Rewards and Fairies - Penn State University

Rudyard Kipling
ing him to declare war on England at once. I had heard that American citizens into their Navy to help them fight France,
clack before on the Embuscade. He said he’d stir up the whole on pretence that those Americans was lawful British subjects.
United States to have war with England, whether Big Hand His gentlemen put this very clear to Big Hand. It didn’t look
liked it or not.
to them, they said, as though the United States trying to keep
‘Big Hand heard him out to the last end. I looked behind out of the fight was any advantage to her, because she only
me, and my two chiefs had vanished like smoke. Says Big catched it from both French and English. They said that nine
Hand, “That is very forcibly put, Monsieur Genet—” out of ten good Americans was crazy to fight the English
‘“Citizen—citizen!” the fellow spits in. “I, at least, am a then and there. They wouldn’t say whether that was right or
Republican!”
wrong; they only wanted Big Hand to turn it over in his
“Citizen Genet,” he says, “you may be sure it will receive mind. He did—for a while. I saw Red Jacket and Cornplanter
my fullest consideration.” This seemed to take Citizen Genet watching him from the far side of the clearing, and how they
back a piece. He rode off grumbling, and never gave his nigger had slipped round there was another mystery. Then Big Hand
a penny. No gentleman!
drew himself up, and he let his gentlemen have it.’
‘The others all assembled round Big Hand then, and, in ‘Hit ‘em?’ Dan asked.
their way, they said pretty much what Genet had said. They ‘No, nor yet was it what you might call swearing. He—he
put it to him, here was France and England at war, in a man- blasted ‘em with his natural speech. He asked them half-aner
of speaking, right across the United States’ stomach, and dozen times over whether the United States had enough armed
paying no regards to any one. The French was searching Ameri- ships for any shape or sort of war with any one. He asked
can ships on pretence they was helping England, but really for ‘em, if they thought she had those ships, to give him those
to steal the goods. The English was doing the same, only ships, and they looked on the ground, as if they expected to
t’other way round, and besides searching, they was pressing find ‘em there. He put it to ‘em whether, setting ships aside,
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