Beautiful Dreamer (11 page)

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They was lying right out in front. I didn't see them first. I was looking to see if there was anyone there. Never thought anything like that. When I got close, I could see how Tom had got shot in the back and Mikey twice. Must have been two'n them. One person couldn't have got off the shots, not in the time they had. I picked up the rifles and shucked the slugs. Hadn't been fired, near as I could tell. I did it instead of looking at Tom and Mikey. Who'd have thought that nigger-loving bastard'd do this. Should've strung him up when we had the chance.

I kicked the door in, knowing they wouldn't be there but crouching down in case they was. Some kind of smell around the place. The dogs run in ahead of me but didn't find nothing. Nothing there to find, turns out. Two'n them been there, though. Two cups, two bowls. I always thought he were alone. Never seen him with no one in all those years, not that I gave him any mind. Who would've thought he'd be what he was. Truth was, I didn't believe it neither. Them two at the store is a couple of Jews, it always seemed to me. No credit and looking out of the sides of they eyes. And who would want to touch her? Even a nigger would pass on that. All the same, though. Can't let anyone get away with nothing or there'd be no end to it. And now where were we but Tom and Mikey dead? I still couldn't see how that could have happened. I crouched down and looked out through the window, as if they might've got up. But they was still there, one shot in the back, one twice in the front from up close, the shot not spread out. Must have jumped them. Only way.

Then I thought of telling this back home, explaining how the two'n them got shot to death for no reason. Checking up on the bastard was all, I bet, giving him a scare in case he never got the message, as ought to have done since he got done over pretty good, though not like the nigger. He got done over all the way to hell. He were just standing there when we rode in, up there like he was somebody. He'd been fixing to leave. The wagon all loaded with nigger junk. Just not fast enough is all. Telling us it were his place and he'd be obliged. Be obliged? Who the fuck he think he is speaking at us? I thought I seen something over at the woods. Heard he's got a kid. Thought maybe that were it. Then he sees me and starts calling me out. Well, ain't no one going to take that. Me and Tom. Yes, well, Tom was dead, but then he was off his horse and in there grabbing the bastard. Then we strung him up. He didn't say nothing now, not with a rope around his neck.

Inside his place, it was pretty stripped. Moved everything he could, of course. There were some pictures, though, pictures of niggers. We put our boots through a few'n them, then dropped a match or two and let it go. It went all right. We should have done that when he were alive, so he could see it go up. As it was, he was just hanging there with the sparks around him. We got on out but I gave him one for luck. Now Mikey and Tom were out on the grass. All because of that nigger. Shows we should kill 'em all. What in God's name use is they?

It choked me up to see them there and I thought to burn this place, too, but better be on my way. Kill the bastard done it, bring him back here, maybe. Kill him here like he done with them. Fuckin' birds singing like this never happened. Fuckin' birds.

Took them back to Ma and Pa and got the other boys, but it was late by now and getting dark, and though the dogs could track at night, we figured to wait for first light. They weren't going nowhere because there was nowhere as we could figure they could go. Time to bury the boys later, we told ourselves, so we put them in the barn, Pa staying with them to keep the rats off, Ma getting things ready inside. Wants them inside, she says, acting crazy, crying and screaming that did no good. We were going to get the bastards done it, I said. But we were going to get them when we was fresh and they was ruined from running. We were up by four.

Broke out the guns and the rest of the dogs and were off before the light come through. Twenty minutes we were at his place and watching the dogs work back and forward till they found a trail. Then they was off, us following. They went where I reckoned they would, heading for the water. I'd have done the same. We lost them at the stream but any fool could tell where they was heading. Didn't need the dogs, who went all crazy, running back and forth, jumping over it, looking to pick up the trail when there wasn't one. Wasn't one because anyone would know to walk in the water and stay there. John said they maybe gone up the stream, but it were just something to say. We all knew where they heading, so off we go. They on foot, on foot and walking in the stream. We gaining on them every moment. Ain't so easy to go walking through water. Then I realize I'm thinking ‘they'. And who the fuck could this ‘they' be? Him we knew. And you could see in a way why he done what he done. But who in hell going to be with him? But there must've been two, as it seems to me. No one going to take down Tom and Mikey on his own.

Then we reached the river and this time it weren't so clear. They would stick to the water for a while, for far enough so they would think theirselves clear. This time, though, they might have gone upstream. That's what John thought, saying they would reckon on downstream and how we should go the other way. Could be, I thought, but if it were me I'd have headed on down. Wading against the current would wear you down and we'd broken him up good. Still, he bet that that were the way, so he took two'n the dogs and went off with Jake, needing to split across the river and cover two banks. I went down with Ralph. We got the one dog.

First thing was for one of us to get across to the other side, cover them splitting that way. I can't swim, so he took off, wading, with the dog behind him. After a while, he let go and struck out for the other side, which was why it couldn't be me. The dog was swept further down. It took him time to get out of the middle where the water was fastest. But after a while they both made it and pulled theirselves out. Blackie shook hisself and there was a whirl of spray with a rainbow in it. I seen the rainbow. That mean the fire next time and fire was coming to those we was tracking.

I didn't have no dog so I was going to have to keep close to the water to spot where they stepped out. It were muddy there and it were pretty sure I would catch sight when they did. It slowed me down, though. There was no path here and I had to thread in and out the trees, always checking to see if they had stepped out yet. Then I began to wonder whether they had maybe just drifted down. If they could swim, likely they wouldn't bother with wading. They did that, they'd be getting further away all the time, unless they'd crossed over, in which case Jakey would pick them up and let off a shot.

The trees got closer and it were hard to see the bank. The storm had left things pretty muddy, right enough, but there were places there were rocks and they could have stepped right on out and I wouldn't have found them. The dogs would've but I didn't have the dogs. So I got to thinking. If they had chosen to go downriver, as I thought, why would they have done that? Where was they heading? Then I got to thinking about the train. If'n I were them, I would be heading out as fast as I could, what with half the county heading after them, as they would once Pa got word about. And the more I thought on that, the more likely it seemed. So I figured I'd give up keeping to the river and strike away from it. Circle round and come back to it later. I took the chance they would double back, but why would they do that, seeing that that would bring them straight into anyone who followed? Then I headed back.

I could still hear the dog on the other side of the river. But it weren't the sound he would make if he had found what he was looking for, so I kept on going. I come to the path at last, but after a bit it narrowed right on down and I realized how I would have to leave the mule behind. That was fine with me. Been leading it half the way. Weren't no use to me no more. The further I went, the more I figured as I had got it right. Who was going to stay in the county, and how would anyone get out without no mule or nothing to carry them? It made good sense. So I left her to find her own way back and struck on out. I'd got my rifle and bullets enough for anything I would need, and I wouldn't need much, I reckoned. Seemed like all they had got was a shotgun, and I could stand off a way and just take them down. I got to running, bending low against the branches cutting me. The ground was soft and seemed to spring up as I run. The river wanders all over through there, as if it ain't too anxious to get nowhere, and so it don't. No matter how fast the water run, I reckon you could keep up with it easy if'n you could only cut right through where the trees was. Even so, I reckoned I was outpacing it. And they can't have had too much of a lead.

And what do you take to that man? Last time, he weren't so keen to take us on. I got the rope out half of a mind to do to him what we did for the nigger he stood up for, but I could see how branding him like a steer was a good idea as well. Except if I had gone right on and done it, then two of my brothers would be alive and I wouldn't be sweating like a hog running after him.

He looked pretty scared, too. Said he hadn't done nothing and the nigger hadn't done nothing neither. He won't be doing nothing now, sure enough, I said, and I could see how it were news to him and he shut right on up.

I sure as hell wouldn't reckon to have that car brace on me. It were white-hot and the blue smoke from where we put it to him made your nose wrinkle. Then we was stopped by the car. Didn't turn out to be nothing, neither. Just some kid, I reckon, who wouldn't have given a shit. And if it had've been the sheriff, what that matter? Doing his work for him. Where was he when that nigger went in there? Not that I give a shit for them two. They done us down enough, I reckon. And you ask me now, I'd say that nigger never touched her. I seen him and there's them as would do that and them who wouldn't and I reckon he was one that wouldn't. She'd like him to, though, you bet. Don't suppose anyone else would, including that shrivelled runt who's jewed us out of enough money, you bet. I went to the city once and you could buy stuff there more than ten cents on the dollar cheaper. And when you come to think on it, why should a nigger have wanted her? Even they got some sense of pride, I guess. Still that ain't the point and we weren't wrong about that other one, white on the outside and black on the in. Why else he kill Tom and Mikey for?

I slowed down now. Didn't seem no point in sweating myself up. I could get to the railroad long before them, swing by the river even, see if I could spot them at all. And why had Tom and Mikey gone there? They didn't say nothing to none of us. Figured they'd have fun on their own, I guess. And how come they let him get that close, him with a shotgun and them with rifles? Then I seed it. They was looking at one of them, didn't have no gun, and the other crept up on them from behind and let them have both barrels. Took them both down and had time to reload. They weren't going in there against someone with a shotgun they could see and them with two rifles. So that was it. One shot in the back, the other swinging round in time to get it in the front. Then he reloads, walks up to him and puts another round into him, already on the ground. Fuck him, fuck him. Well, not long now and he'd be getting his.

Then I'm out in the open suddenly and the river's ahead. I've circled round and come back on it. The question is, am I ahead of them or behind? In the distance, I hear the dog, but it's a long way off and what with the river swinging round the way it does, it could be a mile or two if you measured by the river itself. Then I see something move at the edge of the trees and the two of them step right on out where I could see them. It were him all right. But what surprised me more than that was who he with. It were a nigger. When we wrote that on him, I never knew it were real, but here he was with this nigger boy beside him.

I swung the rifle right on up. God knows why they hadn't seen me there. I was right on the edge of the trees, but anyone with sense would have watched out better than them, stepping out into the open the way they done. I squeezed one off and it took him all right. He went on back until I thought he would go in the river, but he straightened up, so I squeezed another. It seemed to me I saw the nigger boy look in my direction, but I squeezed it off. I couldn't see whether I had hit him or not, but it seemed to me I had, because he went right on over into the river, the nigger boy with him. They went in and were swept away. I ran straight on down to see if I could get another shot off, maybe get the nigger kid, but by the time I got there, the river had taken them, swallowed them up. No way they could get out of that, I figured. I felt good. ‘Hot damn!' I shouted. ‘Hot damn!' Shot him right in the chest, it seemed to me. Then I thought on the nigger and how I'd had no time to get him. But the river was fierce and it didn't seem likely he could climb out. I don't even know as how niggers can swim, leastways not in no river.

I thought to fire a shot to tell my brother, but then realized he would have to be deaf not to hear the first two. Now the question was whether to push on forward, where there was a path, or wait for him so we could follow both sides. Even if he weren't dead when he went in, it were pretty clear to me then that he would be after a bit. The river moves pretty fast here, bouncing off rocks and all, and I had seen where I had hit him. Maybe the nigger might get free, but who ever heard of a nigger swimming in a river like that? I had seen them jumping in a pond, but hell, that weren't like this. He was dead for sure. The both of them. They got Tom and Mikey, but I sure got them. I decided to wait up a bit. I could hear the dog and it was a deal closer now. With him on one side and me on the other, we had got them dead all right, if they weren't dead already. I wanted the bodies, though. Get me the ears to nail on the barn.

After I waited a while, though, and he still didn't come, I figured I had best be on my way. It must have been further than I thought following along the river bank and perhaps there was no way he could cut across on his side. So I took off along the path, running again and looking out to see if he had been washed up somewhere. The river swung out again and I figured to cut across and save the distance, take a chance on him coming to land. The man was dead for sure but the boy maybe might get out.