Story: Colonel Williams, Ch. 6, pt. IV

The rest of the day passed uneventfully. Two days later, Colonel Williams sat in his office, reading another of the books that lined his walls. It was about ten in the morning. Slowly, he became aware of a commotion going on outside. Loud voices shouted angrily, alternatively in English and Spanish.
“Tell him that he’d better get back here fast, José!” an angry voice yelled.
“No quiero,” an equally angry voice – not José’s – shouted.
“What’d he say?” the first voice asked. “You know I can’t understand that mumbo jumbo.”
“He said that he does not want to go,” José answered.
Williams by this point had put his book down and was walking to the front door.
“Oh, he’s going to want to go somewhere in a minute, alright,” the first voice said. Williams heard the sound of a gun cocking. “He’s going to want to come with me.”
Williams sped up and arrived at the front of the mansion in time to hear José say, “He is not going anywhere until you talk with Colonel Williams. He is in charge here, and he decides who stays and who goes, even trespassers.”
Williams arrived at the scene of the confrontation. John Fulton, Andrews’ foreman, stood about five feet from both José and a dark tan man, who cowered behind José. Fulton’s gun pointed at José menacingly.
“I am in charge here,” Williams said authoritatively, picking up on José’s thought, “and I want to know what’s going on here, Fulton.”
“Well, Colonel Williams,” Fulton replied in his thick, Southern drawl, not lowering his gun, “this servant of yours is harboring one of Mr. Andrews’ field servants. He ran away about an hour ago, and I’ve just now tracked him down here. I’ve got to get him back to our own fields as quick as possible.”
“Why did he run away?” Williams asked.
“Dunno. Don’t care. I just know that he’s a part of my team, and I need him to work the fields. Now, let me take him and get home before I lose any more time.”
Williams frowned. There was not much that he could do. Under the law, a runaway slave had to be returned to his master. “Will you let me talk with him a minute, Fulton?” he asked.
“No, Colonel,” Fulton answered, “I won’t. The last time I let you do that, I lost myself a worker.”
“Just give me a minute to calm him down and explain what’s going on.”
“Alright, Colonel, but nothing funny this time. I’ve got to keep some of my crew together.”
Williams nodded and addressed the fugitive. “What is your name and why are you here?” he asked in Spanish.
The slave’s face lit up in surprise at Williams speaking to him in his native language. “I am Pedro Garcia,” he replied, “and I am here because I heard how you rescued a man named Alejandro from slavery to Señor Andrews. I want out of slavery as well, just like you did with Alejandro.”
“Pedro, why are you running away? Why not finish out your servitude with Mr. Andrews?” Williams asked.
“Because he is a cruel man,” Pedro replied. “I have already worked five years for him to pay off my debt, as we had originally agreed. But every time I try to leave, he claims that I also owe him for room and board while I worked for him. I am just as much in debt now as I was when I started being a slave.”
“That’s how Mr. Andrews is,” Williams said sadly. “What would you do if you now longer were a slave to him?”
“I do not know,” Pedro responded, “except that I would start over and avoid the mistakes I made that got me into debt in the first place. All I know is that being trapped under the cruel will of Mr. Andrews is more than I can bear. Please say that you will help me!”
Williams paused to think. He did not have enough money to buy every malcontent slave who happened his way. If the news spread that he was buying unhappy slaves, he was pretty sure that every slave in the region would be pounding on his gates. Remember, a voice inside him said, you don’t have enough money to buy everyone. Don’t set a precedent now. You’ll only wind up in trouble.
That thought was quickly countered by another. But the chance to redeem even one more is worth it, it argued. And so what if every slave in the entire state of Georgia comes here? Maybe you can’t buy them all, but you can at least rescue some and make their lives better. What else could you do with all of your wealth? You don’t need a bigger house or better stuff. These people are in greater need.
It’s not worth it, the first argument retorted, and it’s just plain crazy! You have to have some money to live on, and you have to pay all of your employees. What good is going to do them if you bankrupt yourself rescuing everyone else?
You won’t go bankrupt, countered the second voice. In the past week, your investments alone have already covered the cost of paying for Alejandro. You can easily afford to rescue at least one more. Remember, you can’t help everyone, but you at least should help those whom Providence has put in your path.
Before the internal debate could continue any farther, Williams stifled it. He had argued with himself on enough occasions to know that this sort of thinking would not help him solve the task at hand. He had to make a decision, and he had to make it immediately. He looked at the very impatient Fulton, who looked like he could already feel the whip on his back from not meeting his quota for the second time in two weeks.
“Fulton, would you please tell Mr. Andrews that I will be coming by tomorrow to discuss the matter of Pedro?” he said.
“Not again, Colonel,” Fulton said. He started to raise his gun again. “If you plan on keeping him here, there’s going to be trouble.”
“Put the gun down,” Williams responded. “You can take Pedro with you right now. I will come by tomorrow to see if Mr. Andrews and I can reach an agreement that will allow Pedro to come under my authority.”
“Fine, Colonel, I’ll let Mr. Andrews know that you’re going to come by tomorrow. Now, can I take this man and get back to my fields before I lose any more time?”
Williams smiled at the one-track mind of Fulton. “Yes, Fulton, go ahead, take him.”
Pedro, who understood enough English well enough, even if he did not speak it well, realized that he had to return with Fulton at this point. Stepping out from behind José, he walked slowly back towards the front gate, a small glimmer of hope in his eyes. Fulton followed him, coaxing him to walk faster.
After the two had disappeared through the gate, José spoke up. “Interesting, Colonel, most interesting. Do you think that you will be able to buy this man from Mr. Andrews as you bought Alejandro?”
“I’m not sure,” Williams answered, “but I know that I have to try. I have the resources; I might as well use them.”
José agreed. They talked for a few minutes about the state of the crops and the workers. Then, José headed off to the fields, and Williams went back to the house.