Read Online Walk Through Darkness by David Anthony Durham - Free Book Online
Authors: David Anthony Durham
Ads: Link
action that set all the sharp components of his face to motion. He waved a piece of paper before William, then motioned that he should take a look at it.
William stared at the man.
“You probably can’t read, can you?” When William still failed to respond, Wolfe sent a stream of brown spit sideways from his mouth, cleared his throat and began to read the notice. His voice was halting, although so too was the style of the notice. “Says here,
‘Runaway, from my plantation on the night of June 2, a mulatto named William, aged about 22 years, about five feet ten inches high … Had on when he went away a fancy-made cotton shirt, pantaloons and boots, some touched by the whip upon his back in due response to his overproud behavior … will make for a free state … also may try to contact a Negro woman … Twenty dollars will be given for securing the above mulatto … I dearly wish to get him again.’
”
Wolfe ran his fingers across the front rim of his hat. “What I’m pointing out to you is that we got ourselves a crossroads here. Should I, one—return your ass to the care of Mr. St. John Humboldt and collect myself that twenty dollars … Normally,I wouldn’t mind doing that, but I’ve had some dealings with that man before and they left me a little sour on him. He don’t honor his word, is what I mean to say. Plus, that’s a few extra days haulage to get you there. Or should I drop you at a friend’s over in Baltimore, a slaver I do business with on occasion? He’s got a shipment heading southwest end of the week, and I bet he would pay me the same as Humboldt without causing me half the time or trouble. He would move you out so fast Humboldt would never be the wiser. What do you figure?”
“Humboldt don’t own me.”
“He don’t?” The man checked the notice from several angles. “Who does then?”
“Why you asking me? Ain’t asked me nothing fore this.”
Wolfe smirked. “Just think it a kindly gesture on my part. I have my moments, you see. Anyhow, Humboldt filed the notice. You want I should take you back to him?”
“Rather you kill me.”
The man thought this over. He shoved his fingers in his mouth and worked the wad of tobacco there. He pulled the leaves out and studied them. “Well, no, it don’t say nothing about payment for a dead nigger. That wouldn’t do me no good.” He flicked the tobacco away and spat out the remainder of the leaves. Only when he was satisfied that his mouth was clear did he again look to William. “Fine. Humboldt can go screw himself for all I care.” He crumpled the notice and tossed it into the bushes.
They camped about four miles from the town and were on the move again before sunup the next day. William slept little during the night, but in the early hours he found himself lulled by the movement of the wagon. He fell asleep as the sun rose, and only awoke when the wagon trundled to a halt. The day had grown heavy. The sky was overcast with a haze of gray that floated just above the building in front of which they had stopped. From the roadside it was an innocuous frontage of red brick, with a stone archway that at first seemed more like an alleywaythan an entrance. It might have been a post office or some such structure of local government.
Oli prodded William down from the wagon. They walked through the archway and down a dark stone corridor. They passed several doorways and another branch of the hallway that was filled to the roof with clutter. They paused outside a small room in which Wolfe was already seated and conversing with two men. One of these came out and put William through a cursory inspection: eyes, teeth and breathing. A moment later he was on the move again. Another white man took over from Oli. He pushed William before him to the end of the corridor, through a small courtyard open to the sky. In turn, he passed William on to another man behind a locked gate. From there, William shuffled forward into the confines that were to be
William stared at the man.
“You probably can’t read, can you?” When William still failed to respond, Wolfe sent a stream of brown spit sideways from his mouth, cleared his throat and began to read the notice. His voice was halting, although so too was the style of the notice. “Says here,
‘Runaway, from my plantation on the night of June 2, a mulatto named William, aged about 22 years, about five feet ten inches high … Had on when he went away a fancy-made cotton shirt, pantaloons and boots, some touched by the whip upon his back in due response to his overproud behavior … will make for a free state … also may try to contact a Negro woman … Twenty dollars will be given for securing the above mulatto … I dearly wish to get him again.’
”
Wolfe ran his fingers across the front rim of his hat. “What I’m pointing out to you is that we got ourselves a crossroads here. Should I, one—return your ass to the care of Mr. St. John Humboldt and collect myself that twenty dollars … Normally,I wouldn’t mind doing that, but I’ve had some dealings with that man before and they left me a little sour on him. He don’t honor his word, is what I mean to say. Plus, that’s a few extra days haulage to get you there. Or should I drop you at a friend’s over in Baltimore, a slaver I do business with on occasion? He’s got a shipment heading southwest end of the week, and I bet he would pay me the same as Humboldt without causing me half the time or trouble. He would move you out so fast Humboldt would never be the wiser. What do you figure?”
“Humboldt don’t own me.”
“He don’t?” The man checked the notice from several angles. “Who does then?”
“Why you asking me? Ain’t asked me nothing fore this.”
Wolfe smirked. “Just think it a kindly gesture on my part. I have my moments, you see. Anyhow, Humboldt filed the notice. You want I should take you back to him?”
“Rather you kill me.”
The man thought this over. He shoved his fingers in his mouth and worked the wad of tobacco there. He pulled the leaves out and studied them. “Well, no, it don’t say nothing about payment for a dead nigger. That wouldn’t do me no good.” He flicked the tobacco away and spat out the remainder of the leaves. Only when he was satisfied that his mouth was clear did he again look to William. “Fine. Humboldt can go screw himself for all I care.” He crumpled the notice and tossed it into the bushes.
They camped about four miles from the town and were on the move again before sunup the next day. William slept little during the night, but in the early hours he found himself lulled by the movement of the wagon. He fell asleep as the sun rose, and only awoke when the wagon trundled to a halt. The day had grown heavy. The sky was overcast with a haze of gray that floated just above the building in front of which they had stopped. From the roadside it was an innocuous frontage of red brick, with a stone archway that at first seemed more like an alleywaythan an entrance. It might have been a post office or some such structure of local government.
Oli prodded William down from the wagon. They walked through the archway and down a dark stone corridor. They passed several doorways and another branch of the hallway that was filled to the roof with clutter. They paused outside a small room in which Wolfe was already seated and conversing with two men. One of these came out and put William through a cursory inspection: eyes, teeth and breathing. A moment later he was on the move again. Another white man took over from Oli. He pushed William before him to the end of the corridor, through a small courtyard open to the sky. In turn, he passed William on to another man behind a locked gate. From there, William shuffled forward into the confines that were to be
Similar Books
