The water wagons arrived at nearly the same time he did — and not one cart, but two. Neither of the parties was happy to see the other.
“I’ve got this,” one of them growled to the other carter. “You go on.”
“I’m staying put. I’m not giving up the bonus for being here first.”
As Luke watched the carters argue, two pumper wagons arrived. He was surprised to see them respond so promptly. Both sets of firemen began to unload their hoses and axes, jostling each other and getting in the way of any effective response. Occasionally, one of them would shout at another. The fire and the altercation between the fire companies were drawing a crowd of curious onlookers, who only added to the tumult by shouting out insults. It was no way to fight a fire, and Luke could see that the flames were beginning to lick at the roofs of nearby buildings. Then, as the crowd of people pushed him closer to the burning building, he saw one of the carters throw a punch. Pandemonium erupted as men from the fire companies joined in the fray, the raging fire forgotten.
Whether there were any injuries or not, Luke needed to get away from the riot. He turned and began to push himself through the mass of people, although they were little inclined to give way. A judiciously applied elbow to a short, stout man in a butcher’s apron finally parted a path in front of him.
Just then the police arrived. Luke heard shouting behind him, and pressed himself against the wall of a shop before he’d even ascertained who was arriving on the scene. The police waded into the skirmish, swinging clubs as they went. Slowly, Luke inched his way along the storefront, using the structure as a balance to keep himself from falling as people rushed past him, anxious to get closer to such an entertaining diversion.
He reached a winding alleyway, and debated whether or not he should go down it. It would get him off the street and away from trouble, but if he couldn’t get out again at the other end he risked being trapped by the spreading flames. He thought he could just see daylight at the end of the narrow passage, so he took a chance and slipped into the shadowy space. It was full of garbage, rotting produce, and discarded articles, and, here and there, puddles of filth where slop jars had been emptied.
It was hard to see inside the alleyway until his eyes made the adjustment from the bright sun outside, and Luke had to pick his way carefully around the piles of muck. He was only ten paces down the length of the passage when he heard a muffled yell, and a mutter or two. He wasn’t at all sure that the noises had come from inside the alleyway — they could just as easily be from the street — but then there was a scream, and he heard, quite clearly, a cry of “Leave me alone,” followed by a jeering laugh. “Shut up, nigger bitch,” someone said.
Luke rushed forward, no longer concerned about stains to his shoes and trouser cuffs, and close to where the passageway emptied into the street beyond, he could see a group of three people. One of them was a woman, who was huddled on the ground, hands over her head to protect it from the blackjacks wielded by the two burly men who stood over her. One of the men kicked at the fallen figure, while the other watched, the sound of his laughter drowning out any noise of Luke’s approach.
Luke chose to barrel into the laughing man at full speed. The man fell, the club in his hand making a graceful arc as it flew out of his hand. One kick to the body, and he rolled into a defensive ball, his head tucked and his legs pulled up. Luke turned in the direction of the other assailant, arm raised to ward off the anticipated blow of the blackjack, but to his surprise the woman on the ground leapt up and took advantage of the second man’s surprise to land a hard kick between his legs. The man doubled over, and Luke was able to step forward and rip the club out of his grasp. Then he scurried back a few paces, out of reach of either of the attackers. He stood, club at the ready.
The man who had been kicked was in no condition to offer any resistance. He was moaning, his hands cupped over his injured genitals. The man Luke had tackled, however, uncurled himself, reached down into his boot, and pulled out a long, lethal-looking knife. Luke’s club would be no match for it.
“Run,” he said to the woman, and when she hesitated, he was more insistent. “Go on, run and get help.” She turned then and ran toward the end of the alley, but before she could reach the street the yells from the crowd watching the fire grew suddenly louder and echoed down the low-roofed alley. It was enough to distract the man with the knife for just a moment, and in that time Luke let loose a swinging blow at his hand. The woman ran back, and between them she and Luke pulled the knife out the man’s grasp.
They backed out of the alleyway, wary of another attack, but the man made no move to follow them. When they reached the street, Luke shoved the knife under his jacket and slid the club into his pocket, but there was no one to see them anyway. The street was deserted. Everyone had gone to watch the fire over on the next block.
Now that he could see her in the light, Luke realized that the woman he had rescued was younger than he thought, a girl really, no more than eighteen or twenty, he judged. She was tall — almost as tall as he was — and slim, and her coffee-coloured skin stretched over high cheekbones below enormous brown eyes. She was, he thought, extraordinarily striking. She was also far more finely dressed than Luke, her dress beautifully cut and her boots made of fine leather.
“Oh,” she said, her hand patting her head,” I’ve lost my hat.” She took a step back toward the alley, but Luke stopped her.
“Wait a few minutes to make sure the alley is clear,” he said, “then I’ll go back and get it. I’ve left something behind, as well.” He had dropped Dr. Christie’s package of powders and bandages when he leapt to the rescue. “Who were those men anyway?”
“Catchers,” she said, “from the States. They were trying to grab me so they could take me over the border and claim a bounty.”
“What do you mean?”
“Because of the new law there. They claimed I was a runaway slave, and men like that are paid to track down runaways and take them back to their owners.”
“But this is Canada,” Luke protested. “They have no call to be here.”
“Nevertheless, they are,” she said, “and they aren’t fussy about who they grab up. Any old African will do, whether they’re freeborn or not. Thank you for your assistance. I’m Cherub, by the way.” She held out her hand.
It was an odd name, Luke thought, but strangely appropriate for so beautiful a woman. He took the hand and shook it. “Lewis. Luke Lewis.”
She nodded, but said nothing more as they waited until Luke judged it was safe to return to the alleyway. There was no sign of Cherub’s attackers. Her hat was on the ground close to the entrance, the brim lying in a puddle of muck. He found the package from Lyman and Kneeshaw’s a little farther down the alley, none the worse for wear.
He emerged into the street, Cherub’s hat held at arm’s length. “I’m afraid it might be ruined,” he said, handing it to her.
She sighed. “I’m afraid you might be right. I don’t know if this will clean up or not.”
She began walking north. Luke fell into step beside her. After they had walked two blocks, she stopped at a handsome, gaily-painted buggy. “This is my carriage. Thank you again, Mr. Lewis.”
“My goodness, aren’t you going to introduce me to your friend, Cherub?” said a voice from under the vehicle’s leather canopy. It was a deep, velvety voice that made Luke immediately want to see the person it belonged to. He ducked his head into the confines of the covered buggy.
“How do
