"We better take her to the hospital," one of them said. Granny opened her eyes; she tried to sit up. "No," she said. "Just take me to Colonel Dick. I will be all right then."
They carried her into the tent and put her hi a chair. She hadn't moved; she was sitting there with her eyes closed and a strand of wet hair sticking to her face when Colonel Dick came in. I had never seen him before —only heard his voice while Ringo and I were squatting under Granny's skirt and holding our breath—but I knew him at once, with his bright beard and his hard
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THE UNVANQUISHED
bright eyes, stooping over Granny and saying, "Damn this war. Damn it. Damn it."
"They took the silver and the darkies and the mules," Granny said. "I have come to get them."
"Have them you shall," he said, "if they are anywhere in this corps. I'll see the general myself." He was looking at Ringo and me now. "Ha!" he said. "I believe we have met before also." Then he was gone again.
It was hot in the tent, and quiet, with three bugs swirling around the lantern, and outside the sound of the army like wind far away. Ringo was already asleep, sitting on the ground with his head on his knees, and I wasn't much better, because all of a sudden Colonel Dick was back and there was an orderly writing at the table, and Granny sitting again with her eyes closed in her white face.
"Maybe you can describe them," Colonel Dick said tome.
"I will do it," Granny said. She didn't open her eyes. "The chest of silver tied with hemp rope. The rope was new. Two darkies, Loosh and Philadelphy. The mules, Old Hundred and Tinney."
Colonel Dick turned and watched the orderly writing. "Have you got that?" he said.
The orderly looked at what he had written. "I guess
"the general will be glad to give them twice the silver
and mules just for, taking that many niggers," he said.
"Now I'll go see the general," Colonel Dick said.
Then we were moving again. I don't know how long
it had been, because they had to wake me and Ringo
both; we were in the wagon again, with two Army horses
pulling it on down the long broad street, and there was
another officer with us and Colonel Dick was gone. We
came to a pile of chests and boxes that looked higher
than a mountain. There was a rope pen behind it full of
mules and then, standing to one side and waiting there,
was what looked like a thousand niggers, men, women
and children, with their wet clothes dried on them. And
now it began to go fast again; there was Granny in the
wagon with her eyes wide open now and the lieutenant
reading from the paper and the soldiers jerking chests
and trunks out of the pile. "Ten chests tied with hemp
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rope," the lieutenant read. "Get them? ... A hundred and ten mules. It says from Philadelphia—that's in Mississippi. Get these Mississippi mules. They are to have rope and halters."
"We ain't got a hundred and ten Mississippi mules," the sergeant said.
"Get what we have got. Hurry." He turned to Granny. "And there are your niggers, madam."
Granny was looking at him with her eyes wide as Ringo's. She was drawn back a little, with her hand at
her chest. "But they're not—they ain't------" she said.
"They ain't all yours?" the lieutenant said. "I know it. The general said to give you another hundred with his compliments."
"But that ain't------ We didn't------" Granny said.
"She wants the house back, too," the sergeant said. "We ain't got any houses, grandma," he said. "You'll just have to make out with trunks and niggers and mules. You wouldn't have room for it on the wagon, anyway." We sat there while they loaded the ten trunks into the wagon. It just did hold them all. They got another set of trees and harness, and hitched four mules to it. "One of you darkies that can handle two span come here," the lieutenant said. One of the niggers came and got on the seat with Granny; none of us had ever seen him before. Behind us they were leading the mules out of the pen.
"You want to let some of the women ride?" the lieutenant said.
"Yes," Granny whispered.
"Come on," the lieutenant said. "Just one to a mule, now." Then he handed me the paper. "Here you are. There's a ford about twenty miles up the river; you can cross there. You better get on away from here before any more of these niggers decide to go with you."
We rode until daylight, with the ten chests in the wagon and the mules and our army of niggers behind. Granny had not moved, sitting there beside the strange nigger with Mrs. Compson's hat on and the parasol in her hand. But she was not asleep, because when it got light enough to see, she said, "Stop the wagon." The
90 THE UNVANQUISHED
wagon stopped. She turned and looked at me. "Let me see that paper," she said.
We opened the paper and looked at it, at the neat writing:
Field Headquarters,
------th Army Corps,
Department of Tennessee, August 14, 1863
To all Brigade, Regimental and Other Commanders: You will see that bearer is repossessed in full of the following property, to wit: Ten (10) chests tied with hemp rope and containing silver. One hundred ten (110) mules captured loose near Philadelphia in Mississippi. One hundred ten (110) Negroes of both sexes belonging to and having strayed from the same locality.
You will further see that bearer is supplied with necessary food and forage to expedite his passage to his destination.
By order of the General Commanding.
We looked at one another hi the gray light. "I reckon ,you gonter take vim back now," Ringo said. • Granny looked at me. "We can get food and fodder too," I said.
"Yes," Granny said. "I tried to tell them better. You and Ringo heard me. It's the hand of God."
We stopped and slept until noon. That afternoon we came to the ford. We had already started down the bluff when we saw the troop of cavalry camped there. It was too late to stop.
"They done found hit out and headed us off," Ringo said. It was too late; already an officer and two men were riding toward us.
"I will tell them the truth," Granny said. "We have done nothing." She sat there, drawn back a little again, with her hand already raised and holding the paper out in the other when they rode up. The officer was a heavy-built man with a red face; he looked at us and took the paper and read it and began to swear. He sat there on his horse swearing while we watched him.
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"How many do you lack?" he said.
"How many do I what?" Granny said.
"Mules!" the officer shouted. "Mules! Mules! Do I look like I had any chests of silver or niggers tied with hemp rope?"
"Do we------" Granny said, with her hand to her
chest, looking at him; I reckon it was Ringo that knew first what he meant.
"We like fifty," Ringo said.
"Fifty, hey?" the officer said. He cursed again; he turned to one of the men behind him and cursed him now. "Count 'em!" he said. "Do you think I'm going to take their word for it?"
The man counted the mules; we didn't move; I don't think we even breathed hardly. "Sixty-three," the man said.