Riddley Walker

by Russell Hoban

  The salting bloak comes up agen hes holding his head and no 1 in site only Mr Clevver. Salting bloak says to Mr Clevver, ‘Why dint you help me?’

  Mr Clevver says, ‘I said Iwd stan behynt you and I done that.’ Hes larfing then he goes off.

  Eusa comes up agen hes holding his head as wel. Eusa and the salting bloak holding ther heads and looking at each other.

  Eusa says to the salting bloak, ‘Whats the matter with your head?’

  Salting bloak says, ‘It aint as hard as the club what basht me thats whats the matter with it. What about you?’

  Eusa says, ‘I ben basht the same plus my cow ben took off.’

  Salting bloak says, ‘My salt ben took as wel.’

  Eusa says, ‘I thot you ben on your groun and wide a wake. How come you ben snuck?’

  Salting bloak says, ‘I ben looking inlan and got raidit from the sea.’

  Eusa says, ‘I ben looking to the sea but he come roun behynt and raidit me from inlan. You cant be looking every way at Ice when youre oansome.’

  Salting bloak says, ‘May be we bes largen in to gether itwl be the safes thing for boath of us.’

  Eusa says, ‘Iwl yes with that.’

  Then Eusa and the salting bloak get fents poals and theyre largening in to gether and thats the end of the show.

  Reason Ive wrote down this woal show is so I cud put in my dads reveal at the end of it. Like Ive said he tol me that show over when he ben lerning me. He ben prowd of his reveal for that 1 moren mos he done becaws for Ice the crowd movit on his words.

  Goodparley & Orfing when they done that show Ive jus wrote down they fittit down and off they gone like all ways. Nex day come and Nex Nite in its tern and our woal crowd with Littl Salting on its mynd and craving for how Dad wud connect that cow shit show. Dad he dint keap them waiting all nite for his reveal he let them get back to ther drinking early. When he gone up front for his connexion he scratcht his head and coft a littl and lookit a roun and like ½ smylt then he jus said, ‘Wel you know there it is. A littl salting and no saver.’

  He dint say no moren that. The crowd ½ of them larft out and ½ of them syd deap. Nex day our Big Man which it ben Jack lstfynd then not Straiter Empy he callit the crowd to gether to talk summit. Nex thing we done we pult out of Crippel the Farn and come up to How Fents which ben stanning emty. Reason we done it wer Hoggem Form they wer right nex to us at Crippel the Farn they had the same look in ther eye as Dog Et had befor they swallert Littl Salting.

  Getting back now to my 1st connexion I dint want no 1 to think I wer trying to be a nother Brooder Walker nor I dint want to come on with nothing flash. I had in mynd to take it slow and make it solid. Put 1 thot to a nother like ring poals in poal hoals and holders to ring poals and rafters to holders and the reveal on top of it all like thatch. So you cud all ways go back from the reveal and get a good look at how the woal thing ben bilt and that wer going to be the Riddley Walker styl.

  There ben a nuff and moren a nuff to connect with I dint jus only have the front patter and the show I had all that what Goodparley & Orfing said at the wotcher plus all that exter patter after the show. I ben wunnering if may be Orfing ben butting heads with the Ram with some of that patter. Wunnering if he ben doing it for me to use some way. Any how I wernt going to wayst it.

  My dad use to tel me, ‘Dont look for your reveal til its ben.’ He all ways put his self parper ready for Nex Nite but he claimt he never acturely knowit what he wer going to say til he heard the words coming out of his mouf. Wel I wunt chance that on my 1st connexion I wantit to know where I wer going so I cud make sure I got there. So I had my reveal ready when I stood up for my connexion. I wer going to come down strong on what Eusa said after the show. That about getting the hevvyness off his back. I wer going to end up with: ‘The man as got the hevvyness took off him wer ready to take on some mor.’

  I startit out slow. I said, ‘Las nite wylst they ben doing the front patter when Eusa hadnt come up yet I ben looking at the back clof. There it is you seen it so many times may be you dont even noatis it no mor. Smoak and flames paintit on it. When Eusa comes up hes got smoak and flames behynt him same as that 1st Eusa him as wrote the Eusa Story. Weve all of us got smoak and flames behynt us thats why theyre paintit on the back clof. To keap all that in memberment. So les not lose it out of memberment in this connexion.’

  Going on like that I wer and the rain stil dumming on the thatch the same when there begun a crackeling and like a roaring in the air or in my head I dint know which. Such a bigness of it. I kep talking like I ben doing but I wernt thinking on what I wer saying I wer thinking on Eusa how he come up all slow and scanful and terning his head this way and that. I wer seeing him and afeart he myt start biggering up and bigger bigger. I had to tel my self he wernt nothing only a woodin head on Goodparleys finger. Mynd you there wernt no Eusa figger for me to see. Goodparley & Orfing ben gone since the day befor and all the figgers in ther fit up with them. Nor I wernt dreaming nor I hadnt ben smoaking I wernt acturely seeing Eusas head it wer jus there for me I cant say plainer nor that. Which it wunt stop getting bigger I cud smel the wood and the paint of it and the finger hoal so big it wer over all of us as big as the roof. Such a blackness. Not jus over us and all roun it wer coming up inside me as wel. Not jus wood and paint I smelt the blood and boan the redness in the black. The thot come to me: EUSAS HEAD IS DREAMING US.

  Ice I said that I knowit there wer a many in it only I had to wait for the diffrent shapes of it to shif a part so I cud work be twean. Which they done then I did work in be twean and seen the shapes of it. I wer going to tel the shapes but that seamt foolish all I had to do wer show them when they movit pas. Which I done I poyntit to each 1 the woal thing wer as plain. I dint even bother to say it to my self I knowit I cudnt lose it out of memberment.

  When I lookit agen it wernt there. I thot: At leas it ben all ready showit. I lookit roun and every body looking at me. I said, ‘At leas it ben all ready showit.’

  They all said, ‘What ben showit?’

  I said, ‘You know. The shapes of EUSAS HEAD IS DREAMING US.’

  Some said, ‘You never.’ Others said, ‘Whats that?’

  I said, ‘That ben my woal reveal.’

  They all said, ‘You never spoak it out you jus ben stanning there and we ben waiting.’

  I said, ‘What ben the las thing I said?’

  They said, ‘About the back clof.’

  I said, ‘Wel you all know its Eusas head is dreaming us.’

  They said, ‘No. Be that your reveal?’

  I said, ‘The shapes of it. What I showit.’

  They said, ‘You never.’

  Lorna Elswint said, ‘You done a trants reveal. Only it let you out too soon. Parbly you lookit 2ce when you only shudve lookit Ice. Aint no use talking about it it wants keaping qwyet til it joyns up with the res of its self if it ever does.’

  So every 1 wer lef hanging. Me and all. My 1st connexion.

  10

  Nex morning when I 1st come a wake I wer ½ thinking may be it ben a dream. Like when some thing harbel happens in a dream then you wake up and it aint nothing only a dream what a releaf. But when I woak up all the way there it wer and no dream. Not that it wer all that harbel it wernt nothing only I ben took strange in my very 1st connexion but I fealt like my Luck gone from me. I fealt like I rathert not come a wake that day.

  I wer a wake tho so I stuck my head outside. Sky all hevvy and grey. Nothing moving no wind jus all col and stil. Littl Nimbel Potter and that lot waiting for a site of me and singing:

  ‘Riddley Walker wernt no talker

  Dint know what to say

  Put his head up on a poal

  And then it tol all day’

  Wel you know Ice the kids start singing at you thats a cern kynd of track youre on nor there aint too much you can do about it. Making the kids stop singing wont help its too late by then youve jus got to clinch your teef and get on with it.

  In the divvy roof at brea
kfas I wer sat at the top tabel which I only ben sitting there since I took the scar I wernt all that use to it. I had Lorna on 1 side of me and Fister Crunchman on the other side. Him what I ben on the weal with that morning when my dad got kilt. Girt big red hairt bloak 1 of Empys nexters he lookit jus like his name he lookit like he cud bus rocks with his bare hans and walk thru fentses without noatising. Lorna wer hanging over me in a special way like no 1 only her in the woal worl knowit how it wer with me since I done my trants reveal. Fister Crunchman he kep sqwinting at me with his littl sharp blue eyes and nodding his head I wer jus waiting for him to lif up 1 of them hevvy fisses of his and drive me in to the groun.

  Finely Fister stil nodding his head and sqwinting at me he said, ‘Wel Riddley.’

  I said, ‘Wel Fister.’

  He said, ‘Wel Riddley you know if I wer you.’ And noddit some mor.

  I said, ‘What if you wer me Fister? Whatwd you do?’

  He helt up 1 finger and kep nodding. He said, ‘Mynd you I aint qwick Im jus a woar out old hevvy is all I am.’

  I said, ‘Every body knows you aint a bit woar out plus youre as qwick as the nex 1.’

  He said, ‘Which is you nor I aint no where near as qwick as you. Youre myndy dont you see. You ben lernt to read and write and all ways thinking on things. Trubba not nor I aint staring but I wunt want to be like that it aint no way for a man to be.’

  I said, ‘No Trubba but you wer saying if you wer me.’

  He said, ‘There it is you see. Which I aint becaws Im slow nor I aint myndy so how cud I be you. Yet if I wer you and praps youwl let me give a word and to the whys.’

  I said, ‘Im craving for it Fister.’

  He said, ‘Riddley what Im going to say I Trubba not your dad it ben a diffrent time when he come a man this ben stil a moving crowd back then. May be a connexion man cud stil help his crowd to keap a littl bit a head of the cow shit plus may be he bint give no syn which you ben.’

  I said, ‘Fister whatre you getting at youre going roun by such a long track Im afeart Iwl dy on the road.’

  He said, ‘Riddley youre the qwick 1 how can you be so slow. Here come that dog at you dint he. Old woar out leader old woar out guvner which you steppt forit like a man and took him on your spear. Nex you do your 1st connexion and you come up with Eusas head is dreaming us. Which it is if you keap on connecting them cow shit shows and pontsing for the Ram which thats all it is and you know it. Innit time to sharna pax for Eusas head you take my meaning. Leave the telling to the women and connect with a mans doing.’

  I said, ‘Youre mor the man for that nor me aint you Fister. I aint no kynd of a hevvy.’

  He said, ‘You aint no hevvy but youve got the follerme and I aint. You going to use it or not?’

  I said, ‘Iwl have to think on it wont I.’

  He said, ‘Dont think too much youwl grow hair on the in side of your head.’

  Wel I cernly growit a head ake right then and the day only jus begun.

  Weare off to Widders Dump then nor we hadnt no moren sydlt on the hy groun sholder when heres the Bernt Arse pack come out of the woodlings like it ben ther rota to show us the way. And heres that black leader with his ears prickt up and waiting for a staytmen.

  I cud feal my self getting humpyer by the minim I cud see why they callit getting the hump I fealt like I wer growing 1. All my bother hevvy on my back and tingling and like coming to a poynt. That dog wer looking at me that cern way I uppit bow but the clevver sod wunt even move he knowit he wer out of bow shot.

  Straiter Empy wer out with the forage rota it wer Fister Crunchman the lstman of us that day. He said to me, ‘That dogs looking this way like hes got some thing on his mynd.’

  I said, ‘Theres no knowing what a dog myt have on his mynd.’

  Durster Potter said, ‘Not without youre dog clevver.’

  Fister said, ‘Not that Ive numbert off that pack by colour but I never noatist that black dog til after he come leader.’

  Durster said, ‘I never seen that dog til after Brooder Walker dyd.’

  I said, ‘Whatre you getting at Durster?’

  He said, ‘Wel you know theres some wil tel you of peopl dying in the Ful of the Moon and then theres 1 mor in the Black Pack. May be you shud ask that dog to show you hows your father.’ He begun to larf he wer killing his self with it.

  I ben carrying 2 throwing spears and a fighting spear like all ways. I ternt them roun and shovit the foot of them in Dursters belly. The wind gone out of him: Hoo! Then I swung them 3 spears and clubbit him on the head with the shafs of them. Down he gone. He come up with blood running down his face and come for me with his fighting spear poynt 1st. Fister grabbit the spear and back handit him 1 acrost the meat hoal and he gone flying.

  Dursters all of a heap in the mud but he aint interstit in moving til hes sure its all clear with Fister.

  Fister says to him, ‘Durster Trubba not but wud you mynd if I call Plomercy right there? Im afeart if you and Riddley settl some 1 myt get bad hert. All right?’

  Durster hes got 1 or 2 teef less in his mouf but he says, ‘All right Fister no Trubba.’

  On we gone then and I tryd to let my self go easy but I wernt easy. Becaws Id noatist the same as Fister and Durster and it ben working on me. Id never seen that black dog til after I kilt the old leader. I dint think my dad gone in to no black dog but it did seam to me that dog musve come special from some where or ben sent to tel me some thing some how. I never heard of no such thing but thats the fealing I had. Plus I pernear did think it myt tern in to some 1 in front of my eyes. Not my dad nor I dint know who but it wuntve snuck me at all to see that dog tern in to a man. Lorna Elswint tol me some thing Ice the others mus neverve heard it or some 1 wudve brung it in sure:

  3 black dogs and 1 says, ‘The Pry Mincers dead I jus come from the berning.’

  Up jumps the bigges of the 3 then on his hynt legs he says, ‘I bes walk tall Im No. 1 now.’

  Coming a long the hy groun sholder where it wer hevvy woodit on the hy side the dogs run on a head of us and gone out of site amongst the trees.

  I wer walking fastern I ben you know how youwl do some times youwl put a space be twean your self and some 1 as ben giving you bother. Walking with my head down not looking a roun. You perwel all ways know what youre doing is my beleaf. I wuntve livet to be 12 years old walking that way but that day I musve wantit to give some thing a chance to happen.

  Littl by littl getting farther a head of the others I come roun a ben oansome and all on a sudden theres the black leader stanning oansome in front of me. He aint no moren 2 spear lenths a way from me and his yeller eyes ful on me.

  I said, ‘What?’ and going tords him. Not liffing spear nor making no move with my hans.

  We wer stood there looking at each other then I heard the others coming. I throwt my self to 1 side and a arrer hisselt pas me. I ternt and I seen Durster Potter with a emty bow in his han and 2 dogs on him. Theyre in and out like a flash and theres Durster on the groun with his froat and his pryvits toar out and blood sperting all over and the dogs dispeart. They done it qwickern it takes to tel of it. I ternt roun agen and where the black dog ben it wernt nothing only emty space. No dogs in site at all. There hadnt even ben no noys nor not 1 scream from Durster hed never had no time for that. Nor I hadnt had no time to help him.

  Durster ben about as far in front of the others as I ben in front of him. They come roun the ben then the other 17 of them. Wel you know there wer a big hulla bulla every 1 talking at Ice nor no body never seen nor heard nothing like it. Broad in the day time and 5 days pas Ful of the Moon.

  Coarse the upper asking mos in every Is mynd were: Why Durster? Why not me? I ben the oansome 1 coming roun that ben 1st and the others not in site. Whynt they jump me whyd they wait for Durster? Peopl wer looking at me funny and Iwdve lookit at me the same ben I them. Becaws it lookit like them dogs ben watching when Durster and me had that littl rumpa and they contrackt my nemminy ther nemminy.

  I bes put
the red cord strait here becaws looking back over what I ben writing it looks like may be Durster ben shooting that arrer at me not at the black dog. I wont never know for cern but I dont think he ben shooting at me. Jus like Id uppit bow at that black leader when I ben fealing humpy I think Durster ben kean to hit some thing after getting flattent Ice by me and Ice by Fister. May be he thot coming suddn roun that ben he myt get his self a dog skin. Or may be he ben looking to miss the dog and hit me I dont know.

  A nother asking in some peopls mynd and you cud see it in ther eyes wer why hadnt I done nothing. It lookit bad a nuff them dogs hadnt jumpt me but at leas I cudve got some blood on my spear when they ben pulling Durster down. Every body knowit how fas the dogs wer and how clevver but stil I cudve ben a littl qwickern I wer I knowit that. Fister said, No use moufing it over we cant make it be no other way. Theres blame on all of us but mos on me becaws Im lstman nor I shuntve had no wandrers out in front.’

  It snuck me a littl I dint have no fealings 1 way or a nother about Dursters dying. It ben mor to me when that las boar come on to my spear or the old leader dog. I never had nothing agenst Durster that rumpa ben jus 1 of them things jumps up on its oan sholders all on a suddn. But then I never had nothing for him nyther. I wer jus as glad to have his space as have him. Dead with his cock and balls toar off and his head near toar off his neck and his face gone grey and the wet leaves trampelt roun him and his eyes looking up to the grey sky over him.

  Diffrent Is stanning roun him. This 1 and that 1 ben his frend and mummelt this or that but you cud see it drawt them same as flys to honey. It give us all jus that littl thril. Watching Durster do it with Aunty. She took him in stead of us and us what wernt dead fealt that much mor a live.

  We wer closer to hoam nor we wer to Widders Dump. We cut a drag and put Durster on it and back we gone to fents and there gone the death wail yet agen. Littl Nimbel Potter he lookit at me and made the Bad Luck go a way syn. His mum and some others as seen him do it they lookit at me that cern way you dont want no crowd never to look at you. Col iron in that look and heads on poals.