes down to breakfast. He senses something. He draws near the breakfast table, which is set with cutlery, crystal, excessively so, and as he draws slowly near his seat: He sees a white rooster, headless, and next to it a knife, folded in a napkin.

Scene 14

Exterior. A hill path, rain dripping on its green. Ochre mud. Below, the mist, the farms,
TOUSSAINT
and
MOISE
.

TOUSSAINT
(
Embracing
MOISE
.)

I will send for you …

When the time come.

(
He looks towards the valley. Belle Maison. A bell ringing in the field.
)

They are going to work now.

All of them. The bell.

And then the slow, melancholy shell.

(
A conch shell blows.
)

Go, then, go.

(
MOISE
turns and enters the low, wet scrub, then down into the plain. Then he turns, points towards the hills.
TOUSSAINT
nods.
)

Scene 15

Exterior. The yard.
ANTON
runs across the wet yard into the stables. He has the carcass of the rooster.
)

ANTON

Toussaint!

Toussaint!

Papa!

(
CALIXTE-BREDA
appears.
ANTON
is holding the headless carcass.
)

It’s here. It’s here, Papa.

They started. They have started.

(
The barracks.
SLAVES
emerge.
)

Ungrateful bastards! Bitches! Pompey, my horse!

Saddle him! I’ll find that coachman. I’ll find him,

And I’ll roast him there!

CALIXTE-BREDA

You are under strain, Anton. You are not well.

ANTON
(
To the
SLAVES
)

I used to pray for you, I loved you,

I was one of you. And then this …

(
To
CALIXTE-BREDA
)

I’m going to the other estates.

That will teach you to love and trust niggers, sir.

And when I come back …

(
He circles the yard.
)

When I come back, you will tell me who …

(
ANTON
runs off across the yard. The
SLAVES
emerge around
CALIXTE-BREDA
.
One of them picks up the carcass and flings it into the drenched ashes. They form a ring around him. Friendly. Two of the
WOMEN
lead him back towards the house.
)

FIRST WOMAN

I know is not Toussaint. I know that.

You must believe me, Monsieur Calixte.

CALIXTE-BREDA

Marie … I don’t know … I don’t know,
pour vrai.

Where is he, then? Where is he?

SLAVE

There was a man with him when we was dancing …

SECOND WOMAN

I know him. Everybody know him.

It is his nephew Moise.

CALIXTE-BREDA

You all are good.

FIRST WOMAN

It was not Toussaint. Try and believe that.

CALIXTE-BREDA

I hope so. Go inside. It’s raining.

You will catch cold.

(
He leaves the yard, enters the arches of the house.
)

Scene 16

Exterior. The sky. A headless carcass of a white rooster whirled around by
BOUKMANN
.
Sound of drumming, military.
BOUKMANN
,
holding up a voodoo fetish, addressing his
GUERRILLAS
.

BOUKMANN

Entendez, Congos, Aradas, Ibos,

Entendez, Nabos, Mandingos, Haoussas!

Par là c’est les Français, ou ka ’tendre

Bangalang ces tambours-y-eux!

Maix nous mêmes, nous mêmes,

Aradas, Ibos, Congos,

Nabos, Mandingos, Haoussas!

Nous pas ni fusils, nous pas ni cannon,

Nous pas ni trompette,

We have the charms of our gods,

And we not going to die!

Personne, personne kai mourir ’jourd’hui,

No black man is going to die today!

(
He holds up his charm.
)

Nous ni Vodun, nous ni Shango!

Alors, au combat! Congos,

Aradas, Ibos, Haoussas!

And if we die, even if we die,

Our souls will go back!

Back home, to Africa!

Let’s go!
A’nous!

(
BOUKMANN
,
running on foot, leads the charge.
GUERRILLAS
descend into the plain, where the
FRENCH CAVALRY
advance steadily in formal squares.
DESSALINES
,
above them, watches the massacre and surprise of the
BLACKS
.)

DESSALINES

Couillon!… Couillon!…
Crazy nigger!

(
BOUKMANN
,
his voodoo finery in bloody tatters, lies under the dead bodies of two of his
GUERRILLAS
.)

FIRST CAVALRYMAN

Boukmann! Look for Boukmann,

He’s the one we want.

SECOND CAVALRYMAN

I can’t tell one from the other.

They’re all dead anyway. I don’t know which one is his head.

THIRD CAVALRYMAN

Come on, that’s enough. After this,

Who the hell would try again?

(
They ride off
.)

BOUKMANN

Biassou! Biassou! You dead?

Biassou! Answer!

(
Another figure rises from a heap of dead
GUERRILLAS. BIASSOU. BOCKMANN
staggers towards him. They meet, and together, in silence, they revolve slowly to take in the shock of their defeat.
DESSALINES
,
whistling, comes down the hill.
BIASSOU
points and draws his sword.
)

BIASSOU

They think we finish, eh? They think so?

They will pay for this. Not just the soldiers.

Men, women, children. Their animals, their houses,

Everything. They will sweat with cowardice

At everything black.

(
DESSALINES
arrives. Silence.
DESSALINES
extends his hand.
)

DESSALINES

General Boukmann. General Biassou.

I am General Jean Jacques Dessalines.

BOUKMANN

General? Where’s your army?

DESSALINES

Where’s yours?

Never mind.
Pas la peine,
messieurs.

So far, I know nothing about the art of war,

But I know plenty about the art of revenge,

And I’m here to teach you niggers

A few simple tricks.

(
BOUKMANN
and
BIASSOU
study him.
DESSALINES
smiles.
)

Lesson one. For the time being, messieurs,

There is no God. Not black, not white.

Don’t trust any of them. Can you say it?

Pour a present, pas ni Bon Dieu …

BIASSOU

For the time being there is no God …

(
BOUKMANN
turns to
BIASSOU
.)

DESSALINES

Your magic could turn these dead into zombies.

An army of shadows that bullets would go through.

That would really frighten the French. Imagine.

A harvest of transparent soldiers. You have wounded.

You have dead. Save what you can. Come, start.

You need a good doctor. A white one.

(
He moves among the dead.
BOUKMANN, BIASSOU
help lift the wounded.
)

Scene 17

A camp. Night.
TOUSSAINT
helping the wounded. He stops, exhausted.

TOUSSAINT

… and now there has begun, after the revolt of Boukmann, such a series of savage, vicious scenes of hatred and revenge, such godless brutality, that I felt ashamed of my own race. For what they could not inflict on the army, they took out on the citizens. All the hatred and humiliation of a hundred years … You hear, Moise? (
MOISE
,
sitting quietly on a log, is watching his anguish.
) … of a hundred years is being accounted for. They sawed a planter in half between boards, they nailed a slave who tried to save his master, they nailed him to a door. They are killing children, women … The slave they nailed … I knew him. His name was Bartolo …

MOISE

They did us worse …

TOUSSAINT

We are supposed to be fighting a war.

To kill a child, that’s a childish thing.

MOISE

Why don’t you teach them?

TOUSSAINT

                                                 Teach them, at my age?

I put earth in their wounds, I soothe their orifices

With herbs, make poultices from country medicines,

And they cannot stop bleeding. The soil itself

Is bleeding, and I can’t stop it. I don’t want

Revenge, there’s no strategy in revenge, Moise.

MOISE

You too good-hearted, Uncle. You want to see

The marks on my back?

TOUSSAINT

                                           Bring me that hot water

And bring some clean rags. They’re bringing

Their wounded. They’re severely wounded

From murdering women, good niggers, and children,

And their good doctor Toussaint

Must look after them.

(
He shouts.
)

NIGGERS
!

(
Silence.
)

NIGGERS! I AM HERE TO SERVE SOLDIERS, NOT ANIMALS
!

(
DESSALINES
enters the clearing with
BIASSOU
and
BOUKMANN
.
They stop.
)

After you kill the women and children and the old planters, after you burn the land and butcher the cattle and crucify all the good niggers,
THERE IS STILL THE ARMY
!

(
DESSALINES
sits, chuckling He restrains
BOUKMANN
,
who moves, sword drawn, towards
TOUSSAINT. TOUSSAINT
sees him coming but ignores him, addressing the
GUERRILLAS
.)

Now, all you great women killers and children killers and good-nigger crucifiers have known me as Toussaint the coachman, Toussaint the good doctor of this comical army … Well, I did not leave to join a massacre. I came, at forty-seven years old, to fight a war. I don’t see any war. I see a bunch of
crapons,
savages, I see nothing that is worth my life. Well, it is very simple. There will now be an army, and I will discipline that army. I’m old, but I’ve read the strategy of war!