9

BEFORE the night had broken at all the voice of awakening men sounded through the camp. There were axe-strokes on wood, and the rattling of the rusty stoves. In a few moments the sweet smell of burning pine and apple wood filled the camp. The cooks’ detail was busy. Near the roaring stoves the buckets of coffee were set. The wash boilers of beans began to warm. Out of the tents the people crept, and went to stand near the stoves where they crowded so closely that the cooks had no room to work.

Dakin’s truck drove off to Anderson’s house and came back with three barrels of water. The word passed, “Dakin wants to see the squad leaders. He wants to talk to ’em right away.” The leaders walked importantly toward Dakin’s tent.

Now the line of orchard top grew sharp against the eastern sky and the parked cars were greyly visible. The buckets of coffee began to boil, and a rank, nourishing smell came from the bean kettles. The cooks ladled out beans into anything the people brought, pans, jars, cans and tin plates. Many sat on the ground, and with their pocket-knives carved little wooden paddles with which to eat their beans. The coffee was black and bitter, but men and women who had been silent and uncomfortable were warmed by it so that they began to talk, to laugh, to call greetings to one another. The daylight came over the trees and the ground turned greyish-blue. Three great bands of geese flew over, high in the light.

Meanwhile Dakin, flanked by Burke and London, stood in front of his tent. Before Dakin the squad leaders stood and waited, and Mac and Jim stood among them, for Mac had explained to Jim, “We’ve got to go pretty slow for a while. We don’t want the guys to throw us out now.”

Dakin had put on a short denim jacket and a tweed cap. His pale eyes darted about over the faces of the men. He said, “I’m goin’ to tell you guys what’s on, and then you can pull out of it if you want to. I don’t want nobody to come that don’t want to come. There’s a train-load of scabs comin’ in. We figure to go in town an’ try to stop ’em. We’ll talk to ’em some, and then we might have to fight ’em. How’s that sound to you?”

A murmur of assent arose.

“All right, then. We’ll march in. Keep your guys in hand. Keep ’em quiet, and on the side of the road.” He grinned coldly. “If any of ’em want to pick up a few rocks an’ shove ’em in their pockets, I can’t see no harm in that.”

The men laughed appreciatively.

“O.K. If you got that, go talk to your men. I want to get all the kicks in before we start. I’m goin’ to leave about a hundred guys to look after the camp. Go get some breakfast.”

The men broke and hurried back to the stoves. Mac and Jim moved up to where the leaders stood. London was saying, “I wouldn’t trust ’em to put up much of a scrap. They don’t look none too mean to me.”

“Too early in the morning,” Mac assured him. “They ain’t had their coffee yet. Guys are different before they’ve ate.”

Dakin demanded, “You guys goin’ along?”

“Damn right,” said Mac. “But look, Dakin, we got men out gettin’ food and supplies together. Fix it so some cars can go in for the stuff when they send the word.”

“O.K. We’ll need it by tonight, too. Them beans’ll be all gone. It takes a hell of a lot to feed a bunch like this.”

Burke said, “I’m for startin’ a mix soon’s the scabs get off the train. Scare hell out of ’em.”

“Better talk first,” Mac said. “I seen half a trainload of scabs go over to the strike if they was talked to first. You jump on ’em and you’ll scare some, and make some mad.”

Dakin watched him suspiciously while he talked. “Well, let’s be movin’,” he said. “I got to pick the guys to stay. Doc and his men can clean up the camp. I’m goin’ in my truck; London an’ Burke can ride with me. We better leave these damn old cans here.”

The sun was just coming up when the long, ragged column started out. The squad leaders kept their men to one side of the road. Jim heard a man say, “Don’t bother with clods. Wait till we get to the railroad right-of-way. There’s nice granite rocks in the roadbed.”

Singing broke out, the tuneless, uneven singing of untrained men. Dakin’s green Chevrolet truck led off, idling in low gear. The column of men followed it, and the crowd left in camp with the women howled goodbyes after them.

They had hardly started when ten motorcycle policemen rode up and spaced themselves along the line of march. When they had gone half a mile along the road a big open car, jammed with men, dashed to the head of the column and parked across the road. All of the men carried rifles in their hands, and all wore deputies’ badges. The driver stood up on the seat. “You men are going to keep order, and don’t forget it,” he shouted. “You can march as long as you don’t block traffic, but you’re not going to interfere with anybody. Get that?” He sat down, moved his car in front of Dakin’s truck and led the whole march.

Jim and Mac marched fifty feet behind Dakin’s truck. Mac said, “They got a reception committee for us. Ain’t that kind of ’em?” The men about him tittered. Mac continued, “They say ’you got a right to strike, but you can’t picket,’ an’ they know a strike won’t work without picket-in’.” There was no laughter this time. The men growled, but there was little anger in the tone. Mac glanced nervously at Jim. “I don’t like it,” he said softly. “This bunch of bums isn’t keyed up. I hope to Christ something happens to make ’em mad before long. This ’s going to fizzle out if something don’t happen.”

The straggling parade moved into town and took to the sidewalks. The men were quiet now, and most of them looked shamefaced. As they came into the town, householders watched through the windows, and children stood on the lawns and looked at them until the parents dragged them into the houses and shut the doors. Very few citizens moved about in the streets. The motorcycles of the police idled along so slowly that the riders had to put out their feet and touch the ground occasionally to keep upright. Led by the sheriff’s car, the procession moved along back streets until it came at last to the railroad yard. The men stopped along the edge of the right-of-way, for the line was guarded by twenty men armed with shot-guns and tear gas bombs.

Dakin parked his truck at the curb. The men silently spread out and faced the line of special policemen. Dakin and London walked up and down the dense front, giving instructions. The men must not start any trouble with the cops if they could help it. There was to be talk first, and that was all.

On the right of way two long lines of refrigerator cars stood idle. Jim said, aside, to Mac, “Maybe they’ll stop the freight way up the track and unload the guys. Then we wouldn’t get a chance at them.”

Mac shook his head. “Later they might, but now I think they want a show-down. They figure they can scare us off. Jesus, I wish the train’d come in. Waiting raises hell with guys like ours. They get scared when they have to wait around.”

A number of the men were sitting down on the curb by now. A buzz of quiet talk came from the close-pressed line. They were hemmed in, railroad guards on one side, motorcycle police and deputy sheriffs on the other. The men looked nervous and self-conscious. The sheriff’s deputies carried their rifles in two hands, held across their stomachs.

“The cops are scared, too,” Mac said.

London reassured a group of men. “They ain’t a goin’ to do no shootin’,” he said. “They can’t afford to do no shootin’.”

Someone shouted, “She’s in the block!” Far along the track the block arm of the semaphore was up. A line of smoke showed above the trees, and the tracks rumbled under approaching wheels. Now the men stood up from the curb and craned their necks up the track.

London bellowed, “Hold the guys in, now.”

They could see the black engine and the freight cars moving slowly in; and in the doorways of the cars they could see the legs of men. The engine crashed slowly in, puffing out bursts of steam from under its wheels. It drew into a siding and its brakes set. The cars jarred together, the ending stood wheezing and panting.

Across the street from the right-of-way stood a line of dilapidated stores and restaurants with furnished rooms in their upper storeys. Mac glanced over his shoulder. The windows of the rooms were full of men’s heads looking out. Mac said, “I don’t like the looks of those guys.”

“Why not?” Jim asked.

“I don’t know. There ought to be some women there. There aren’t any women at all.”

In the doorways of the box-cars strike-breakers sat, and standing behind them were others. They stared uneasily. They made no move to get out on to the ground.

Then London stepped out in front, stepped so close to a guard that the shot-gun muzzle turned and pointed at his stomach, and the guard moved back a pace. The engine panted rhythmically, like a great, tired animal. London cupped his hands around his mouth. His deep voice roared, “Come on over, you guys. Don’t fight against us. Don’t help the cops.” His voice was cut off by a shriek of steam. A jet of white leaped from the side of the engine, drowning London’s voice, blotting out every sound but its own swishing scream. The line of strikers moved restively, bellied out in the middle, toward the guards. The shotgun muzzles turned and swept the ranks. The guards’ faces tightened, but their threat had stopped the line. The steam shrieked on, and its white plume rose up and broke into little pieces.

In the doorway of one of the box-cars a commotion started, a kind of a boiling of the men. A man squirmed through the seated scabs and dropped to the ground.

Mac shouted in Jim’s ear, “My God! It’s Joy!”

The misshapen, gnome-like figure faced the doorway, and the men. The arms waved jerkily. Still the steam screeched. The men in the doorway dropped to the ground and stood in front of the frantic, jerking Joy. He turned and waved his arm toward the strikers. His beaten face was contorted. Five or six of the men fell in behind him, and the whole group moved toward the line of strikers. The guards turned sideways, nervously trying to watch both sides at once.

And then—above the steam—three sharp, cracking sounds. Mac looked back at the stores. Heads and rifles were withdrawn quickly from the room windows and the windows dropped.

Joy had stopped, his eyes wide. His mouth flew open and a jet of blood rolled down his chin, and down his shirt. His eyes ranged wildly over the crowd of men. He fell on his face and clawed outward with his fingers. The guards stared unbelievingly at the squirming figure on the ground. Suddenly the steam stopped; and the quietness fell on the men like a wave of sound. The line of strikers stood still, with strange, dreaming faces. Joy lifted himself up with his arms, like a lizard, and then dropped again. A little thick river of blood ran down on the crushed rock of the roadbed.

A strange, heavy movement started among the men. London moved forward woodenly, and the men moved forward. They were stiff. The guards aimed with their guns, but the line moved on, unheeding, unseeing. The guards stepped swiftly sideways to get out of the way, for the box-car doors were belching silent men who moved slowly in. The ends of the long line curled and circled slowly around the center of the dead man, like sheep about a nucleus.

Jim clung shivering to Mac’s arm. Mac turned and muttered, “He’s done the first real, useful thing in his life. Poor Joy. He’s done it. He’d be so glad. Look at the cops, Jim. Let go my arm. Don’t lose your nerve. Look at the cops!”

The guards were frightened, riots they could stop, fighting they could stop; but this slow, silent movement of men with the wide eyes of sleep-walkers terrified them. They held to their places, but the sheriff started his car. The motorcycle police moved imperceptibly toward their parked machines.

The strike-breakers were out of the cars by now. Some of them crept between the box-cars or under the wheels and hurried away on the other side, but most of them moved up and packed tightly about the place where Joy lay.

Mac saw Dakin standing on the outskirts of the mob, his little pale eyes for once looking straight ahead and not moving. Mac walked over to him. “We better get him in your truck and take him out to the camp.”

Dakin turned slowly. “We can’t touch him,” he said. “The cops’ll have to take him.”

Mac said sharply, “Why didn’t the cops catch those guys in the windows? Look at the cops, they’re scared to death. We’ve got to take him, I tell you. We’ve got to use him to step our guys up, to keep ’em together. This’ll stick ’em together, this’ll make ’em fight.”

Dakin grimaced. “You’re a cold-blooded bastard. Don’t you think of nothing but ‘strike’?”

Jim broke in, “Dakin, that little guy got shot trying to help us. D’you want to stop him now from doing it?”

Dakin’s eyes moved slowly from Mac to Jim, and then to Mac again. He said, “What do you know about what he was doin’? Couldn’t hear nothing but that damn steam.”

“We know him,” Mac said. “He was a pal of ours.”

Dakin’s eyes were filled with dislike. “Pal of yours, and you won’t let him rest now. You want to use him. You’re a pair of cold-blooded bastards.”

Mac cried, “What do you know about it? Joy didn’t want no rest. Joy wanted to work, and he didn’t know how.” His voice rose hysterically, “and now he’s got a chance to work, and you don’t want to let ’im.”

A number of the men had turned toward the voices, turned with a dull curiosity. Dakin peered at Mac for a moment longer. “Come on,” he said. They pushed and jabbed their way into the tight mass of men, who gave way reluctantly.

Mac shouted, “Come on, you guys, let us in. We got to get this poor fellow out o’ there.” The men opened a narrow pathway, pushing violently backward to make it.

London joined them, and helped to force a way in. Joy was quite dead. When they had cleared a little space around him, London turned him over and started to wipe the bloody dirt from Joy’s mouth. There was a foxy look in the open eyes; the mouth smiled terribly.

Mac said, “Don’t do that, London. Leave it that way, just the way it is.”

London lifted the little man in his arms. Joy looked very small against London’s big chest. A path opened for them easily this time. London marched along, and the men arranged themselves into a crude column, and followed.

Beside Dakin’s bright green truck the sheriff stood, surrounded by his deputies. London stopped, and the following men stopped. “I want that body,” the sheriff said.

“No. You can’t have it.”

“You men shot a strike-breaker. We’ll bring the charge. I want that body for the coroner.”

London’s eyes glowed redly. He said simply, “Mister, you know the guys that killed this little man; you know who did it. You got laws and you don’t keep ’em.” The mob was silent, listening.

“I tell you, I want that body.”

London said plaintively, “Can’t you see, mister? If you guys don’t get the hell out of here, can’t you see you’re goin’ get killed? Can’t you see that, mister? Don’t you know when you can’t go no further?”

From the mob there came a rustle of released breath. The sheriff said, “I’m not through with you,” but he backed away, and his deputies backed away. The mob growled, so softly that it sounded like a moan. London set Joy over the tailboard of the truck, and he climbed in and lifted the body forward, until it leaned against the back of the cab.

Dakin started his motor and backed around and rolled along the street, and the dull, menacing mob fell in behind. They made no noise. They walked with heavy, padding footsteps.

No motorcycle police lined the road. The streets and the roads were deserted on their line of march. Mac and Jim walked a little to one side of the truck. “Was it vigilantes, Mac?”

“Yep. But they overdid it this time. Everything went wrong for them. That steam—if our guys could’ve heard the shooting better, they’d probably have run away. But the steam was too loud. It was over too soon; our guys didn’t have a chance to get scared. No, they made a mistake.”

They trudged slowly along, beside the column of marching men. “Mac, who in hell are these vigilantes, anyway? What kind of guys are they?”

“Why, they’re the dirtiest guys in any town. They’re the same ones that burned the houses of old German people during the war. They’re the same ones that lynch Negroes. They like to be cruel. They like to hurt people, and they always give it a nice name, patriotism or protecting the constitution. But they’re just the old nigger torturers working. The owners use ’em, tell ’em we have to protect the people against reds. Y’see that lets ’em burn houses and torture and beat people with no danger. And that’s all they want to do, anyway. They’ve got no guts; they’ll only shoot from cover, or gang a man when they’re ten to one. I guess they’re about the worst scum in the world.” His eyes sought the body of Joy, in the truck. He said, “During the war there was a little fat German tailor in my town, and a bunch of these patriotic bastards, about fifty of ’em, started his house on fire, and beat him to a pulp. They’re great guys, these vigilantes. Not long ago they shot tracer bullets through a kerosene tank and started a fire in a bunk house. They didn’t even have the guts to do it with a match.”

The column marched on through the country, raising a great dust. The men were coming slowly out of their dream. They talked together in low voices. Their feet scuffed heavily against the ground. “Poor Joy,” Jim said. “He was a good little fellow. He’d been beaten so much. He reminded me of my old man, always mad.”

Mac reproved him. “Don’t feel sorry for Joy. If he could know what he did, he’d be cocky. Joy always wanted to lead people, and now he’s going to do it, even if he’s in a box.”

“How about the scabs, Mac? We got a bunch of them with us.”

“Sure, a bunch came over, but a lot of ’em beat it. Some of our guys beat it, too. We got just about the same number we started with. Didn’t you see ’em crawling under the cars and running away?” Mac said, “Look at these guys. They’re waking up. It’s just as though they got a shot of gas for a while. That’s the most dangerous kind of men.”

“The cops knew it, too,” said Jim.

“Damn right they did. When a mob don’t make a noise, when it just comes on with dead-pans, that’s the time for a cop to get out of the way.”

They were nearing the Anderson place. Jim asked, “What do we do now, Mac?”

“Well, we hold the funeral, and we start picketing. It’ll settle down now. They’ll run in scabs with trucks.”

“You still think we’ll get beat, Mac?”

“I don’t know. They got this valley organized. God, how they’ve got it organized. It’s not so hard to do when a few men control everything, land, courts, banks. They can cut off loans, and they can railroad a man to jail, and they can always bribe plenty.”

Dakin’s truck pulled to the end of the line of cars and backed into place. The camp guards came streaming out, and the column of returning men deployed among them. Groups collected to hear the story, over and over. Dr. Burton trotted over to Dakin’s truck. London stood up heavily. His wide blue shirt-front was streaked with Joy’s blood. Burton took one look at Joy. “Killed him, eh?”

“Got him,” said London.

Burton said, “Bring him to my tent. I’ll look him over.” From behind the tents a hoarse, bubbling scream broke out. All of the men turned, frozen at the sound. Burton said, “Oh, they’re killing a pig. One of the cars brought back a live pig. Bring this body to my tent.”

London bent over wearily and lifted Joy in his arms again. A crowd of men followed him, and stood clustered about the big troop tent. Mac and Jim followed Dr. Burton inside the tent. They watched silently while he unbuttoned the stiff, bloody shirt and disclosed a wound in the chest. “Well, that’s it. That’d do it.”

“Recognize him, Doc?”

Burton looked closely at the distorted face. “I’ve seen him before.”

“Sure you have. It’s Joy. You’ve set damn near every bone in his body.”

“Well, he’s through this time. Tough little man. You’ll have to send his body to town. The coroner’ll have to have it.”

London said, “If we do that, they’ll bury him, hide him.”

Mac said, “We can send some guys in to see that he gets back here. Let ’em picket the morgue till they get the body back. Those damn vigilantes made a mistake; an’ they know it by now.”

Dakin lifted the flap and stepped into the big tent.

“They’re fryin’ pork,” he said. “They sure cut up that pig quick.”

Mac said, “Dakin, can you have the guys build a kind of a platform? We’ll want some place for the coffin to set. Y’ought to have a place to talk from, too.”

“Want to make a show of it, do you?”

“You’re damn right! You got me kinda wrong, Dakin. What we got to fight with? Rocks, sticks. Even Indians had bows an’ arrows. But let us get one little gun to protect ourselves, an’ they call out the troops to stop the revolution. We got damn few things to fight with. We got to use what we can. This little guy was my friend. Y’can take it from me he’d want to get used any way we can use him. We got to use him.” He paused. “Dakin, can’t you see? We’ll get a hell of a lot of people on our side if we put on a public funeral. We got to get public opinion.”

London was nodding his head slowly up and down. “The guy’s right, Dakin.”

“O.K., if you want it too, London. I s’pose somebody’s got to make a speech, but I ain’t goin’ to do it.”

“Well, I will if I have to,” London cried. “I seen the little guy start over to us. I seen him get it. I’ll make the speech if you won’t.”

“Sounds like Cock Robin,” Burton said.

“Huh?”

“Nothing. I was just talking. Better get the body taken in now, and turn it over to the coroner.”

London said, “I’m going to send a flock of my own guys to stay with him.”

Jim’s voice came from outside the tent. “Oh, Mac, come on out. Anderson wants to see you.”

Mac walked quickly outside. Anderson was standing with Jim. He looked tired and old. “You just played hell,” he began fiercely.

“What’s the matter, Mr. Anderson?”

“Said you’d protect us, didn’t you?”

“Sure I did. The guys here’ll take care of you. What’s the matter?”

“I’ll tell you what’s the matter. Bunch of men burned up Al’s lunch wagon last night. They jumped on Al’ an’ broke his arm an’ six ribs. They burned his lunch wagon right down.”

“Jesus!” Mac said. “I didn’t think they’d do that.”

“You didn’t think, but they did it just the same.”

“Where’s Al now, Mr. Anderson?”

“He’s over to the house. I had to bring him out from the hospital.”

“I’ll get the doctor. We’ll go over and see him.”

“Eighteen hundred dollars!” the old man cried. “He got some of it together, and I loaned him some, and then along you come. Now he hasn’t got a thing.”

“I’m awful sorry,” Mac said.

“Sure, you’re sorry. That don’t unburn Al’s wagon. That don’t mend his arm and his ribs. And what you doing to protect me? They’ll burn my house next.”

“We’ll put a guard around your house.”

“Guard, hell. What good’s this bunch of bums? I wish I never let you on the place. You’ll ruin me.” His voice had risen to a high squeak. His old eyes were watering. “You just played hell, that’s what you did. That’s what we get for mixing up with a bunch of damn radicals.”

Mac tried to soothe him. “Let’s go over and see Al,” he suggested. “Al’s a swell guy. I want to see him.”

“Well, he’s all busted up. They kicked ’im in the head, too.”

Mac edged him slowly away, for the men were beginning to move in, toward the shrill voice. “What you blaming us for?” he said. “We didn’t do it. It was those nice neighbors of yours.”

“Yes, but it wouldn’t of happened if we didn’t get mixed up with you.”

Mac turned angrily on him. “Listen, mister, we know you got a sock in the teeth; little guys like you and me get it all the time. We’re tryin’ to make it so guys like you won’t get it.”

“That wagon cost eighteen hundred dollars. Why, man, I can’t go in town without the kids throw rocks at me. You ruined us, that’s what you did.”

Mac asked, “How’s Al feel about it?”

“I think Al’s red as hell himself. Only people he’s sore at are the men that did it.”

“Al’s got a good head,” Mac said. “Al sees the whole thing. You would of been out on your can anyway. Now, if you get bounced, you got a big bunch of men in back of you. These men aren’t going to forget what you’re doing for ’em. And we’ll put a guard around your house tonight. I’ll have the doctor come over pretty soon and look at Al.”

The old man turned tiredly, and walked away.

Smoke from the rusty stoves hung low over the camp. The men had begun to move in toward the smell of frying pork. Mac looked after the retreating figure of Anderson. “How’s it feel to be a Party man now, Jim? It’s swell when you read about it—romantic. Ladies like to get up and squawk about the ’boss class’ and the ’downtrodden working man.’ It’s a heavy weight, Jim. That poor guy. The lunch wagon looks bigger than the world to him. I feel responsible for that. Hell,” Mac continued. “I thought I brought you out here to teach you, to give you confidence; and here I spend my time belly-aching. I thought I was going to bolster you up, and instead—oh, what the hell! It’s awful hard to keep your eyes on the big issue. Why the devil don’t you say something?”

“You don’t give me a chance.”

“I guess I don’t. Say something now! All I can think of is that poor little Joy shot up. He didn’t have much sense, but he wasn’t afraid of anything.”

“He was a nice little guy,” Jim said.

“’Member what he said? Nobody was going to make him stop calling sons-of-bitches, ‘sons-of-bitches.’ I wish I didn’t get this lost feeling sometimes, Jim.”

“A little fried pork might help.”

“By God, that’s right. I didn’t have much this morning. Let’s go over.”

A long delivery wagon drove up the road and stopped in front of the line of cars. From the seat a fussy little man stepped down and walked into the camp. “Who’s in charge here?” he demanded of Mac.

“Dakin. He’s over in that big tent.”

“Well, I’m the coroner. I want that corpse.”

“Where’s your bodyguard?” Mac asked.

The little man puffed at him. “What do I want with a bodyguard? I’m the coroner. Where’s that corpse?”

“In the big tent over there. It’s all ready for you.”

“Well, why didn’t you say so?” He went puffing away like a small engine.

Mac sighed. “Thank God we don’t have many like him to fight,” he said. “That little guy’s got guts. Came out all alone. He’s kind of like Joy, himself.” They walked on toward the stoves. Two men passed, carrying the body of Joy between them, and the coroner walked fussily along behind.

Men were walking away from the stoves with pieces of greasy fried pork in their hands. They wiped their lips with their sleeves. The tops of the stoves were covered with little slabs of hissing meat. “God, that smells good,” said Mac. “Let’s get some. I’m hungry as hell.” The cooks handed out ill-cut, half-cooked pieces of pork to them, and they strolled away, gnawing at the soft meat. “Only eat the outside,” Mac said. “Doc shouldn’t let the men eat raw pork. They’ll all be sick.”

“They got too hungry to wait,” said Jim.