"Eric Flint - TOG 02 - 1824, The Arkansas War" - читать интересную книгу автора (Flint Eric)

He decided to change the subject. тАЬWhenare you planning to buy your freedom, by the way? ItтАЩd be
handy if youтАЩd let me know a bit ahead of time, you rascal, soтАЩs I donтАЩt get caught in the lurch.тАЭ

Chester went back to his creek-scrutiny. тАЬWell. WasnтАЩt actually planning on it, all that soon, Mr. Sam.
Thought IтАЩd keep saving up my money. Once we get to Arkansas, I can put it in Mr. PatrickтАЩs bank. ItтАЩll
be safe there.тАЭ

тАЬWonderful! Now youтАЩll make me a liar, too.тАЭ

Chester smiled apologetically but didnтАЩt look away from the water. тАЬYou didnтАЩt say anything about it in
the tavern, Mr. Sam. I was the one said I could buy my way free in тАЩbout a couple of months. WasnтАЩt
lying, neither. Icould. But тАШcouldтАЩ and тАШwouldтАЩ is two different things. I just donтАЩt see the point in being a
freedman when I wouldnтАЩt have enough money left to do anything more than work for someone else. IтАЩm
gonna do that, might as well keep working for you. ThereтАЩs really not all that much difference for a poor
man, when you get right down to it, between a master and a bossтАФand, either way, youтАЩre the best one
I know.тАЭ

Sam rolled his eyes. тАЬIn other words, youтАЩre agreeing with Calhoun. SlaveryтАЩs just the thing to elevate
the black man. While his poor downtrodden white master pays the bills.тАЭ

ChesterтАЩs smile widened and lost its apologetic flavor. тАЬBegging your pardon, Mr. Sam, but I donтАЩt
recall Mr. Calhoun ever saying anything about black men being free, at any time, for any amount of
money.тАЭ

Sam scratched his chin. тАЬWell, no. Of course not. If Calhoun had his way, freedmen wouldnтАЩt exist at all.
HowтАЩd he put it in his recent speech to the Senate?тАЭ

His accent took on a mimicry of a much thicker and more Southern one. тАЬ тАШI hold that in the present
state of civilization, where two races of different origin, and distinguished by color as well as intellectual
differences, are brought together, the relation now existing in the slaveholding states between the two, is,
instead of an evil, a goodтАФa positive good.тАЩ тАЭ

Sam dropped the accent and shook his head. тАЬNot much room there for freedmen. Now that theyтАЩve
gotten exclusion acts passed in most states, Calhoun and his people are pushing to make manumission
illegal altogether. Not to mention getting laws passed that make teaching slaves how to read and write
illegal.тАЭ

Chester stopped smiling, then.

тАЬHeтАЩs a prize, Calhoun is.тАЭ Sam leaned over and spit in the creek. Not so much as a gesture of
disgustтАФalthough that was there, tooтАФas to get rid of the taste of raw meat he still had in his mouth. The
whiskey had helped some, but not enough.

For a moment, he contemplated taking another slug but decided against it. HeтАЩd already drunk almost a
quarter of the bottle this morning. He wasnтАЩt worried about being able to ride a horse, of course. Sam
could manage that with a full bottle under his belt. But he had an awkward interview coming up today,
and he needed his wits about him.

тАЬCome on,тАЭ he said. тАЬThe horses have had enough, and IтАЩd like to make it to the senatorтАЩs house by