Riddley Walker by Russell Hoban Page B

on the gate they wer afeart they said, 'If you want in why dont you say Trubba not?' Eusa said, 'I cant say that.'
    "Them at the Ram they said, 'You bes tel us your clevverness so we can make the 1 Big 1 agen befor some 1 else does. We bes be the strong is its the safes thing.' Eusa wunt do it he said, 'I know all about strong 1s I ben with the las lot it dint help them nothing all ther strongness. You bes stay how ever you are dont look for no exter strongness. Bes thing you can do is take me in and keap me til my times out. Show me for a lessing and a lerning Iwl tel every 1 my story so theywl know that road I took wrong and what harm I done.'
    "Them at the Ram they wunt lissen to Eusa. They kep asking for the clevverness and how to make the 1 Big 1. When he wunt tel them they beat him to death with col iron then they took his head they put it on a poal for telling. Eusas head tol them, 'You had a chance to do a right thing but you done a wrong thing. Youve took my head youve took it on your self itwl be with you from now on.' Thats all his head tol it wunt say no moren that.
    "No soonerd that head stop talking nor there come a jynt wave it wer like a wall of water hyer nor a mountin. Dint it come tho. It come rushing it come roaring it come roaling down it cut acrost the lan right thru from Reakys Over down to Roaming Rune. It cut the Ram off sepert from the res of Inland that wer the day the Ram be come a nylan.
    "Them at the Ram they wer afeart that head wunt res they dint know what they mytve brung down on ther selfs they dint know what myt be coming nex. They wisht theyd done like Eusa tol them only it wer too late for that becaws Eusa wer dead. They cudnt show Eusa for a lessing and a lerning like he tol them so they begun to make the figger of him then. Begun to make the Eusa figger. They made it littl so they cud work it on ther han they made a fit up so they cud carry the woal show on ther back. Trying to do like Eusa tol them which they wer going to show him. Show the idear of him any how. Thats when they stoppit killing off all the Eusa folk they startit keaping some of us in the dead towns. For a lessing and a lerning is what they say. Nor the Ram musnt want no 1 to have that lessing and lerning only ther selfs becaws they ben keaping us hid long a nuff aint they. The Eusa show men they come roun some times they do the juicy with the Eusa women which the Ram dont allow that only the hevvys keap it dark becaws they do it the same. The Ram dont want no other seed to mix with ours they dont want to straiten the crookit they want us kep jus like we are. They dont want the knowing sparsit out and scattert it dont make no odds tho you cant get a babby on a Eusa woman only with the Eusa seed I knowit my father right a nuff. When his time come to help the qwirys I bint no moren 3 monce old nor dint know nothing but the marks of it come out on me when they hung him up by his hans tyd behynt him. I can feal him in me when its moving I can feal him in me when its stil."
    I said, "When whats moving and stil?"
    He said, "What ever there is. I aint going to mouf over it you go somers else and do your moufing oansome if you have to keap on doing it."
    He gone qwyet for a wyl then. Peopl with eyes you can see them move back from the front of ther eyes when they dont have no mor to say. This kid tho being he dint have no eyes in his face you cudnt see nothing when he movit back he jus dispeart. There come out of him a sylents with a roaring in it like when you put your ear to a sea shel.
    The black dog wer sitting qwyet with his yeller eyes on the kid his 2 nexters wer on look out. I closd my eyes and wunnert if Iwd know that dog wer black if I cudnt see him. Becaws I sust the kid knowit the dog wer black. Looking at that black leaders eyes they myndit me of gulls eyes. Eyes so fearce they cudnt even be sorry for the naminal they wer in. Like a gull I seen 1 time with a broakin wing and Dad kilt it. Them yeller eyes staret