Part 4 (1/2)

”What happened?” the white man asked the boy again. ”Don't you have a tongue?” The boy had his mouth wide open, but nothing was coming out; then it all came out. ”What happened?” the white man asked Ned. Ned just laid there with the flint and the iron. ”You, what happened?” the white man asked another boy.

The boy said, ”Well, Claiborne there asked that little boy over there for one of them rocks and that little boy over there said no and Claiborne there said if that little boy over there didn't give him one of them rocks Claiborne there was go'n take it. Claiborne there reached and tried to get the rock out that little boy there hand and that's when that little boy over there konked Claiborne on the forrid. That's how come Claiborne got a knot coming on his forrid right now.”

”You got to get rid of them rocks,” the white man told Ned. Ned didn't answer him, just laying there with that flint and that iron in his hands. ”You hear me?” the white man said.

”He don't have to get rid of nothing,” I said, from the door. ”He done brought them this far and we 'tend to keep on taking them. They for his mama. The Secesh killed his mama, and he can keep them if he want.”

”You acting like you his mama,” the white man said.

”I can't be his mama because I ain't no more than 'leven or twelve,” I said. ”But I ain't go'n let n.o.body mistreat him neither.”

”Any more hitting with them rocks, I'm go'n take them from you myself,” the white man told Ned.

”Tell that little old Claiborne boy go find his own rocks and Ned won't need to hit him,” I said.

”And you, Claiborne, you leave him alone,” the white man said. He blowed out the lamp and came to the door where I was. ”And you, Miss Smarty, you better watch your tongue,” he said. ”And get back to that other room.” When I walked away I heard him saying, ”They told me not to leave, they told me not to come South. No, I want be friend to man. Now, they running me crazy.”

I went back to my pallet, but I didn't go to sleep right away, I listened to see if they was go'n try to do Ned something round there. But nothing happened.

The next morning the children woke me up with their noises. We put on our clothes and went downstairs to eat. Sarah made us wash our face and hands first. The girls washed in one tub, the boys washed in another tub. Then Sarah gived us our food-cush-cush and milk.

We wasn't through eating before I heard a bell ringing somewhere. I asked another girl what that was for, and she said the big children had to go to work and the little children had to learn ABC. In the evening the big children had to learn ABC and numbers. They had to learn them, too, or they couldn't go out and play.

I had been thinking I might stay here a couple of days, but now everything had changed. ABC and numbers was something I wasn't ready to start on yet. And the Lord knows I had heard enough bells in them 'leven or twelve years. I told Ned to have his flint and iron together by the time I went upstairs and got the bundle. The white man caught me coming out the room and asked me where I thought I was going.

”Ohio,” I said.

”O what?” he said.

He followed me downstairs just fussing. But soon as he saw Ned with that flint and that iron he remembered Claiborne and left me alone. Him, Sarah and all the children stood on the gallery and watched us leave. They thought we was going little piece and we was go'n turn around and come back.

We headed for the river. Now, in daytime, I could see this was a little town where we had spent the night. They had had some fighting here between the Yankees and the Secesh-I could see how some of the houses had caught fire. The place where me and Ned had stayed that night was a big white house probably had been owned by some rich white folks. When the Yankees came in they took it over and made it a home for colored children. So many of the children didn't have nowhere to go, didn't have n.o.body to look after them.

Halfway to the river-now look what I see: two n.i.g.g.e.rs in Yankee uniforms. I hadn't seen any colored soldiers before then, and I thought these two was just clowning round.

”Y'all real?” I asked.

”What you want?” one of them said.

”Y'all know a soldier called Mr. Brown?” I asked.

”You mean the colonel, don't you?” he said. ”But I don't know where he would have knowed you. You pretty young, ain't you?”

”Old enough to know I don't care to know you,” I said.

”Don't worry,” he said.

”He from Ohio?” I asked.

”He can be,” that n.i.g.g.e.r said. ”When we play poker at night we talk about stakes, we don't talk about States.”

He slapped the other soldier on the back and laughed.

”You don't look like you talk too good about nothing,” I said. ”I want see Mr. Brown.”

”You do, huh?” he said. ”Well, you see that building setting over there? Go in there and tell that white soldier you want talk to the colonel. If he say the colonel talking to General Grant, tell him that's too bad, tell Grant wait.”

Me and Ned started toward the house and they started laughing. When I looked back they was laughing so hard they had to hold on to each other to keep from falling down.

”Not all colored is n.i.g.g.e.rs, but them n.i.g.g.e.rs back there,” I told Ned. ”Yankee uniform or no Yankee uniform, they ain't nothing but common n.i.g.g.e.rs.”

Time I came in the house the white soldier said: ”Down the road. Ask one of them colored soldiers out there to point the way.”

”I know that way already,” I said. ”I'm headed from there. I like to see Mr. Brown.”

”You mean Colonel Brown, don't you?” he said. ”And may I be so bold and ask you why?”

”He know me,” I said.

”Get out of here,” the soldier said.

I took the bundle off my head and dropped it on the floor. The soldier looked at me a second and left the room. He was gone about an hour, then he came back. Ned was sitting down side the bundle, but I was still standing there.

”Y'all still here?” he said.

”I want see Mr. Brown,” I said.

”The colonel busy,” he said. ”Come back some other time.”

”We going to Ohio,” I said.

”Stop by on your way back,” he said. ”The colonel ought to be free by then.”

He started outside and I headed for that room I saw him come out of. He must have seen me over his shoulder and he hollered at me to stop, but I had already opened the door. Now I was sorry I had wasted all that time. All I saw in the room was an old man with white hair and white whiskers. Sitting behind a table full of papers.

”Yes, private?” he said, raising his head. Then he saw me-and he almost jumped out of that chair. ”What in the world? Who sent you here?” he asked.

The other soldier came in and said: ”I'll get her out of here, colonel, sir. Get out of here, you,” he said to me.

”No, let her speak,” the colonel said.

”I thought you was Mr. Brown,” I said.

”I'm Colonel Brown,” he said.

”You ain't the right one,” I said. ”The other one was young and he was running Secesh. He gived me my name.”