cook, glen - ss - song from a forgotten hill

7/29/2019 Cook, Glen - SS - Song From a Forgotten Hill

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l en Cook, when he i s not af f i xi ng t he t r i m t o Chevr ol et r ear wi ndows, wr i t es hor r i f yi ng f ant ahe economy probabl y cannot st and another General Mot or s st r i ke; l i t er at ure woul d be i mproved t .hi s st or y i s a caut i onary t al e, a vi ew of what can happen here. I hope i t i s f antasy, but Iear , I f ear . . . .

ong f r om a For got t en Hi l l

y Gl en Cook

We were t r apped i n a wor l d wher e t omorr ow was yest erday. The f i r e had come t hree t i mes and gonnd now we were back wher e our f at hers had been a hundr ed year s ago. There wer e some"Toms, " Iear d t hem cal l ed who went i nt o sl aver y as i f i t wer e t hei r bi r t hr i ght , but t her e wer e al so

hose who f ought and di ed r ather t han hoe i n some r edneck' s f i el d. Most of t hose who f ought dii e. But f ree.

Go tel l i t on t he mount ai n,ver t he hi l l and ever ywhere;o tel l i t on t he mount ai n,o l et my peopl e go. . . . "

he f i r e came t he f i r st t i me when t he good sol di er - men i n Washi ngt on and Moscow deci ded on mutui ci de. The Russi ans t hought of vi ct or y i n t er ms of popul at i on dest r uct i on. They shot at ci t iur peopl e suf f er ed mor e t han Mr . Char l ey. We l i ved i n t he ci t i es t hat wer e t he t ar gets. But si d t he whi t e l i beral s who were hel pi ng br i ng change.he f i r e came a second t i me when mi l i t ant s burned t he r emnant s of Whi t ey' s ci t i es. Mr . Char l ey

was t oo busy wi t h hi s war t o be bothered then, but t he f i r e came a thi r d t i me when he f i ni shend t ur ned hi s at t ent i on i nward. There was ci vi l war between whi t es and bl acks. Mi ght may not

make ri ght , but i t makes vi ct or y. Whi t e' s Mat e.Fool ' s Mate. Bl ack l oses, and now t omorr ow i s yest erday.

he war ki l l ed most al l t he good f ol ks. They l i ved where t he bombs f el l . The r ednecks and t hemi l i t ant s seem t o be t he onl y sur vi vor s. And now t he r ednecks, who wai t ed so l ong f or t hei r

hance, ar e "put t i n' ' em back i n t hei r pl ace. " Ther e ar e ver y f ew of us out her e i n t he hi l l s.We' r e hunt ed, and runni ng, but f r ee.My son Al came t o me thi s morni ng, whi l e I was at t he spr i ng get t i ng water f or br eakf ast cof f ee asked when we coul d go home. Sai d he' s get t i ng t i r ed of campi ng i n a smel l y cave. He mi ssesamey, t he son of t he whi t e coupl e who l i ved next door i n St . Loui s. At f i ve he' s t oo young t onder st and a chi l d ki l l ed i n war . Nor woul d he under st and i f I t ol d hi m J amey' s f at her was onehe vi gi l ant es who dr ove us sout h i nt o t hese hi l l s. He woul dn' t under st and, and I ' m af r ai d t o n expl anat i on. Because I don' t under st and ei t her .

Met a man whi l e I was hunt i ng hi s morni ng. Gave me a r abbi t he had ext r a, f or whi ch I washankf ul . Sai d hi s name was Duncan X and he was t r yi ng t o r ound up men f or a f r eedom r ai d i nt ohe Boot heel . A l ot of our peopl e wor ki ng down t her e, he sai d. Have t o f r ee t hem. I t ol d hi m Ii ke t o hel p, but I have a f ami l y. Four ki ds, t he ol dest f i f t een, and no wi f e. He l ooked at mei ke I was a monst er and t r ai t or , t hen wander ed of f t hr ough the woods, car r yi ng hi s r i f l e wi t hhe saf et y of f . He was wear i ng ol d Ar my camouf l age f at i gues. I soon l ost si ght of hi m, but Iear d hi m si ngi ng f or a l ong t i me.

Who' s t hat yonder dr essed i n bl ack?et my peopl e go,

Must be a hypocr i t e t ur ni ng back,et my peopl e go. . . . "

What coul d I do? I hate t he way thi ngs are as much as he, but t here ar e t he chi l dr en t o be caor . I ' m si ck of t he shoot i ng and bur ni ng and dyi ng. We' r e al l Amer i cans. Ar en' t we? Why do weave t o hate so much? We' ve got a nat i on t o r ebui l d.f t er t he wander er l ef t , I went up t o my secret pl ace to pr ay. I t ' s a l onel y, wi ndy pl ace at opi l l bur ned bal d by an ol d f i r e. I usual l y f eel cl ose to God t her e, but not t oday. Li nes f r omoke I once heard one whi t e man t el l i ng another r an t hrough my mi nd. A Negro was hangi ng f r oml i f f , unabl e t o save hi msel f . He cal l ed f or God' s hel p and was t ol d t o have f ai t h, t o l et go,nd he woul d be saved. As he f el l , a voi ce f r om t he sky sai d, "Ah hat es Ni gr as. " I can' t hel phi nki ng, somet i mes, t hat he hat es one of t he r aces. He keeps us f i ght i ng on and on. For ever , eems.he hunt er s came whi l e t he ki ds and I wer e eat i ng l unch. The hounds coul d be heard whi l e t hey

wer e st i l l f ar of f . I sent t he chi l dr en down the t r ai l we pi cked when we f i r st came, t hen tookmy r i f l e and went t o see what was happeni ng.

watched f r om t he underbrush as a dozen men wi t h bl oodhounds ent ered t he cl ear i ng where I hadpoken wi t h Duncan X. They were hunt i ng the or gani zer, but , f r om t he hounds' behavi or, t hey knher e had been two men i n t hat cl ear i ng. They wer e t r yi ng t o deci de whi ch tr ai l t o f ol l ow. Ight ed on t he l eader ' s chest and pr ayed t hey woul dn' t make me shoot . The Lord must have heard

hat one. They set of f al ong Duncan' s t r ai l . I si ghed wi t h rel i ef , but f el t mor e gui l t y t hanver. I hoped he coul d out r un t heack.wat ched the cl ear i ng f or a. l ong t i me af t er t hey l ef t , af r ai d some woul d t ur n back t o the

econd t r ai l . Thei r sor t di dn' t appr eci at e mi ne r unni ng f r ee. I n thei r own way, t hey wer e asf r ai d as I . Who coul d bl ame t hem? When you t r eat men the way t hey do, you have t o wor r y abouei ng hi t back. Then everyone' s af r ai d, and f ear br eeds hate. And hate l eads t o bl oodshed.wai t ed, and af t er a whi l e I f ol l owed thei r t r ai l . They wer e movi ng sout heast , t owar d t he

oot heel . I t ur ned back af t er bei ng sat i sf i ed of our saf et y. Tr ot t i ng, I went af t er t he chi l drhey wer e wai t i ng qui et l y i n t he hi di ng pl ace we had chosen when we f i r st came i nt o t hese hi l l


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i t t l e Al t hought i t a marvel ous game of hi de and seek, but t he ot hers, who were ol d enough t onder st and what was happeni ng, were f r i ght ened.Ar e t hey gone?" Loi s asked, her br own eyes wi de wi t h f r i ght . She was t he ol dest , and coul dnderst and somethi ng of our si t uat i on. She r emembered l i f e bef ore t he f i r e came, and knew t heatr eds hat ched i n t he i ncubator of war.They' r e gone, " I si ghed. " I want you to say a pr ayer f or Duncan t oni ght , bef ore you got t o bee' s a f ool , but he i s one of our peopl e. Come on. Let ' s go have supper. " As we were neari ng tave, f ar away, we hear d t he pop- pop- pop of r i f l es. I wi nced. Loi s l ooked at me accusi ngl y. Thhoot i ng was i n the sout h. I f i t was Duncan and hi s pur suers , t hen t he man was r unni ng a ci r clYou ki ds st ar t supper , " I sai d. "I ' m goi ng up t he mount ai n f or a whi l e. " I l ooked at Loi s. Sht ar ed back, st i l l si l ent l y accusi ng. I t ur ned and l ef t . Ther e was no poi nt i n expl ai ni ng. She

was a mi l i t ant i n her own f ashi on, and never under st ood when I di d t r y. As wel l t al k t o a st onwent up t he bal d hi l l , t o t he l i t t l e cross I ' ve put t her e, and pr ayed. I wonder ed i f God was

i st eni ng. He' d been t er r i bl y unr esponsi ve t he past f ew years. A pr eacher , j ust bef ore the warr oke, t ol d me t he mi l l enni um was at hand. I was pat i ent l y skept i cal at t he t i me, but now i tooked as i f t he man was r i ght . The Lor d was unl ocki ng the seven seal s and I f el t I was l i vi nghe Pl ai n of Ar mageddon. For al l I t r i ed put t i ng my t r ust i n God, I f el t r eser vat i ons. He was onger t he l ovi ng God of t he New Test ament . He was t he f i ery dei t y who wr eaked havoc t hr oughouhe Ol d. Sad.here wer e shot s agai n as I came down t o t he cave. St i l l f ar away, but now ar ound t o t heout hwest . Loi s had hear d them t oo. When I r eached our home- i n- exi l e, she si l ent l y of f er ed t hei f l e. I shook my head. She bi t her l i p vi ci ousl y and t ur ned away, sayi ng not hi ng. The si l enceur t mor e t han bi t t er accusat i on. We wer e dr i f t i ng apar t , she and I .

We had a good supper . Af t er a st ew made of t he r abbi t Duncan had gi ven me, I opened a can ofeaches and gave t he ki ds a t r eat . I t was usual l y a hol i day when we opened canned goods. Li t t ll want ed t o know whi ch one. Bef or e I coul d r epl y, Loi s sai d, "I t ' s t he day J udas sol d a goodor hi s own peace. "hat hurt , but I di dn' t pi ck up t he ar gument . I nst ead, I t ook out my ol d notebook and wentut si de. As t he sun set , I wr ote down t he day' s event s, j ust as I had done si nce we had come the cave. Af t er a whi l e, Loi s came out t o apol ogi ze. I sai d I under st ood, but I di dn' t , r eal l y

o mor e t han she.wr ot e f or an hour , unt i l i t was al most t oo dar k t o see t he paper . The ki ds came and went , the spr i ng and back, t o t he wood pi l e and back, get t i ng ready f or bed and t he ni ght . I di d noteal l y noti ce t hem. I was t hi nki ng about Loi s, about her gr owi ng mi l i t ancy and her wor ds ofccusat i on. I di d not want t he ki ds t o si nk i nt o t he same morass of hat r ed whi ch had al r eadyl ai med so many. Nei t her di d I want t hem t o t hi nk me a "Tom. " I di d not t hi nk mysel f a "Tom, " uncan X, and t hose who bel i eved as he di d, sai d t hose who went i nt o sl avery al so deni ed i t . Iegan t o f eel a gr eat sadness. Was t here no reasonabl e al t er nat i ve t o hat r ed and f i ght i ng? The

wasl aver y, of cour se, but t hat was not an al t er nat i ve. I t must al l be a cosmi c j est , or a chessame. Woul d t he I vor y and Ebony pl ay t o t he l ast pi ece? Woul d God, or t he gods, t hen decl are r aw? Sad.n my pr eoccupat i on, I di d not see t he r unni ng man comi ng up the hi l l . He was al most on me befnot i ced hi m. A f al l of l oose r ock warned me when he was about t went y f eet away. I j umped up

t ar t ed t o go af t er t he ri f l e. Then I r ecogni zed hi m. Duncan X. Pant i ng, st agger i ng, hi s cl ot hor n, bl ood oozi ng f r om a dozen gashes. Hi s pack was gone, and hi s cant een bel t , but he st i l larr i ed t he r i f l e. I wai t ed t i l l he came cl ose.

Mon, you got t a hep me, " he sai d. The f ear i n hi s voi ce was t he same I had hear d bef ore t he knd I l ef t t he mess i n St . Loui s. "Mon, t hey gon' ki l l me!" "What happened?"Dogs . . . dogs caught me. Ki l l ed ' em, al l but one. Mon, t hey chewed me bad. "Come i nsi de. We' ve got a f i r st - ai d ki t . Loi s! " She came out , l ooked at Duncan' s wounds, andhr ew her hands t o her cheeks.Cl ean up t hose gashes, " I sai d. "Bandage hi m i f we' ve got anythi ng. "Mon, t hey gon' ki l l me!" The l oud, conf i dent r ebel of t he morni ng was gone. He was a hundr edwent y years of scar ed ni gger , r unni ng f r om a l ynch mob. When t he r opes came out , and t he hounnd t he guns, he was every bl ack man who had ever r un f r om r edneck " j ust i ce. " He was af r ai d, aunni ng, probabl y a dead man, and di dn' t know why.Go ahead. Fi x hi m up, " I t ol d Loi s. "Heat up some of t hat st ew. "he l ooked at me st r angel y, questi oni ngl y, maki ng no move. I t ook t he r i f l e f r om Duncan' s handhough he t r i ed to st op me. He cl ung t o t hat weapon l i ke a dr owni ng man t o a l og. I t was t he oal vat i on he knew. I t was t he onl y sal vat i on anyone seemed t o know t hese days. Loi s watched meake t he gun, t hen took Duncan' s hand and l ed hi m i nt o t he cave. I watched her go, wonderi ng wt was l i ke to be an adul t at f i f t een.s t he moon came up, I wal ked back t he way Duncan had come. I hear d t he hound bayi ng, not more

han a mi l e away. Hard. I di dn' t l i ke t hi ngs t hi s way, but my deci si on had been made f or me.chose my posi t i on car ef ul l y, behi nd a l ar ge l og at t he edge of a cl ear i ng. They wer e not l onn comi ng.he hunt er s had chosen t o l eash t hei r r emai ni ng hound, keepi ng hi m where he coul d be prot ect ednd there were onl y ni ne men. I f Duncan had got t en t he ot her t hr ee, t hey want ed hi m worse t hanver . They mi ght not qui t t i l l t hey wer e al l dead, or had t hei r "buck" swi ngi ng f r om a t r ee. new sadness agai n.

put t he f i r st shot between the hound' s eyes. He yel ped once, l eapi ng toward t he moon. I empthe cl i p among runni ng men, but hi t no one. They react ed qui ckl y. Ri f l es and shotguns boomed,epper i ng t he woods around me. I r an, t r yi ng t o keep l ow. Wi t hout t hat hound t hey woul d have aar d t i me f ol l owi ng.he shoot i ng st opped a moment l at er . They r eal i zed t hey wer e wast i ng ammuni t i on, t r yi ng t o murn empt y f orest .r etur ned t o t he cave. Loi s had f ed Duncan, and patched hi m, and had put hi m i n my bed. He wa

l eepi ng, t hough f i t f ul l y, l i ke a man wi t h bad dr eams.What ' d you do?" she asked, at once f r i ght ened of and f or me.Shot t hei r dog. They won' t be t r acki ng Duncan or me wi t hout hi m. "


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Oh. "St oke up t he f i r e a l i t t l e, wi l l you? I want t o do some wr i t i ng whi l e I ' m wat chi ng. Then get ed. I t ' s been a bad day. "But Duncan . . . "I ' l l l ook af t er hi m. You j ust go on t o bed. "he went . I wr ot e f or a whi l e, t hen l eaned back t o thi nk. Event ual l y, I dozed of f . A coupl e ho

must have passed.st ar t ed awake. Ther e wer e sounds out si de the cave. The f i r e had di ed to coal s. Car ef ul l y, I

eached f or t he water pi t cher and used i t t o dr own t he r emai ns. A f i gur e moved acr oss t he cavemout h, out l i ned by t he moonl i ght . Whi t e man! Hi s ski n shone i n t he l i ght . I t ook t he ri f l e f r ohe tabl e and f el l i nt o a pr one posi t i on. I wai t ed whi l e t hey t al ked i t over out t her e. Theyeemed cert ai n t hei r quarr y was i nsi de. I di dn' t know how t hey had f ound t he cavebl i nd l uck,robabl ybut once her e, t hey knew t hey had t hei r man. I r emember ed havi ng seen Duncan' s f at i guacket out si de, a dead gi veaway. I cur sed mysel f f or bei ng f ool enough t o expect t hem t o st opf t er l osi ng t hei r hound.hey di dn' t bot her wi t h a war ni ng or t o- do about sur r ender . They came i n t he cave, t r yi ng t oneak up onuncan. I st ar t ed shooti ng. The . 30- . 06 roar ed l i ke a cannon i n the conf i nement of t he cave. T

muzzl e f l ashes spl ashed whi t e f aces wi t h or ange l i ght .never was much good at ki l l i ng, not i n Vi etnam, not here. They were l ess t han t went y f eet aw

ut I onl y hi t one, i n t he ar m. They got out bef or e I coul d getnother .he shoot i ng woke t he ki ds. Loi s sl i pped up besi de me where I l ay i n t he cave mout h, aski ng whad happened.Never mi nd! " I snapped. "You get t he ki ds out t he hol e i n back. Go up t o the hi di ng pl ace. I '

meet youat er . "Ar en' t you comi ng?"Loi s, nei t her Duncan nor I can get t hr ough that passage. I t ' s t oo t i ght . Now get . "s i f t o punct uat e my ar gument , t he r ednecks opened up. I t was l i ke a r egul ar war , l i ke I saw

i etnam. They were al l over t he sl ope. Bul l ets whi ned and pi nged as t hey bounced f r om one cavewal l t o anot her . Loi s l ef t , dr aggi ng t he younger ki ds down t he smal l t unnel whi ch opened on t har s i de of the hi l l .uncan cr awl ed up besi de me. "Ri ght si de f o' me, " he sai d. "How many?"Ei ght . Ni ne i f you count t he one I wounded. Di dn' t t hi nk t hey' d f i nd us af t er I shot t hei r do

"Mon, t hem honki es hal f dog t hemsel ves. One day youon' l ear n. "

We shot at muzzl e f l ashes. Funny. Of al l t he st uf f I had i n t he cave, ammuni t i on was t he onehi ng not i n shor t suppl y. And me a peacef ul man.Hey, Duncan, " someone downsl ope shout ed, "who' s t hat up t here wi t h you?"Who' s t hat ?" I asked, whi sper i ng.ake Ki nsl ow. Hi m an' me met bef o' . "

Hey, Duncan boy, " Ki nsl ow shout ed, "you bet t er come out bef ore you get your f r i end i n t r oubl eWhoever you ar e, mi st er , t hi s ai n' t none of your nevermi nd. We got no ar gument wi t h you. We j uwant t hat r abbl e- r ousi ng, baby- r api ng ni gger i n t her e wi t h you. "

l ooked at Duncan. Hi s t eet h gl eamed as he gr i nned. " I shacked wi t h hi s daught er bef o' t he wae gon' get even now. "

o hi de my r eact i on, I t urned and snapped a shot i n t he di r ect i on of J ake' s voi ce. There was ary. I was sur pr i sed.J ake, I ' m hi t ! " someone screamed. "God, my l eg, my l eg! "aughi ng, Duncan reached over and punched my shoul der . "Seven, " he sai d.Mi st er, " J ake shout ed, "we' r e gonna hang t hat ni gger. You don' t get out , we mi ght hang you t o

We got no cause t o be af t er you yet . "et . Meani ng t hey wer e goi ng t o be i f I di dn' t get out of t hei r way. But how coul d I , even i f

want ed t o? They had put me i n a posi t i on where I had no choi ce.i me passed. We exchanged shot s, but t he f i r i ng dropped of f . The moon eventual l y r ose t o where

was shi ni ng di r ect l y i nt o t he cave. I gl anced at my wat ch, mi r acul ousl y sti l l wor ki ng. El even. ad been a l ong, st r ange day, and st i l l wasn' t over .scream downsl ope dr ew my at t ent i on. I r ecogni zed i t . Loi s!

hey dragged her i nt o t he moonl i ght , where I coul d see her . J ake shout ed, "You up t here! You swhat we' ve caught hangi ng ar ound, spyi ng? Know what we' r e gonna do? Same t hi ng Duncan di d t o m

aught er , unl ess you come out . "gr owl ed deep i n my t hr oat . "Let her go!" I shout ed. I r ose and star t ed out , but Duncan t r i pp

me and dr agged me back.

We' l l l et her go when we get Duncan! " Ki nsl ow shout ed. "Meanwhi l e, we' r e gonna have some f un.t r i ed t o get a cl ear shot at t he man hol di ng Loi s, but he st ayed behi nd her, no matt er how mhe st r uggl ed. Duncan dr agged me back agai n. "They' r e goi ng t o r ape her! " I snarl ed. "Let me gMon, " he sai d, gr i nni ng wi ckedl y, "t hey gon' r ape her anyway. They' s honki es. Gon' ki l l us anape her anyway. "No!" I suddenl y shout ed, comi ng to a sudden deci si on. He had an expr essi on of sur pr i se on hi sace when I hi t hi m wi t h the gunbar r el . I t f aded as he f el l . "You! " I shout ed down the hi l l .ake! Let t he gi r l go! I ' l l t hr ow Duncan out t o you! "

No! Don' t do i t ! " Loi s scr eamed. "They' l l ki l l you anyway! "Thr ow hi m out f i r st ! " Ki nsl ow yel l ed.Let her go! "Tel l you what . We' l l br i ng her up and tr ade you. "t hought f or a moment . "Al l r i ght . But j ust one man. "

hey wer e qui et f or a whi l e. Loi s kept scr eami ng f or me t o st op, t i l l t hey gagged her , but Ioul dn' t t hr ow my daught er t o them t o save someone l i ke Duncan. "Al l r i ght , mi st er , " J ake cal lI ' m comi ng up. You br i ng that ni gger out . No tr i cks. Prett y gi r l get s i t i f t here are. "

saw movement bel ow, near t he edge of t he t r ees. Loi s, bei ng dragged by a whi t e man. She was


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i cki ng and scratchi ng, but he i gnored her. They came up the hi l l . When I j udged t hey were cl onough, I l i f t ed Duncan and went out . He was hal f - consci ous, j ust enough to st and wi t h my hel pot enough t o under st and what was happeni ng.ake st opped about f i ve f eet away. He hel d a pi st ol t o t he si de of Loi s' head. He gr i nned. "Okoy. We t r ade. "Let her go. "e moved sl i ght l y behi nd my daught er . He gr i nned agai n. "Dumb ni gger ! " he whi sper ed, t hen doveehi nd r ocks t oward whi ch he had been movi ng.he r i f l es barked al l ar ound t he cave. I f el t bul l et s hi t Duncan. One caught me i n t he t hi gh,pi nni ng me away, back i nt o t he caver n. As I f el l , I saw Loi s st agger and t r y f or t he cave, bui nsl ow f i r ed ar ound the rock.Onl y one of you i n t here now, bl ack boy, " he l aughed. "And we' r e gonna get you. Gonna have aeal ol d- f ashi oned hangi ng. "

suppose t hey ar e. That was t went y mi nut es ago. I ' m wr i t i ng t hi s by moonl i ght , as t hey creepl oser . The bul l et s are comi ng i n a st eady rai n, r i cochet i ng t hr oughout t he caver n. One wi l l gme any mi nut e. The Ki ng of I vor y wi ns another match. Sad.

f or got . Al l t he good ones wer e dead. I t r ust ed bad ones. I f God i s i n a bet t er mood l at er , Iuess I ' l l have al l et erni t y to thi nk about i t . Hat red. I t ' s sad.

Go tel l i t on t he mount ai n,ver t he hi l l and ever ywhere;o tel l i t on t he mount ai n,o l et my peopl e go"

cook, glen - ss - song from a forgotten hill

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