Read Queen Page 23

do. Tears were streaming down her face. Although she had known her

  happiness could not last, she couldn't bear that it was going to end, it

  had been so sweet to her, and she called out a curse on the world.

  She struggled when they took Easter from her, but a man held the child

  while they put the chains on Annie, and then gave her back. They pushed

  Annie to the cart, and one of the runaways leaned down to help her up,

  because of Easter.

  "No," Harris said. "Not the brat."

  His cruelty was breathtaking to them. He could not separate the child

  from her mother, surely not.

  "The brat has done nothing," Harris said. "The brat stays here. "

  184 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN

  Time seemed to stop for a moment, and there was an eon of silence. Then out

  of the silence came a sound that none of the slaves watching wanted to hear

  again in their lifetime.

  Annie screamed.

  She screamed and fought and kicked and bit and screamed and begged and

  punched, and screamed again, the primal cry of a mother's pain.

  Cap'n Jack screamed with her, and their cries melded in the winter air, in

  a duet of agony, and those watching tried to block out the sound, for it

  came from hell.

  The auctioneer had no time to waste and was merciful. Unable to get the

  frantic, demented woman into the cart, he hit her on the head with the butt

  of his gun, and she fell to the ground senseless. They snatched Easter from

  her, and a woman ran to take the child, to hold her and shield her from the

  awful vision of her mother's going.

  Cap'n Jack fell to his knees, weeping and scrabbling through the dirt,

  trying to get to his love.

  They bundled Annie into the cart, and she lay on the floor of it,

  unconscious. Harris signed the papers for the auctioneer, and the cart

  rumbled away.

  Cap'n Jack could hardly see through his tears, but climbed to his feet

  trying to catch one last glimpse of Annie. All he saw was a slave cart

  rumbling down the hill, and all he heard was anguish.

  Harris waited till the slave cart was gone, and then made a speech. He told

  them he had been lenient with them. He had eased up on the discipline and

  punishments, and he had been repaid with ingratitude. Today was just an

  example of what he would do if any more slaves attempted to run away, or if

  any more of them caused trouble. He would forcibly separate husbands from

  wives, mothers from sons, daughters from fathers, just as he had done this

  day.

  He kept them standing in the cold for the rest of the afternoon, and would

  not let them go back to their quarters. Easter was crying, but she was only

  the loudest, for ail the women and many of the men were in tears of grief

  and discomfort.

  Toward sunset he let them go.

  "What about him?" Albert asked.

  Cap'n Jack had fallen to the ground and lay there, motionless.

  BLOODLINES 185

  "Let him go," Harris said. The slave cart was well away by now. "See if

  he can shut the brat up."

  Easter was still crying, although the woman who had been holding her was

  trying to feed her some porridge.

  Harris walked away. Albert unlocked Cap'n Jack's chains, and left him

  lying on the ground.

  Slowly, sensibility n,,turned to Cap'n Jack, and rage. He lay still for

  a moment, letting his anger boil, until it must, perforce, explode.

  He scrambled to his feet and ran screaming at Harris. Albert cried a

  warning, and Harris turned as Cap'n Jack fell on him, punching him,

  kicking him, but no match for the overseer, who jabbed hard, viciously

  hard, in Cap'n Jack's stomach.

  It winded Cap'n Jack, and gave Harris the advantage. He grabbed the

  slave, and called for Alfred. They dragged him back to his tree, chained

  him again, and Harris lashed him without mercy.

  Not even the physical pain of the lash could match the agony in Cap'n

  Jack's heart, and he screamed and cried and begged God for mercy, not

  because of the whip, but because of what he had lost.

  23

  James approached the Hermitage unwillingly. He had always loved coming to

  this place before, but now he was filled with foreboding and guilt. He

  hoped he would not see Rachel,

  He had avoided coming here for three days, and found some consolation in

  the company of Eleanor, in whose house they were staying, and Sara, who

  came to visit. He had not told them of his conflicting emotions toward

  Andrew, of his divided loyalties, nor had they asked. They greeted him

  warmly, and Sally and the children, and,gossiped about their lives as if

  James had never been away.

  Eleanor was in high dudgeon, because Richard Coll, who

  186 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN

  had been Andrew's aide in Florida, was paying attention to her daughter,

  James's niece Mary. Eleanor had no time for Coll.

  "A brigand," she sniffed. "Like that eccentric Houston boy, or any of

  those who follow Andrew so blindly. Pirates, the lot of them."

  James smiled wryly at Sally.

  "They're not so bad, Eleanor," he said, "just young men sowing their

  oats."

  "Mr. Coll's oats will not be sown near my daughter," Eleanor snapped,

  wagging her finger at James to emphasize her point. "You do not know what

  it's like, Jamie; you do not live here anymore."

  According to Eleanor, Nashville had become impossible. Andrew had

  collected an army of supporters around him in his bid for the presidency,

  mostly young men or army veterans, and they were riding, rampant and

  roughshod over the town.

  "Getting drunk at all hours of the day, picking fights with innocent

  bystanders because they did not vote for Andrew, and doing in broad

  daylight things that decent folk do only in the darkness, in the privacy

  of their own homes."

  She was working herself into a considerable state.

  "And Mr. Coll is one of the worst of them," she said, her voice quivering

  with indignation. "But will Andrew call them into line? No. He only

  laughs and encourages them to greater excess."

  She rounded on James.

  "Heaven help us if he does become president," she said, as if it were all

  James's fault. "For I have seen his govemment. "

  Sally tried to hide her giggles, and James got cross with her, but

  gently, for he saw the funny side of it.

  They took A.J. to his new school, and were satisfied by it. Sally thought

  it was too spartan, but A.J. told her not to be silly, he could look

  after himself, and asked his father if Ephraim could stay as his personal

  slave. James didn't want to lose Ephraim from the stables at The Forks,

  but promised to find someone for his son.

  They went to visit Colonel Elliot, and checked on the prog- BLOODLINES 187

  ress of the blooded horses. James was satisfied that all was in order, and

  pleased with the colonel's work.

  Then he had no more excuses. Sally offered to come with him,
but he

  declined. He had to do this on his own, whatever it was he was going to

  do.

  He rode to the Hermitage and sat on his horse for a while when he got

  there, enjoying the view and admiring the new house that Andrew had

  built. It was much simpler than The Forks, but suited its garden setting

  to perfection. He dismounted, and walked in, leading his mount. A slave

  came running to take the horse.

  James looked around, and saw Rachel. He was shocked.

  She was sitting in the garden, with Alfred, wrapped up in blankets and

  reading from her Bible. She had lost a lot of weight, and was pale and

  looked ill, and her hair was quite gray.

  Alfred saw James, and whispered to Rachel. She looked up from her Bible,

  and did not seem to recognize him for a moment, but then a golden smile

  suffused her face, and she tried to stand, to greet him.

  She stumbled against her chair, and Alfred reached out to steady her.

  James walked quickly to them, and kissed Rachel and bade her sit, which

  she did gladly.

  She was so pleased to see him. She smiled and laughed, and held his

  hands. She begged him to forgive her appearance; she had been in bed most

  of the winter, but was feeling better now, and was taking advantage of

  the lovely day to get some fresh air.

  She asked after Sally, and the children, and expressed her sorrow that

  she had never met Jass.

  James talked about his own sons for a moment, and asked after hers, and

  her eyes regained something of their old sparkle. She listed their

  various achievements at school, but talked mostly of Andrew junior, who

  was her darling.

  There was a little silence.

  "And Andrew?" James asked.

  Rachel turned the pages of her Bible.

  "It's such a pity you had to move away," she said. "He misses you, most

  dreadfully."

  James gave a small laugh.

  188 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN

  "He has so many friends," he said.

  "No," Rachel said. "He has so many sycophants, and careless, thoughtless

  young men, who like him only because his glory reflects on them."

  She checked herself, as if she had said more than she intended. She

  fought to find a smile, but when she looked at James, her eyes were dull.

  " He wi 11 be so pleased to see you, " she said. " He is relying on your

  support."

  James looked away. She will love him to her grave, he thought, and

  beyond.

  He talked about silly things with her until she was tired and had to go

  inside. Alfred went in with them. Rachel went to her room, and Alfred

  took James to the dining room.

  It was full of men, many of them young, lounging around, drinking and

  smoking, chewing tobacco. Andrew sat at the head of the table, which was

  piled with papers, surrounded by advisers, all telling him what he needed

  to do to win the presidency.

  But Andrew was hardly listening to the older men. He laughed and joked

  with the younger, and told ribald stories with them, and cursed and

  drank.

  He finds his youth in them, James thought. Or they are an army of his

  sons.

  Alfred moved to his Massa, and whispered in his ear. Andrew looked up and

  saw James, and he roared a welcome.

  "Well, James," he said. "They are trying to steal this election from me,

  but I will best them yet!"

  It was as much for the benefit of the young men as for James. They

  cheered their agreement.

  "You have come to be one of our army? You have come to offer your

  influence on my behalf?" Andrew said, but not as if it was a question.

  "I came to talk to you," James said quietly.

  Perhaps no one else in the room heard him, but Andrew did. The soft

  sapphire eyes hardened to blue diamond. He stood up and walked out of the

  room, beckoning James to follow.

  They went to Andrew's study. Andrew sat at his desk, and

  BLOODLINES 189

  nodded to a chair for James, who preferred to remain standing. "My enemies

  are determined to stop me," he said in a voice of quiet, rolling thunder.

  "By lies and corruption, and vicious slanders of supposed past scandals."

  The question of Andrew and Rachel's possibly bigamous marriage had been

  raised during the campaign.

  "But I will use their own tricks against them, and, by the eternal, I

  will be president!"

  The thunder broke, and Andrew was roaring.

  "I will do whatever is necessary, by fair means or foul, but I will be

  president!"

  Something about James's manner was disturbing him.

  "And I am relying on all my friends to help," he said, more softly. "To

  argue my case, to put my cause-"

  He laughed.

  --to line a few pockets, if necessary. Eh?"

  "I couldn't do that," James said. There had been enough bribery already,

  and he had done too much of it.

  Andrew studied him carefully.

  "But you will vote for me, in the Alabama senate?"

  It was now. This was the moment.

  "I want you to tell me why I should," James said, diffidently.

  Some spittle was dribbling from Andrew's mouth. It always did, when he

  was vexed. He considered James's question, and then gave his response.

  "Because I made you what you are," he said.

  The room reverberated with his anger, and James could feel it crushing

  him. He must give in to it, or break away from it forever. Then Andrew's

  words thrust a memory of his last argument with his father into his mind.

  "You will never amount to anything."

  "I made you what you are."

  It was the same thing said differently. They were the same men, powerful,

  arrogant men, who would not allow their children to cross them. It gave

  James extraordinary strength. He had walked away from his father once and

  made something of his life. He could do it again now, and he would

  survive again.

  "Nobody made me," James said, furiously. "I made myself. "

  190 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN

  He walked to the door. Andrew didn't try to stop him, just as his father

  had not tried to stop him all those years ago.

  "I will be president," Andrew shouted. But James knew he was not shouting

  at him, only at himself.

  When James got back to Eleanor's he told Sally that he had broken with

  Andrew, and was shifting his support to Henry Clay. Henry gave all his

  votes to John Quincy Adams, who became the new president.

  But Andrew kept his word. Four years later he was elected by an

  overwhelming popular vote. Just before he left the Hermitage for his

  inaugural, Rachel, worn out by the world, slipped quietly away to. meet

  her maker.

  24

  Cap'n Jack struggled to waken. His eyelids were heavy and his brain was

  numb, and he was sure he had been drugged. He knew other people were with

  him. He tried to focus and saw Parson Dick, and Tiara.

  Then he remembered his pain, and closed his eyes again.

  After his
whipping, field hands had carried him to the weaving house, and

  took Easter to Angel. Tiara came with some of the women, and rubbed salt

  into the cut flesh on his back to stop the bleeding. They used herbs from

  the old days on his wounds, to try to stop scars from forming, and gave

  him laudanum to ease the pain and help him sleep.

  The opium kept him unconscious for half a day, and when he stirred they

  gave him more, and he slept again. He drifted between sleep and waking

  for two days after that, and there was always somebody with him, to try

  to soften his memory when he woke.

  Angel brought his daughter to him sometimes, so she would not forget her

  pappy, and Parson Dick came with beef tea for him to drink, so that he

  might regain his strength.

  BLOODLINES 191

  He lay on his stomach, because of the livid, bloody, oozing welts on his

  back, and sometimes he knew his friends were there, and sometimes he did

  not.

  He opened his eyes again, because he wanted to wake, and begin exacting

  whatever vengeance he could on those who had so cruelly wronged him.

  "Annie?" he whispered.

  Parson Dick shook his head.

  "She gone," he said.

  Cap'n Jack didn't respond. He knew Annie was gone because he remembered

  every detail of her going. It was branded on his mind, and he would never

  forget. He asked because he hoped that maybe somehow she had come back.

  "Massa find her when he come back," Tiara said, but Cap'n Jack didn't

  believe her, and perhaps she didn't even believe herself. She sprinkled

  some more herbs and salt on his back, and Cap'n Jack winced at the sting

  of it.

  "Easter?" he said.

  "She doin' jus' fine," Tiara assured him. "Angel lookin' after her. -

  Cap'n Jack nodded, and closed his eyes.

  Tiara whispered a few words to Parson Dick. She had to get back to the

  house, to tend to the Jackson children. Parson Dick nodded that he would

  stay for a while, and Tiara left.

  Parson Dick sat waiting patiently until Cap'n Jack opened his eyes again.

  "The pain bad?" Parson Dick asked him, and Cap'n Jack nodded.

  "Want some more laudanum?"

  Cap'n Jack shrugged. Parson Dick took a little bottle from his pocket,

  and made Cap'n Jack swallow some of the clear liquid. He had stolen it

  from Sally's locked medicine chest. Locks were no barrier to Parson Dick.

  "Not too much, you had plenty," he said.

  He was immaculately clad, as always, in black velvet and a brocade vest.

  He looked incongruous sitting in this smoky room, in the candlelight,

  beside the bloodied slave.

  "Don't ever forgive them for what they did," he said. "Not ever. "

  Cap'n Jack would never forgive.

  192 ALEX HALEY'S QUEEN

  "And one day you will have your vengeance."

  Cap'n Jack almost smiled. It was as if Parson Dick were reading his mind.

  But he smiled too, at the cultured, English tones of the butler. His accent

  and clothes were at war with his sentiments.

  Parson Dick took a small wooden carving from his pocket.

  "Keep this with you always," he whispered fiercely. "It has power. It is

  from the old country."

  Cap'n Jack, who had closed his eyes, opened them and looked at Parson Dick,

  who saw the question.

  "Africa," he said, and started to chant, in a language Cap'n Jack didn't

  know.

  "Africa. 0, Africa. Why did you let us go? Were we not your children? Why

  did you let them snatch us from you? We were your children, Africa, why did

  you let us go? We were the beginning, Africa, we were the start of man. Our

  kingdoms were mighty and our people brave, but you let us go.

  "You let them drag us from you, and bring us, like the children of Israel,

  to bondage in a new Egypt, and we suffer, as the children of Israel

  suffered, but we have not forgotten you, Africa, and we will come back to

  you, Africa, if only in our dreams. I am Africa.

  "May your spirits guard us, Africa, and destroy our enemies. Protect your

  children, 0 Africa, and make them strong, so that they may suffer their

  bondage, and live, as the children of Israel lived, and fly from it when it

  is done. Always, I am Africa. "

  Cap'n Jack understood only the one word, Africa, but that word, and the