osc.am2.redprophet-第15部分

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man's　got　no　hope　to　find　no　Red　in　these　woods；　specially　not　farmers　and　such　like　us。　No；　it　was　Shaw…Nee　and　Otty…Wa　who　found　him　two　hours　after　the　boy　turned　up　missing。　And　do　you　think　it　was　White　men　punished　that　whisky…Red？　Reckon　not；　they　set　that　Wee…Aw　down　and　said；　'You　want　to　show　brave？'　and　when　he　said　yes；　they　took　six　hours　killing　him。〃
　　〃Very　kind；〃　said　Lolla…Wossiky。
　　〃Kind？　I　reckon　not；〃　said　Armor…of…God。
　　〃Red　man　kills　White　boy　for　whisky；　I　never　let　him　show　brave；　he　die　uh！　Like　that；　quick　like　rattlesnake；　no　man　him。〃
　　〃I　got　to　say　you　Reds　think　real　strange；〃　said　Armor。　〃You　mean　it's　a　favor　when　you　torture　somebody　to　death？〃
　　〃Not　somebody。　Enemy。　Catch　enemy；　he　shows　brave　before　he　die　so　then　his　spirit　flies　back　to　home。　Tell　his　mother　and　sisters　he　died　brave；　they　sing　songs　and　scream　for　him。　He　doesn't　show　brave；　then　his　spirit　falls　flat　on　the　dirt　and　you　step　on　him；　grind　him　in；　he　never　goes　home；　nobody　remembers　his　name。〃
　　〃It's　a　good　thing　Thrower's　out　at　the　privy　right　now；　or　I　reckon　he'd　wet　his　pants　over　that　doctrine。〃　Thrower　squinted　at　Lolla…Wossiky。　〃You　mean　they　honored　that　Wee…Aw　who　killed　that　little　boy？〃
　　〃Very　bad　thing；　killing　little　boy。　But　maybe　Red　man　knows　about　whisky…Red；　very　thirsty；　making　crazy。　Not　like　killing　man　to　take　his　house　or　his　woman　or　his　land；　like　White　man　all　the　time。〃
　　〃I　got　to　say；　the　more　I　learn　about　you　Reds；　the　more　it　kind　of　starts　to　make　sense。　I　better　read　the　Bible　more　every　night　before　I　turn　Red　myself。〃
　　Lolla…Wossiky　laughed　and　laughed。
　　〃What's　so　funny？〃
　　〃Many　Red　men　turn　White　and　then　die。　But　never　does　a　White　man　turn　Red。　I　have　to　tell　this　story；　everybody　laugh。〃
　　〃You　Reds　have　a　sense　of　humor　like　I　just　don't　understand。〃　Armor　patted　the　map。　〃Here's　us；　right　here　just　downriver　from　where　the　Tippy…Canoe　flows　into　the　Wobbish。　All　these　dots；　they're　White　man's　farms。　And　these　circles；　they're　Red　villages。　This　one's　Shaw…Nee；　this　one's　Winny…Baygo；　see　how　it　goes？〃
　　〃White　Murderer　Harrison　tells　Reds　that　you　make　this　land…face　picture　so　you　can　find　Red　villages。　Killing　everybody；　he　says。〃
　　〃Well；　that's　just　the　kind　of　lie　I'd　expect　him　to　tell。　So　you　heard　about　me　afore　you　came　up　here；　did　you？　Well；　I　hope　you　don't　believe　his　lies。〃
　　〃Oh；　no。　Nobody　believes　White　Murderer　Harrison。　〃
　　〃Good　thing。〃
　　〃Nobody　believes　any　White　man。　All　lies。〃
　　〃Well；　not　me；　you　understand　that？　Not　me。　Harrison　wants　to　be　governor　so　bad　that　he'll　tell　any　lie　he　can　to　get　power　and　keep　it。〃
　　〃He　says　you　want　to　be　governor；　too。〃
　　Armor　paused　at　that。　Looked　at　the　map。　Looked　at　the　door　to　the　kitchen；　where　his　wife　was　washing　up。　〃Well；　I　reckon　he　didn't　lie　about　that。　But　my　idea　of　what　it　means　to　be　governor　and　his　are　two　different　things。　I　want　to　be　governor　so　Red　men　and　White　men　can　live　together　in　peace　here；　farming　the　land　side　by　side；　going　to　the　same　schools　so　someday　there　ain't　no　difference　between　Red　and　White。　But　Harrison；　he　wants　to　get　rid　of　the　Red　man　altogether。〃
　　If　you　make　the　Red　man　just　like　the　White　man；　then　he　won't　be　Red　no　more。　Harrison's　way　or　Armor's　way；　you　end　up　with　no　Red　men　at　the　end。　Lolla…Wossiky　thought　of　this；　but　he　didn't　say　it。　He　knew　that　even　though　turning　all　the　Red　men　White　would　be　very　bad；　killing　them　all　with　likker　the　way　Harrison　planned；　or　killing　them　and　driving　them　off　the　land　the　way　Jackson　planned；　those　were　even　worse。　Harrison　was　a　very　bad　man。　Armor　wanted　to　be　a　good　man；　he　just　didn't　know　how。　Lolla…Wossiky　understood　this；　so　he　didn't　argue　with　Armor…of…God。
　　Armor　went　on　showing　him　the　map。　〃Down　here's　Fort　Carthage；　it's　got　a　square；　cause　it's　a　town。　I　put　a　square　for　us；　too；　even　though　we're　not　rightly　a　town　yet。　We're　calling　it　Vigor　Church；　on　account　of　that　church　we're　building。〃
　　〃Church　for　building。　Why　Vigor？〃
　　〃Oh；　the　first　folks　settled　here；　the　ones　who　cut　the　road　and　made　the　bridges；　the　Miller　family。　They　live　on　up　behind　the　church；　way　along　the　road　there。　My　wife　is　their　oldest　girl；　in　fact。　They　named　this　place　Vigor　on　account　of　their　oldest　son　was　named　Vigor。　He　drowned　in　the　Hatrack　River　clear　back　near　Suskwahenny；　on　their　way　ing　here。　So　they　named　the　place　after　him。〃
　　〃Your　wife；　very　pretty；〃　said　Lolla…Wossiky。
　　It　took　Armor　just　a　few　seconds　to　answer　that；　he　looked　so　surprised。　And　in　the　shop　in　back；　where　they　ate　the　meal；　his　wife　Eleanor　must　have　been　listening；　cause　she　was　suddenly　standing　there　in　the　doorway。
　　〃Nobody　ever　called　me　pretty；〃　she　said　softly。
　　Lolla…Wossiky　was　baffled。　Most　White　women　had　narrow　faces；　no　cheekbones；　sick…looking　skin。　Eleanor　was　darker；　wide…faced；　high　cheekbones。
　　〃I　think　you're　pretty；〃　said　Armor。　〃I　really　do。〃
　　Lolla…Wossiky　didn't　believe　him；　and　neither　did　Eleanor；　though　she　smiled　and　went　away　from　the　door。　He　never　had　thought　she　was　pretty；　that　was　plain。　And　after　a　moment；　Lolla…Wossiky　understood　why。　She　was　pretty　like　a　Red　woman。　So　naturally　White　men　who　never　saw　straight　thought　her　pretty　was　very　ugly。
　　This　also　meant　that　Armor…of…God　was　married　to　a　woman　he　thought　was　ugly。　But　he　didn't　shout　at　her　or　hit　her；　like　a　Red　man　with　an　ugly　squaw。　This　was　a　good　thing；　Lolla…Wossiky　decided。
　　〃You　very　happy；〃　said　Lolla…Wossiky。
　　〃That's　because　we're　Christians；〃　said　Armor…of…God。　〃You'd　be　happy；　too；　if　you　was　Christian。〃
　　〃I　won't　never　be　happy；　〃　said　Lolla…Wossiky。　He　meant　to　say；　〃Till　I　hear　green　silence　again；　till　black　noise　goes　away。〃　But　no　use　saying　that　to　a　White　man；　they　didn't　know　that　half　the　things　going　on　in　the　world　were　plain　invisible　to　them。
　　〃Yes；　you　will；〃　said　Thrower。　He　strode　into　the　room　with　all　kinds　of　energy；　ready　to　tackle　this　heathen　all　over　again。　〃You　accept　Jesus　Christ　as　your　savior；　and　you　will　have　true　happiness。〃
　　Now；　that　was　a　promise　worth　looking　into。　That　was　a　good　reason　to　talk　about　this　Jesus　Christ。　Maybe　Jesus　Christ　was　Lolla…Wossiky's　dream　beast。　Maybe　he　would　make　the　black　noise　go　away　and　make　Lolla…Wossiky　happy　again　like　he　was　before　White　Murderer　Harrison　blew　up　the　world　with　black　noise　from　his　gun。
　　〃Jesus　Christ　makes　me　wake　up？〃　asked　Lolla…Wossiky。
　　〃e　follow　me；　he　said；　and　I　will　make　you　fishers　of　men；〃　answered　Thrower。
　　〃He　waking　me　up？　He　making　me　happy？〃
　　〃Eternal　joy；　in　the　bosom　of　the　Heavenly　Father；〃　said　Thrower。
　　None　of　this　made　any　sense；　but　Lolla…Wossiky　decided　to　go　ahead　anyway　on　the　chance　that　it　would　wake　him　up　and　then　he'd　understand　what　Thrower　was　talking　about。　Even　though　Thrower　made　the　black　noise　louder；　maybe　he　also　had　the　cure　for　it。
　　So　that　night　Lolla…Wossiky　slept　out　in　the　woods；　took　his　four　swallows　of　whisky　in　the　morning；　and　staggered　on　up　to　the　church。　Thrower　was　annoyed　that　Lolla…Wossiky　was　drunk；　and　Armor　once　again　insisted　on　knowing　who　gave　him　likker。　Since　all　the　other　men　who　were　doing　the　church…raising　were　gathered　around；　Armor　made　a　speech；　with　a　whole　bunch　of　threats　in　it。　〃If　I　find　out　who's　likkering　up　these　Reds；　I　swear　I'll　burn　his　house　down　and　make　him　go　live　with　Harrison　down　on　the　Hio。　Up　here　we're　Christian　folk。　Now　I　can't　stop　you　from　putting　those　hexes　on　your　houses　and　making　those　spells　and　conjures；　even　though　they　show　lack　of　faith　in　the　Lord；　but　I　sure　can　stop　you　from　poisoning　the　folk　that　the　Lord　saw　fit　to　put　on　this　land。　Do　you　understand　me？〃
　　All　the　White　folk　nodded　and　said　yes　and　that's　right　and　reckon　so。
　　〃Nobody　here　gave　me　whisky；〃　said　Lolla…Wossiky。
　　〃Maybe　he　carried　it　with　him　in　a　cup！〃　said　one　of　the　men。
　　〃Maybe　he's　got　him　a　still　in　the　woods！〃　said　another。
　　They　all　laughed。
　　〃Please　be　reverent；〃　said　Thrower。　〃This　heathen　is　accepting　the　Lord　Jesus　Christ。　He　shall　be　covered　with　the　water　of　baptism　as　was　Jesus　himself。　Let　this　mark　the　beginning　of　a　great　missionary　labor　among　the　Red　men　of　the　American　forest！〃
　　Amen；　murmured　the　men。
　　Well；　the　water　was　cold；　and　that's　about　all　Lolla…Wossiky　noticed；　except　that　when　Thrower　sprinkled　it　on　him　the　black　noise　just　got　louder。　Jesus　Christ　didn't　show　up；　so　he　wasn't　the　dream　beast　after　all。　Lolla…Wossiky　was　disappointed。
　　But　Reverend　Thrower　wasn't。　That　was　the　strange　thing　about　White　men。　They　just　seemed　not　to　notice　what　went　on　around　them。　Here　Thrower　performed　a　baptism　that　didn't　do　a　lick　of　good；　and　he　went　strutting　around　the　rest　of　the　day　like　he　had　just　called　a　buffalo　into　a　starving　village　in　the　dead　of　winter。
　　Armor…of…God　was　just　as　blind。　At　noon；　when　Eleanor　brought　dinner　up　the　hill　to　the　workmen；　they　let　Lolla…Wossiky　eat　with　them。　〃Can't　turn　away　a　Christian；　can　we？〃　said　one。　But　none　of　them　was　too　happy　about　sitting　next　to　Lolla…Wossiky；　probably　because　he　stank　of　liquor　and　sweat　and　he　staggered　when　he　walked。　It　ended　up　that　Armor…of…God　sat　with　Lolla…Wossiky　off　a　ways　from　the　others；　and　they　talked　about　this　and　that。
　　Till　Lolla…Wossiky　asked　him；　〃Jesus　Christ；　he　don't　like　hexes？〃
　　〃That's　right。　He　is　the　way；　and　all　this　beseeching　and　suchlike　is　blasphemy。〃
　　Lolla…Wossiky　nodded　gravely。　〃Painted　hex　no　good。　Paint　never　was　alive。〃
　　〃Painted；　carved；　same　thing。〃
　　〃Wooden　hex；　a　little　strong。　Tree　used　to　be　alive。〃
　　〃Doesn't　matter　to　me；　wooden　or　painted；　I　won't　have　no　hexes　in　my　house。　No　conjures；　no　e…hithers；　no　fendings；　no　wardings；　none　of　that　stuff。　A　good　Christian　relies　on　prayer；　and　that's　that。　The　Lord　is　my　shepherd；　I　shall　not　want。〃
　　Lolla…Wossiky　knew　then　that　Armor…of…God　was　just　as　blind　as　Thrower。　Because　Armor…of…God's　house　was　the　strongest…hexed　house　Lolla…Wossiky　ever　saw。　That　was　part　of　the　reason　Lolla…Wossiky　was　impressed　with　Armor；　that　his　house　was　actually　well　protected；　because　he　understood　e