Mandingo Page #2

While the white man

walk about,

Doing his pleasure

with a black girl?

May actually don't have

no feelings at all-

Like that

peckerwood say.

Feelings like

some old dumb animal

That don't count no how.

Y'all hear me?

In africa,

Our people born free.

That's right.

Free men...

Not slaves.

Masters of our

own selves.

And of the forest

And the rivers

and the mountains.

Y'all think

that deep down,

That peckerwood

don't know

We's as human

as he is?

What for,

you reckon,

He keep us

from learning

And religion

And reading?

'cause they know.

They's a-feared

that deep down

we is human.

Mem...

You brung

that copy-out page?

Yeah, I got it.

Show these brethren

how to read.

"oh, lord...

"our god...

"others, lord...

"beside thee...

"have...

Had..."

Dumerdo?

Doe.

Dominion.

"dominion...

"over us...

"but by thee...

"only...

Will we make..."

March-men-

Men.

Men-shun.

Mention.

Men-chun.

Be meaning

"to speak of."

"mention...

"of...

Thy name."

What are you

doing here, mem?

Let me see

what you got there.

Give it to me, mem.

Give it to me!

Damn.

You can read,

can't you?

And write.

Who learned you, mem?

It was you,

huh, cicero?

Damn! Get out of here!

My papa done well

to sell you.

Reading! You know

what you can get

for reading?

Go on!

There we go.

Ahh.

There.

O.K.

You got to keep

your feet

Pressed hard

on his belly now,

So the rheumatism drains

right out from the sole,

all right?

Yes. Yes, doctor.

All right.

Hammond.

Doc.

Well, good night all.

I'll do that,

lucrezia.

You stay curled up there,

boy.

Good night, doc.

Good night.

Papa, I got to peel

mem's rump.

What's he done?

Well, he-

He's just been getting

too uppity is all.

You protecting him

again?

What'd he do now?

Papa, I catch mem

reading.

He can read.

Reading!

That dumb-ass,

broke-head, n*gger read-

I don't want to see!

You know what

old sam tucks do

with readin' n*ggers?

Puts out an eye.

Cures them good.

One eye, not two.

Blind,

there's no damn use,

But one eyes

work as hard-

Don't give

no more trouble.

No, papa, no.

I'll just whup him

a bit is all.

'taint enough.

That's all, papa.

A larruping will do it.

Then whup him fierce.

Hammond,

you got to cut deep,

'cause a n*gger don't

feel physical punishment

soon as a white man.

And you rub in

the pimentade after.

Hurts like hell,

But heals the scars

right clean.

And tell lucrezia borgia

to use fresh red pepper

in the pimentade,

Fresh lemon,

and plenty of salt.

Yes, sir.

Good night, papa.

Plenty of salt,

I say.

Yes, sir.

Reading.

You pray for memnon

tonight, massa?

Ain't no use

me praying for you,

Seeing as how

You can do it

for your own self.

May after tomorrow-

After you been whupped.

Now, git.

Yes, sir, massa.

Master, sir?

What you want, dite?

Master, I knocked up.

Oh, I been looking

for that.

Master,

when my sucker come,

Can'st I keep it?

It's for your own good,

dite.

So you won't feel bad

if'n we go to sell it.

Now, I lay me

down to sleep,

I pray the lord

my soul to keep.

If I should die

before I wake,

Pray the lord

my soul to take.

Haul him up, pokey.

Please.

Don't want a beating.

Master hammond, please.

No, please!

No, please, stop!

Please.

Please,

massa hammond.

Go on, meg.

You sure look a-funny

hanging there.

Shut your mouth, meg.

Now...

Stand off from him-

So like-

And aim for his bottom.

You get him in the legs

it don't hurt him none,

But don't you slam

his back.

Yes, sir, master.

Go ahead.

You ain't

doing that right.

Give me that.

Now, this is how

you do it.

Who the hell are you

to touch my n*ggers?

Why, cousin hammond.

Don't you recognize me?

We was little ones.

I'm charles.

Major woodford's son

from crowfoot plantation.

Cousin charles.

Come up

to the house.

Oh. Master's misery drain

right through my belly.

You lie, little buck.

I still feel

my rheumatism. Here.

I hurt awful.

Get down there.

Ahh.

Where's charles?

He's a-stuffin'

himself

With lucrezia borgia's

vittles.

Uh-huh.

Major woodford-

Charles' pa-

Is bad pressed.

Charles come

with a letter from him

Asking to borrow money.

Do you

have a mind to?

May help.

If'n you take

to charles' little sister,

Cousin blanche.

Oh, papa, are you

starting that again?

It's time for us

to be a-thinkin'

Of an heir

for falconhurst.

You need a white lady

to give you a son

with human blood-

Not them suckers of yours

through wenches.

Pa, I wouldn't know

what to do,

Not with no white lady.

And you can't have

no more wenches

if'n you marry.

Of course. Have them

just the same.

You doesn't talk about them

in front of your wife,

But she knows

you have them.

She wants

you should have them.

Saves her from having

to submit.

When she do submit,

though,

You keep on your shirt

and drawers.

Plagues a white lady

almost to death

to see a man naked.

Not in new orleans.

Huh?

Them white ladies there,

I hear...

They strip it all off.

Every bit.

Ham...

You just go take a look

at cousin blanche.

If she ain't

to your taste,

We can look around

at other white ladies.

Major woodford-

Ha ha ha-

Don't get the money.

Hello, sir.

My name's

hammond maxwell.

I'm warren maxwell's

son.

Hammond maxwell,

well, if it ain't.

How's your pa?

Oh, he's all crippled up

with the rheumatism.

Oh, that's too bad.

And this here

is charles woodford,

Major woodford's son

from crowfoot.

Pleased to meet you.

The pleasure's

all mine, sir.

Make yourself welcome,

mr. Woodford.

Y'all come on in.

Thank you much.

Tell me,

does warren still have

That wench

and that child?

Thank you, sir.

Little one ought

to be big enough

to breed by now.

Well, that's what

I come here for, sir.

You got an old

mandingo buck.

My papa craves

to borrow him that buck

to breed them two wenches.

But I haven't got

that buck anymore.

He dead.

Bull gored him

about three months ago,

And old zucks, he died.

Damn. I'm sorry

to hear that, sir.

My papa laid store

in him.

Warren maxwell

and his mandingos.

They make the best

fighting n*ggers,

Mandingos.

I crave one

for my own self.

A fine one.

One that can whup

anybody.

This is katie

and ellen.

I hope they'll

be to your likin'.

Suit me fine.

Good night, then.

Thank you.

Good night.

You a virgin?

This one ain't,

huh, katie?

Cousin hammond,

you take the virgin.

I don't care

for hard work.

Cousin charles, what

the hell you doing

Kissing her

on the mouth?

What are you

doing that for?

Why, it makes

a man feel good.

She likes it, too,

don't you, pretty wench?

Yes, master.

You don't like

what charles is doing?

No, master.

I don't like it,

neither.

Damn, it makes me sick.

Why are you looking

odd-like at me?

Sneaky-like?

What for?

You tell me now,

no fibbing.

You tell me,

is it my leg?

No, master.

J-just you strange

for a white man.

How do you mean strange?

Caring what a white man

do to a wench.

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