The Crystal City Page 0,96

lo! Siga lo!" But his men were in no shape to follow, and in a couple of minutes Alvin was out of sight behind buildings and heading for woodland as fast as he could go.

Arthur Stuart woke up from someone shaking him. "Who's-"

"Shh, don't wake the others yet."

It was Alvin. Arthur Stuart sat up. "Boy am I glad to-"

"What part of shhhh didn't you get?"

"There's nobody nearby," said Arthur. But he talked softer, all the same.

"You think," said Alvin. "But Dead Mary, she's only just over there."

"She wasn't when I went to sleep," said Arthur Stuart.

But by now they were both up and walking away into the fog surrounding the camp.

"I just come from Colonel Adan's army," said Alvin. "We got us an appointment at the river tomorrow afternoon."

"We crossing over?"

"Tenskwa-Tawa is granting us right to pass through, and they'll help us get food and shelter without having to take over any more plantations."

"Good," said Arthur Stuart. "I'm sick of it already, folks being so scared of us."

"Guess you're not a natural bully," said Alvin. "And after I tried so hard to teach you."

"Well, it's worked out pretty good so far. Dead Mary's a natural liar, and I'm good at fogging folks and bending musket barrels."

"And La Tia has made some charms," said Alvin.

"They seemed to help. Not like having you march with us."

"Well, I'm here to march with you now. I don't want another stop. I want to get there first. And that means we need to wake everybody now and get moving."

"In the dark?"

"We'll see if it's still dark by the time you get them going."

It took less than an hour to get under way, but that was mostly 'cause Alvin wouldn't let anybody fix any kind of meal. Nursing mothers could nurse, of course, and they could eat whatever bread and cheese and fruit they might have as they walked, but nothing that required cooking or washing or waiting.

Oh, there was plenty of grumbling and some out-and-out surliness, but the past couple of days' marching, with La Tia's charms giving them some good help, had left them feeling hale and ready even with only half a night's sleep.

And now, with Alvin leading the way, the charms worked way better. It really was the greensong now, not just a dim echo of it. Since Arthur Stuart didn't have to mind the fog now, he could join in with it, let it sweep over him.

Before dawn everybody was running along-the adults jogging, the children running full tilt, but everyone keeping up and nobody tired. In the dark they'd run without a soul tripping over a root or straying from the group. Because in the greensong, you always know exactly where you are and where everything else is because it's all part of you and you're part of it.

They ran all morning. They ran all afternoon. They did not stop to eat or drink. They splashed through streams, barely pausing to lift the children who weren't tall enough to ford them. Six thousand people now, with all the slaves at each plantation who had shucked off their bondage to join them. Moving through the woods without need for trail or trace.

The last red of the sunset was just fading from the sky when they came to a low bluff overlooking an eastward curve of the Mizzippy and saw it, more than a mile wide, streaked with red from the sunset.

"We cross in the morning?" asked Arthur Stuart.

"We cross as soon as every last soul is up here on this bluff," said Alvin.

They had spread out a bit during the long day's run, so it was full dark and then some when the colonels reported that everyone was accounted for.

Once again Alvin had Papa Moose and Mama Squirrel and their children at the front, but this time La Tia would be leading them across instead of waiting till last. "Won't be no bridge this time," said Alvin to the council. "We're gonna dam up the river and it's going to look mighty strange, piled up on your right side. Nobody ought to look into it-we got no time for that."

Then Alvin walked to the point of the bluff nearest the water, Arthur Stuart beside him, and raised up a torch.

On the far side of the river, the fog cleared and another torch could be seen, just a wink of light.

"Who's on the other side?" asked Arthur Stuart.

"Tenskwa-Tawa," said Alvin. "He's gonna help me dam the Mizzippy."

"Well," said Arthur Stuart, "I say,