Page:Plunder (Perlman).djvu/31

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25
after their war against slavery. I was mistaken. There was an American in the mob--I have never seen such a face!
There was no sign of human spirit--it was the face of a wild, enraged beast.

INDIO

You should have killed him!

AMONG AUDIENCE

PRETORIA

I feel as if the dead were dancing in front of me. Twenty years! What an awful pit!

MOKSA

Then I would merely have changed place with him--I would have become like him. If I had not seen it I would not believe men can be reduced to such ferocity. It was he who led the group. He did not get his fill from beating Burumba, who was almost dead before the American reached him. So he turned to me. I would be dead now too if the others had not told him it was still a crime to kill a free Indian. A free Indian, you see! Poor Burumba! It was not a crime to kill him!

INDIO

Pretoria ran away with an American.

MOKSA

My son, you do not know what you are saying.

CURTAIN
HOUSELIGHTS

AMONG AUDIENCE

PRETORIA

Harold! Oh Harold, forgive me! I lied to you! It was so long ago! I told you I wanted to go back because they needed me. How little I cared whether they needed me. It was I who needed them, so I