Riddley Walker

Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban Page A

Book: Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban Read Free Book Online
Authors: Russell Hoban
Tags: Fiction, General
Ads: Link
Goodparley can have his self a nother Ardship."
    I said, "Whatre you talking about?"
    He said, "Im talking about how long Goodparleywl have to wait for a nother Ardship whatre you talking about?"
    I said, "What dyou mean a nother Ardship?"
    He said, "Wel its jus only a littl wyl since a son of myn ben beartht nor he cant be Ardship til he comes 12 and gets a boy his self can he."
    I said, "How old be you then?"
    He said, "I jus come 12 this las Ful of the Moon din I."
    I said, "So did I that makes us moon brothers."
    He said, "Dark of the Moon as wel."
    I said, "Be you telling me theres realy such a thing as the Ardship of Cambry?"
    He said, "Why dyou think I wantit out of that hoal?"
    I said, "Why?"
    He said, "Wel its sharna pax and get the poal innit. 1st the easy askings then its helping the qwirys then its Chops your Aunty and your head on a poal. Dont you know the rime?"
    I said, "What rime dyou mean?"
    What he done then he sung _Fools Circel 9wys_:
    Horny Boy rung Widders Bel
    Stoal his Fathers Ham as wel
    Bernt his Arse and Forkt a Stoan
    Done It Over broak a boan
    Out of Good Shoar vackt his wayt
    Scratcht Sams Itch for No. 8
    Gone to senter nex to see
    Cambry coming 3 times 3
    Sharna pax and get the poal
    When the Ardship of Cambry comes out of the hoal
    The way he sung it made my blood run col. I cud see like in a dream a figger running running in a kynd of dream space. I said, "Thats _Fools Circel 9wys_ thats jus a game."
    He said, "O yes its a game right a nuff if you like to call it that only it aint too much fun for the Ardship what gets his head took off at the end of it."
    I said, "Whats it all about why do they do it?"
    He said, "Its about what its all ways ben about and they do it for the knowing whats in us."
    I said, "What knowing? In who?"
    He said, "Dont you know about the Eusa folk?"
    I said, "Who myt they be?"
    He said, "O dear o dear o dear you dont know nothing do you." Then he begun to tel me. This what Im writing down here it wernt said all in 1 peace like its wrote. Wewd talk a littl and lissen. Talk and lissen. And all ways with 1 eye on the black leader and his nexters for any lerting any blips of foller which there wernt none. It stayd qwyet all day wylst we waitit there in Bernt Arse outers for it to get dark.
    He said, "Time back way back who ben the Puter Leat who ben the Power Leat in Cambry? Eusa folk is who it ben. Us the same and us to blame. Who run the Power Ring who ben too close to Power who gone Badstock crookit and seed of the crookit? Us the same the Eusa folk. Who ben bernt out after Bad Time all the clevver is bernt out with all the clevverness? Us the same. Who ben the 1st Ardship of Cambry? Eusa. Which the hardship be come the Ardship you see. They kilt Eusa but they dint kil all the Eusa folk they dint bern them all out did they. No they savit out some to keap in memberment that clevverness what made us crookit. Savit a breeding stock in Cambry so therewd all ways be some of us o yes theres all ways ben Eusa folk and wil be. And the knowing whats in them the Ardship wil know. Roun the circel of the dead towns to the senter which is Cambry. Becaws weve kep the memberment you see. Kep the memberment of what we done time back way back the knowing of its in us. Dint you never hear of Eusa?"
    I said, "Coarse Ive heard of Eusa every bodys heard of him."
    He said, "Then you know he wer crookit."
    I said, "You bes tel me about Eusa as wel I parbly never heard the woal of it."
    He said:
    He wer crookit he wer Badstock
    He wer not boath sides the same
    Which the knowing brung the doing
    And the doing brung the shame
    I said, "Did Eusa go crookit from what he done?"
    He said, "Eusa gone crookit from Bad Time. He made his self that way with the clevverness he done and brung the same on others. Crookit he wer and playg soars on him he wer running from the bernings. The Ram wernt sepert from the res of Inland then it wernt a nylan. Eusa stood at the gate and the dogs licking his soars. Them

Similar Books

B00JORD99Y EBOK

A. Vivian Vane

Full Moon

Rachel Hawthorne

The Lies About Truth

Courtney C. Stevens

Jealous Woman

James M. Cain

A Prologue To Love

Taylor Caldwell