Speaks the Nightbird mc-1

by Robert R. McCammon

  Peace Street passed through the village of shacks and ended, Matthew saw, in a sandy path that led across a belt of pines and moss-draped oaks to the watchman's tower. Up at the tower's summit, a man sat under a thatched roof facing out to sea, his feet resting on the railing. A more boring task, Matthew could not imagine. Yet in these times of pirate raids and with the Spanish territory so close, he understood the need for caution. Beyond the tower, the bit of land that Matthew was able to see—if indeed it could be called something so solid—looked to be waist-high grass that surely hid a morass of mud and swamp ponds.

  Smoke hung low over the house chimneys. A strutting rooster, his hens in close attendance, flapped out of the carriage's way as Goode steered the team toward the stable, beside which was a split-rail fence that served as a corral for a half-dozen fine-looking horses. Presently Goode reined the team in at a water trough and dismounted. Matthew followed. "My house be there, suh," Goode said, as he aimed a finger at a structure that was neither better nor worse than the other shacks around it, but might have fit within Bidwell's banquet room with space to spare.

  On the short walk, Matthew noted several small plots of cornstalks, beans, and turnips between the houses. A Negro a few years younger than Goode was busy chopping firewood, and he paused in his labor to stare as Goode led Matthew past. A lean woman with a blue scarf wrapped around her head had emerged from her house to scatter some dried corn for her chickens, and she too stared in open amazement.

  "They got to looksee," Goode said, with a slight smile. "You doan' come here so much."

  By you Matthew realized he meant the English, or possibly the larger meaning of white skins in general. From around a corner peeked a young girl, whom Matthew recognized as one of the house servants. As soon as their eyes met, she pulled herself out of view again. Goode stopped in front of his own door. "Suh, you can wait here as you please. I'll fetch the balm." He lifted the latch. "But you can step in, as you please." He pushed the door open and called into the house, "Visitah, May!" He started across the threshold but then paused; his ebony, fathomless eyes stared into Matthew's face, and Matthew could tell the old man was trying to make a decision of sorts. "What is it?" Matthew asked.

  Goode seemed to have made up his mind; Matthew saw it, in a tightening of the jaw. "Suh? Would you favor me by steppin' inside?"

  "Is something wrong?"

  "No suh." He offered no further explanation, but stood waiting for Matthew to enter. Matthew decided there was more to this than hospitality. Therefore he walked into the house, and Goode entered behind him and shut the door.

  "Who is that?" asked the heavyset woman who stood at the hearth. She had been stirring the contents of a cooking-pot that was placed in the hot ashes, but now the revolutions of the wooden spoon had ceased. Her eyes were deep-set and wary, her face crisscrossed with lines, under a coarse brown cloth scalp-wrapping.

  "This be Mastuh Matthew Corbett," Goode said. "Mastuh Corbett, this be my wife May."

  "Pleased to meet you," Matthew said, but the old woman didn't respond. She looked him head to toe, made a little windy sound with her lips, and returned to her labors at the pot.

  "Ain't got on no shirt," she announced.

  "Mastuh Corbett got hisself three lashes today. You 'member, I told you they was gon' whip him."

  "Hm," May said, at the pittance of three whipstrikes.

  "Will you set y'self here, suh?" Goode motioned toward a short bench that stood before a roughly constructed table, and Matthew accepted the invitation. Then, as Goode went to a shelf that held a number of wooden jars, Matthew took the opportunity to examine his surroundings. The examination did not take long, as the house only had the single room. A pallet with a thin mattress served as the bed, and apart from the bench and table the only other furnishings were a highbacked chair (which looked as if it had once been regal but was now sadly battered), a clay washbasin, a crate in which was folded some clothing, and a pair of lanterns. Matthew noted a large tortoise shell displayed on the wall above the hearth, and a burlap-wrapped object (the violin, of course) had its own shelf near the bed. Another shelf held a few wooden cups and platters. That seemed to be the end of the inventory of Goode's belongings.

  Goode took one of the jars, opened it, and came around behind Matthew. "Suh, do you mind my fingers?"

  "No."

  "This'll sting some." Matthew winced as a cool liquid was applied to his stripes. The stinging sensation was quite bearable, considering what he'd just endured. Within a few seconds the stinging went away and he had the feeling that the potion was deadening his raw flesh. "Ain't too bad," Goode remarked. "Seen terrible worse."

  "I appreciate this. It does soothe the pain."

  "Pain," the woman said, as she stirred the pot. It had been spoken with an edge of mockery. "Ain't no pain in three lashes. Pain don't start 'til they gets to thirty."

  "Now, now, keep that tongue still," Goode said. He finished painting the stripes and corked the jar. "Ought to do you, suh. Doubt you'll sleep so well tonight, though, 'cause whipburns get hotter 'fore they start to healin'." He walked back to the shelf and returned the jar to its proper place. "Pardon my speakin'," he said, "but Mastuh Bidwell don't care for you, do he?"

  "No, he doesn't. The feeling, I have to say, is mutual."

  "He thinks you're standin' up for Mistress Howarth, don't he?" Goode carefully lowered the burlap-wrapped violin from the shelf and began to unwind the cloth. "Pardon my speakin', but be you standin' up for her?"

  "I have some questions concerning her."

  "Questions?" Goode laid the wrapping aside. In the smoky yellow lanternlight, the violin took on a soft, buttery sheen. He spent a moment running his slim fingers up and down the neck. "Suh, can I ask a question of my own?"

  "Yes."

  "Well, it 'pears to me that Mistress Howarth's near bein' burnt. I don't know her so good, but one mornin' she picked up a bucket and helped Ginger carry water when Ginger 'as child-heavy."

  "He don't know who Ginger be!" May said. "What're you goin' on for?"

  "Ginger be May's sister," Goode explained. "Live right 'cross the way. Anyhows, it was a kind thing. You see, it's peculiar." Goode plucked a note, listened, and made an adjustment by tightening the string. "Why ain't no slaves heard nor seen nothin'." He plucked another string, listened and adjusted. "No, only them English seen things. An' y'know, that's kinda peculiar too."

  "Peculiar? In what way?"

  "Well suh, when this first start up we had us a good many tongues bein' spoke in Fount Royal. Had them Germans, had them Dutchmen too. They all gots scairt and gone, but nary a one of 'em seen or heard nothin' to mark Mistress Howarth. No suh, just them English." A third string was plucked, but he found this one satisfactory. He looked into Matthew's face. "See what I'm sayin', suh? My question be: how come Satan don't talk German nor Dutch and he don't talk to us darks neither?"

  "I don't know," Matthew said, but it was a point worth consideration.

  "Thought Satan knew ever' tongue there was," Goode went on. "Just peculiar, that's all." He finished tuning the violin and his fingers plucked a quick succession of notes. "Mastuh Bidwell don't care for you," he said, '"cause you askin' such questions. Mastuh Bidwell want to burn Mistress Howarth quick and be done with it, so's he can keep Fount Royal from dyin'. Pardon my spielin'."

  "That's all right," Matthew said. He dared to try to put his shirt back on, but his shoulders were still too tender. "I know your master has ambitious plans."

  "Yes suh, he do. Heard him talk 'bout bringin' in more darks to drain that swamp. Hard job to be done. All them skeeters and bitin' things, got gators and snakes out there too. Only darks can do that job, y'see. You English—pardon my speakin'—ain't got the backs for it. Used to I did, but I got old." Again, he played a fast flurry of notes. May poured some water from a bucket into the cooking-pot, and then she turned her efforts to a smaller pot that was brewing near the firewall. "Sure never thought I'd live to see such a world as this,
" Goode said quietly, as he caressed the strings. "Sixteen hundred and ninety-nine, and the cent'ry 'bout to turn!"

  "Ain't got long," May offered. "World's gone be 'stroyed in fire come directly."

  Goode smiled. "Maybe so, and maybe not. Could be 'stroyed in fire, could be a cent'ry of wonders."

  "Fire," May said sharply. Matthew had the thought that this difference of opinion was a bone of contention between them. "Everythin' burnt and made new 'gain. That's the Lord's vow."

  '"Spect it is," he agreed gently, displaying his gift of diplomacy. '"Spect it is."

  Matthew decided it was time to be on his way. "Thank you again for the help." He stood up. "I do feel much—"

  "Oh, not to be leavin' just yet!" Goode insisted. "Please favor me, suh! I brung you here to show you somethin' I think you might find a' interest." He put aside the violin and went once more to the shelf that held the wooden jars. When he chose the one next to the jar that had held the potion, May said with alarm in her voice, "What're you doin', John Goode?"

  "Showin' him. I want him to see." This jar had a lid instead of a cork and Goode lifted it.

  "No! They ain't to be seen!" On May's wrinkled face was an expression that Matthew could only define as terror. "Have you lost your mine?"

  "It's all right," Goode said, calmly but firmly. "I done decided it." He looked at Matthew. "Suh, I believe you be a decent man. I been wantin' to let somebody see this, but . . . well, I was feared to." He peered into the jar, and then lifted his gaze back to Matthew. "Would you promise me, suh, that you will not speak to anyone about what I'm gon' show you?"

  "I don't know that I can make such a promise," Matthew said. "What is it?"

  "See? See?" May was wringing her hands. "All he's gon' do is steal 'em!"

  "Hush!" Goode said. "He ain't gone steal 'em! Just calm y'-self, now!"

  "Whatever they are, I do promise not to steal them." Matthew had spoken this directly to May, and now he sat back down on the bench again.

  "He say!" May appeared close to tears.

  "It's all right." Goode put his hand on his wife's shoulder. "I want him to see, 'cause it's a thing needs answerin' and I figure he would care to know, 'specially since he got thieved hisself." Goode came to the table and upended the jar in front of Matthew. As the items inside tumbled out, Matthew caught his breath. On the table before him were four objects: a broken shard of light blue pottery, a small and delicate silver spoon, a silver coin, and . . .

  Matthew's hand went to the fourth item. He picked it up and held it for close examination.

  It was a gold coin. At its center was a cross that separated the figures of two lions and two castles. The letters Charles II and Dei Grat were clearly visible around the rim.

  At first he thought it was the coin that had been stolen from his room, but it took only a brief inspection to tell him that— though it certainly was Spanish gold—it was not the same coin. The stamping on this piece was in much fresher condition, and on the other side was an ornately engraved E and a faint but discernible date: 1675.

  Matthew picked up the silver coin, which was obviously old and so worn that most of the stamping had been wiped clean. Still, there was the barest impression of a Dei Grat.

  He looked up at Goode, who stood over him. "Where did these come from?"

  "Turtle bellies," Goode said.

  "Pardon?"

  "Yes suh." Goode nodded. "They come from turtle bellies. The spoon and silver piece came out of one I caught last year. The blue clay came out of one I got . . . oh . . . must'a been two month ago."

  "And the gold coin?"

  "The first night you and the magistrate was here," Goode explained, "Mastuh Bidwell asked me to catch a turtle for your supper the next night. Well, I caught a big one. There's his shell hangin'. And that gold piece was in his belly when I cut it open."

  "Hm," Matthew grunted. He turned the gold coin between his fingers. "You caught these turtles out of the spring?"

  "The fount. Yes suh. Them turtles like to be eatin' the reeds, y'see."

  Matthew put the coins down upon the table and picked up the silver spoon. It was tarnished dark brown and the stem was bent, but it seemed remarkably preserved to have spent any length of time in a turtle's stomach. "Very strange, isn't it?" he said.

  "I thought so too, suh. When I found that gold piece, and hearin' that yours was thieved a few days after'ard . . . well, I didn't know what to think."

  "I can understand." Matthew looked again at the gold coin's date, and then studied the fragment of blue pottery before he replaced it and the other items in the wooden jar. He noted that May appeared very much relieved. "And I do promise not to tell anyone. As far as I'm concerned, it's no one's business."

  "Thank you, suh," she said gratefully.

  Matthew stood up. "I have no idea why turtles should have such things in their bellies, but it is a question that begs an answer. Goode, if you catch a turtle and happen to find anything else, will you let me know?"

  "I will, suh."

  "All right. I'd best return to the house. No need taking the carriage up, I'll be glad to walk." He watched as Goode put the lid back on the jar and returned it to the shelf.

  "Let me ask you a question now, and please answer truthfully: do you think Rachel Howarth is a witch?"

  He responded without hesitation. "No suh, I don't."

  "Then how do you account for the witnesses?"

  "I can't, suh."

  "That's my problem," Matthew confided. "Neither can I."

  "I'll walk you out," Goode said. Matthew offered a goodbye to May, and then he and the old man left the house. On the walk back toward the stable, Goode shoved his hands into the pockets of his brown breeches and said quietly, "May's got it in her mind we're gon' run to the Florida country. Take them gold and silver pieces and light out some night. I let her think it, 'cause it eases her. But we're long done past our runnin' days." He looked at the muddy earth beneath his shoes. "Naw, I come over when I was a boy. First mastuh was Mastuh Cullough, in V'ginia. Seen eight children sold. Seen my brother whipped to death for kickin' a white man's dog. I seen my little daughter's back branded, and her beggin' me to make 'em stop. That's why I play that fiddle Mastuh Bidwell give me; it be the only sound keep me from hearin' her voice."

  "I'm sorry," Matthew said.

  "Why? Did you brand her? I ain't askin' nobody to be sorry. All I'm sayin' is, my wife needs to dream 'bout the Florida country, just like I need to play my music. Just like anybody needs anythin' to give 'em a reason to live. That's all. Suh," he added, remembering his place.

  They had reached the stable. Matthew noticed that Goode's pace had slowed. It seemed to him that there was something else the slave wanted to express, but he was taking his time in constructing it. Then Goode cleared his throat and said in a low, wary voice, "I don't believe Mistress Howarth is a witch, suh, but that ain't to say not some strange goin's-on here'bouts."

  "I would certainly agree."

  "You may not know the half of it, suh." Goode stopped walking, and Matthew did the same. "I'm speakin' of the man who goes out to the swamp now and again, after it's long past dark."

  Matthew recalled the figure he'd seen here in the slave quarters that night the lightning had been so fierce. "A man? Who is it?"

  "Couldn't see his face. I heard the horses cuttin' up one night and come out here to ease 'em. On the way back, I seen a man walkin' out to the swamp. He was carryin' a lantern, but it weren't lit. Walkin' quick, he was, like he had somewheres to go in a hurry. Well, I was spelt by it so I followed him. He slip past the watchman there and go on out through them woods." Goode motioned toward the pines with a tilt of his head. "The man that Mastuh Bidwell has watchin' at night does poorly. I've had call to wake him up m'self come dawn."

  "The man who went out to the swamp," Matthew said, much intrigued. "Did you find out what his business was?"

  "Well suh, nobody with right business to do would go out there, seein' as how that's where
the privy wagon gets carted to and dumped. And it's a dangerous place, too, full a' mucks and mires. But this man, he just kept on goin'. I did follow him a ways, though, but it's hard travel. I had to turn 'round and come on home 'fore I seen what he was up to."

  "When was this?"

  "Oh . . . three, four month past. But I seen him again, near two week ago."

  "He walked out to the swamp again?"

  "I seen him on his way back. Both Earlyboy and me seen him, 'bout run right into him as we come 'round a corner. Bullhead—he's Ginger's man—has got some cards. We was over at his house, playin' most the night, and that's why it was such a small hour. We seen the man walkin', but he didn't see us. This time he was carryin' a dark lantern and a bucket."

  "A bucket," Matthew repeated.

  "Yes suh. Must'a been sealed, though. It was swingin' back and forth, but nothing was spillin' out."

  Matthew nodded. He'd remembered that he had also seen something in the man's possession that might have been a bucket.

  "Earlyboy was scairt," Goode said. "Still is. He asked me if we'd seen the Devil, but I told him I thought it was just a man." He lifted his thick white eyebrows. "Was I right, suh?"

  Matthew paused to consider it. Then he said thoughtfully, "Yes, I think you were. Though it might have been a man with some Devil in him."

  "That could be any man under the sun of creation," Goode observed. "I swear I can't figure why anybody would go out to that swamp, particular at night. Ain't nothin' out there a'tall."

  "There must be something of value. Whatever it is, it can be carried in a bucket." Matthew looked back toward the watch-tower for a moment; the watchman still had his feet up on the railing, and even now appeared to be sleeping. He doubted that anyone who wanted to get past at night would have much difficulty, especially if they weren't showing a light. Well, he felt in dire need of breakfast and a hot bath to wash off the gaol's filth. "Thank you again for the liniment," he told Goode.

  "Yes suh, my pleasure. Luck to you."

  "And you." Matthew turned away and walked along Peace Street, leaving the slave quarters behind. He had more things to think about now, and less time to sort them all out if indeed they could be sorted. He felt that someone—perhaps more than one person—had woven a tangled web of murder and deceits in this struggling, rough-hewn town, and had gone to great and inexplicable lengths to paint Rachel as the servant of Satan. But for what purpose? Why would anyone go to such labors to manufacture a case of witchcraft against her? It made no sense.