after wave swept through the slave quarters. The howling and singing stopped, to be replaced by a cacophony of panicked cries.
Many of the Whites, seeing the flood, opened the doors and let their slaves, now chastened and afraid, come up to safety. Others, though, kept the doors locked, and more than one discharged a weapon through the door, warning the slaves to stay back.
There were no more thoughts of killing the White families they worked for. Already the slaves were telling the stories that made sense to them. "God be telling us, Thou shalt not kill, or I send a flood like Noah!" "Lord, I don't want to die!" Terror took the place of rage, damped it down, swept it out, drowned it, for the moment, at least.
"Enough," said Margaret. "You did it, Calvin. Enough."
Calvin sobbed in relief. "That was so hard!" He lay back down, rolled over, curled up and wept. Or rather, tried to curl up. As he dragged his legs across the floor, his right foot was pulled away from his body. Margaret gagged at the sight. But Denmark's woman reached down, picked up the foot, and put it in place at the end of the damaged leg.
"He just about dead," said Denmark.
"No," moaned Margaret. "Oh, Calvin, not now, not when you finally did something good."
"That the best time a-die," said Fishy helpfully. "You get in heaven."
Margaret turned again to Gullah Joe.
"No look me, you!" he said. "I do all you say, look what happen!"
"What if he sent out his doodlebug again? Like before? Even if he dies, can't you hold on to it? Keep it from getting away?"
"What you think I be? I a witchy man! You want God, him!"
"You held him captive before. Do it again! Try it!"
Even as she insisted, she could see the paths of the future change. When she finally saw one in which Calvin was still alive at dawn, she shouted at him, "That's it! Do that!"
"Do what?"
"What you were thinking! Right when I shouted."
Gullah Joe threw up his hands in despair, but he set to work, making Denmark and Fishy help him, moving charms into a new circle, then putting an open box in the midst of it. "Tell him go in box. Put him whole self in box."
"Did you understand him, Calvin?"
Calvin moaned in pain.
"Send out your doodlebug! Let him catch it and save it. It's your only chance, Calvin! Send your doodlebug to Gullah Joe, go into the box he's holding. Do it, Calvin!"
Panting shallowly, Calvin complied as best he could. Gullah Joe kept tossing a fine powder into the circle. It wasn't till the tenth throw that he shouted. "You see that? Part him go in! Look a-that!"
Another cast of the powder, and this time Margaret also saw the spark.
"All bright him! Inside, go all inside!"
"Do it, Calvin. Your whole attention, put it inside that box. Everything that's you, into the box!"
He stopped moaning. He rolled onto his back, his eyes staring straight up.
"He's done all he can do!" cried Margaret. "He's exhausted."
"He dead," said Fishy.
Gullah Joe slammed the lid on the box, turned it upside down, and sat on it.
"You hatching that?" asked Fishy.
"Inside circle, inside my hair." Gullah Joe grinned. "This time he no get out!"
"All right, Alvin," Margaret murmured. "Come quickly."
She leaned back against Denmark's wife, who knelt behind her like a cushion. "I'm so tired," she said.
"We all sleep now," said Denmark.
"Not me," said Gullah Joe.
Margaret closed her eyes and looked out into the city again. The water was calm again and the panic had died down, but the revolt was over for the night. Killing had been driven out of the hearts of the Blacks.
But now the thought of killing was showing up in other hearts. Whites were rushing to the palace, demanding that someone find out who started the plot. It had to be a plot, all the slaves starting up at once. Only the miraculous intervention of the waves had saved them. Do something, they demanded. Catch the ringleaders of the revolt.
And King Arthur listened. He called in his advisers and listened to them. Soon there were questioners in the streets, directing groups of soldiers as they gathered Blacks for questioning.
How long? thought Margaret. How long before Denmark Vesey's name comes up?
Long before dawn.
Margaret rose to her feet. "No time for rest now," she said. "Alvin will come here. Tell him what you've done. Don't harm Calvin's body in any way. Keep it as fresh as you can."
Gullah Joe rolled