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was luck! But I makes dat luck, you heah? I loads de dice! Yessuh! When dat murderinā€™ nigger ole Lem hired to kill me takes aim ten feet away and his gun misses fire and I shoots him dead, what you heah me say?

SMITHERSā€”You said yerā€™d got a charm soā€™s no lead bulletā€™d kill yer. You was so strong only a silver bullet could kill yer, you told ā€˜em. Blimey, wasnā€™t that swank for yer ā€” and plain, fat-ā€˜eaded luck?

JONESā€”(_proudly_) I got brains and I uses ā€˜em quick.

Dat ainā€™t luck.

SMITHERSā€”Yer know they wasnā€™t ā€˜ardly likely to get no silver bullets. And it was luck ā€˜e didnā€™t ā€˜it you that time.

JONESā€”(_laughing_) And dere all dem fool, bush niggers was kneelinā€™ down and bumpinā€™ deir heads on de ground like I was a miracle out oā€™ de Bible Oh Lawd, from dat time on I has dem all eatinā€™ out of my hand. I cracks de whip and dey jumps through.

SMITHERSā€”(_with a sniff_) Yankee bluff done it.

JONESā€”Ainā€™t a manā€™s talkinā€™ big what makes him big-long as he makes folks believe it? Shoā€™, I talks large when I ainā€™t got nothinā€™ to back it up, but I ainā€™t talkinā€™ wild just de same. I knows

I kin fool ā€˜em ā€” I knows it ā€” and datā€™s backinā€™ enough foā€™ my game. And ainā€™t I got to learn deir lingo and teach some of dem English befoā€™ I kin talk to ā€˜em? Ainā€™t dat wuk? You ainā€™t never learned ary word er it, Smithers, in do ten years you been heah, dough youā€™ knows itā€™s money in yoā€™ pocket tradinā€™ wid ā€˜em if you does. But youā€™se too shiftless to take de trouble.

SMITHERSā€”(_flushing_) Never mind about me. Whatā€™s this

Iā€™ve ā€˜eard about yer really ā€˜avinā€™ a silver bullet moulded for yourself?

JONESā€”Itā€™s playinā€™ out my bluff. I has de silver bullet moulded and I tells ā€˜em when do time comes I kills myself wid it.

I tells ā€˜em datā€™s ā€˜cause Iā€™m de onā€™y man in de world big enuff to git me. No useā€™n deir tryinā€™. And dey falls down and bumps deir heads. (_He laughs._) I does dat soā€™s I kin take a walk in peace widout no jealous nigger gunninā€™ at me from behind de trees.

SMITHERSā€”(astonished) Then you ā€˜ad it made ā€” ā€˜onest?

JONESā€”Shoā€™ did. Heah she he. (_He takes out his revolver, breaks it, and takes the silver bullet out of one chamber._) Five lead anā€™ dis silver baby at de last. Donā€™t she shine pretty? (_He holds it in his hand, looking at it admiringly, as if strangely fascinated._)

SMITHERSā€”Let me see. (_reaches out his hand for it_)

JONESā€”(_harshly_) Keep yoā€™ hands whar dey bā€™long, white man. (_He replaces it in the chamber and puts the revolver back on his hip._)

SMITHERSā€”(_snarling_) Gawd Nimey! Mink Iā€™m a bleedinā€™ thief, you would.

JONES ā€” No, ā€˜tainā€™t dat. I knows you ā€˜se scared to steal from me. Onā€™y I ainā€™t ā€˜lowinā€™ nary body to touch dis baby. Sheā€™s my rabbitā€™s foot.

SMITHERSā€”(_sneering_) A bloominā€™ charm, wot? (_venomously_)

Well, youā€™ll need all the bloody charms you ā€˜as before long, sā€™ ā€˜elp me!

JONESā€”(_judicially_) Oh, Iā€™se good for six months yit

ā€˜fore dey gits sick oā€™ my game. Den, when I sees trouble cominā€™, I makes my getaway.

SMITHERSā€”Ho! You got it all planned, ainā€™t yer?

JONESā€”I ainā€™t no fool. I knows dis Emperorā€™s time is shoā€™t.

Dat why I make hay when de sun shine. Was you thinkinā€™ Iā€™se aiminā€™ to hold down dis job for life? No, suh! What good is gittinā€™ money if you stays back in dis raggedy country? I wants action when I spends.

And when I sees dese niggers gittinā€™ up deir nerve to tuā€™n me out, and Iā€™se got all de money in sight, I resigns on de spot and beats it quick.

SMITHERSā€”Where to?

JONESā€”None oā€™ yoā€™ business.

SMITHERSā€”Not back to the bloody States, Iā€™ll lay my oath.

JONESā€”(_suspiciously_) Why donā€™t I? (_then with an easy laugh_) You mean ā€˜count of dat story ā€˜bout me breakinā€™ from jail back dere? Datā€™s all talk.

SMITHERSā€”(_skeptically_) Ho, yes!

JONESā€”(_sharply_) You ainā€™t ā€˜sinuatinā€™ Iā€™se a liar, is you?

SMITHERSā€”(_hastily_) No, Gawd strike me! I was only thinkinā€™ oā€™ the bloody lies you told the blacks ā€˜ere about killinā€™ white men in the States.

JONESā€”(_angered_) How come deyā€™re lies?

SMITHERSā€”Youā€™d ā€˜ave been in jail, if you ā€˜ad, wouldnā€™t yer then? (_with venom_) And from what Iā€™ve ā€˜eard, it ainā€™t ā€˜ealthy for a black to kill a white man in the States. They burns ā€˜em in oil, donā€™t they?

JONESā€”(_with cool deadliness_) You mean lynchinā€™ ā€˜d scare me? Well, I tells you, Smithers, maybe I does kill one white man back dere, Maybe I does. And maybe I kills another right heah ā€˜fore long if he donā€™t look out.

SMITHERSā€”(_trying to force a laugh_) I was onā€™y spoofinā€™ yer. Canā€™t yer take a joke? And you was just sayinā€™ youā€™d never ken in jail.

JONESā€”(_in the same toneā€”slightly boastful_) Maybe

I goes to jail dere for gettinā€™ in an argument wid razors ovah a crap game. Maybe I gits twenty years when dat colored man die. Maybe I gits in ā€˜nother argument wid de prison guard was overseer ovah us when weā€™re wukinā€™ de roads. Maybe he hits me wid a whip and I splits his head wid a shovel and runs away and files de chain off my leg and gits away safe. Maybe I does all dat anā€™ maybe I donā€™t. Itā€™s a story I tells you soā€™s you knows Iā€™se de kind of man dat if you evah repeats one words of it, I ends yoā€™ stealinā€™ on dis yearth mighty damn quick!

SMITHERSā€”(_terrified_) Think Iā€™d peach on yer? Not me! Ainā€™t I always been yer friend?

JONESā€”(_suddenly relaxing_) Shoā€™ you has ā€” and you better be.

SMITHERSā€”(_recovering his composureā€”and with it his malice_) And just to show yer Iā€™m yer friend, Iā€™ll tell yer that bit oā€™ news I was goinā€™ to.

JONESā€”Go ahead! Shoot de piece. Must be bad news from de happy way you look.

SMITHERSā€”(_warningly_) Maybe itā€™s gettinā€™ time for you to resign ā€” with that bloominā€™ silver bullet, wot? (_He finishes with a mocking grin._)

JONESā€”(_puzzled_) Whatā€™s dat you say? Talk plain.

SMITHERSā€”Ainā€™t noticed any of the guards or servants about the place today, I ā€˜avenā€™t.

JONESā€”(_carelessly_) Deyā€™re all out in de garden sleepinā€™ under de trees.

When I sleeps, dey sneaks a sleep, too, and I pretends I never suspicions it. All I got to do is to ring de bell and dey come flyinā€™, makinā€™ a bluff dey was wukinā€™ all de time.

SMITHERSā€”(_in the same mocking tone_) Ring the bell now anā€™ youā€™ll bloody well see what I means.

JONESā€”(_startled to alertness, but preserving the same careless tone_) Shoā€™ I rings. (_He reaches below the throne and pulls out a big, common dinner bell which is painted the same vivid scarlet as the throne. He rings this vigorouslyā€”then stops to listen. Then he goes to both doors, rings again, and looks out._)

SMITHERSā€”(_watching him with malicious satisfaction, after a pauseā€”mockingly_) The bloody ship is sinkinā€™ anā€™ the bleedinā€™ rats ā€˜as slung their ā€˜ooks.

JONESā€”(_in a sudden fit of anger flings the bell clattering into a corner_) Low-flung, woodsā€™ niggers!

(_then catching Smitherā€™s eye on him, he controls himself and suddenly bursts into a low chuckling laugh._)

Reckon I overplays my hand dis once! A man canā€™t take de pot on a bob-tailed flush all de time. Was I sayinā€™ Iā€™d sit in six months moā€™? Well, Iā€™se changed my mind den. I cashes in and resigns de job of Emperor right dis minute.

SMITHERSā€”(_with real admiration_) Blimey, but youā€™re a cool bird, and no mistake.

JONESā€”No useā€™n fussinā€™. When I knows de gameā€™s up I kisses it goodbye widout no long waits. Deyā€™ve all run off to de hills, ainā€™t dey?

SMITHERSā€”Yesā€”every bleedinā€™ man jack of ā€˜em.

JONESā€”Den de revolution is at de post. And de Emperor better git his feet smokinā€™ up de trail. (_He starts for the door in rear._)

SMITHERSā€”Goinā€™ out to look for your ā€˜orse? Yer wonā€™t find any. They steals the ā€˜orses first thing. Mine was gone when I went for ā€˜im this morninā€™. Thatā€™s wot first give me a suspicion of wot was up.

JONESā€”(_alarmed for a second, scratches his head, then philosophically_) Well, den I hoofs it. Feet, do yoā€™ duty! (_He pulls out a gold watch and looks at it._) Three-thuty. Sundownā€™s at six-thuty or dereabouts. (Puts his watch back ā€” with cool confidence) I got plenty oā€™ time to make it easy.

SMITHERSā€”Donā€™t be so bloominā€™ sure of it. Theyā€™ll be after you ā€˜ot and ā€˜eavy. Ole Lem is at the bottom oā€™ this business anā€™ ā€˜e ā€˜ates you like ā€˜ell. ā€˜Eā€™d rather do for you than eat ā€˜is dinner, ā€˜e would!

JONESā€”(_scornfully_) Dat fool no-count nigger! Does you think Iā€™se scared oā€™ him? I stands him on his thick head moreā€™n once befoā€™ dis, and I does it again if he come in my wayā€”(_fiercely_)

And dis time I leave him a dead nigger foā€™ shoā€™!

SMITHERSā€”Youā€™ll ā€˜ave to cut through the big forest ā€” anā€™ these blacks ā€˜ere can sniff and follow a trail in the dark like ā€˜ounds.

Youā€™d ā€˜ave to ā€˜ustle to get through that forest in twelve hours even if you knew all the bloominā€™ trails like a native.

JONESā€”(_with indignant scorn_) Look-a-heah, white man!

Does you think Iā€™se a natural boā€™n fool? Give me credit foā€™ havihā€™ some sense, foā€™ Lawdā€™s sake! Donā€™t you sā€™pose Iā€™se looked ahead and made shoā€™ of all de chances? Iā€™se gone out in dat big forest, pretendinā€™ to hunt, so many times dat I knows it high anā€™ low like a book. I could go through on dem trails wid my eyes shut. (_with great contempt_) Think dese igā€™nerent bush niggers dat ainā€™t got brains enuff to know deir own names even can catch Brutus Jones? Huh, I sā€™pects not! Not on yoā€™ life! why, man, de white men went after me wid bloodhounds where I come from anā€™ I jesā€™ laughs at ā€˜em. Itā€™s a shame to fool dese black trash around heah, deyā€™re so easy. You watch me, manā€™. Iā€™ll make dem look sick, I will. Iā€™ll be ā€˜cross de plain to de edge of de forest by time dark comes. Once in de woods in de night, dey got a swell chance oā€™ findinā€™ dis baby! Dawn tomorrow Iā€™ll be out at de oder side and on de coast whar dat French gunboat is stayinā€™. She picks me up, take me to the Martinique when she go dar, and dere I is safe wid a mighty big bankroll in my jeans. Itā€™s easy as rollinā€™ off a log.

SMITHERSā€”(_maliciously_) But sā€™posinā€™ somethinā€™ ā€˜appens wrong anā€™ they do nab yer?

JONESā€”(_decisively_) Dey donā€™tā€”datā€™s de answer.

SMITHERSā€”But, just for argymentā€™s sakeā€”whatā€™d you do?

JONESā€”(_frowning_) Iā€™se got five lead bullets in dis gun good enuff foā€™ common bush niggersā€”and after dat I got de silver bullet left to cheat ā€˜em out oā€™ gittinā€™ me.

SMITHERSā€”(_jeeringly_) Ho, I was fergettinā€™ that silver bullet. Youā€™ll bump yourself orf in style, wonā€™t yer? Blimey!

JONESā€”(_gloomily_) You kin bet yoā€™ whole roll on one thing, white man. Dis baby plays out his string to de end and when he quits, he quits wid a bang de way he ought. Silver bullet ainā€™t none too good for him when he go, datā€™s a facā€™ Iā€”(_then shaking off his nervousnessā€”with a confident laugh_) Shoā€™! what is I talkinā€™ about? Ainā€™t come to dat yit and I never will ā€” not wid trash niggers like dese yere. (_boastfully_) Silver bullet bring me luck anyway.

I kin outguess, outrun, outfight, anā€™ outplay de whole lot oā€™ dem all ovah de board any time oā€™ de day er night! You watch me!

(_From the distant hills comes the faint, steady thump of a tom-tom, low and vibrating. It starts

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