Sacred Hunger - Barry Unsworth [234]
He did not look at Erasmus to see the effect of his mimicry; some quality of warmth had passed from their relation, never to be recovered. And it was as well he did not, or he would have seen on the other’s face a degree of displeasure he might have felt bound to answer – he was not a man to overlook such things. ‘I know not what to call it either,’ he said, as if to himself. ‘But it is the reason I shall end my days as a half-pay major.’
Only his sense of obligation and his knowledge that the major was slightly drunk held Erasmus back from angry words. Redwood’s presumption had come too close to the doubts that would sometimes attack him in the midst of all his plans, as he was riding round the countryside or sitting with the others at meals or walking alone in the garden of the Residence, a sense of wonder edged with panic at the strangeness of his presence here, at the time and money he was spending. What could be gained from it now? Then he would remember his high purpose, his mission of justice … Of course, Redwood was after all an ignorant fellow, with a very partial view; his remarks about trade had shown that. All men of sense knew the benefit of trade. The major was simple-minded, that was it – not single, simple. The conceit pleased Erasmus and restored his calm. ‘Just enough left for a toast,’ he said, smiling full at the other man though with narrowed eyes. ‘Here is to the benefits of trade – and to single-mindedness!’
The major raised his glass. ‘What was the other thing?’ he said. ‘Ah yes, justice. Here’s to justice – long-term, of course, I mean!’
FORTY-FOUR
As Redwood had predicted, Erasmus’s absence from the conference was accepted with a certain polite alacrity. He confided his reasons to Campbell in the hope that the Governor, seeing the seriousness of his intentions, would give him some more explicit assurance of the troops and cannon. But Campbell was preoccupied and did no more than nod and mutter.
Nipke, the Young Soldier, turned out to be older than expected, stocky and taciturn, with a heavily lined face the colour of wet, reddish clay. He had a pine-log cabin beside a creek and a cowpen and a field of maize and two wives. Redwood had brought an interpreter with them, but there was scarcely need for one: Nipke knew enough English to understand what was wanted. He listened intently to their questions, though his face remained immobile. He had seen no black men on his forays to the south. There was said to be black men on Key Biscayne, but he had never seen any and did not believe it. There were escaped slaves living among the Upper Creeks, he had seen this himself, they had taken wives among the Indian women, but these men had come from the English colonies in the north.
He remained silent for a considerable time when asked if he would go ahead of the expedition as a scout. Erasmus was afraid he would refuse: he was settled here, with fish in the creek and game in the woods and his wives to grow the corn and feed the chickens. But he was quite willing to go – the hesitation had been merely a ploy to obtain better wages. They agreed finally on five shillings a day for him as leader and three for the others he would recruit to make up the scouting party – four more men would be needed. The money would be payable from that day onwards but not in advance; Redwood had warned him against this, as Nipke would almost certainly buy rum with the money and get into trouble of some kind or be found drunk and insensible just when he was needed. In sign of good intention, however, Erasmus gave the Indian a leather cartridge belt which he had brought with him.
The ride there and back and the protracted silences and solemn talk and the consumption of milk and maize cakes had taken up most