Glory over Everything: Beyond The Kitchen House(104)



In spite of my best efforts, by the third day Sukey was no longer lucid. Pan had found an old turtle shell, and though she drank water from it readily, she always turned her face away from the grubs. The morning I found three duck eggs, I rushed in with one for Sukey, but was disheartened when she turned her head in refusal. I later cracked open all three, and Pan and I gratefully swallowed the rich nutrients, a welcome change from the usual grubs, grasshoppers, and huckleberries.

By the fifth day, Sukey refused even the berries. Thinking it was the effort to chew that stopped her, I chewed the food myself before pushing it into her mouth. That almost ended in disaster, for the paste dropped back in her throat and choked her. Though I was able to have her cough it up, the episode left her drained. When I cleaned her that evening, fresh blood, a great deal more than usual, soaked through the packed moss.

The following morning Sukey was no longer responding, though she still swallowed water when I put it in her mouth.

Kitty suckled vigorously when I held her to Sukey’s breast. I wondered if she was getting enough nourishment, and as her mother’s life ebbed away, I argued with myself about what to do. Should we just leave and try to save Kitty? How many hours could a baby survive without milk? Yet I could not abandon Sukey while she was still alive; at night there were too many carnivores about. Finally, on the sixth day, Sukey provided the solution.

Around noon, while Pan gathered grubs, I took Kitty for another feeding and there discovered that Sukey had died. I had sensed her death coming, but the reality of it shook me. Clutching Kitty, I scrambled from the cave and called for Pan.

He came at a run. “She’s dead,” I said abruptly. “We have to leave.”

He hung his head for a moment, then lifted it again. “We got to bury her,” he said.

“We can’t. We have no tools. And you know she would want us to take care of Kitty first. We need to find some milk for her as soon as possible.”

“How we gonna do that?” he asked.

I handed Kit to him as I reached for the primitive basket that I had fashioned from the plentiful reeds in preparation of our departure. “I don’t know, but we don’t have a lot of time,” I said. I lined the basket with plenty of moss and then added what was left of Sukey’s petticoat. Settling Kitty in the basket and tucking my jacket into the waist of my tattered trousers, I announced that I was ready to leave.

Pan looked lost and walked back to the entrance of the cave. “At least you got to say something,” he said.

“You’re right,” I said, joining him. I tried to think of some words, but when I lowered my head, nothing came. The baby squirmed, and while I readjusted her, Pan grew impatient. “You can say something nice about Sukey, and then I suppose you can ask my mama for some help, but she don’t seem to be around since I got took.”

“How about your daddy?” I asked, feeling more comfortable invoking Henry.

Pan shrugged.

“Sukey was a good woman—” I began.

“But now we need some help,” Pan interrupted. “Daddy, if you see us out here, you got to get us some help.” His voice choked at the mention of his father, and my own eyes blurred. I looked up and took in the beauty of the long green swags and red flowering vines that draped across the cathedral-sized trees. Under this protective canopy, an unexpected peace washed over me and gave me newfound strength. Through Pan’s sobs, I spoke out in a strong voice. “Henry and Sukey,” I said, “you were both brave and good, and because of it, we know you are with the Lord. Please ask Him to help us out.”

I was rewarded for my effort when Pan rubbed his face dry and looked up at me. “You did that good, Mr. Burton,” he said. “Now we best get going!”


I DECIDED WE would go north to the cross-canal, but there, instead of going east to the large canal, as instructed, we would turn west, where I had been told civilization was close by. I didn’t know what story I would tell, but our only hope to save Kit lay in that direction.

As we traveled, I felt that we were being watched. The night before, wolves had sounded particularly close, and I worried that they were stalking us now. I didn’t allow myself to think of what might happen to Sukey’s body back in the cave.

As before, we fought the endless vegetation, and while Pan kept up the pace, he traveled silently. Alone, I might have despaired, but saving both Kit and Pan gave me purpose, so I plunged ahead, using the moss-covered trees and bits of sunlight for direction. A few hours into our trek, we came to a dry spot where I decided to check on a silent Kitty. I held my breath when I lifted her still body from the basket. “Kit, Kit,” I called, tapping her satin face until she gave a weak cry.

Pan grabbed hold of my arm so abruptly that I almost dropped Kit. “Mr. Burton!” he whispered as a short Negro man stepped out from the trees. “He got a knife!” Pan pointed to the long curved weapon the man carried.

“Don’ mean no harm!” the aged man said, quickly sheathing his weapon and attaching it to the cord that held up what was left of his pants. “I’s Willie,” he said. “Been watchin’ you. What you doin’ with that baby?”

“She needs milk!” I said.

“Come, we get some,” he said, and motioned us forward.

“Let’s go,” I said to Pan.

The old man turned southeast and moved so quickly that had we not been so determined to keep up, we might have lost him. Within a half hour, we arrived at a large island. There, back in the woods set three small huts, similar to those of the quarters on a plantation, but these were built up on stilts. Under the shacks, chickens pecked in the dirt, and a staked goat bleated out a greeting to Willie. An old woman, seated in the doorway of the largest hut, gave me a startled look.

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