Read Online Black Angels by Linda Beatrice Brown - Free Book Online
Authors: Linda Beatrice Brown
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time.â
Daylily shifted and lay down with her head propped up on her arms.
âUnc Steph don tole me how it happened. One day, one fine and fair day, Massa say he want to prove to his friends that Munda could plow more fields in a single day than Massa Johnstonerâs prize nigger Tommy, so they had a wager, you know?â
Daylily wasnât sure what a wager was. She shook her head.
âItâs a way mens see whoâs best,â said Luke with a slightly superior tone. âThey uses money and who wins, gets the money. Massa Higsaw had lotsa wagers. He gambled with cards mostly, so he owed Massa Johnstoner lots of money. So, Massa Johnstoner wagered his Tommy gainst Munda. Said heâd forgive the debt if Munda wins, and if Tommy win, heâd take Munda instead of money. Cause Munda worth so much money, Massa Higsaw real nervous about the wager, but he also donât want to pay all that money back to Massa Johnstoner.
âHe tell Munda he better win, or else he be sorry. Course that didnât scare Munda much cause if he lost, he be owned by Massa Johnstoner.
âHe already strong as a mule and meaner than a rattlesnake being bit by a mad dog, but Munda, he wanna leave the place. He hate Massa Higsaw worseân anything, and he figger Massa Johnstoner a better man and maybe he could buy out his freedom, which he heard tell of folks doin over there. They say Massa Johnstoner was a fair man as White folks go. So Munda, he bound and determined to lose this here wager.
âTommy was plowing that field like a man gone mad. Up one row and down the other. Up and down, pushing that mule, wearing one out and calling for another, and Munda was pushing up and down the other side of the field, but he was going slower than he could have, letting Tommy take the lead. Ole Munda was on his way to winning a better life by losing; thatâs what he thought.
âNow the thing is, he hate this other nigger Arkansas even worser than he hate Massa Higsaw, and donât nobody know why for sho, but Arkansas give Munda the evil eye every day in the field and Munda threaten to beat him up every night when dark come, and so they just spoiling for a fight some kinda way. Maybe over a woman, thatâs what Gustavus say.
âUnc Steph saw the whole thing. In the middle of plowing a row, Munda happened to look up and saw Arkansas out of the corner of his eye, taking pure advantage of the contest to cut and run. Way over in the distance, he was working his way through the trees, quiet-like, from tree to tree. Didnât nobody else notice cause all us cheering and watchin, and that included Overseer Dugun, who wasnât too smart anyway, plus Massa Higsaw, Massa Johnstoner and Black Nigger. All us watching to see who would win the plowing. We ainât seen nobody was missing and we sure ainât lookin into the trees.
âWhen Munda spy Arkansas, he just stop plowing, and he look Black Nigger straight in the eye and holler, âBlack Nigger! . . . Sic em, Nigger!â and he point to the woods. Black Nigger let loose runnin like a wild animal, clamp his teeth on Arkansasâ leg and drag him out of the trees. He be yelling and screaming, blood everywhere, and Munda, he saw he done lost the contest cause Tommy just kept on plowin. He wasnât lookin at no devil dog.
âMunda just standing there grinning, not even tryin to win, just glad he lost the race and Arkansas got caught. Massa got so mad that he bout to lose his best worker to Massa Johnstoner, and that Arkansasâ leg was tore up, he haul off and shoot at Munda. Munda take off running. Then Massa put Black Nigger on his tail, and Black Nigger like to tore off Mundaâs leg, and Massa shoot again. This time he kill Munda and hit Black Nigger in the leg so bad they had to cut it off. And thatâs how Massa Higsaw lost his best nigger and a good hunting dog over one wager. And thatâs how Munda lost his life for too
Daylily shifted and lay down with her head propped up on her arms.
âUnc Steph don tole me how it happened. One day, one fine and fair day, Massa say he want to prove to his friends that Munda could plow more fields in a single day than Massa Johnstonerâs prize nigger Tommy, so they had a wager, you know?â
Daylily wasnât sure what a wager was. She shook her head.
âItâs a way mens see whoâs best,â said Luke with a slightly superior tone. âThey uses money and who wins, gets the money. Massa Higsaw had lotsa wagers. He gambled with cards mostly, so he owed Massa Johnstoner lots of money. So, Massa Johnstoner wagered his Tommy gainst Munda. Said heâd forgive the debt if Munda wins, and if Tommy win, heâd take Munda instead of money. Cause Munda worth so much money, Massa Higsaw real nervous about the wager, but he also donât want to pay all that money back to Massa Johnstoner.
âHe tell Munda he better win, or else he be sorry. Course that didnât scare Munda much cause if he lost, he be owned by Massa Johnstoner.
âHe already strong as a mule and meaner than a rattlesnake being bit by a mad dog, but Munda, he wanna leave the place. He hate Massa Higsaw worseân anything, and he figger Massa Johnstoner a better man and maybe he could buy out his freedom, which he heard tell of folks doin over there. They say Massa Johnstoner was a fair man as White folks go. So Munda, he bound and determined to lose this here wager.
âTommy was plowing that field like a man gone mad. Up one row and down the other. Up and down, pushing that mule, wearing one out and calling for another, and Munda was pushing up and down the other side of the field, but he was going slower than he could have, letting Tommy take the lead. Ole Munda was on his way to winning a better life by losing; thatâs what he thought.
âNow the thing is, he hate this other nigger Arkansas even worser than he hate Massa Higsaw, and donât nobody know why for sho, but Arkansas give Munda the evil eye every day in the field and Munda threaten to beat him up every night when dark come, and so they just spoiling for a fight some kinda way. Maybe over a woman, thatâs what Gustavus say.
âUnc Steph saw the whole thing. In the middle of plowing a row, Munda happened to look up and saw Arkansas out of the corner of his eye, taking pure advantage of the contest to cut and run. Way over in the distance, he was working his way through the trees, quiet-like, from tree to tree. Didnât nobody else notice cause all us cheering and watchin, and that included Overseer Dugun, who wasnât too smart anyway, plus Massa Higsaw, Massa Johnstoner and Black Nigger. All us watching to see who would win the plowing. We ainât seen nobody was missing and we sure ainât lookin into the trees.
âWhen Munda spy Arkansas, he just stop plowing, and he look Black Nigger straight in the eye and holler, âBlack Nigger! . . . Sic em, Nigger!â and he point to the woods. Black Nigger let loose runnin like a wild animal, clamp his teeth on Arkansasâ leg and drag him out of the trees. He be yelling and screaming, blood everywhere, and Munda, he saw he done lost the contest cause Tommy just kept on plowin. He wasnât lookin at no devil dog.
âMunda just standing there grinning, not even tryin to win, just glad he lost the race and Arkansas got caught. Massa got so mad that he bout to lose his best worker to Massa Johnstoner, and that Arkansasâ leg was tore up, he haul off and shoot at Munda. Munda take off running. Then Massa put Black Nigger on his tail, and Black Nigger like to tore off Mundaâs leg, and Massa shoot again. This time he kill Munda and hit Black Nigger in the leg so bad they had to cut it off. And thatâs how Massa Higsaw lost his best nigger and a good hunting dog over one wager. And thatâs how Munda lost his life for too
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