Read Online The Unvanquished by William Faulkner - Free Book Online
Authors: William Faulkner
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yours.”
“You mean hit belong to me?” Ringo said.
“No,” Father said. “You borrowed it.” Then we all stopped and watched Ringo trying to get on his horse. The horse would stand perfectly still until he would feel Ringo’s weight on the stirrup, then he would whirl completely around until his off side faced Ringo; the first time Ringo wound up lying on his back in the road. “Get on him from that side,” Father said laughing.
Ringo looked at the horse and then at Father. “Git up from the wrong side?” Ringo said. “I knowed Yankees wasn’t folks but I never knowed before they horses aint horses.”
“Get on up,” Father said. “He’s blind in his near eye.”
It got dark while we were still riding and after a while I waked up with somebody holding me in the saddle and we were stopped in some trees and there was a fire but Ringo and I didn’t even stay awake to eat, and then it was morning again and all of them were gone but Father and eleven more, but we didn’t start off even then, we stayed there in the trees all day. “What are we going to do now?” I said.
“I’m going to take you damn boys home and then I’ve got to go to Memphis and find your grandmother,” Father said.
Just before dark we started, we watched Ringo trying to get on his horse from the nigh side for a while and then we went on. We rode until dawn and stopped again. This time we didn’t build a fire, we didn’t even unsaddle right away; we lay hidden in the woods and then Father was waking me with his hand, it was after sunup and we lay there and listened to a column of Yankee infantry pass in the road and then I slept again. It was noon when I waked. There was a fire now and a shoat cooking over it and we ate. “We’ll be home by midnight,” Father said.
Jupiter was rested. He didn’t want the bridle for a while and then he didn’t want Father to get on him and even after we were started he still wanted to go; Father had to hold him back between Ringo and me. Ringo was on his right. “You and Bayard better swap sides,”Father told Ringo. “So your horse can see what’s beside him.”
“He going all right,” Ringo said. “He like hit this way. Maybe because he can smell Jupiter another horse and know Jupiter aint fixing to git on him and ride.”
“All right,” Father said. “Watch him, though.” We went on. Mine and Ringo’s horses could go pretty well too; when I looked back the others were a good piece behind, out of our dust. It wasn’t far to sundown.
“I wish I knew your grandmother was all right,” Father said.
“Lord, Marse John,” Ringo said, “is you still worrying about Granny? I been knowed her all my life; I aint worried about her.”
Jupiter was fine to watch, with his head up and watching my horse and Ringo’s and boring a little and just beginning to drive a little. “I’m going to let him go a little,” Father said. “You and Ringo watch yourselves.” I thought Jupiter was gone then. He went out like a rocket, flattening a little. But I should have known that Father still held him because I should have seen that he was still boring, but there was a snake fence along the road and all of a sudden it began to blur and then I realised that Father and Jupiter had not moved up at all, that it was all three of us flattening out up toward the crest of the hill where the road dipped like three swallows and I was thinking
We’re holding Jupiter. We’re holding Jupiter
when Father looked back and I saw his eyes and his teeth in his beard and I knew he still had Jupiter on thebit; he said, “Watch out, now,” and then Jupiter shot out from between us; he went out exactly like I have seen a hawk come out of a sage field and rise over a fence; when they reached the crest of the hill I could see sky under them and the tops of the trees beyond the hill like they were flying, sailing out into the air to drop down beyond the hill like the hawk; only they didn’t. It was like
“You mean hit belong to me?” Ringo said.
“No,” Father said. “You borrowed it.” Then we all stopped and watched Ringo trying to get on his horse. The horse would stand perfectly still until he would feel Ringo’s weight on the stirrup, then he would whirl completely around until his off side faced Ringo; the first time Ringo wound up lying on his back in the road. “Get on him from that side,” Father said laughing.
Ringo looked at the horse and then at Father. “Git up from the wrong side?” Ringo said. “I knowed Yankees wasn’t folks but I never knowed before they horses aint horses.”
“Get on up,” Father said. “He’s blind in his near eye.”
It got dark while we were still riding and after a while I waked up with somebody holding me in the saddle and we were stopped in some trees and there was a fire but Ringo and I didn’t even stay awake to eat, and then it was morning again and all of them were gone but Father and eleven more, but we didn’t start off even then, we stayed there in the trees all day. “What are we going to do now?” I said.
“I’m going to take you damn boys home and then I’ve got to go to Memphis and find your grandmother,” Father said.
Just before dark we started, we watched Ringo trying to get on his horse from the nigh side for a while and then we went on. We rode until dawn and stopped again. This time we didn’t build a fire, we didn’t even unsaddle right away; we lay hidden in the woods and then Father was waking me with his hand, it was after sunup and we lay there and listened to a column of Yankee infantry pass in the road and then I slept again. It was noon when I waked. There was a fire now and a shoat cooking over it and we ate. “We’ll be home by midnight,” Father said.
Jupiter was rested. He didn’t want the bridle for a while and then he didn’t want Father to get on him and even after we were started he still wanted to go; Father had to hold him back between Ringo and me. Ringo was on his right. “You and Bayard better swap sides,”Father told Ringo. “So your horse can see what’s beside him.”
“He going all right,” Ringo said. “He like hit this way. Maybe because he can smell Jupiter another horse and know Jupiter aint fixing to git on him and ride.”
“All right,” Father said. “Watch him, though.” We went on. Mine and Ringo’s horses could go pretty well too; when I looked back the others were a good piece behind, out of our dust. It wasn’t far to sundown.
“I wish I knew your grandmother was all right,” Father said.
“Lord, Marse John,” Ringo said, “is you still worrying about Granny? I been knowed her all my life; I aint worried about her.”
Jupiter was fine to watch, with his head up and watching my horse and Ringo’s and boring a little and just beginning to drive a little. “I’m going to let him go a little,” Father said. “You and Ringo watch yourselves.” I thought Jupiter was gone then. He went out like a rocket, flattening a little. But I should have known that Father still held him because I should have seen that he was still boring, but there was a snake fence along the road and all of a sudden it began to blur and then I realised that Father and Jupiter had not moved up at all, that it was all three of us flattening out up toward the crest of the hill where the road dipped like three swallows and I was thinking
We’re holding Jupiter. We’re holding Jupiter
when Father looked back and I saw his eyes and his teeth in his beard and I knew he still had Jupiter on thebit; he said, “Watch out, now,” and then Jupiter shot out from between us; he went out exactly like I have seen a hawk come out of a sage field and rise over a fence; when they reached the crest of the hill I could see sky under them and the tops of the trees beyond the hill like they were flying, sailing out into the air to drop down beyond the hill like the hawk; only they didn’t. It was like
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