safely leave this boy out of it."
"No, I expect he
wasn't
the one who popped them hingepins," said Captain Howard. "I expect he was somebody's spy to tell them Blacks about the plan."
"I didn't tell nobody no plan," said Arthur Stuart hotly.
Alvin clamped his grip tighter. No slave would talk to a white man like that, least of all a boat captain.
Then from behind Austin and Howard came another voice. "It's all right, boy," said Bowie. "You can tell them. No need to keep it secret any more."
And with a sinking feeling, Alvin wondered what kind of pyrotechnics he'd have to go through to distract everybody long enough for him and Arthur Stuart to get away.
But Bowie didn't say at all what Alvin expected. "I got the boy to tell me what he learned from them. They were cooking up some evil Mexica ritual. Something about tearing out somebody's heart one night when they were pretending to be our guides. A treacherous bunch, and so I decided we'd be better of without them."
"
You
decided!" Captain Howard growled. "What right did
you
have to decide."
"Safety," said Bowie. "You put me in charge of the scouts, and that's what these were supposed to be. But it was a blame fool idea from the start. Why do you think them Mexica left those boys alive instead of taking their beating heart out of their chests? It was a trap. All along, it was a trap. Well, we didn't fall into it."
"Do you know how much they cost?" demanded Captain Howard.
"They didn't cost
you
anything," said Austin.
That reminder took a bit of the dudgeon out of Captain Howard. "It's the principle of the thing. Just setting them free."
"But I didn't," said Bowie. "I sent them across river. What do you think will happen to them there --
if
they make it through the fog?"
There was a bit more grumbling, but some laughter, too, and the matter was closed.
Back in his room, Alvin waited for Bowie to return.
"Why?" he demanded.
"I told you I could keep a secret," said Bowie. "I watched you and the boy do it, and I have to say, it was worth it to see how you broke their irons without ever laying a hand on them. To think I'd ever see a knack like that. Oh, you're a maker all right."
"Then come with me," said Alvin. "Leave these men behind. Don't you know the doom that lies over their heads? The Mexica aren't fools. These are dead men you're traveling with."
"Might be so," said Bowie, "but they need what I can do, and you don't."
"I do so," said Alvin. "Because I don't know many men in this world can hide their heartfire from me. It's your knack, isn't it? To disappear from all men's sight, when you want to. Because I never saw you watching us."
"And yet I woke you up just reaching for your poke the other night," said Bowie with a grin.
"Reaching for it?" said Alvin. "Or putting it back?"
Bowie shrugged.
"I thank you for protecting us and taking the blame on yourself."
Bowie chuckled. "Not much blame there. Truth is, Austin was getting sick of all the trouble of taking care of them Blacks. It was only Howard who was so dead set on having them, and he ain't even going with us, once he drops us off on the Mexica coast."
"I could teach you. The way Arthur Stuart's been learning."
"I don't think so," said Bowie. "It's like you said. We're different kind of men."
"Not so different but what you can't change iffen you've a mind to."
Bowie only shook his head.
"Well, then, I'll thank you the only way that's useful to you," said Alvin.
Bowie waited. "Well?"
"I just did it," said Alvin. "I just put it back."
Bowie reached down to the sheath at his waist. It wasn't empty. He drew out the knife. There was the blade, plain as day, not a whit changed.
You'd've thought Bowie was handling his long-lost baby.
"How'd you get the blade back on it?" he asked. "You never touched it."
"It was there all along," said Alvin. "I just kind of spread it out a little."
"So I couldn't see it?"
"And so it wouldn't cut nothing."
"But now it will?"
"I think you're bound to die,
"No, I expect he
wasn't
the one who popped them hingepins," said Captain Howard. "I expect he was somebody's spy to tell them Blacks about the plan."
"I didn't tell nobody no plan," said Arthur Stuart hotly.
Alvin clamped his grip tighter. No slave would talk to a white man like that, least of all a boat captain.
Then from behind Austin and Howard came another voice. "It's all right, boy," said Bowie. "You can tell them. No need to keep it secret any more."
And with a sinking feeling, Alvin wondered what kind of pyrotechnics he'd have to go through to distract everybody long enough for him and Arthur Stuart to get away.
But Bowie didn't say at all what Alvin expected. "I got the boy to tell me what he learned from them. They were cooking up some evil Mexica ritual. Something about tearing out somebody's heart one night when they were pretending to be our guides. A treacherous bunch, and so I decided we'd be better of without them."
"
You
decided!" Captain Howard growled. "What right did
you
have to decide."
"Safety," said Bowie. "You put me in charge of the scouts, and that's what these were supposed to be. But it was a blame fool idea from the start. Why do you think them Mexica left those boys alive instead of taking their beating heart out of their chests? It was a trap. All along, it was a trap. Well, we didn't fall into it."
"Do you know how much they cost?" demanded Captain Howard.
"They didn't cost
you
anything," said Austin.
That reminder took a bit of the dudgeon out of Captain Howard. "It's the principle of the thing. Just setting them free."
"But I didn't," said Bowie. "I sent them across river. What do you think will happen to them there --
if
they make it through the fog?"
There was a bit more grumbling, but some laughter, too, and the matter was closed.
Back in his room, Alvin waited for Bowie to return.
"Why?" he demanded.
"I told you I could keep a secret," said Bowie. "I watched you and the boy do it, and I have to say, it was worth it to see how you broke their irons without ever laying a hand on them. To think I'd ever see a knack like that. Oh, you're a maker all right."
"Then come with me," said Alvin. "Leave these men behind. Don't you know the doom that lies over their heads? The Mexica aren't fools. These are dead men you're traveling with."
"Might be so," said Bowie, "but they need what I can do, and you don't."
"I do so," said Alvin. "Because I don't know many men in this world can hide their heartfire from me. It's your knack, isn't it? To disappear from all men's sight, when you want to. Because I never saw you watching us."
"And yet I woke you up just reaching for your poke the other night," said Bowie with a grin.
"Reaching for it?" said Alvin. "Or putting it back?"
Bowie shrugged.
"I thank you for protecting us and taking the blame on yourself."
Bowie chuckled. "Not much blame there. Truth is, Austin was getting sick of all the trouble of taking care of them Blacks. It was only Howard who was so dead set on having them, and he ain't even going with us, once he drops us off on the Mexica coast."
"I could teach you. The way Arthur Stuart's been learning."
"I don't think so," said Bowie. "It's like you said. We're different kind of men."
"Not so different but what you can't change iffen you've a mind to."
Bowie only shook his head.
"Well, then, I'll thank you the only way that's useful to you," said Alvin.
Bowie waited. "Well?"
"I just did it," said Alvin. "I just put it back."
Bowie reached down to the sheath at his waist. It wasn't empty. He drew out the knife. There was the blade, plain as day, not a whit changed.
You'd've thought Bowie was handling his long-lost baby.
"How'd you get the blade back on it?" he asked. "You never touched it."
"It was there all along," said Alvin. "I just kind of spread it out a little."
"So I couldn't see it?"
"And so it wouldn't cut nothing."
"But now it will?"
"I think you're bound to die,
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