Contents:
TheStrengthoftheStrongSouthoftheSlotTheUnparalleledInvasionTheEnemyofAlltheWorldTheDreamofDebsTheSea—FarmerSamuelTHESTRENGTHOFTHESTRONG
\"Parablesdon’tlie,butliarswillparable。\"—Lip—King。
OldLong—Beardpausedinhisnarrative,lickedhisgreasyfingers,andwipedthemonhisnakedsideswherehisonepieceofraggedbearskinfailedtocoverhim。Crouchedaroundhim,ontheirhams,werethreeyoungmen,hisgrandsons,Deer—Runner,Yellow—Head,andAfraid—of—the—Dark。Inappearancetheyweremuchthesame。Skinsofwildanimalspartlycoveredthem。Theywereleanandmeagreofbuild,narrow—hippedandcrooked—legged,andatthesametimedeep—
chested,withheavyarmsandenormoushands。Therewasmuchhairontheirchestsandshoulders,andontheoutsidesoftheirarmsandlegs。Theirheadsweremattedwithuncuthair,longlocksofwhichoftenstrayedbeforetheireyes,beadyandblackandglitteringliketheeyesofbirds。Theywerenarrowbetweentheeyesandbroadbetweenthecheeks,whiletheirlowerjawswereprojectingandmassive。
Itwasanightofclearstarlight,andbelowthem,stretchingawayremotely,layrangeonrangeofforest—coveredhills。Inthedistancetheheavenswereredfromtheglowofavolcano。Attheirbacksyawnedtheblackmouthofacave,outofwhich,fromtimetotime,blewdraughtygustsofwind。Immediatelyinfrontofthemblazedafire。Atoneside,partlydevoured,laythecarcassofabear,withaboutit,atarespectabledistance,severallargedogs,shaggyandwolf—like。Besideeachmanlayhisbowandarrowsandahugeclub。Inthecave—mouthanumberofrudespearsleanedagainsttherock。
\"Sothatwashowwemovedfromthecavetothetree,\"oldLong—
Beardspokeup。
Theylaughedboisterously,likebigchildren,atrecollectionofapreviousstoryhiswordscalledup。Long—Beardlaughed,too,thefive—inchbodkinofbone,thrustmidwaythroughthecartilageofhisnose,leapinganddancingandaddingtohisferociousappearance。Hedidnotexactlysaythewordsrecorded,buthemadeanimal—likesoundswithhismouththatmeantthesamething。
\"AndthatisthefirstIrememberoftheSeaValley,\"Long—Beardwenton。\"Wewereaveryfoolishcrowd。Wedidnotknowthesecretofstrength。For,behold,eachfamilylivedbyitself,andtookcareofitself。Therewerethirtyfamilies,butwegotnostrengthfromoneanother。Wewereinfearofeachotherallthetime。Nooneeverpaidvisits。Inthetopofourtreewebuiltagrasshouse,andontheplatformoutsidewasapileofrocks,whichwerefortheheadsofanythatmightchancetotrytovisitus。
Also,wehadourspearsandarrows。Weneverwalkedunderthetreesoftheotherfamilies,either。Mybrotherdid,once,underoldBoo—oogh’stree,andhegothisheadbrokenandthatwastheendofhim。
\"OldBoo—ooghwasverystrong。Itwassaidhecouldpullagrownman’sheadrightoff。Ineverheardofhimdoingit,becausenomanwouldgivehimachance。Fatherwouldn’t。Oneday,whenfatherwasdownonthebeach,Boo—ooghtookaftermother。Shecouldn’trunfast,forthedaybeforeshehadgotherlegclawedbyabearwhenshewasuponthemountaingatheringberries。SoBoo—
ooghcaughtherandcarriedherupintohistree。Fathernevergotherback。Hewasafraid。OldBoo—ooghmadefacesathim。
\"Butfatherdidnotmind。Strong—Armwasanotherstrongman。Hewasoneofthebestfishermen。Butoneday,climbingaftersea—
gulleggs,hehadafallfromthecliff。Hewasneverstrongafterthat。Hecoughedagreatdeal,andhisshouldersdrewneartoeachother。SofathertookStrong—Arm’swife。Whenhecamearoundandcoughedunderourtree,fatherlaughedathimandthrewrocksathim。Itwasourwayinthosedays。Wedidnotknowhowtoaddstrengthtogetherandbecomestrong。\"
\"Wouldabrothertakeabrother’swife?\"Deer—Runnerdemanded。
\"Yes,ifhehadgonetoliveinanothertreebyhimself。\"
\"Butwedonotdosuchthingsnow,\"Afraid—of—the—Darkobjected。
\"ItisbecauseIhavetaughtyourfathersbetter。\"Long—Beardthrusthishairypawintothebearmeatanddrewoutahandfulofsuet,whichhesuckedwithameditativeair。Againhewipedhishandsonhisnakedsidesandwenton。\"WhatIamtellingyouhappenedinthelongago,beforeweknewanybetter。\"
\"Youmusthavebeenfoolsnottoknowbetter,\"wasDeer—Runner’scomment,Yellow—Headgruntingapproval。
\"Sowewere,butwebecamebiggerfools,asyoushallsee。Still,wedidlearnbetter,andthiswasthewayofit。WeFish—Eatershadnotlearnedtoaddourstrengthuntilourstrengthwasthestrengthofallofus。ButtheMeat—Eaters,wholivedacrossthedivideintheBigValley,stoodtogether,huntedtogether,fishedtogether,andfoughttogether。Onedaytheycameintoourvalley。
Eachfamilyofusgotintoitsowncaveandtree。TherewereonlytenMeat—Eaters,buttheyfoughttogether,andwefought,eachfamilybyitself。\"
Long—Beardcountedlongandperplexedlyonhisfingers。
\"Thereweresixtymenofus,\"waswhathemanagedtosaywithfingersandlipscombined。\"Andwewereverystrong,onlywedidnotknowit。SowewatchedthetenmenattackBoo—oogh’stree。Hemadeagoodfight,buthehadnochance。Welookedon。WhensomeoftheMeat—Eaterstriedtoclimbthetree,Boo—ooghhadtoshowhimselfinordertodropstonesontheirheads,whereupontheotherMeat—Eaters,whowerewaitingforthatverything,shothimfullofarrows。AndthatwastheendofBoo—oogh。
\"Next,theMeat—EatersgotOne—Eyeandhisfamilyinhiscave。
Theybuiltafireinthemouthandsmokedhimout,likewesmokedoutthebearthereto—day。ThentheywentafterSix—Fingers,uphistree,and,whiletheywerekillinghimandhisgrownson,therestofusranaway。Theycaughtsomeofourwomen,andkilledtwooldmenwhocouldnotrunfastandseveralchildren。ThewomentheycarriedawaywiththemtotheBigValley。
\"Afterthattherestofuscreptback,and,somehow,perhapsbecausewewereinfearandfelttheneedforoneanother,wetalkedthethingover。Itwasourfirstcouncil—ourfirstrealcouncil。Andinthatcouncilweformedourfirsttribe。Forwehadlearnedthelesson。OfthetenMeat—Eaters,eachmanhadhadthestrengthoften,forthetenhadfoughtasoneman。Theyhadaddedtheirstrengthtogether。Butofthethirtyfamiliesandthesixtymenofus,wehadhadthestrengthofbutoneman,foreachhadfoughtalone。
\"Itwasagreattalkwehad,anditwashardtalk,forwedidnothavethewordsthenasnowwithwhichtotalk。TheBugmadesomeofthewordslongafterward,andsodidothersofusmakewordsfromtimetotime。ButintheendweagreedtoaddourstrengthtogetherandtobeasonemanwhentheMeat—Eaterscameoverthedividetostealourwomen。Andthatwasthetribe。
\"Wesettwomenonthedivide,oneforthedayandoneforthenight,towatchiftheMeat—Eaterscame。Theseweretheeyesofthetribe。Then,also,dayandnight,thereweretobetenmenawakewiththeirclubsandspearsandarrowsintheirhands,readytofight。Before,whenamanwentafterfish,orclams,orgull—
eggs,hecarriedhisweaponswithhim,andhalfthetimehewasgettingfoodandhalfthetimewatchingforfearsomeothermanwouldgethim。Nowthatwasallchanged。Themenwentoutwithouttheirweaponsandspentalltheirtimegettingfood。Likewise,whenthewomenwentintothemountainsafterrootsandberries,fiveofthetenmenwentwiththemtoguardthem。Whileallthetime,dayandnight,theeyesofthetribewatchedfromthetopofthedivide。
\"Buttroublescame。Asusual,itwasaboutthewomen。Menwithoutwiveswantedothermen’swives,andtherewasmuchfightingbetweenmen,andnowandagainonegothisheadsmashedoraspearthroughhisbody。Whileoneofthewatcherswasontopofthedivide,anothermanstolehiswife,andhecamedowntofight。Thentheotherwatcherwasinfearthatsomeonewouldtakehiswife,andhecamedownlikewise。Also,therewastroubleamongthetenmenwhocarriedalwaystheirweapons,andtheyfoughtfiveagainstfive,tillsomeranawaydownthecoastandtheothersranafterthem。
\"Soitwasthatthetribewasleftwithouteyesorguards。Wehadnotthestrengthofsixty。Wehadnostrengthatall。Soweheldacouncilandmadeourfirstlaws。Iwasbutacubatthetime,butIremember。Wesaidthat,inordertobestrong,wemustnotfightoneanother,andwemadealawthatwhenamankilledanotherhimwouldthetribekill。Wemadeanotherlawthatwhosostoleanotherman’swifehimwouldthetribekill。Wesaidthatwhatevermanhadtoogreatstrength,andbythatstrengthhurthisbrothersinthetribe,himwouldwekillthathisstrengthmighthurtnomore。For,ifwelethisstrengthhurt,thebrotherswouldbecomeafraidandthetribewouldfallapart,andwewouldbeasweakaswhentheMeat—EatersfirstcameuponusandkilledBoo—oogh。
\"Knuckle—Bonewasastrongman,averystrongman,andheknewnotlaw。Heknewonlyhisownstrength,andinthefullnessthereofhewentforthandtookthewifeofThree—Clams。Three—Clamstriedtofight,butKnuckle—Boneclubbedouthisbrains。YethadKnuckle—
Boneforgottenthatallthemenofushadaddedourstrengthtokeepthelawamongus,andhimwekilled,atthefootofhistree,andhunghisbodyonabranchasawarningthatthelawwasstrongerthananyman。Forwewerethelaw,allofus,andnomanwasgreaterthanthelaw。
\"Thentherewereothertroubles,forknow,ODeer—Runner,andYellow—Head,andAfraid—of—the—Dark,thatitisnoteasytomakeatribe。Thereweremanythings,littlethings,thatitwasagreattroubletocallallthementogethertohaveacouncilabout。Wewerehavingcouncilsmorning,noon,andnight,andinthemiddleofthenight。Wecouldfindlittletimetogooutandgetfood,becauseofthecouncils,fortherewasalwayssomelittlethingtobesettled,suchasnamingtwonewwatcherstotaketheplaceoftheoldonesonthehill,ornaminghowmuchfoodshouldfalltotheshareofthemenwhokepttheirweaponsalwaysintheirhandsandgotnofoodforthemselves。
\"Westoodinneedofachiefmantodothesethings,whowouldbethevoiceofthecouncil,andwhowouldaccounttothecouncilforthethingshedid。SowenamedFith—Fiththechiefman。Hewasastrongman,too,andverycunning,andwhenhewasangryhemadenoisesjustlikethat,FITH—FITH,likeawild—cat。
\"Thetenmenwhoguardedthetribeweresettoworkmakingawallofstonesacrossthenarrowpartofthevalley。Thewomenandlargechildrenhelped,asdidothermen,untilthewallwasstrong。
Afterthat,allthefamiliescamedownoutoftheircavesandtreesandbuiltgrasshousesbehindtheshelterofthewall。Thesehouseswerelargeandmuchbetterthanthecavesandtrees,andeverybodyhadabettertimeofitbecausethemenhadaddedtheirstrengthtogetherandbecomeatribe。Becauseofthewallandtheguardsandthewatchers,therewasmoretimetohuntandfishandpickrootsandberries;therewasmorefood,andbetterfood,andnoonewenthungry。AndThree—Legs,sonamedbecausehislegshadbeensmashedwhenaboyandwhowalkedwithastick—Three—Legsgottheseedofthewildcornandplanteditinthegroundinthevalleynearhishouse。Also,hetriedplantingfatrootsandotherthingshefoundinthemountainvalleys。
\"BecauseofthesafetyintheSeaValley,whichwasbecauseofthewallandthewatchersandtheguards,andbecausetherewasfoodinplentyforallwithouthavingtofightforit,manyfamiliescameinfromthecoastvalleysonbothsidesandfromthehighbackmountainswheretheyhadlivedmorelikewildanimalsthanmen。
AnditwasnotlongbeforetheSeaValleyfilledup,andinitwerecountlessfamilies。But,beforethishappened,theland,whichhadbeenfreetoallandbelongedtoall,wasdividedup。Three—Legsbeganitwhenheplantedcorn。Butmostofusdidnotcareabouttheland。Wethoughtthemarkingoftheboundarieswithfencesofstonewasafoolishness。Wehadplentytoeat,andwhatmoredidwewant?IrememberthatmyfatherandIbuiltstonefencesforThree—Legsandweregivencorninreturn。
\"Soonlyafewgotalltheland,andThree—Legsgotmostofit。
Also,othersthathadtakenlandgaveittothefewthatheldon,beingpaidinreturnwithcornandfatroots,andbear—skins,andfisheswhichthefarmersgotfromthefishermeninexchangeforcorn。And,thefirstthingweknew,allthelandwasgone。
\"ItwasaboutthistimethatFith—FithdiedandDog—Tooth,hisson,wasmadechief。Hedemandedtobemadechiefanyway,becausehisfatherhadbeenchiefbeforehim。Also,helookeduponhimselfasagreaterchiefthanhisfather。Hewasagoodchiefatfirst,andworkedhard,sothatthecouncilhadlessandlesstodo。ThenaroseanewvoiceintheSeaValley。ItwasTwisted—Lip。Wehadneverthoughtmuchofhim,untilhebegantotalkwiththespiritsofthedead。LaterwecalledhimBig—Fat,becauseheateover—
much,anddidnowork,andgrewroundandlarge。OnedayBig—Fattoldusthatthesecretsofthedeadwerehis,andthathewasthevoiceofGod。HebecamegreatfriendswithDog—Tooth,whocommandedthatweshouldbuildBig—Fatagrasshouse。AndBig—FatputtaboosallaroundthishouseandkeptGodinside。
\"MoreandmoreDog—Toothbecamegreaterthanthecouncil,andwhenthecouncilgrumbledandsaiditwouldnameanewchief,Big—FatspokewiththevoiceofGodandsaidno。Also,Three—LegsandtheotherswhoheldthelandstoodbehindDog—Tooth。Moreover,thestrongestmaninthecouncilwasSea—Lion,andhimtheland—ownersgavelandtosecretly,alongwithmanybearskinsandbasketsofcorn。SoSea—LionsaidthatBig—Fat’svoicewastrulythevoiceofGodandmustbeobeyed。AndsoonafterwardSea—LionwasnamedthevoiceofDog—Toothanddidmostofhistalkingforhim。
\"ThentherewasLittle—Belly,alittleman,sothininthemiddlethathelookedasifhehadneverhadenoughtoeat。Insidethemouthoftheriver,afterthesand—barhadcombedthestrengthofthebreakers,hebuiltabigfish—trap。Nomanhadeverseenordreamedafish—trapbefore。Heworkedweeksonit,withhissonandhiswife,whiletherestofuslaughedattheirlabours。But,whenitwasdone,thefirstdayhecaughtmorefishinitthancouldthewholetribeinaweek,whereattherewasgreatrejoicing。
Therewasonlyoneotherplaceintheriverforafish—trap,but,whenmyfatherandIandadozenothermenstartedtomakeaverylargetrap,theguardscamefromthebiggrass—housewehadbuiltforDog—Tooth。Andtheguardspokeduswiththeirspearsandtoldusbegone,becauseLittle—BellywasgoingtobuildatraptherehimselfonthewordofSea—Lion,whowasthevoiceofDog—Tooth。
\"Therewasmuchgrumbling,andmyfathercalledacouncil。But,whenherosetospeak,himtheSea—Lionthrustthroughthethroatwithaspearandhedied。AndDog—ToothandLittle—Belly,andThree—Legsandallthatheldlandsaiditwasgood。AndBig—FatsaiditwasthewillofGod。Andafterthatallmenwereafraidtostandupinthecouncil,andtherewasnomorecouncil。
\"Anotherman,Pig—Jaw,begantokeepgoats。HehadheardaboutitasamongtheMeat—Eaters,anditwasnotlongbeforehehadmanyflocks。Othermen,whohadnolandandnofish—traps,andwhoelsewouldhavegonehungry,weregladtoworkforPig—Jaw,caringforhisgoats,guardingthemfromwilddogsandtigers,anddrivingthemtothefeedingpasturesinthemountains。Inreturn,Pig—Jawgavethemgoat—meattoeatandgoat—skinstowear,andsometimestheytradedthegoat—meatforfishandcornandfatroots。
\"Itwasthistimethatmoneycametobe。Sea—Lionwasthemanwhofirstthoughtofit,andhetalkeditoverwithDog—ToothandBig—
Fat。Yousee,thesethreeweretheonesthatgotashareofeverythingintheSeaValley。Onebasketoutofeverythreeofcornwastheirs,onefishoutofeverythree,onegoatoutofeverythree。Inreturn,theyfedtheguardsandthewatchers,andkepttherestforthemselves。Sometimes,whenabighauloffishwasmadetheydidnotknowwhattodowithalltheirshare。SoSea—
Lionsetthewomentomakingmoneyoutofshell—littleroundpieces,withaholeineachone,andallmadesmoothandfine。
Thesewerestrungonstrings,andthestringswerecalledmoney。
\"Eachstringwasofthevalueofthirtyfish,orfortyfish,butthewomen,whomadeastringaday,weregiventwofisheach。ThefishcameoutofthesharesofDog—Tooth,Big—Fat,andSea—Lion,whichtheythreedidnoteat。Soallthemoneybelongedtothem。
ThentheytoldThree—Legsandtheotherland—ownersthattheywouldtaketheirshareofcornandrootsinmoney,Little—Bellythattheywouldtaketheirshareoffishinmoney,Pig—Jawthattheywouldtaketheirshareofgoatsandcheeseinmoney。Thus,amanwhohadnothing,workedforonewhohad,andwaspaidinmoney。Withthismoneyheboughtcorn,andfish,andmeat,andcheese。AndThree—
LegsandallownersofthingspaidDog—ToothandSea—LionandBig—
Fattheirshareinmoney。Andtheypaidtheguardsandwatchersinmoney,andtheguardsandwatchersboughttheirfoodwiththemoney。And,becausemoneywascheap,Dog—Toothmademanymoremenintoguards。And,becausemoneywascheaptomake,anumberofmenbegantomakemoneyoutofshellthemselves。Buttheguardsstuckspearsinthemandshotthemfullofarrows,becausetheyweretryingtobreakupthetribe。Itwasbadtobreakupthetribe,forthentheMeat—Eaterswouldcomeoverthedivideandkillthemall。
\"Big—FatwasthevoiceofGod,buthetookBroken—Ribandmadehimintoapriest,sothathebecamethevoiceofBig—Fatanddidmostofhistalkingforhim。Andbothhadothermentobeservantstothem。So,also,didLittle—BellyandThree—LegsandPig—Jawhaveothermentolieinthesunabouttheirgrasshousesandcarrymessagesforthemandgivecommands。Andmoreandmorewerementakenawayfromwork,sothatthosethatwereleftworkedharderthaneverbefore。Itseemedthatmendesiredtodonoworkandstrovetoseekoutotherwayswherebymenshouldworkforthem。
Crooked—Eyesfoundsuchaway。Hemadethefirstfire—brewoutofcorn。Andthereafterheworkednomore,forhetalkedsecretlywithDog—ToothandBig—Fatandtheothermasters,anditwasagreedthatheshouldbetheonlyonetomakefire—brew。ButCrooked—Eyesdidnoworkhimself。Menmadethebrewforhim,andhepaidtheminmoney。Thenhesoldthefire—brewformoney,andallmenbought。AndmanystringsofmoneydidhegiveDog—ToothandSea—
Lionandallofthem。
\"Big—FatandBroken—RibstoodbyDog—Toothwhenhetookhissecondwife,andhisthirdwife。TheysaidDog—ToothwasdifferentfromothermenandsecondonlytoGodthatBig—Fatkeptinhistaboohouse,andDog—Toothsaidso,too,andwantedtoknowwhoweretheytogrumbleabouthowmanywiveshetook。Dog—Toothhadabigcanoemade,and,manymoremenhetookfromwork,whodidnothingandlayinthesun,saveonlywhenDog—Toothwentinthecanoe,whentheypaddledforhim。AndhemadeTiger—Faceheadmanoveralltheguards,sothatTiger—Facebecamehisrightarm,andwhenhedidnotlikeamanTiger—Facekilledthatmanforhim。AndTiger—Face,also,madeanothermantobehisrightarm,andtogivecommands,andtokillforhim。
\"Butthiswasthestrangething:asthedayswentbywewhowereleftworkedharderandharder,andyetdidwegetlessandlesstoeat。\"
\"Butwhatofthegoatsandthecornandthefatrootsandthefish—
trap?\"spokeupAfraid—of—the—Dark,\"whatofallthis?Wastherenotmorefoodtobegainedbyman’swork?\"
\"Itisso,\"Long—Beardagreed。\"Threemenonthefish—trapgotmorefishthanthewholetribebeforetherewasafish—trap。ButhaveInotsaidwewerefools?Themorefoodwewereabletoget,thelessfooddidwehavetoeat。\"
\"Butwasitnotplainthatthemanymenwhodidnotworkateitallup?\"Yellow—Headdemanded。
Long—Beardnoddedhisheadsadly。
\"Dog—Tooth’sdogswerestuffedwithmeat,andthemenwholayinthesunanddidnoworkwererollinginfat,and,atthesametime,therewerelittlechildrencryingthemselvestosleepwithhungerbitingthemwitheverywail。\"
Deer—Runnerwasspurredbytherecitaloffaminetotearoutachunkofbear—meatandbroilitonastickoverthecoals。Thishedevouredwithsmackinglips,whileLong—Beardwenton:
\"WhenwegrumbledBig—Fatarose,andwiththevoiceofGodsaidthatGodhadchosenthewisementoownthelandandthegoatsandthefish—trap,andthefire—brew,andthatwithoutthesewisemenwewouldallbeanimals,asinthedayswhenwelivedintrees。
\"Andtherearoseonewhobecameasingerofsongsfortheking。
HimtheycalledtheBug,becausehewassmallandungainlyoffaceandlimbandexcellednotinworkordeed。Helovedthefattestmarrowbones,thechoicestfish,themilkwarmfromthegoats,thefirstcornthatwasripe,andthesnugplacebythefire。Andthus,becomingsingerofsongstotheking,hefoundawaytodonothingandbefat。Andwhenthepeoplegrumbledmoreandmore,andsomethrewstonesattheking’sgrasshouse,theBugsangasongofhowgooditwastobeaFish—Eater。InhissonghetoldthattheFish—EaterswerethechosenofGodandthefinestmenGodhadmade。HesangoftheMeat—Eatersaspigsandcrows,andsanghowfineandgooditwasfortheFish—EaterstofightanddiedoingGod’swork,whichwasthekillingofMeat—Eaters。Thewordsofhissongwerelikefireinus,andweclamouredtobeledagainsttheMeat—Eaters。Andweforgotthatwewerehungry,andwhywehadgrumbled,andweregladtobeledbyTiger—Faceoverthedivide,wherewekilledmanyMeat—Eatersandwerecontent。
\"ButthingswerenobetterintheSeaValley。TheonlywaytogetfoodwastoworkforThree—LegsorLittle—BellyorPig—Jaw;fortherewasnolandthatamanmightplantwithcornforhimself。
AndoftenthereweremorementhanThree—Legsandtheothershadworkfor。Sothesemenwenthungry,andsodidtheirwivesandchildrenandtheiroldmothers。Tiger—Facesaidtheycouldbecomeguardsiftheywantedto,andmanyofthemdid,andthereaftertheydidnoworkexcepttopokespearsinthemenwhodidworkandwhogrumbledatfeedingsomanyidlers。
\"Andwhenwegrumbled,evertheBugsangnewsongs。HesaidthatThree—LegsandPig—Jawandtherestwerestrongmen,andthatthatwaswhytheyhadsomuch。Hesaidthatweshouldbegladtohavestrongmenwithus,elsewouldweperishofourownworthlessnessandtheMeat—Eaters。Therefore,weshouldbegladtoletsuchstrongmenhavealltheycouldlayhandson。AndBig—FatandPig—
JawandTiger—Faceandalltherestsaiditwastrue。
\"’Allright,’saidLong—Fang,’thenwillI,too,beastrongman。’
Andhegothimselfcorn,andbegantomakefire—brewandsellitforstringsofmoney。And,whenCrooked—Eyescomplained,Long—Fangsaidthathewashimselfastrongman,andthatifCrooked—Eyesmadeanymorenoisehewouldbashhisbrainsoutforhim。WhereatCrooked—EyeswasafraidandwentandtalkedwithThree—LegsandPig—Jaw。AndallthreewentandtalkedtoDog—Tooth。AndDog—
ToothspoketoSea—Lion,andSea—LionsentarunnerwithamessagetoTiger—Face。AndTiger—Facesenthisguards,whoburnedLong—
Fang’shousealongwiththefire—brewhehadmade。Also,theykilledhimandallhisfamily。AndBig—Fatsaiditwasgood,andtheBugsanganothersongabouthowgooditwastoobservethelaw,andwhatafinelandtheSeaValleywas,andhoweverymanwholovedtheSeaValleyshouldgoforthandkillthebadMeat—Eaters。
Andagainhissongwasasfiretous,andweforgottogrumble。
\"Itwasverystrange。WhenLittle—Bellycaughttoomanyfish,sothatittookagreatmanytosellforalittlemoney,hethrewmanyofthefishbackintothesea,sothatmoremoneywouldbepaidforwhatwasleft。AndThree—Legsoftenletmanylargefieldslieidlesoastogetmoremoneyforhiscorn。Andthewomen,makingsomuchmoneyoutofshellthatmuchmoneywasneededtobuywith,Dog—Toothstoppedthemakingofmoney。Andthewomenhadnowork,sotheytooktheplacesofthemen。Iworkedonthefish—trap,gettingastringofmoneyeveryfivedays。Butmysisternowdidmywork,gettingastringofmoneyforeverytendays。Thewomenworkedcheaper,andtherewaslessfood,andTiger—Facesaidweshouldbecomeguards。OnlyIcouldnotbecomeaguardbecauseI
waslameofonelegandTiger—Facewouldnothaveme。Andthereweremanylikeme。Wewerebrokenmenandonlyfittobegforworkortotakecareofthebabieswhilethewomenworked。\"
Yellow—Head,too,wasmadehungrybytherecitalandbroiledapieceofbear—meatonthecoals。
\"Butwhydidn’tyouriseup,allofyou,andkillThree—LegsandPig—JawandBig—Fatandtherestandgetenoughtoeat?\"Afraid—in—
the—Darkdemanded。
\"Becausewecouldnotunderstand,\"Long—Beardanswered。\"Therewastoomuchtothinkabout,and,also,thereweretheguardsstickingspearsintous,andBig—FattalkingaboutGod,andtheBugsingingnewsongs。Andwhenanymandidthinkright,andsaidso,Tiger—
Faceandtheguardsgothim,andhewastiedouttotherocksatlowtidesothattherisingwatersdrownedhim。
\"Itwasastrangething—themoney。ItwasliketheBug’ssongs。
Itseemedallright,butitwasn’t,andwewereslowtounderstand。
Dog—Toothbegantogatherthemoneyin。Heputitinabigpile,inagrasshouse,withguardstowatchitdayandnight。Andthemoremoneyhepiledinthehousethedearermoneybecame,sothatamanworkedalongertimeforastringofmoneythanbefore。Then,too,therewasalwaystalkofwarwiththeMeat—Eaters,andDog—
ToothandTiger—Facefilledmanyhouseswithcorn,anddriedfish,andsmokedgoat—meat,andcheese。Andwiththefood,piledthereinmountainsthepeoplehadnotenoughtoeat。Butwhatdiditmatter?WheneverthepeoplegrumbledtooloudlytheBugsanganewsong,andBig—FatsaiditwasGod’swordthatweshouldkillMeat—
Eaters,andTiger—Faceledusoverthedividetokillandbekilled。Iwasnotgoodenoughtobeaguardandliefatinthesun,but,whenwemadewar,Tiger—Facewasgladtotakemealong。
Andwhenwehadeaten,allthefoodstoredinthehouseswestoppedfightingandwentbacktoworktopileupmorefood。\"
\"Thenwereyouallcrazy,\"commentedDeer—Runner。
\"Thenwereweindeedallcrazy,\"Long—Beardagreed。\"Itwasstrange,allofit。TherewasSplit—Nose。Hesaideverythingwaswrong。Hesaiditwastruethatwegrewstrongbyaddingourstrengthtogether。Andhesaidthat,whenwefirstformedthetribe,itwasrightthatthemenwhosestrengthhurtthetribeshouldbeshornoftheirstrength—menwhobashedtheirbrothers’
headsandstoletheirbrothers’wives。Andnow,hesaid,thetribewasnotgettingstronger,butwasgettingweaker,becausethereweremenwithanotherkindofstrengththatwerehurtingthetribe—menwhohadthestrengthoftheland,likeThree—Legs;whohadthestrengthofthefish—trap,likeLittle—Belly;whohadthestrengthofallthegoat—meat,likePig—Jaw。Thethingtodo,Split—Nosesaid,wastoshearthesemenoftheirevilstrength;tomakethemgotowork,allofthem,andtoletnomaneatwhodidnotwork。
\"AndtheBugsanganothersongaboutmenlikeSplit—Nose,whowantedtogoback,andliveintrees。
\"YetSplit—Nosesaidno;thathedidnotwanttogoback,butahead;thattheygrewstrongonlyastheyaddedtheirstrengthtogether;andthat,iftheFish—EaterswouldaddtheirstrengthtotheMeat—Eaters,therewouldbenomorefightingandnomorewatchersandnomoreguards,andthat,withallmenworking,therewouldbesomuchfoodthateachmanwouldhavetoworknotmorethantwohoursaday。
\"ThentheBugsangagain,andhesangthatSplit—Nosewaslazy,andhesangalsothe’SongoftheBees。’Itwasastrangesong,andthosewholistenedweremademad,asfromthedrinkingofstrongfire—brew。Thesongwasofaswarmofbees,andofarobberwaspwhohadcomeintolivewiththebeesandwhowasstealingalltheirhoney。Thewaspwaslazyandtoldthemtherewasnoneedtowork;also,hetoldthemtomakefriendswiththebears,whowerenothoney—stealersbutonlyverygoodfriends。AndtheBugsangincrookedwords,sothatthosewholistenedknewthattheswarmwastheSeaValleytribe,thatthebearsweretheMeat—Eaters,andthatthelazywaspwasSplit—Nose。AndwhentheBugsangthatthebeeslistenedtothewasptilltheswarmwasneartoperishing,thepeoplegrowledandsnarled,andwhentheBugsangthatatlastthegoodbeesaroseandstungthewasptodeath,thepeoplepickedupstonesfromthegroundandstonedSplit—Nosetodeathtilltherewasnaughttobeseenofhimbuttheheapofstonestheyhadflungontopofhim。AndthereweremanypoorpeoplewhoworkedlongandhardandhadnotenoughtoeatthathelpedthrowthestonesonSplit—Nose。
\"And,afterthedeathofSplit—Nose,therewasbutoneothermanthatdaredriseupandspeakhismind,andthatmanwasHair—Face。
’Whereisthestrengthofthestrong?’heasked。’Wearethestrong,allofus,andwearestrongerthanDog—ToothandTiger—
FaceandThree—LegsandPig—Jawandalltherestwhodonothingandeatmuchandweakenusbythehurtoftheirstrengthwhichisbadstrength。Menwhoareslavesarenotstrong。Ifthemanwhofirstfoundthevirtueanduseoffirehadusedhisstrengthwewouldhavebeenhisslaves,aswearetheslavesto—dayofLittle—Belly,whofoundthevirtueanduseofthefish—trap;andofthemenwhofoundthevirtueanduseoftheland,andthegoats,andthefire—
brew。Before,welivedintrees,mybrothers,andnomanwassafe。
Butwefightnomorewithoneanother。Wehaveaddedourstrengthtogether。ThenletusfightnomorewiththeMeat—Eaters。Letusaddourstrengthandtheirstrengthtogether。Thenwillwebeindeedstrong。Andthenwewillgoouttogether,theFish—EatersandtheMeat—Eaters,andwewillkillthetigersandthelionsandthewolvesandthewilddogs,andwewillpastureourgoatsonallthehill—sidesandplantourcornandfatrootsinallthehighmountainvalleys。Inthatdaywewillbesostrongthatallthewildanimalswillfleebeforeusandperish。Andnothingwillwithstandus,forthestrengthofeachmanwillbethestrengthofallmenintheworld。’
\"SosaidHair—Face,andtheykilledhim,because,theysaid,hewasawildmanandwantedtogobackandliveinatree。Itwasverystrange。Wheneveramanaroseandwantedtogoforwardallthosethatstoodstillsaidhewentbackwardandshouldbekilled。Andthepoorpeoplehelpedstonehim,andwerefools。Wewereallfools,exceptthosewhowerefatanddidnowork。Thefoolswerecalledwise,andthewisewerestoned。Menwhoworkeddidnotgetenoughtoeat,andthemenwhodidnotworkatetoomuch。
\"Andthetribewentonlosingstrength。Thechildrenwereweakandsickly。And,becauseweatenotenough,strangesicknessescameamongusandwediedlikeflies。AndthentheMeat—Eaterscameuponus。WehadfollowedTiger—Facetoooftenoverthedivideandkilledthem。Andnowtheycametorepayinblood。Weweretooweakandsicktomanthebigwall。Andtheykilledus,allofus,exceptsomeofthewomen,whichtheytookawaywiththem。TheBugandIescaped,andIhidinthewildestplaces,andbecameahunterofmeatandwenthungrynomore。IstoleawifefromtheMeat—
Eaters,andwenttoliveinthecavesofthehighmountainswheretheycouldnotfindme。Andwehadthreesons,andeachsonstoleawifefromtheMeat—Eaters。Andtherestyouknow,forareyounotthesonsofmysons?\"
\"ButtheBug?\"queriedDeer—Runner。\"Whatbecameofhim?\"
\"HewenttolivewiththeMeat—Eatersandtobeasingerofsongstotheking。Heisanoldmannow,buthesingsthesameoldsongs;and,whenamanrisesuptogoforward,hesingsthatthatmaniswalkingbackwardtoliveinatree。\"
Long—Bearddippedintothebear—carcassandsuckedwithtoothlessgumsatafistofsuet。
\"Someday,\"hesaid,wipinghishandsonhissides,\"allthefoolswillbedeadandthenalllivemenwillgoforward。Thestrengthofthestrongwillbetheirs,andtheywilladdtheirstrengthtogether,sothat,ofallthemenintheworld,notonewillfightwithanother。Therewillbenoguardsnorwatchersonthewalls。
Andallthehuntinganimalswillbekilled,and,asHair—Facesaid,allthehill—sideswillbepasturedwithgoatsandallthehighmountainvalleyswillbeplantedwithcornandfatroots。Andallmenwillbebrothers,andnomanwilllieidleinthesunandbefedbyhisfellows。Andallthatwillcometopassinthetimewhenthefoolsaredead,andwhentherewillbenomoresingerstostandstillandsingthe’SongoftheBees。’Beesarenotmen。\"
SOUTHOFTHESLOT
OldSanFrancisco,whichistheSanFranciscoofonlytheotherday,thedaybeforetheEarthquake,wasdividedmidwaybytheSlot。
TheSlotwasanironcrackthatranalongthecentreofMarketStreet,andfromtheSlotarosetheburroftheceaseless,endlesscablethatwashitchedatwilltothecarsitdraggedupanddown。
Intruth,thereweretwoslots,butinthequickgrammaroftheWesttimewassavedbycallingthem,andmuchmorethattheystoodfor,\"TheSlot。\"NorthoftheSlotwerethetheatres,hotels,andshoppingdistrict,thebanksandthestaid,respectablebusinesshouses。SouthoftheSlotwerethefactories,slums,laundries,machine—shops,boilerworks,andtheabodesoftheworkingclass。
TheSlotwasthemetaphorthatexpressedtheclasscleavageofSociety,andnomancrossedthismetaphor,backandforth,moresuccessfullythanFreddieDrummond。Hemadeapracticeoflivinginbothworlds,andinbothworldshelivedsignallywell。FreddieDrummondwasaprofessorintheSociologyDepartmentoftheUniversityofCalifornia,anditwasasaprofessorofsociologythathefirstcrossedovertheSlot,livedforsixmouthsinthegreatlabour—ghetto,andwroteTHEUNSKILLEDLABOURER—abookthatwashailedeverywhereasanablecontributiontotheliteratureofprogress,andasasplendidreplytotheliteratureofdiscontent。
Politicallyandeconomicallyitwasnothingifnotorthodox。
Presidentsofgreatrailwaysystemsboughtwholeeditionsofittogivetotheiremployees。TheManufacturers’Associationalonedistributedfiftythousandcopiesofit。Inaway,itwasalmostasimmoralasthefar—famedandnotoriousMESSAGETOGARCIA,whileinitsperniciouspreachmentofthriftandcontentitranMR。WIGGS
OFTHECABBAGEPATCHaclosesecond。
Atfirst,FreddieDrummondfounditmonstrouslydifficulttogetalongamongtheworkingpeople。Hewasnotusedtotheirways,andtheycertainlywerenotusedtohis。Theyweresuspicious。Hehadnoantecedents。Hecouldtalkofnopreviousjobs。Hishandsweresoft。Hisextraordinarypolitenesswasominous。HisfirstideaoftherolehewouldplaywasthatofafreeandindependentAmericanwhochosetoworkwithhishandsandnoexplanationsgiven。Butitwouldn’tdo,ashequicklydiscovered。Atthebeginningtheyacceptedhim,veryprovisionally,asafreak。Alittlelater,ashebegantoknowhiswayaboutbetter,heinsensiblydriftedintotherolethatwouldwork—namely,hewasamanwhohadseenbetterdays,verymuchbetterdays,butwhowasdownonhisluck,though,tobesure,onlytemporarily。
Helearnedmanythings,andgeneralizedmuchandoftenerroneously,allofwhichcanbefoundinthepagesofTHEUNSKILLEDLABOURER。
Hesavedhimself,however,afterthesaneandconservativemannerofhiskind,bylabellinghisgeneralizationsas\"tentative。\"OneofhisfirstexperienceswasinthegreatWilmaxCannery,wherehewasputonpiece—workmakingsmallpackingcases。Aboxfactorysuppliedtheparts,andallFreddieDrummondhadtodowastofitthepartsintoaformanddriveinthewirenailswithalighthammer。
Itwasnotskilledlabour,butitwaspiece—work。Theordinarylabourersinthecannerygotadollarandahalfperday。FreddieDrummondfoundtheothermenonthesamejobwithhimjoggingalongandearningadollarandseventy—fivecentsaday。Bythethirddayhewasabletoearnthesame。Buthewasambitious。Hedidnotcaretojogalongand,beingunusuallyableandfit,onthefourthdayearnedtwodollars。
Thenextday,havingkeyedhimselfuptoanexhaustinghigh—
tension,heearnedtwodollarsandahalf。Hisfellowworkersfavouredhimwithscowlsandblacklooks,andmaderemarks,slangilywittyandwhichhedidnotunderstand,aboutsuckinguptothebossandpace—makingandholdingherdown,whentherainssetin。Hewasastonishedattheirmalingeringonpiece—work,generalizedabouttheinherentlazinessoftheunskilledlabourer,andproceedednextdaytohammeroutthreedollars’worthofboxes。
Andthatnight,comingoutofthecannery,hewasinterviewedbyhisfellowworkmen,whowereveryangryandincoherentlyslangy。
Hefailedtocomprehendthemotivebehindtheiraction。Theactionitselfwasstrenuous。Whenherefusedtoeasedownhispaceandbleatedaboutfreedomofcontract,independentAmericanism,andthedignityoftoil,theyproceededtospoilhispace—makingability。
Itwasafiercebattle,forDrummondwasalargemanandanathlete,butthecrowdfinallyjumpedonhisribs,walkedonhisface,andstampedonhisfingers,sothatitwasonlyafterlyinginbedforaweekthathewasabletogetupandlookforanotherjob。Allofwhichisdulynarratedinthatfirstbookofhis,inthechapterentitled\"TheTyrannyofLabour。\"
Alittlelater,inanotherdepartmentoftheWilmaxCannery,lumpingasafruit—distributoramongthewomen,heessayedtocarrytwoboxesoffruitatatime,andwaspromptlyreproachedbytheotherfruit—lumpers。Itwaspalpablemalingering;buthewasthere,hedecided,nottochangeconditions,buttoobserve。Sohelumpedoneboxthereafter,andsowelldidhestudytheartofshirkingthathewroteaspecialchapteronit,withthelastseveralparagraphsdevotedtotentativegeneralizations。
Inthosesixmonthsheworkedatmanyjobsanddevelopedintoaverygoodimitationofagenuineworker。Hewasanaturallinguist,andhekeptnotebooks,makingascientificstudyoftheworkers’slangorargot,untilhecouldtalkquiteintelligibly。
Thislanguagealsoenabledhimmoreintimatelytofollowtheirmentalprocesses,andtherebytogathermuchdataforaprojectedchapterinsomefuturebookwhichheplannedtoentitleSYNTHESIS
OFWORKING—CLASSPSYCHOLOGY。
Beforehearosetothesurfacefromthatfirstplungeintotheunderworldhediscoveredthathewasagoodactoranddemonstratedtheplasticityofhisnature。Hewashimselfastonishedathisownfluidity。Oncehavingmasteredthelanguageandconquerednumerousfastidiousqualms,hefoundthathecouldflowintoanynookofworking—classlifeandfititsosnuglyastofeelcomfortablyathome。Ashesaid,intheprefacetohissecondbook,THETOILER,heendeavouredreallytoknowtheworkingpeople,andtheonlypossiblewaytoachievethiswastoworkbesidethem,eattheirfood,sleepintheirbeds,beamusedwiththeiramusements,thinktheirthoughts,andfeeltheirfeeling。
Hewasnotadeepthinker。Hehadnofaithinnewtheories。Allhisnormsandcriteriawereconventional。HisThesisontheFrenchRevolutionwasnoteworthyincollegeannals,notmerelyforitspainstakingandvoluminousaccuracy,butforthefactthatitwasthedryest,deadest,mostformal,andmostorthodoxscreedeverwrittenonthesubject。Hewasaveryreservedman,andhisnaturalinhibitionwaslargeinquantityandsteel—likeinquality。
Hehadbutfewfriends。Hewastooundemonstrative,toofrigid。
Hehadnovices,norhadanyoneeverdiscoveredanytemptations。
Tobaccohedetested,beerheabhorred,andhewasneverknowntodrinkanythingstrongerthananoccasionallightwineatdinner。
Whenafreshmanhehadbeenbaptized\"Ice—Box\"byhiswarmer—
bloodedfellows。Asamemberofthefacultyhewasknownas\"Cold—
Storage。\"Hehadbutonegrief,andthatwas\"Freddie。\"Hehadearneditwhenheplayedfull—backinthe’Varsityeleven,andhisformalsoulhadneversucceededinlivingitdown。\"Freddie\"hewouldeverbe,exceptofficially,andthroughnightmarevistashelookedintoafuturewhenhisworldwouldspeakofhimas\"OldFreddie。\"
Forhewasveryyoungtobeadoctorofsociology,onlytwenty—
seven,andhelookedyounger。Inappearanceandatmospherehewasastrappingbigcollegeman,smooth—facedandeasy—mannered,cleanandsimpleandwholesome,withaknownrecordofbeingasplendidathleteandanimpliedvastpossessionofcoldcultureoftheinhibitedsort。Henevertalkedshopoutofclassandcommitteerooms,exceptlateron,whenhisbooksshoweredhimwithdistastefulpublicnoticeandheyieldedtotheextentofreadingoccasionalpapersbeforecertainliteraryandeconomicsocieties。
Hedideverythingright—tooright;andindressandcomportmentwasinevitablycorrect。Notthathewasadandy。Farfromit。Hewasacollegeman,indressandcarriageaslikeasapeatothetypethatoflateyearsisbeingsogenerouslyturnedoutofourinstitutionsofhigherlearning。Hishandshakewassatisfyinglystrongandstiff。Hisblueeyeswerecoldlyblueandconvincinglysincere。Hisvoice,firmandmasculine,cleanandcrispofenunciation,waspleasanttotheear。TheonedrawbacktoFreddieDrummondwashisinhibition。Heneverunbent。Inhisfootballdays,thehigherthetensionofthegame,thecoolerhegrew。Hewasnotedasaboxer,buthewasregardedasanautomaton,withtheinhumanprecisionofamachinejudgingdistanceandtimingblows,guarding,blocking,andstalling。Hewasrarelypunishedhimself,whileherarelypunishedanopponent。Hewastoocleverandtoocontrolledtopermithimselftoputapoundmoreweightintoapunchthanheintended。Withhimitwasamatterofexercise。Itkepthimfit。
Astimewentby,FreddieDrummondfoundhimselfmorefrequentlycrossingtheSlotandlosinghimselfinSouthofMarket。Hissummerandwinterholidayswerespentthere,and,whetheritwasaweekoraweek—end,hefoundthetimespenttheretobevaluableandenjoyable。Andtherewassomuchmaterialtobegathered。Histhirdbook,MASSANDMASTER,becameatext—bookintheAmericanuniversities;andalmostbeforeheknewit,hewasatworkonafourthone,THEFALLACYOFTHEINEFFICIENT。
Somewhereinhismake—uptherewasastrangetwistorquirk。
Perhapsitwasarecoilfromhisenvironmentandtraining,orfromthetemperedseedofhisancestors,whohadbeenbook—mengenerationprecedinggeneration;butatanyrate,hefoundenjoymentinbeingdownintheworking—classworld。Inhisownworldhewas\"Cold—Storage,\"butdownbelowhewas\"Big\"BillTotts,whocoulddrinkandsmoke,andslangandfight,andbeanall—roundfavourite。EverybodylikedBill,andmorethanoneworkinggirlmadelovetohim。Atfirsthehadbeenmerelyagoodactor,butastimewenton,simulationbecamesecondnature。Henolongerplayedapart,andhelovedsausages,sausagesandbacon,thanwhich,inhisownpropersphere,therewasnothingmoreloathsomeinthewayoffood。
Fromdoingthethingfortheneed’ssake,hecametodoingthethingforthething’ssake。Hefoundhimselfregrettingasthetimedrewnearforhimtogobacktohislecture—roomandhisinhibition。AndheoftenfoundhimselfwaitingwithanticipationforthedreamytimetopasswhenhecouldcrosstheSlotandcutlooseandplaythedevil。Hewasnotwicked,butas\"Big\"BillTottshedidamyriadthingsthatFreddieDrummondwouldneverhavebeenpermittedtodo。Moreover,FreddieDrummondneverwouldhavewantedtodothem。Thatwasthestrangestpartofhisdiscovery。
FreddieDrummondandBillTottsweretwototallydifferentcreatures。Thedesiresandtastesandimpulsesofeachrancountertotheother’s。BillTottscouldshirkatajobwithclearconscience,whileFreddieDrummondcondemnedshirkingasvicious,criminal,andun—American,anddevotedwholechapterstocondemnationofthevice。FreddieDrummonddidnotcarefordancing,butBillTottsnevermissedthenightsatthevariousdancingclubs,suchasTheMagnolia,TheWesternStar,andTheElite;whilehewonamassivesilvercup,standingthirtyincheshigh,forbeingthebest—sustainedcharacterattheButchersandMeatWorkers’annualgrandmaskedball。AndBillTottslikedthegirlsandthegirlslikedhim,whileFreddieDrummondenjoyedplayingtheasceticinthisparticular,wasopeninhisoppositiontoequalsuffrage,andcynicallybitterinhissecretcondemnationofcoeducation。
FreddieDrummondchangedhismannerswithhisdress,andwithouteffort。Whenheenteredtheobscurelittleroomusedforhistransformationscenes,hecarriedhimselfjustabittoostiffly。
Hewastooerect,hisshoulderswereaninchtoofarback,whilehisfacewasgrave,almostharsh,andpracticallyexpressionless。
ButwhenheemergedinBillTotts’clotheshewasanothercreature。
BillTottsdidnotslouch,butsomehowhiswholeformlimberedupandbecamegraceful。Theverysoundofthevoicewaschanged,andthelaughwasloudandhearty,whileloosespeechandanoccasionaloathwereasamatterofcourseonhislips。Also,BillTottswasatrifleinclinedtolatehours,andattimes,insaloons,tobegood—naturedlybellicosewithotherworkmen。Then,too,atSundaypicnicsorwhencominghomefromtheshow,eitherarmbetrayedapractisedfamiliarityinstealingaroundgirls’waists,whilehedisplayedawitkeenanddelightfulintheflirtatiousbadinagethatwasexpectedofagoodfellowinhisclass。
SothoroughlywasBillTottshimself,sothoroughlyaworkman,agenuinedenizenofSouthoftheSlot,thathewasasclass—
consciousastheaverageofhiskind,andhishatredforascabevenexceededthatoftheaverageloyalunionman。DuringtheWaterFrontStrike,FreddieDrummondwassomehowabletostandapartfromtheuniquecombination,and,coldlycritical,watchBillTottshilariouslyslugscablongshoremen。ForBillTottswasadues—payingmemberoftheLongshoremenUnionandhadarighttobeindignantwiththeusurpersofhisjob。\"Big\"BillTottswassoverybig,andsoveryable,thatitwas\"Big\"Billtothefrontwhentroublewasbrewing。Fromactingoutragedfeelings,FreddieDrummond,intheroleofhisotherself,cametoexperiencegenuineoutrage,anditwasonlywhenhereturnedtotheclassicatmosphereoftheuniversitythathewasable,sanelyandconservatively,togeneralizeuponhisunderworldexperiencesandputthemdownonpaperasatrainedsociologistshould。ThatBillTottslackedtheperspectivetoraisehimaboveclass—consciousnessFreddieDrummondclearlysaw。ButBillTottscouldnotseeit。Whenhesawascabtakinghisjobaway,hesawredatthesametime,andlittleelsedidhesee。ItwasFreddieDrummond,irreproachablyclothedandcomported,seatedathisstudydeskorfacinghisclassinSOCIOLOGY17,whosawBillTotts,andallaroundBillTotts,andallaroundthewholescabandunion—labourproblemanditsrelationtotheeconomicwelfareoftheUnitedStatesinthestrugglefortheworldmarket。BillTottsreallywasn’tabletoseebeyondthenextmealandtheprize—fightthefollowingnightattheGaietyAthleticClub。
ItwaswhilegatheringmaterialforWOMENANDWORKthatFreddiereceivedhisfirstwarningofthedangerhewasin。Hewastoosuccessfulatlivinginbothworlds。Thisstrangedualismhehaddevelopedwasafterallveryunstable,and,ashesatinhisstudyandmeditated,hesawthatitcouldnotendure。Itwasreallyatransitionstage,andifhepersistedhesawthathewouldinevitablyhavetodroponeworldortheother。Hecouldnotcontinueinboth。Andashelookedattherowofvolumesthatgracedtheuppershelfofhisrevolvingbook—case,hisvolumes,beginningwithhisThesisandendingwithWOMENANDWORK,hedecidedthatthatwastheworldhewouldholdtoandstickby。
BillTottshadservedhispurpose,buthehadbecomeatoodangerousaccomplice。BillTottswouldhavetocease。
FreddieDrummond’sfrightwasduetoMaryCondon,PresidentoftheInternationalGloveWorkers’UnionNo。974。Hehadseenher,first,fromthespectators’gallery,attheannualconventionoftheNorthwestFederationofLabour,andhehadseenherthroughBillTotts’eyes,andthatindividualhadbeenmostfavourablyimpressedbyher。ShewasnotFreddieDrummond’ssortatall。
Whatifshewerearoyal—bodiedwoman,gracefulandsinewyasapanther,withamazingblackeyesthatcouldfillwithfireorlaughter—love,asthemoodmightdictate?Hedetestedwomenwithatooexuberantvitalityandalackof……well,ofinhibition。
FreddieDrummondacceptedthedoctrineofevolutionbecauseitwasquiteuniversallyacceptedbycollegemen,andheflatlybelievedthatmanhadclimbeduptheladderoflifeoutofthewelteringmuckandmessoflowerandmonstrousorganicthings。Buthewasatrifleashamedofthisgenealogy,andpreferrednottothinkofit。
Wherefore,probably,hepractisedhisironinhibitionandpreachedittoothers,andpreferredwomenofhisowntype,whocouldshakefreeofthisbestialandregrettableancestrallineandbydisciplineandcontrolemphasizethewidenessofthegulfthatseparatedthemfromwhattheirdimforbearshadbeen。
BillTottshadnoneoftheseconsiderations。HehadlikedMaryCondonfromthemomenthiseyesfirstrestedonherintheconventionhall,andhehadmadeitapoint,thenandthere,tofindoutwhoshewas。Thenexttimehemether,andquitebyaccident,waswhenhewasdrivinganexpresswaggonforPatMorrissey。Itwasinalodging—houseinMissionStreet,wherehehadbeencalledtotakeatrunkintostorage。Thelandlady’sdaughterhadcalledhimandledhimtothelittlebedroom,theoccupantofwhich,aglove—maker,hadjustbeenremovedtohospital。ButBilldidnotknowthis。Hestooped,up—endedthetrunk,whichwasalargeone,gotitonhisshoulder,andstruggledtohisfeetwithhisbacktowardtheopendoor。Atthatmomentheheardawoman’svoice。
\"Belongtotheunion?\"wasthequestionasked。
\"Aw,what’sittoyou?\"heretorted。\"Runalongnow,an’gitoutamyway。Iwantaturnround。\"
Thenextheknow,bigashewas,hewaswhirledhalfaroundandsentreelingbackward,thetrunkoverbalancinghim,tillhefetchedupwithacrashagainstthewall。Hestartedtoswear,butatthesameinstantfoundhimselflookingintoMaryCondon’sflashing,angryeyes。
\"OfcourseIb’longtotheunion,\"hesaid。\"Iwasonlykiddin’
you。\"
\"Where’syourcard?\"shedemandedinbusinessliketones。
\"Inmypocket。ButIcan’tgititoutnow。Thistrunk’stoodamnheavy。Comeondowntothewaggonan’I’llshowittoyou。\"
\"Putthattrunkdown,\"wasthecommand。
\"Whatfor?Igotacard,I’mtellin’you。\"
\"Putitdown,that’sall。Noscab’sgoingtohandlethattrunk。
Yououghttobeashamedofyourself,youbigcoward,scabbingonhonestmen。Whydon’tyoujointheunionandbeaman?\"
MaryCondon’scolourhadleftherface,anditwasapparentthatshewasinarage。
\"Tothinkofabigmanlikeyouturningtraitortohisclass。I
supposeyou’reachingtojointhemilitiaforachancetoshootdownuniondriversthenextstrike。Youmaybelongtothemilitiaalready,forthatmatter。You’rethesort—\"
\"Holdon,now,that’stoomuch!\"Billdroppedthetrunktothefloorwithabang,straightenedup,andthrusthishandintohisinsidecoatpocket。\"ItoldyouIwasonlykiddin’。There,lookatthat。\"
Itwasaunioncardproperlyenough。
\"Allright,takeitalong,\"MaryCondonsaid。\"Andthenexttimedon’tkid。\"
Herfacerelaxedasshenoticedtheeasewithwhichhegotthebigtrunktohisshoulder,andhereyesglowedastheyglancedoverthegracefulmassivenessoftheman。ButBilldidnotseethat。Hewastoobusywiththetrunk。
ThenexttimehesawMaryCondonwasduringtheLaundryStrike。
TheLaundryWorkers,butrecentlyorganized,weregreenatthebusiness,andhadpetitionedMaryCondontoengineerthestrike。
FreddieDrummondhadhadaninklingofwhatwascoming,andhadsentBillTottstojointheunionandinvestigate。Bill’sjobwasinthewash—room,andthemenhadbeencalledoutfirst,thatmorning,inordertostiffenthecourageofthegirls;andBillchancedtobenearthedoortothemangle—roomwhenMaryCondonstartedtoenter。Thesuperintendent,whowasbothlargeandstout,barredherway。Hewasn’tgoingtohavehisgirlscalledout,andhe’dteachheralessontomindherownbusiness。AndasMarytriedtosqueezepasthimhethrustherbackwithafathandonhershoulder。SheglancedaroundandsawBill。
\"Hereyou,Mr。Totts,\"shecalled。\"Lendahand。Iwanttogetin。\"
Billexperiencedastartleofwarmsurprise。Shehadrememberedhisnamefromhisunioncard。Thenextmomentthesuperintendenthadbeenpluckedfromthedoorwayravingaboutrightsunderthelaw,andthegirlsweredesertingtheirmachines。Duringtherestofthatshortandsuccessfulstrike,BillconstitutedhimselfMaryCondon’shenchmanandmessenger,andwhenitwasoverreturnedtotheUniversitytobeFreddieDrummondandtowonderwhatBillTottscouldseeinsuchawoman。
FreddieDrummondwasentirelysafe,butBillhadfalleninlove。
Therewasnogettingawayfromthefactofit,anditwasthisfactthathadgivenFreddieDrummondhiswarning。Well,hehaddonehiswork,andhisadventurescouldcease。TherewasnoneedforhimtocrosstheSlotagain。Allbutthelastthreechaptersofhislatest,LABOURTACTICSANDSTRATEGY,wasfinished,andhehadsufficientmaterialonhandadequatelytosupplythosechapters。
Anotherconclusionhearrivedat,wasthatinordertosheet—anchorhimselfasFreddieDrummond,closertiesandrelationsinhisownsocialnookwerenecessary。Itwastimethathewasmarried,anyway,andhewasfullyawarethatifFreddieDrummonddidn’tgetmarried,BillTottsassuredlywould,andthecomplicationsweretooawfultocontemplate。Andso,entersCatherineVanVorst。Shewasacollegewomanherself,andherfather,theonewealthymemberofthefaculty,wastheheadofthePhilosophyDepartmentaswell。Itwouldbeawisemarriagefromeverystandpoint,FreddieDrummondconcludedwhentheengagementwasconsummatedandannounced。Inappearancecoldandreserved,aristocraticandwholesomelyconservative,CatherineVanVorst,thoughwarminherway,possessedaninhibitionequaltoDrummond’s。
Allseemedwellwithhim,butFreddieDrummondcouldnotquiteshakeoffthecalloftheunderworld,thelureofthefreeandopen,oftheunhampered,irresponsiblelifeSouthoftheSlot。Asthetimeofhismarriageapproached,hefeltthathehadindeedsowedwildoats,andhefelt,moreover,whatagoodthingitwouldbeifhecouldhavebutonewildflingmore,playthegoodfellowandthewastrelonelasttime,erehesettleddowntogreylecture—
roomsandsobermatrimony。And,furthertotempthim,theverylastchapterofLABOURTACTICSANDSTRATEGYremainedunwrittenforlackofatriflemoreofessentialdatawhichhehadneglectedtogather。
SoFreddieDrummondwentdownforthelasttimeasBillTotts,gothisdata,and,unfortunately,encounteredMaryCondon。Oncemoreinstalledinhisstudy,itwasnotapleasantthingtolookbackupon。Itmadehiswarningdoublyimperative。BillTottshadbehavedabominably。NotonlyhadhemetMaryCondonattheCentralLabourCouncil,buthehadstoppedatachop—housewithher,onthewayhome,andtreatedhertooysters。Andbeforetheypartedatherdoor,hisarmshadbeenabouther,andhehadkissedheronthelipsandkissedherrepeatedly。Andherlastwordsinhisear,wordsutteredsoftlywithacatchysobinthethroatthatwasnothingmorenorlessthanalovecry,were\"Bill……dear,dearBill。\"
FreddieDrummondshudderedattherecollection。Hesawthepityawningforhim。Hewasnotbynatureapolygamist,andhewasappalledatthepossibilitiesofthesituation。Itwouldhavetobeputanendto,anditwouldendinoneonlyoftwoways:eitherhemustbecomewhollyBillTottsandbemarriedtoMaryCondon,orhemustremainwhollyFreddieDrummondandbemarriedtoCatherineVanVorst。Otherwise,hisconductwouldbebeneathcontemptandhorrible。
Intheseveralmonthsthatfollowed,SanFranciscowastornwithlabourstrife。Theunionsandtheemployers’associationshadlockedhornswithadeterminationthatlookedasiftheyintendedtosettlethematter,onewayortheother,foralltime。ButFreddieDrummondcorrectedproofs,lecturedclasses,anddidnotbudge。HedevotedhimselftoCatherineVanVorst,anddaybydayfoundmoretorespectandadmireinher—nay,eventoloveinher。
TheStreetCarStriketemptedhim,butnotsoseverelyashewouldhaveexpected;andthegreatMeatStrikecameonandlefthimcold。
TheghostofBillTottshadbeensuccessfullylaid,andFreddieDrummondwithrejuvenescentzealtackledabrochure,long—planned,onthetopicof\"diminishingreturns。\"
Theweddingwastwoweeksoff,when,oneafternoon,inSanFrancisco,CatherineVanVorstpickedhimupandwhiskedhimawaytoseeaBoys’Club,recentlyinstitutedbythesettlementworkersinwhomshewasinterested。Itwasherbrother’smachine,buttheywerealonewiththeexceptionofthechauffeur。AtthejunctionwithKearnyStreet,MarketandGearyStreetsintersectlikethesidesofasharp—angledletter\"V。\"They,intheauto,werecomingdownMarketwiththeintentionofnegotiatingthesharpapexandgoingupGeary。ButtheydidnotknowwhatwascomingdownGeary,timedbyfatetomeetthemattheapex。WhileawarefromthepapersthattheMeatStrikewasonandthatitwasanexceedinglybitterone,allthoughtofitatthatmomentwasfarthestfromFreddieDrummond’smind。WashenotseatedbesideCatherine?Andbesides,hewascarefullyexpositingtoherhisviewsonsettlementwork—viewsthatBillTotts’adventureshadplayedapartinformulating。
ComingdownGearyStreetweresixmeatwaggons。Besideeachscabdriversatapoliceman。Frontandrear,andalongeachsideofthisprocession,marchedaprotectingescortofonehundredpolice。
Behindthepolicerearguard,atarespectfuldistance,wasanorderlybutvociferousmob,severalblocksinlength,thatcongestedthestreetfromsidewalktosidewalk。TheBeefTrustwasmakinganefforttosupplythehotels,and,incidentally,tobeginthebreakingofthestrike。TheSt。Francishadalreadybeensupplied,atacostofmanybrokenwindowsandbrokenheads,andtheexpeditionwasmarchingtothereliefofthePalaceHotel。
Allunwitting,DrummondsatbesideCatherine,talkingsettlementwork,astheauto,honkingmethodicallyanddodgingtraffic,swunginawidecurvetogetaroundtheapex。Abigcoalwaggon,loadedwithlumpcoalanddrawnbyfourhugehorses,justdebouchingfromKearnyStreetasthoughtoturndownMarket,blockedtheirway。
Thedriverofthewaggonseemedundecided,andthechauffeur,runningslowbutdisregardingsomeshoutedwarningfromthecrossingpolicemen,swervedtheautototheleft,violatingthetrafficrules,inordertopassinfrontofthewaggon。
AtthatmomentFreddieDrummonddiscontinuedhisconversation。Nordidheresumeitagain,forthesituationwasdevelopingwiththerapidityofatransformationscene。Heheardtheroarofthemobattherear,andcaughtaglimpseofthehelmetedpoliceandthelurchingmeatwaggons。Atthesamemoment,layingonhiswhip,andstandinguptohistask,thecoaldriverrushedhorsesandwaggonsquarelyinfrontoftheadvancingprocession,pulledthehorsesupsharply,andputonthebigbrake。Thenhemadehislinesfasttothebrake—handleandsatdownwiththeairofonewhohadstoppedtostay。Theautohadbeenbroughttoastop,too,byhisbigpantingleaderswhichhadjammedagainstit。
Beforethechauffeurcouldbackclear,anoldIrishman,drivingaricketyexpresswaggonandlashinghisonehorsetoagallop,hadlockedwheelswiththeauto。Drummondrecognizedbothhorseandwaggon,forhehaddriventhemoftenhimself。TheIrishmanwasPatMorrissey。Ontheothersideabrewerywaggonwaslockingwiththecoalwaggon,andaneast—boundKearnyStreetcar,wildlyclangingitsgong,themotormanshoutingdefianceatthecrossingpoliceman,wasdashingforwardtocompletetheblockade。Andwaggonafterwaggonwaslockingandblockingandaddingtotheconfusion。Themeatwaggonshalted。Thepoliceweretrapped。Theroarattherearincreasedasthemobcameontotheattack,whilethevanguardofthepolicechargedtheobstructingwaggons。
\"We’reinforit,\"DrummondremarkedcoollytoCatherine。
\"Yes,\"shenodded,withequalcoolness。\"Whatsavagestheyare。\"
Hisadmirationforherdoubledonitself。Shewasindeedhissort。
Hewouldhavebeensatisfiedwithherevenifshehadscreamed,andclungtohim,butthis—thiswasmagnificent。Shesatinthatstormcentreascalmlyasifithadbeennomorethanablockofcarriagesattheopera。
Thepolicewerestrugglingtoclearapassage。Thedriverofthecoalwaggon,abigmaninshirtsleeves,lightedapipeandsatsmoking。Heglanceddowncomplacentlyatacaptainofpolicewhowasravingandcursingathim,andhisonlyacknowledgmentwasashrugoftheshoulders。Fromthereararosetherat—rat—tatofclubsonheadsandapandemoniumofcursing,yelling,andshouting。
Aviolentaccessionofnoiseproclaimedthatthemobhadbrokenthroughandwasdraggingascabfromawaggon。Thepolicecaptainreinforcedfromhisvanguard,andthemobattherearwasrepelled。
Meanwhile,windowafterwindowinthehighofficebuildingontherighthadbeenopened,andtheclass—consciousclerkswererainingashowerofofficefurnituredownontheheadsofpoliceandscabs。
Waste—baskets,ink—bottles,paper—weights,type—writers—anythingandeverythingthatcametohandwasfillingtheair。
Apoliceman,underordersfromhiscaptain,clamberedtotheloftyseatofthecoalwaggontoarrestthedriver。Andthedriver,risingleisurelyandpeacefullytomeethim,suddenlycrumpledhiminhisarmsandthrewhimdownontopofthecaptain。Thedriverwasayounggiant,andwhenheclimbedonhisloadandpoisedalumpofcoalinbothhands,apoliceman,whowasjustscalingthewaggonfromtheside,letgoanddroppedbacktoearth。Thecaptainorderedhalf—a—dozenofhismentotakethewaggon。Theteamster,scramblingovertheloadfromsidetoside,beatthemdownwithhugelumpsofcoal。
Thecrowdonthesidewalksandtheteamstersonthelockedwaggonsroaredencouragementandtheirowndelight。Themotorman,smashinghelmetswithhiscontrollerbar,wasbeatenintoinsensibilityanddraggedfromhisplatform。Thecaptainofpolice,besidehimselfattherepulseofhismen,ledthenextassaultonthecoalwaggon。
Ascoreofpolicewereswarmingupthetall—sidedfortress。Buttheteamstermultipliedhimself。Attimesthereweresixoreightpolicemenrollingonthepavementandunderthewaggon。Engagedinrepulsinganattackontherearendofhisfortress,theteamsterturnedabouttoseethecaptainjustintheactofsteppingontotheseatfromthefrontend。Hewasstillintheairandinmostunstableequilibrium,whentheteamsterhurledathirty—poundlumpofcoal。Itcaughtthecaptainfairlyonthechest,andhewentoverbackward,strikingonawheeler’sback,tumblingontotheground,andjammingagainsttherearwheeloftheauto。