Outer Dark(57)

Howdy Reverend, said Billy.

Howdy. Bless all of ye’ns. They Lord what’s been thew here?

Hogs, said one of the drovers. Damndest mess of hogs you ever seen, excuse me.

Hard words don’t bother me no more than does hard ways, said the reverend. That’s what all I’m here for. What’s he done? You ain’t fixin to hang him are ye? Vengeance is mine sayeth the Lord. Don’t hold with hangin a-tall lessen it’s legal. What possessed them hogs anyways?

This here feller run em off, Billy said.

I never done it, Holme said.

The hell you never.

Here now, somebody’s lyin. You, young feller, look me in the eye and tell me you never run them hogs off.

I never run em off, Holme said.

The drovers pressed about to watch.

The preacher looked at the ground again, stuffing the kerchief back up his sleeve.

Well, Reverend?

I believe he run em off.

I told ye, Billy said.

Goddamn it, Holme said, I wasn’t nowheres …

Watch that talk in front of the preacher, boy, one of the drovers said.

But don’t hang him boys, the reverend said. Don’t do it. We’ll take him in to justice. Render unto Caesar what all’s hisn.

He shoved brother Billy’s brother Vernon off the bluff with the hogs.

Just a goddamn minute, Holme said.

There he goes again with that mouth.

Don’t hang him, boys, the preacher cried out. No good’ll ever come of it.

Everbody seen what he done, Billy said. You all seen it.

The preacher looked like a charred bird. He was peering at the ground and pounding his cane there. Ah don’t hang him, he said. Oh Lord don’t hang him. Shaking his head and muttering these things loudly over and over.

I wisht you’d hush about some hangin, Holme said.

It’s a serious thing, the preacher said. I don’t advocate it save under the strongest extremes.

Well if you’d hush about it …

Tore up with guilt. The preacher nodded sad and negative. Plumb tore up with it.

We all seen him on that rock.

How come ye to do it, son?

Holme looked about him for some sign of sanity. Shit, he said.

I believe we done mentioned it to ye oncet about that barnyard talk.

The preacher had begun to gesture inanely with his cane. Boys I believe he’s plumb eat up with the devil in him. But don’t hang him.

Ort to thow him off the bluff the way he done Vernon, Billy said.

How far down is it? the preacher was interested.

Too far to walk back.

Billy don’t know what all to tell his maw, Reverend. He just don’t have no notion how to go about tellin her. Ain’t that right Billy?

I don’t know what none of us is goin to tell Greene come upon his hogs. They must of been two hunnerd head fell off in the river.

Don’t flang him off the bluff, boys, the preacher said. I believe ye’d be better to hang him as that.

I believe we would too.

What do you say Billy? He’s your brother.

I believe I’d rest easier. I believe Vernon would of wanted it thataway.

Lessen he’s got some choice.

They looked at Holme.

Vernon never had none, Billy said.

He’s right about that.

Well he probably don’t care noway. You got any particulars, stranger? Strung up or flang off in the river?

Holme wiped his palms down the sides of his overall legs and looked about him with wide eyes.

Let’s hang him if he don’t care. I ain’t never seen nobody hung.

We ain’t got nary rope.

They stopped and looked from one to the other.

Rope?

Cain’t hang him thout a rope.

They’s one in the wagon. Cecil’s got one in the wagon.

They Lord he’ll be ten mile up the river fore we catch him.

He’ll be stopped makin camp now late as it is. We hurry we can get up there and get him hung afore dark.

Let’s just thow him off the bluff and be done with it.

Naw, that ain’t no way to do. Besides Billy wants him hung.

I believe Vernon would of wanted it thataway, Billy said.

I believe old Greene’ll be comforted some too.

Don’t flang him off the bluff, boys. Tain’t christian.

Let’s go then.

Hump up there, stranger, and let’s go get hung.

They started up the river.

The preacher fell in alongside Holme. What place of devilment you hail from, mister? he asked.

Holme looked at him wearily. I don’t come from no place of devilment, he said. I come from Johnson County.

Never heard tell of it. You a christian?

Yes.

I cain’t say as you’ve much took on the look of one.

It ain’t marked you a whole lot to notice neither, Holme said.

Don’t disperge the cloth son, the preacher said. Don’t disperge the cloth.

Cloth’s ass, Holme said.

Well now, said the preacher, what have we here. I believe it’s a hard enough case to give Jehovah hisself the witherins.