She felt all of them staring at her now. She dared a glance at the group, saw a mix of distress or indifference. She tried to think of something, anything to help herself. Crow pointed at one of his own men, the one called Pickle who’d seen his share of trouble at the camp, thereby acquiring his name honestly.
“Pickle, what you reckon?”
Pickle raised his shoulders and said, “Can’t say it’d be right.”
Crow zeroed in on one of Ballard’s other men, Big’Un.
Crow pointed at Rae Lynn and said, “What you think?”
Big’Un had been one of the ones who’d let it be known what he thought on those early-morning and late-evening wagon rides. Under other circumstances, it could’ve gotten him into trouble because she was a white “man.” To speak against one was risky. For such an offense, one could end up dead. Rae Lynn watched him struggle for the answer he thought Crow might want.
His voice a whisper, he said, “I reckon we all got to do what we’s supposed to. Got to learn right if we don’t.”
“Why, ain’t you smart.”
Big’Un hung his head as if in an apology of sorts. Rae Lynn felt faint, and her fear over what was happening made her hot, then cold.
Crow yelled out. “Anybody else got something to say about this? Come on! We’re having us a trial here. What’s the verdict gonna be? I know for a fact your new boss man ain’t gonna do a damn thing about it.”
The men shifted as one, uncomfortable with the direction they were being taken in. All their lives they’d been schooled about the whites. Keep your head down. Don’t speak unless they talk to you. Hope and pray nobody thinks you done something you shouldn’t.
Crow was having none of it. “Come on. You don’t start talking, I’m gonna pick one of you.”
He uncoiled the whip from his belt, letting the length of it lie on the ground. They started off soft at first, until everyone was eagerly yelling something.
“He ain’t made his numbers since he been here!”
“Naw, it ain’t fair!”
“Everybody’s s’posed to do what they’s s’posed to!”
“He about grown now. Got to do a man’s work!”
Crow nodded with approval. “There you go. That’s right.”
He raised a hand, and they all hushed. Rae Lynn stood alone because Ballard’s men had quietly sidled over to stand with Crow’s group.
He tilted his head and said to her, “Only seems fair, don’t it?”
He wiggled the whip, and panic shot through Rae Lynn. She tried to speak, and couldn’t.
Crow pointed at her and said over his shoulder, “Cat got his tongue. Or is it catface got his tongue?”
He laughed at his little play on words before snapping the whip at her. It struck her right shoulder, barely grazing it, and she couldn’t help but let out a little yelp. She understood immediately how she sounded. Not like a man. Crow looked at the others in surprise, and when he turned back to her, he moved his arm back, readying it to strike again. The workers appeared as stunned as she was.
I ain’t a man! I’m a woman! The truth almost flew out of her mouth, only there was something about the fact she was alone. With all these men. Could she trust any one of them? She could Ballard, but he was dead. Del Reese and Peewee might be fine, but they weren’t here. Crow raised his eyebrows, whip poised, waiting on her to speak. Something ran down the shoulder he’d struck, whether sweat or blood, she didn’t know, but she knew she didn’t want to be whipped.
Careful with her tone, she said to no one in particular, “I been doing the best I can.”
A few men behind Crow shook their heads as Crow guffawed, slapping a hand on his thigh. He pointed at her with the handle of the whip.
“He says he’s doing his best. What y’all think?”
Discomfited, they fell silent.
Crow said, “Aw, come on. We done discussed how y’all go out in the woods every day, make your numbers, and here’s this young whippersnapper coming along, thinking he can do like he wants. He needs a taste of this, or the box.”
Rae Lynn said, “It ain’t true. I . . .”
Crow said, “What? You what?”
“I’ll take the box.”
Crow narrowed his eyes. He turned to the work hands and pointed at her.
“What y’all reckon? Is that fair?”
They mumbled, but it was hard to tell what they said. This was all new territory, and they were unused to having much say about anything, particularly when it came to the business of white men. It was usually taboo for them to speak out against one. Crow looked disgusted.