agood deal of disking to get it into shape. His neighbors, who'd donetheir heavy plowing just after last fall's first frost, were alreadywell ahead of him. He stabled Rosina at sundown, and went in to sneak awell-earned glass of hard cider past Martha's teetotaling eye.
* * * * *
Musa the carpenter brought his son home well after dark. Waziri had hadadventures, the old man said; dancing, gambling on the Fool's Wheel,sampling fonio-beer, celebrating his own young life's springtime withthe earth's. Both the old man and the boy were barefoot, Aaron noticed;but said nothing: perhaps shoelessness was part of theirspring-festival.
Waziri a bit _geschwepst_ with the beer, tottered off to bed. "Thanks toyou, friend Haruna, that boy became a man today," the carpenter said. Heaccepted a glass of Aaron's cider. "Today Waziri's wallet jingled withbronze and copper earned by his own sweat, a manful sound to a lad offifteen summers. I ask pardon for having returned your laborer in sodamaged a condition, brother Haruna; but you may be consoled with thethought that the Mother's festival comes but once in the twelve-month."
"No harm was done, brother Musa," Aaron said, offering his visitortobacco. "In my own youth, I sometimes danced with beer-light feet tothe music of worldly guitars; and yet I reached a man's estate."
Offered a refill for his pipe, Musa raised a hand in polite refusal."Tomorrow's sun will not wait on our conversation, and much must bedone, in the manner of racers waiting the signal, before the first bladebreaks the soil," he said. "Good night, brother Haruna; and may Mothergrant you light!"
"Mother keep you, brother Musa," Aaron murmured the heathen phrasewithout embarrassment. "I'll guide your feet to your wagon, if I may."
Aaron, carrying the naphtha lantern, led the way across the strip ofnew-plowed soil. Set by frost into plastic mounds and ridges, the earthbent beneath his shoes and the carpenter's bare feet. Aaron swung Musa'spicket-iron, the little anchor to which his horse was tethered, into thewagon, noticing that it had been curiously padded with layers of quiltedcloth. "May you journey home in good health, brother Musa," he said.
"_Uwaka!_" Musa shouted, staring at the plow-cuts.
Aaron Stoltzfoos dropped the lantern to his side, amazed that thedignified old man could be guilty of such an obscenity. Perhaps he'dmisheard. "Haruna, you have damned yourself!" Musa bellowed. "Cursed bethis farm! Cursed be thy farming! May thy seedlings rot, may thy cornsprout worms for tassles, may your cattle stink and make early bones!"
"Brother Musa!" Aaron said.
"I am no sib to you, O Bearded One," Musa said. "Nor will I help youcarry the curse you have brought upon yourself by today's ill-doing." Hedarted back to the farmhouse, where he ordered half-wakened Waziri topad barefoot after him to the wagon, rubbing his eyes. "Come, son," Musasaid. "We must flee these ill-omened fields." Without another word tohis host, the carpenter hoisted his boy into the wagon, mounted, and setoff into the night. The hoofs of his horse padded softly against thedirt road, unshod.
Martha met the bewildered Aaron at the door, wakened by Musa's shouting."_Wass gibt_, Stoltz?" she asked. "What for was all the carry-on?"
Aaron tugged at his beard. "I don't know, woman," he admitted. "Musa thecarpenter took one look at the plowing I did today, then cursed me asthough he'd caught me spitting in his well. He got Waziri up from bedand took him home." He took his wife's hand. "I'm sorry he woke you up,Liebchen."
"It was not so much the angry carpenter who waked me as the little jackrabbit you're father to," Martha said. "As you say, a _Bun_ who can kickso hard, and barefoot, too, will be a strong one once he's born."
Aaron was staring out the window onto the dark road. "_Farwas hot Musasell gehuh?_" he asked himself. "What for did Musa do such a thing? Heknows that our ways are different to his. If I did aught wrong, Musamust know it was done not for want to harm. I will go to the villagetomorrow; Musa must forgive me and explain."
"He will, Stoltz." Martha said. "_Kuum, schloef._ You'll be getting upearly."
"How can I sleep, not knowing how I have hurt my friend?" Aaron asked.
"You must," Martha urged him. "Let your cares rest for the night,Aaron."
In the morning, Stoltzfoos prepared for his trip into Datura by donninghis Sunday-best. He clipped a black patent-leather bow tie, a weddinggift, onto his white shirt: and fastened up his best broadfall trouserswith his dress suspenders. Over this, Aaron put his _Mutzi_, the tailedfrock coat that fastened with hooks-and-eyes. When he'd exchanged hisbroad-brimmed black felt working-hat for another just the same, butunsweated, Aaron was dressed as he'd be on his way to a House-AmishSunday meeting back home. "I expect no trouble here, Martha," he said,tucking a box of stogies under his arm as a little guest-gift for theold carpenter.
"Hurry home, Stoltz; I feel wonderful busy about the middle," Marthasaid. There was a noise out on the road. "Listen!" she said. "Go lookthe window out, now; someone is coming the yard in!"
Aaron hastened to lift the green roller-blind over the parlor window."Ach; it is the _groesie Fisch_, Sarki Kazunzumi, with half the folkfrom town," he said. "Stay here, woman. I will out and talk with them."
The Sarki sat astride his white pony, staring as Aaron approached him.Behind their chief, on lesser beasts, sat Kazunzumi's retainers, eachwith a bundle in his arms. "Welcome, O Sarki!" Aaron said, raising hisfist.
Kazunzumi did not return the Amishman's salute. "I return your gifts,Lightless One," he announced. "They are tainted with your blasphemy." Henodded, and his servants dismounted to stack at the side of the roadAaron's guest-gifts of months before. The bale of tobacco was set down,the bolt of scarlet silk, the chains of candy, the silver-filigreedsaddle. "Now that I owe you naught, Bearded One, we have no furtherbusiness with one another." He reined his horse around. "I go insadness, Haruna," he said.
"What did I do, Kazunzumi?" Aaron asked. "What am I to make of yourdispleasure?"
"You have failed us, who was my friend," the Sarki said. "You will leavethis place, taking your woman and your beasts and your sharp-shodhorses."
"Sir, where am I to go?"
"Whence came you, Haruna?" the Sarki asked. "Return to your ownblack-garbed folk, and injure the Mother no longer with your lack ofunderstanding."
"Sarki Kazunzumi, I know not how I erred," Stoltzfoos said. "As forreturning to my own country, that I cannot. The off-world vessel thatbrought us here is star-far away; and it will not return until we areall five summers older. My Martha is besides with child, and cannotsafely travel. My land is ripe for seeding. How can I go now?"
"There is wilderness to the south, where no son of the Mother lives,"the Sarki said. "Go there. I care not for heathen who are out of mysight."
"Sir, show us mercy," Aaron said.
Kazunzumi danced his shoeless horse around to face Aaron. "Haruna, whowas my friend, whom I thought to stand with me in Mother's light, Iwould be merciful; but I cannot be weak. It is not me whom you mustbeseech, but the Mother who feeds us all. Make amends to Her, then SarkiKazunzumi will give his ear to your pleas. Without amends, Haruna, youmust go from here within the week." Kazunzumi waved his arm and gallopedoff toward Datura. His servants followed quickly. On the roadside laythe gifts, dusted from the dirt raised by the horses.
* * * * *
The Amishman turned toward the house. Martha's face was at the parlorwindow, quizzical under her prayer-covering, impatient to hear what hadhappened. Aaron plodded back to the house with the evil news, stumblingover a clod of earth in the new-turned furrows near the road. Martha methim at the door. "_Waas will er?_" she demanded.
"He says we must leave our farm."
"Why for?" she asked.
"Somehow, I have offended their _fadommt_ Mum-god," Aaron said. "TheSarki has granted us a week to make ready to go into the wilderness." Hesat on a coffee-colored kitchen chair, his head bowed and his big handslimp between his knees.
"Stoltz, where can we go?" Martha asked. "We have no _Freindschaft_, nokin, in all this place."
Aaron tightened his hands into fists. "We will not go!" he vowed. "Iwill find a way for us to stay." He broke open the box of cigars thathad been meant as a gift for Musa and clamped one of the black stogiesbetween his teeth. "What is their _heidisch_ secret?" he demanded. "Whatdoes the Mother want of me?"
"Aaron Stoltz," Martha said vigorously, "I'll have