Pale Horse Coming by Stephen Hunter

Author:Stephen Hunter [Hunter, Stephen]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Tags: Suspense, Fiction, General, Mystery & Detective, Thrillers, African American, Historical
ISBN: 9780786239504
Google: PXQNTfvQvVwC
Amazon: 0671035460
Barnesnoble: 0671035460
Publisher: Pocket Star
Published: 2001-01-01T06:00:00+00:00

32

IN the gray dawn the prisoners jogged out to the levee between the horsemen who ran them like cattle.

“You boy, you keep up, goddammit.”

“Jethro, yee-haw, watch that nigger on the left!”

“Ya’ll keep together, goddammit.”

The snap of whips flicking supersonically through the air stood out like rifle reports amid the general thunder of hooves, running men and yelling men. Now and then came the whap of a solid shot against flesh when some low man displeased some high one, and the sticks were used.

They reached the levee and formed up the line to get the tools out of the old toolshed, where a trustee with a key went to open the old lock and pay out the implements while another trustee ran the count.

“Fifty-six out, boss,” came a cry.

“Fifty-six,” Section Boss cried in reply, “you mark it good. Fifty-five black niggers and one white nigger!”

Earl stood in the line and Section Boss rode up to him, his horse veering ever so close to make Earl draw back. But Earl knew the horseman wasn’t going to come too close; he was scared of Earl.

Then Earl looked up.

“Section Boss, got to talk to you.”

“Well, damn, boy, don’t that beat it all.”

“Please, Section Boss.”

Section Boss backed up, steadied his horse, and climbed off. Immediately a couple of other riders came up to cover him, their sticks and whips at the ready, their freshly greased Winchester .351s close by in their saddle scabbards.

Earl approached humbly.

“Speak, boy.”

“Sir, I can’t take it no more. When Moon gets back, he going to do sumpin’ awful to me, and it preys heavy on my mind. All these other men gonna laugh about it. Then he going kill me. I can’t die in no prison for colored. Please, sir, you tell Guard Sergeant Bigboy I am a broken man at last.”

“You see the error of your ways?”

“I do, boss. Surely I do. I will come clean, yes sir, and we can git this all straightened out. I can’t take no more of this shit. I won’t last another night.”

“You punkin’ out after all? And you’d be such a hero! You’d be such a tough boy!”

“Ain’t no kind of tough, boss. Ain’t no kind of hero. Ain’t nothing but a man.”

“You git back down in that hole!”

“Boss, I—”

“You git back down in that goddamn hole, boy, like I say, or I’ll please myself to give you another thumping. I may tell Bigboy, I may not. I’s looking forward to tonight. What I hear, Moon got some real plans for you. Moon gonna have fun tonight. Maybe we’ll just let him and take you in tomorrow.”

“Oh, boss, please don’t do that.”

“Git in that hole, boy, while I think this over.”

Earl got back in the line, where his conversation with Section Boss had been noted.

“You finally goin’ over to the man, buckra?”

“He done slept wif’ niggers enuff. Yes suh, the white boy goin’ on back.”

“Moon still gonna hunt his ass down and do it up fine. If I know Moon, that’s what’s goin’ to happen right swell.

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