Free The People: And Other Uncollected Fiction by Bernard Malamud Page A

until it happens.”
    “Who would do such a terrible thing?”
    “Some stupid fool. Maybe somebody who wants to make trouble between us and the Indian agent at Fort Boise, or the fat-ass colonel. What will you do?” he asked Jozip.
    “Maybe I will ride to the fort and talk to Cohnel Gunther. Also
I will tell him our braves did not kill this man. I say that this man who got killed was lost on our land. If he got lost this is no crime, but we did not kill him. We are a lawful people. I will say this to the cohnel.”
    “Maybe you ought to call a council meeting.”
    “I will call this meeting after I talk to the white man.”
    “Do you want me to ride with you to the fort?”
    “No, I will go alone. One Indian makes them suspicious. If they see two it’s already an attack. This way they will see that I come in peace.”
    Jozip rode off to the fort. Bessie had lost weight and traveled swiftly and lightly.
    It took Jozip a while to get into the colonel’s office; and once inside he wasn’t sure he should have come. The aide-de-camp searched Jozip’s pockets, ran his hands over his buckskin pants, then reluctantly admitted him into the office. Jozip did not like being searched.
    The colonel appeared when he heard an Indian had come to see him.
    They recognized each other.
    “Good morning, Chief,” said the colonel. “I have to request that you tell me quickly the reason for your visit to this office. I have a painful toothache. I hope you’ve come to tell me that your tribe is getting ready for its move.”
    “Excuse me that I come when you have such a bad toothache,” said Jozip, “but since I bring now some bad news I will tulk fast.”
    “The faster the better.”
    “Cohnel, I am very sorry that we found on our reservation this morning a dead white gentleman that he was scolped and died there in the woods. I came to ask you what we should do with the body.”
    “A dead settler?” The colonel brooded. “Was his name Ezra Pence? His wife reported him missin’ last night.”
    Jozip was sorry he did not know the man’s name.
    “But you found him scalped by your Indians? This happens to be a very drastic offense, Chief Josephs.”

    “Cohnel Gunther, I wish to mention to you that I came here on my free will to explain you what hoppened.”
    The colonel went to the door and called his aide.
    “Mr. Carpenter,” he said when the man entered, “this is Chief Josephs. At least that’s what he calls himself. They have found a dead settler on the reservation ground that may be the man we are missin’. Lock him up in the hoosegow until I get a dentist to pull my goddamn tooth in the morning. After that we will assemble fifty men to accompany us to the reservation. I want to get to the bottom of this scalpin’ incident. A mean thing like that could start off a war.”
    Jozip said in astonishment, “You wish to arrest me and put me in jail? Mr. Cohnel, I don’t think my tribe will like this.”
    “Don’t threaten me, Chief. I am locking you up because I think it might be the best thing under the circumstances. Now don’t make any more trouble or you will get your ass broke.”
    Jozip, disliking the man, said nothing. He wondered what Indian Head would do if he did not return before nightfall. Then he decided to let the colonel get away with the arrest though it humiliated him. Tomorrow he would be free, and when he got back to the reservation he would call a meeting of the tribe’s council. Too much was happening too fast. He needed the council’s advice.
    The aide led Jozip to a small cell in the interior of the fort. Jozip spent half an hour reading the filthy inscriptions on the wall and decided the white race did not know what to do with itself. He was glad he had become an Indian.
    That night he dreamed a woman had got into the cell and was beating him with the handle of her umbrella. He woke in pain. A woman with an umbrella was beating him in the dark. He shouted at her, “Stop, stop, you bitch,