Американские боги

           Hefought,heworshiped,hesacrificed,heplanned.Hesawhisfriendsandhisloverskilled,andhekeptfighting.

           Theyfoughtfortwelveyears,amaddening,bloodystrugglewiththeplantationowners,withthetroopsbroughtoverfromFrance.Theyfought,andtheykeptfighting,and,impossibly,theywon.

           OnJanuarythefirst,1804,theindependenceofSt.Domingue,soontobeknowntotheworldastheRepublicofHaiti,wasdeclared.BigOne-Armdidnotlivetoseeit.HehaddiedinAugust1802,bayonetedbyaFrenchsoldier.

           AttheprecisemomentofthedeathofBigOne-Arm(whohadoncebeencalledHyacinth,andbeforethat,InkyJack,andwhowasforeverinhisheartAgasu),hissister,whomhehadknownasWututu,whohadbeencalledMaryonherfirstplantationintheCarolinas,andDaisywhenshehadbecomeahouseslave,andSukeywhenshewassoldtotheLaverefamilydowntheriverinNewOrleans,feltthecoldbayonetslidebetweenherribsandstartedtoscreamandweepuncontrollably.Hertwindaughterswokeandbegantohowl.Theywerecream-and-coffeecolored,hernewbabies,notliketheblackchildrenshehadbornewhenshewasontheplantationandlittlemorethanagirlherself—childrenshehadnotseensincetheywerefifteenandtenyearsold.Themiddlegirlhadbeendeadforayear,whenshewassoldawayfromthem.