by Marlon James
—A right bounty of negroes will be sprouting up from that seed, gentlemen, you might mistake him for a stallion. You may never need to buy a nigger again. Spiting me own self out of business, yes I am. Shall we start at two hundred?
Again, plenty hand shoot up one after the other. Lilith looking at the white mens buying and the black bodies shining and didn’t notice they eye. When she see the woman, the woman was looking at her already. Lilith see them eye before. On Andromeda daughter when she watching her mother spit blood till she dead. But she see it on white man too, on Massa Roget when she pin him to the bottom of the bathtub and he realise he not coming back up. Lilith think she know what frighten is, but didn’t know it until she see the woman face. But is more than frighten, is something else, mayhaps in the eye or the eyebrow, Lilith don’t know. Something else that her mind answer before the question ask. She know the answer. She can’t help nobody out of white man power, not even herself. The woman eye still asking. Lilith don’t know how to fix her eye to say no, so she look at the man and the same question come over him face.
The negro man and woman look round and round, frighten by the dog barking, horse whinnying, wheel crunching, goat mehhhhing, donkey heehawing, womens cussing, mens shouting, pickney playing, cat jumping, whip cracking, people pointing, ladies blushing, flags flapping and sun rising. Lilith watch as they get the frighten eye, the mark of every negro.
—Two hundred ninety pounds! the auctioneer shout and the woman jump. Lilith jump too. A church bell ring from the south and Lilith look at the two negroes again. Lilith wonder what running through bush with no chain on you foot or dog coming after you feel like. And what it feel like to know all of that, then lose it. Do losing feel different from never having? Do a captured nigger be a different nigger? Lilith gone from perplex to melancholy. She surprise that she never talk to a Africa man or woman before. Except Homer. And even Homer, who talk more Africa tongue than most, still don’t talk ’bout the Africa land much.
Miss Isobel yelling that if they don’t let her through, she going to giddy-up her horses and let come what may. The men give her pass. The auctioneer yell, Sold and two white mens come for the negro man. He bolt. The white women stiff and screaming. A naked negro man let loose in they company set off a terror. Some of the womens swoon, some try to run, some hide behind they mens. But the negro man run only so far before the chain yank him by the neck and he drop flat on him back. The auctioneer go to strike the Africa man but stop, perhaps because he remember how much the slave worth. Some of the womens still hide behind they mens. The Africa man make a sound and the white mens laugh and call him beast and monkey. But Lilith know the sound even though she never hear the wail before. She know what he bawling for and force herself not to look in him eye, for she know he looking at her. The carriage take her away.
Lilith look at Miss Isobel. She sweating even though the Kingston air cool, and trying to catch her breath even though the horse doing all the work. Two white mens step in the carriage way and Miss Isobel hide her face quick with her hand, not even watching where she going until the mens dash to the other side. The taller older man cuss but the younger man say nothing. Some of Miss Isobel hair fly out of her bonnet and she grab it quick with her right hand, almost letting go of the reins, and push it back underneath. Miss Isobel looking straight ahead but Lilith look back. The younger man was looking at the carriage and Lilith know she seen him before. She ain’t never been to Kingston and Massa Humphrey don’t keep no friend so it must be a man who did be at the Rogets’ funeral. Plenty mens was there but she remember him now. Miss Isobel did take more notice of him then and he tip him hat to her. Lilith surprise that she remember and Miss Isobel forget, for he wearing the same purple coat—the only one on the street—and the same brown top hat tilt to the left to show him black hair. The carriage take them away but even as he get smaller and smaller he still looking.
Lilith and Miss Isobel come back to Montpelier at about one o’ clock. Robert Quinn waiting at the step when Miss Isobel drop Lilith off. Robert Quinn and Miss Isobel don’t look at each other. She drive off, the back of the carriage full with parcels.
—Fer her wedding dress, luv?
—Yes, massa.
—Yer not helping the cow, are ye? Robert Quinn say.
—Me don’t know how to sew, massa.
—Good. Good. Ye shall have nothing to do with that poppy-show, he say.—Do ye hear me, Lilith?
—Yes, massa.
—Now fix us a proper lunch, will ye? he say.
The next morning, Lilith in the great house kitchen early. Robert Quinn leave out before dawn. Nobody in the kitchen but Homer.
—Me pass a place where they was selling negroes, Lilith say.
Homer put down the knife and the potato she was slicing. She don’t say nothing for a while.
—When you see that? she say.
—Yesterday on the way to the dry goods merchant. They was having auction for negroes.
—Do tell. Me did hear that slave ship come in on Tuesday. How them look?
—How who look?
—The slave them, the Africa mens and womens.
—Me only see two, a man and a woman. The woman go for a hundred ninety-five pounds and the man two hundred ninety.
—Nigger price goin’ up like everything else in this world. How them look?
—Frighten.
—Frighten. Poor sum’bitches don’t know the meaning of frighten yet.
Homer go back to her potato peeling.—But is all right. White man goin’ know the meaning of frighten soon and very soon.
Then she start sing.
—Soon and very soon, we are going to meet the King. Soon and very soon we are going to meet the—
—Me see white man frighten out o’ him wits already.
—What? What you talking ’bout?
—Me see white man frighten before. Frighten like God catch him a sin. Back at Coulibre.
The knife fall from Homer hand.
—Jesus the father. Me did know you was the one.
Homer cover her mouth with one finger and say, Shhh. She look round, outside, out the door and out the window.—You burn down the Coulibre house, she whisper.
—You sound like you never did sure.
—You sound like me was asking question. Me just saying things as they be. What me don’t know is how you manage to burn them up without them trying to escape.
—Me kill them first, Lilith say.
Homer pick up the knife again but pause. She pause long. She turn to the window. She look at the floor. Then she look at Lilith hard.
—Me know you have the darkness, but me didn’t know it so black, she say.
—Blacker than midnight when me ready.
—How you kill Massa Roget?
Lilith go over to the kitchen window to watch slave coffle pass and singing work song.
—You wasn’t at Coulibre the first time Massa Roget heart take set ’pon him.
—No, but me know ’bout it.
—Well, him heart take set ’pon him again. Right when me was giving him bath and him want him cocky jerk. Him ’bout to get out when him heart sick him. Fall right back in the tub and slip under the water.
—Go on.
—Him pull himself up and wheezing and he begging that me must help him. Me help him, all right. Me help him right back down under the water. Me hand on him chest, him trying to wring me titty, but me keep him down. Then me eye see him eye.
Homer silent.
—Sometime he slip from me and sometime he try to grab me hair, but him heart was on my side, the son of a bitch. Him own heart. Me hold him down until him nose start suck in water and bubble come up. Me hold him down until all him cocky stiffen up. Best cockstand that devil ever manage.
The kitchen quiet. Homer look at her hands and Lilith look through the window.
—How long it take him to dead?
—Too long.
—And how it did feel, chile?
—How it did feel
? You asking me how it feel? Me don’t know.
—Killing people not an easy thing, you know. Bothersome.
—No, you don’t understand. Killing too easy. That is what me telling you. That is what bother me ’bout it. The mistress walk in ’pon we, so me chase after her and she just screaming and screaming and fall over the balcony.
—Jesus Christ.
—Me never was intending that one.
—You didn’t intend to kill her?
—Not that way, me think. But me don’t know, is like when you see what two hand can do, you just want to do more. It just come over you like anointing. After that, me know it was soon before Miss Isobel come back and the only thing me could think of was to get rid of any trail linking them to me. Fire was the only thing me could think ’bout that could hide everything. Just burn down everything like judgement. Or me wasn’t thinking, me don’t know.
—Hell of a thing to kill a white man.
—Like you would know.
—Me know death, that for sure.
—Knowing and causing it be two different thing. Night and day, as you would say. That’s why me not killing no more.
—’Cause you like it too much?
—’Cause me probably won’t stop.
—Good. Good. Wonderful good. Time we teach these bombocloth devil a lesson. Saint-Domingue point the way and we need to stop skylarking.
—You really don’t know nothing ’bout killing, don’t it? You think ’cause you work Obeah—
—Myal. Me don’t work no Obeah.
—You think ’cause you work magic and somebody get sick or drop down dead is the same thing? It not like killing with you hand, Homer, not a raas claat. You want to know how it feel? You really want to know? Nothing in this world like killing a man. Your skin on him skin, you tearing him chest hair off. You kill just one time and you know why God save murder for himself. Wicked, wicked, wicked. And good. Good. Good. Too good. You understand me? It better than full belly or when a man fuck you good. You do it and you know why white man be master over we. Because he can grab a nigger and kill her just so. Just like that. Only white man can live with how terrible that be.
—You living.
—Me is a murderess. You want that kinda living, then take it. Every nigger have reason for the white man to dead. Me more than most. You can talk all you want, but me shed real blood, and me not shedding no more. Me not killing nobody.
—Them people is not somebody. Me don’t know what them is, but them drain of all peopleness, that must be why they skin white. Lilith—
—Me smell them, you know. The pickneys. Me smell them burning all the time. And me sees them. Me sees them.
—Me have a tea that can fix that.
—Me don’t want it to fix! Me want to remember. You don’t understand. Me want to know why me must never do nothing like that again. Besides, how we to do anything? Them have gun and them is master over we.
—Few years back. You still living with Circe.
—You head take you again, woman? What you talking ’bout?
—Seventeen ninety-five. That’s when me find out that me two baby dead. Hear it from Jack Wilkins only because the man that buy me son come for him money back. When me hear him dead, first me think that something in me just go. Then me realise that whatever in me gone long time. Go to market the next Sunday and see two mens and a woman me know from Jackson Lands. One whole year pass before they tell me ’bout they plot. Every time a nigger plot fail, other nigger take heed and learn. By the time them tell me, nigger on seven estate already plottin’ to kill every backra within a hundred mile.
—All this time me did think is you come up with this.
—Me never come up with nothing. All me did want to do was draw blood. Pallas be the first woman me bring into it. Then Iphigenia, then Callisto, who bring Gorgon. Then Hippolyta. Six tell six tell six. Make freedom news spread like brushfire. Look round you, girl chile. There be thirty-two nigger to one white man on this estate alone. Some is thirty-five to one. The real thing you should be pondering is how come they master over we for so long.
—They have musket.
—Can only fire one shot. Fifteen white man, fifteen shot, and even if them shoot straight, that be only fifteen slave get shot, and even if the fifteen get kill, that still leave near two hundred more.
—You thinking this hard.
—Me born thinking. Look ’pon you. One nigger you be, yet you bring one whole estate down. Cho! You think them better than we?
—No, me stop think that long time ago. Is we not better than them.
—Don’t be damn fool, chile. Black man could be wicked like the devil and you can still find a white man that worse. Them don’t even know how to grow sugar right. Negro man could ’ave teach him to grow cane two times the length if they did only treat we right, but no. Freedom goin’ get musket now, but me talk too long and wall have ears. November soon gone and more talking to do tomorrow.
—Homer . . .
—Tomorrow, Lilith.
—Because we are to be mother and father, damn you, Robert! Press me no further, Massa Humphrey say and slam him hand on the kitchen table.
Robert Quinn pacing from one end of the kitchen to the other. He stop at the table and touch Massa Humphrey on the shoulder. —Humphrey, I entreat you, he say.
—No! Enough of this, damn you. I will speak of it no longer.
—Yes, ye damn well will. I will not stand by and watch ye—
—Then leave, for God’s sake. Nobody’s strong-arming you to stay.
—Aye, nobody is doing that, indeed. Is that how it will be? After all I’ve been to . . . after Venice?
—You’ll hold that above me as long as I live.
—You’re the one holding yourself to bondage, Humphrey. Do not marry this woman. You don’t know.
—I damn well know all there is to—
—No, you don’t. Trust the voice of a friend. You do not—
Robert Quinn see Lilith at the door and stop. Him red skin get redder. —God feckin’ damn, how long have you been there? he say.
Lilith look away.
—I said, how long have you been there?
—Me just come back, sah, me—
Robert Quinn stomp over to Lilith and Lilith make one back step into the wall behind her. Then he slap her.
—I will not have a goddamned slave sneaking up on me, he say. Lilith grab her cheek and her mouth drop. She look in him eye and don’t see Robert Quinn.—Go to your room! he say. Lilith run. In the room a tear run down her face. But she not crying, she not sobbing and she not wondering if this is Robert Quinn too. She feel something that she don’t feel in a long while. She feel black. Her door still open.
—Don’t ye walk out on me, Humphrey Wilson, I’m not done with ye yet.
—I’ll do as I damn well please, Quinn. Don’t forget who’s in whose employ. Now, I’ll thank you to remember your place and speak no ill of the person who’s to be my wife.
—But . . .
—Or find some other means of employment. You are rather skilled for an Irishman. You’ll not be wanting in opportunities, I assure you.
—Humphrey, fer God’s sake.
—I bid you good-bye, Quinn.
Lilith listen to the boot stomp across the floor and out the door and down the four steps. She hear the footsteps on the dirt, the horse whinnying and galloping away. She hear another boot step, slower coming into the room. She hear him getting slower and closer. Robert Quinn touch Lilith shoulder and she flinch. She don’t look up to him face. Robert Quinn hiss and leave the room.
Lilith get up before dawn and go to the great house kitchen. She push the door but it lock. She push the door again, for Homer always up before dawn. Lilith knock and the door open. Homer frowning but she let Lilith in. Inside be Pallas and Callisto. Pallas shove something inside her bosom.
—You forget one, Pallas say and Callisto pick a bullet off the counter.
—Make haste, Homer sa
y. Callisto unwrap a piece of osnaburg and reveal a musket. Pallas wrap it in banana leaf and put it in her basket. Lilith go to ask but say nothing. She slip past the door and leave through the main entrance. She go down the steps and look out at the sun that still trying to come over the hill. In the kitchen she brewing tea and boiling pudding. Robert Quinn come in huffing and puffing. Him left eye dark with bruise and getting darker. He sit down at the kitchen table and quiet. Lilith quiet too but don’t know what to expect.
—Ye won’t be making tea for me much longer, lovey, Robert Quinn say.—Appears I’ve been dismissed.
Oriki
26
DECEMBER. WITH NEAR ALL OF THE MILITIA DOWN BY THE harbour and some inlands, few did by the barracks at Up Park Camp that night when fire break out in the mess and spread from one barrack to two. Infantryman in two barrack burn to death—it seem that both barrack was chained up from the outside. Word be that it was the work of Maroons who itchin’ to start another war, but the Maroons quick to deny it. Seventeen new nigger get purchase from Kingston to replace the seventeen old ones, all of them kill by firing squad that very morning.
Robert Quinn thinking of what to take of his belongings. He pace round the home, eye him drapery and saying that coming with him. —No fair chance of that, I’m afraid, he say when Lilith ask if he and the massa can’t let bygones be. He rest him chin in palm and tap him face with him fingers but wince when he tap too close to the black eye.
—I have said the unforgivable and he has done the unforgivable, he say. He ’bout to say more but right then they hear the march of the slave coffle. Quinn go to the window and watch as they pass. Lilith go to her room. Couple minute pass as Lilith hear talking. She hear Quinn voice getting louder and louder.
—This is still my house, so get the feck out, Quinn say.
—I kin do wot I likes, methinks. Gonna be my ’ouse now, yes it will. Gonna be mine, the other man say.
—Not yers yet by any stretch, McClusky.
—Will be in ’alf a mo’, says I. Wot says you? Methinks we’ll be keeping the fair nigger wench as well, that’s wot methinks. I kin make sure of that. How’s ’er arse? Didn’t get very far with ’er poxy cunt, second time around.