Summary: like any other thing, a gift
Inman follows the banks of Deep River at night. He sees
a light ahead and worries that it is the Home Guard. Instead, he
finds that it is a man who is about to throw a white bundle down
the river gorge. The man thinks that Inman is a message from God.
Inman pulls a gun on the man, who says that he is a preacher who
has drugged his pregnant lover and was about to throw her into the gorge
in order to kill her. Inman ties the man up and instructs him to lead
them to his town. Inman cuts his thumb on the wire binding the horse’s
lead rope.
On the way back, the preacher reveals details of his
affair. He states that he is engaged to someone else and that he
would be exiled from his community if his infidelity were discovered.
Inman sees that Orion has risen and remembers identifying a star
in this constellation the night of the battle at Fredericksburg.
The boy he shared this information with was dismissive of worldly
knowledge, arguing that it lead to the carnage displayed on the
battlefield. Although Inman had disagreed with the boy at the time,
he now considers whether the boy might have been correct.
Inman can’t decide what to with the preacher, and he
tells him so. At the town, Inman gags his captive and ties him to
a tree. Inman carries the woman to her bed in the cabin she shares
with her grandmother. The girl wakes up, and Inman learns that her
name is Laura. He tells her to go back to sleep and warns her against
the preacher. Inman writes a letter detailing the preacher’s criminal
intentions and “skewers” it to the tree above his head. He leaves
the town and sleeps in a pine bower.
When he awakens, Inman cleans his pistol and thinks how
easily fighting comes to him. He leaves in the afternoon and continues walking.
After an hour, Inman meets two slaves and follows the scent of meat
to a camp filled by people as “Ishmaelite as himself.” He eats stew,
and watches a dark-haired woman ride a horse across the river. The
woman reminds him of Ada. Inman shares frog legs with a band of
gypsy boys and buys a bottle of Moet. He drinks some champagne and
then goes in search of another meal from a man in charge of “show
folk.” Inman watches the man throw knives at the dark-haired woman.
Later, the troupe eats beefsteaks and shares stories.
Inman is distracted by the beautiful woman and goes into
the woods to rest. He reads a passage from Bartram’s Travels about
the rhododendron plant and drinks the last of the champagne. Inman’s thoughts
drift to Laura and how it felt to carry her when he did. He then
thinks about the Christmas party and the conversation he had with
Ada as she sat on his knee. Inman examined her hand for signs of
the future but had found no “tidings” on it.
Inman falls asleep and dreams about Ada dressed in white
with a black shawl. He tells her he is coming home and is never
letting her go. Inman awakens to find the camp gone but sets off
with lifted spirits, having had a pleasant dream.
