Band of Angels Page #2

over by my mother.

Manty, Manty, child.

Sorry I've gotta do this, folks.

All you slaves there,

get your belongings together.

A judgment has been given against

the estate at the courthouse.

Now, you heard what the sheriff said

and I'm warning you...

...I aim to sell all you all, vendue,

dicker or cry off, every last one.

Nobody's going to sell them

away from this place.

- You'll find out about that, ma'am.

- And who are you, if I may ask?

Mr. Calloway's a slave dealer

from Danville.

He's got the court judgment

against Starrwood.

- Now where's the overseer?

- I'm right here. What do you want?

Your Mr. Starr must've thought

he was running a charity farm here.

Most of these hands

ain't worth their freight. Now, here.

Them that's on this invoice,

you deliver to Franklin...

...where I got a coffle

awaiting to be shipped.

The rest of them,

just drop them off at Robard's Market.

You'll do nothing of the kind.

There's some kind of mistake.

Go ahead, you do as I say.

There's been no mistake, ma'am.

Mr. Aaron Starr was the fine gentleman...

...that kept borrowing money from me

so he could go sporting over in Cincinnati.

Don't you talk about my father that way,

you white trash.

I can't say I like what I gotta do

but I call you all to witness.

Do you state and affirm that you go

by the name of Amantha Starr?

- Certainly, that's my name.

- Amantha, it is sworn and affirmed...

...that you are the issue

of the body of a slave called Louisa...

...the chattel of Aaron Pendleton Starr,

deceased.

And as her issue, you are declared

by the law of this Commonwealth...

...to be a chattel of Starrwood,

subject to any claims against the estate.

- My mother?

- She was a Negress.

And that means you the same strap

as the rest of them slaves out yonder.

It's not true.

You're lying. You liar!

I know who's got it.

Overseer told me that Master Aaron

give her all his bank money.

Her gotta be.

They got the plantation house too.

Miss Idell. Miss Idell.

Miss Idell.

Put this n*gger in the rig.

She's real money.

No, you can't. I'm Amantha Starr.

You can't.

Go on. Do like I tell you.

- Please, Mr. Calloway. She ain't no Negro.

- No, a n*gger's what you can sell.

I aim to sell her quicker

than she can swallow her own spit.

Oh, my baby. My baby.

- Go on, you old cottontooth. Sit down.

- They're gonna sell this baby.

Hey, put her baggage in here.

All right, take off now.

Sukie? Sukie?

Somebody help me. Help me!

Sukie.

Now, you wait here.

I'll get us a cabin.

Oh, no, you don't.

You're going all the way.

Let me through here.

Now, you settle down

and stop skittering around.

You gonna find I ain't such

a bad fellow to get along with.

I got us fixed up real homelike.

Now come on.

Come on! Come on.

Sam, get them in the pen.

All right, move on, move on in here.

Let's go.

Come on here. Let's get in here.

Here we are.

Well, you don't have to be scared.

I ain't no hurrying man.

You just lucky

it ain't some crazy young rooster...

...gonna be sharing this here coop

with you.

Put my bags in there.

I brung you a present.

Some old Doc Calloway's soothing syrup.

Guaranteed to give you the don't-care look.

If you feel like it, help yourself.

Say, you sure are put together real nice,

ain't you?

Soft and white.

Oh, you gonna bring a right pretty price

from one of them dandy's in New Orleans.

You know, I'm kind of glad

this is gonna be a long trip.

They'll never own me.

And you won't either.

Now, don't you get uppity.

You ain't thinking you're too good for me,

are you?

No, you just never had no man fun,

that's it, ain't it?

Is that it? Have you?

Have you ever had a fellow?

Yes. And he'll find me, and he'll kill you.

You don't know

how uppity he's gonna be...

...killing one of the happiest men

he ever seen. Now, come here to me...

Why, you ornery little she-cat,

you done broke my hide.

But you know something?

I kind of like that in a wench.

I used to be pretty proud of marks

like that when I was a young'un.

You didn't really mean it,

now, did you?

Master Calloway? Master Calloway?

- Master Calloway?

- Yeah?

Big bucks fighting like devils.

- Keep an eye on her until I get back.

- Yes, sir.

You better hurry, Mr. Calloway.

You better hurry.

They're gonna slice themselves up.

I'll cool you off.

So you wanna cut each other up, huh?

- I'll learn you how.

- Hold on there, now.

None of that. You wanna scar them up

worse than they are? Now clean them up.

If the cuts don't heal fast, use some

boot blacking to cover them over, you hear?

- I still say they need a good whipping.

- You ought to know better than that.

Why, I couldn't even get $40 for one

of them rambunctious fighting bucks.

Why, I'd be losing money.

- Calloway.

- Yeah?

What price you asking for that

pretty little white one you got up there?

She's kind of personal, Mr. Simpson.

That is, until we get to New Orleans.

Open the door. Open the door.

Master Calloway? Master Calloway?

- Master Calloway?

- Yeah, yeah, what's now?

- Master Calloway, she done locked me out.

- She done locked you out?

Unlock that door in there.

You open up that door

or I'll whip you.

Help me over here. Get over there.

Go and get help.

You got her? Put her down here.

Just take this.

Give me that whiskey there.

That'll bring her around. Here.

Gall dang you. I buy her

and you go and you try to cheat me.

You scut, you let her die

and I'll buck-batter you.

Now, you lookie here.

You done tried it once...

...but I don't reckon

you gonna try it again.

Because I ain't gonna bother you

no more.

I get you a nice cabin,

treat you like you was a lady...

...but you don't seem to appreciate it.

But any more shenanigans and I'm gonna

chain you to a post down there...

...with them hot-natured blacks

and I ain't gonna care what happens...

...just so they don't bruise you too bad,

you hear?

I know, I've got money tied up in you...

...but I'd rather let them wear

a couple of hundred dollars' worth off you...

...than to get a lot of worriment.

Give me that bag.

And I'll see you...

I'm gonna bust them biggity notions

of you on wide open.

Get them tea-party duds off of her.

Dress her like the rest in my coffle.

That'll learn you ain't such a fancy article.

Might as well get used to it.

Ain't nothing gonna change nothing.

- I'll change it.

- Yeah?

Just who do you think you are, girl?

Amantha Starr.

And nobody's gonna keep me

from being free.

You think you're white, don't you?

Whiter than me.

- Well, you ain't.

- You stay away from me.

Some fellow will buy you.

And what he do? What he then do?

Maybe it won't be so bad.

Maybe you get something

you like out of it.

One of those Frenchy fellows

in New Orleans.

Maybe he buy you.

You know what he'll do?

He'll go...

Then you get old

and it don't matter.

It don't matter what you've done had.

They sure can't take it away.

Do I hear 100? Going, gone.

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