The Color of Lightning by Paulette Jiles Page A
Authors: Paulette Jiles
Tags: Fiction, Historical
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he told them he was once again leaving Phila- delphia. At prayer together that night his father asked the Lord to make clear His purposes and to help him, Nathaniel Hammond, to understand the paths of the wayward.
Samuel sat with the men of the Society of Friends Indian Com- mittee and went over the paperwork he would be required to com- plete. Every draft of money and all orders had to be written out in triplicate to avoid the corruption of the old Department of Indian Affairs. He must receive, verify, and then distribute the annuities.
He must see that the annuity goods were shipped out of Leaven- worth in due time. He must hire a clerk, workmen, perhaps a physi- cian, with luck a schoolteacher, and all of these employees’ names must be submitted to the Superintendent of Indian Affairs and ap- proved.
The Kiowa and Comanche were to receive $30,000 worth of goods according to the treaty they had signed. These goods were to consist of blankets, brown muslin, satinet, calico, hosiery, needles, thread, suits of men’s clothes, butcher knives, iron kettles, frying pans, hoes, and small axes. In addition, rations were to be issued every two weeks; beef, bacon, flour, coffee, sugar, soap, tobacco, and soda. These would be given to the chiefs, who would distribute them among the women of each family. The beef was to be issued alive. The live cattle were to be given to a headman of each family, who had a signed receipt in hand.
The members of the committee went over these stipulations care- fully, as if what were written there would bring order and obedience. As if the issuing of calico and sugar would cause the Comanche and the Kiowa to become content, delighted, grateful. That it would inspire them to take up farming and eat vegetables.
“The Indians are what we have made them,” said Dr. Reed. “Ev- ery war between us and the red man has been precipitated by broken treaties. If they have attacked the settlers, it is because we have made them what they are.”
Samuel said, “God made them, sir. I do not think we of Phila- delphia have taken on the task of creation.”
Dr. Reed stared at him in silence. The kindliness shrank out of his face. After a moment he said, “I see.”
Samuel flushed. “I’m sorry, sir. I have spoken out of turn.”
Dr. Reed nodded. “It is all right, Samuel. I have known thee from thy schooldays.” He turned in his chair and turned back again. “If the Texans would cease to crowd them,” he said. “If they would leave the red man alone. There is room out there for all.”
W
sa mue l b e ga n to pay attention to newspapers. He read every news report from the far West that he came upon. The stories were brief and vague, half a column here and there in between head- lines about Grant’s disjointed army piling up, one regiment after another, in Richmond. The New York World and the Times both had correspondents with Grant, and their headlines ate up the front pages. News from Texas consisted of clips from other papers. Union troops landing in Indianola and Corpus Christi. Savages shot down in their villages. Long quotes from local officials about exterminat- ing the red vermin.
Samuel understood that the Society of Friends was troubled by the Texans because the Texans were so clear and straightforward in their speech. They did not seem to need to hide their intentions be- hind deceptive and gentle phrases. They came to take the land and they meant to keep it. They would take it from red men as they had taken land from the Shawnee and Cherokee in the Carolinas and before that the wild Irish in Ulster and before that whatever croft or patch of rocky land they could hold against the lairds in the low- lands, and if they could not hold it they rode with the lairds against the neighbors to raid other neighbors’ cattle and had been doing so for centuries before the birth of Christ, who was the Prince of Peace, and they intended to keep on doing it, for as long as it took.
Chapter 5
Samuel sat with the men of the Society of Friends Indian Com- mittee and went over the paperwork he would be required to com- plete. Every draft of money and all orders had to be written out in triplicate to avoid the corruption of the old Department of Indian Affairs. He must receive, verify, and then distribute the annuities.
He must see that the annuity goods were shipped out of Leaven- worth in due time. He must hire a clerk, workmen, perhaps a physi- cian, with luck a schoolteacher, and all of these employees’ names must be submitted to the Superintendent of Indian Affairs and ap- proved.
The Kiowa and Comanche were to receive $30,000 worth of goods according to the treaty they had signed. These goods were to consist of blankets, brown muslin, satinet, calico, hosiery, needles, thread, suits of men’s clothes, butcher knives, iron kettles, frying pans, hoes, and small axes. In addition, rations were to be issued every two weeks; beef, bacon, flour, coffee, sugar, soap, tobacco, and soda. These would be given to the chiefs, who would distribute them among the women of each family. The beef was to be issued alive. The live cattle were to be given to a headman of each family, who had a signed receipt in hand.
The members of the committee went over these stipulations care- fully, as if what were written there would bring order and obedience. As if the issuing of calico and sugar would cause the Comanche and the Kiowa to become content, delighted, grateful. That it would inspire them to take up farming and eat vegetables.
“The Indians are what we have made them,” said Dr. Reed. “Ev- ery war between us and the red man has been precipitated by broken treaties. If they have attacked the settlers, it is because we have made them what they are.”
Samuel said, “God made them, sir. I do not think we of Phila- delphia have taken on the task of creation.”
Dr. Reed stared at him in silence. The kindliness shrank out of his face. After a moment he said, “I see.”
Samuel flushed. “I’m sorry, sir. I have spoken out of turn.”
Dr. Reed nodded. “It is all right, Samuel. I have known thee from thy schooldays.” He turned in his chair and turned back again. “If the Texans would cease to crowd them,” he said. “If they would leave the red man alone. There is room out there for all.”
W
sa mue l b e ga n to pay attention to newspapers. He read every news report from the far West that he came upon. The stories were brief and vague, half a column here and there in between head- lines about Grant’s disjointed army piling up, one regiment after another, in Richmond. The New York World and the Times both had correspondents with Grant, and their headlines ate up the front pages. News from Texas consisted of clips from other papers. Union troops landing in Indianola and Corpus Christi. Savages shot down in their villages. Long quotes from local officials about exterminat- ing the red vermin.
Samuel understood that the Society of Friends was troubled by the Texans because the Texans were so clear and straightforward in their speech. They did not seem to need to hide their intentions be- hind deceptive and gentle phrases. They came to take the land and they meant to keep it. They would take it from red men as they had taken land from the Shawnee and Cherokee in the Carolinas and before that the wild Irish in Ulster and before that whatever croft or patch of rocky land they could hold against the lairds in the low- lands, and if they could not hold it they rode with the lairds against the neighbors to raid other neighbors’ cattle and had been doing so for centuries before the birth of Christ, who was the Prince of Peace, and they intended to keep on doing it, for as long as it took.
Chapter 5
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