Ch.16b Exploring the Village (Lawrence & William)

[Bullfrog]

"First off, I guess, how long has it been since you got your land taken away?" Lawrence inquires.

[Philulhu]

”Many, many years,” replied Nashoba, sombrely. ”My ancestors fought the Spanish Conquistadors. They could beat the men but could not defeat the diseases that they brought with them. More recently, my people fought the whites, but we were beaten by your bullets and your treaties, treaties written in a language we did not understand and which were not honoured anyway. Our lands were taken from us. Good land, land that would sustain us, was taken in exchange for reservation land, where our crops could not grow and our people starved.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Has anyone stood up for your people?" asks William.

[Philulhu]

Nashoba laughed bitterly. ”No one, no one at all. No,I tell a lie, there was one man - an Indian Agent whose name I now forget. He stood up for us, but he is long gone. Now there is just me and my family. The poison brought by the oil has driven everyone away, but I must stay. If we do not venerate our ancestors, we lose our faith, our connection to the old ways. Without that, we are no better than the whites, destroying nature rather than living with it in harmony.”

He looked at William and Lawrence and he shook his head. ”But what would you know of those? You are whites also, the same as those who despoil our lands in their greed for money.”

[Mr. Handy]

"We are whites," says William, "but we are not like the ones who despoil your land. Not all white people are the same. I'd like to help you if I can. I've always had a thirst for justice. That's why I became a lawyer. While I'm not licensed to practice law in Louisiana, I can certainly advise you. That oil is on your land, and therefore the oil belongs to your people by right. But oil companies are big, powerful, and wealthy. That's a huge problem with the legal system. They can pretty much buy a favorable court ruling, and nobody has enough money to compete with the Rockefellers and their ilk. It's an uphill battle, but sometimes a small victory can be won."

[Bullfrog]

"I can't say I'm better than any man, white or otherwise, but I know more of anything than I would ever want to know, and even that isn't much. The world's a horrible place." Lawrence says, speaking with terrible clarity. "But what have you done in your own defense? I don't imagine you just sat here with your hands in your pockets while your burial ground got forcibly moved."

[Philulhu]

”We protested. We wrote to our Congressman. We even went to the State Senate in Baton Rouge. They make the right noises, but at the end of the day, money talks, and noise is all it is,” said Nashoba. ”It made no difference and my people lost heart. The youngsters moved away first, then their parents. There are but a handful of us left to continue the fight.”

[Mr. Handy]

"How are you continuing the fight?" asks William.

[Philulhu]

Nashoba gave William a sly look and tapped the side of his nose. ”You’ll have to wait and see.”

[Mr. Handy]

"Is there anything we can do to help?" asks William, curious about just what Nashoba means.

Psychology roll (67% skill) about Nashoba:
d%

[Philulhu]

William gets that Nashoba has a cunning plan that he’s quite pleased about, but he’s not about to tell him the details.

Nashoba shook his head. ”Don’t need no help. You’ll see soon enough - then everyone will be talking about the damage they’re doing!” He smiled to himself and refused to be drawn any further on the subject.

[Mr. Handy]

"I guess we'll wait and see, then," says William.

[Philulhu]

”I guess you will,” said Nashoba with a nod, ”But thanks for breakfast. I appreciate it.””

[Mr. Handy]

"You're welcome," says William, who had thought it was lunch. "Could you please give us a hint, at least? How long will we have to wait?"

[Philulhu]

He’s a late riser and it was his first meal of the day. Either that or your Keeper wasn’t paying attention…

Nashoba looked furtive but leaned in closer to William. ”Wait ’til it gets dark,” he said. ”Now I’ve got things to do.” And with that he pushed back his chair, stood and headed out the door.

[Mr. Handy]

"He has a cunning plan, and he's very happy with it," says William to Lawrence after Nashoba has gone, "but that's the most he'll tell us about it."

[Bullfrog]

"We ought to keep an eye on him. I don't know if he's a snake-handler or not, but this whole thing seems awfully familiar, if you ask me." Lawrence quietly remarks, watching Nashoba in the distance.
"I think I'm gonna follow him. If you have a problem with the idea, speak now or forever hold your peace."

[Philulhu]

So, Lawrence is planning on shadowing Nashoba. What’s William planning to do?

[Mr. Handy]

"If you're sure you can do it without him seeing you," says William. "We don't want to alienate him, especially if he is one of them. I'm not very stealthy, but what I can do is follow you while keeping far enough away that he can't see me. I won't be able to see him either, but as long as I keep you in sight, it should be fine."

[Philulhu]

Outside, the figure of Nashoba could be seen retreating into the distance, shuffling along the road past Mrs Hebert’s house and further up the road.