by Harper & Brothers Publishers. The Sun Trick When Joshua seed how easy hit was to trick de enemies at Jericho, he went trickin’ all de towns )out. He’d take and split his army in two and half of ‘em hide in de bushes and de yuther .1 follow him. Den he’d march up in front of own and start beggin’ for a fight. Page 158. “ I’m a fighter from Fightersvile and I craves action,” he’d say. Efn y’all is skeered to fight me, jest say so and I’ll fight myse’f. Jest march yo’ measly army out yar and I’ll run ‘em to they tongues drag de ground.” “ So de town would march de army out and old Joshua would start backin’ up. And de town army would come at ‘em and Joshua would light out. Den, ‘bout de time de town army was chasm’ Joshua, de yuther army which was hidin’ in de bushes would git up and set de town on fire and den git at de town’s army from behind. And den old Joshua would swarm all over dat town army like flies at de molasses bar’l.” “ Joshua, say de Lawd, you’se a good trick fighter, but I’m gonter see how you is on jest plain, natchal fightin’.” “ Well, Lawd,” say Joshua, 9 ain’t braggin’, but I claims to be a natchal fighter fust and a trick fighter next. Who round yar is lookin’ for a natchal fight wid me? ” “ Well,” say de Lawd, hit’s a king name King Adonizec which is powerful intrusted in a fight.” “ I kin lick him wid my eyes shet,” say Joshua. And hit’s a king name King Homan, too,” say de Lawd. Page 159. “ Humph! say Joshua. tHe ain’t so much.” “ And old King Piram was down to de store yuther day wid a chip on his shoulder,” say de Lawd . “ Hes my meat,” say Joshua. “ And I yared tell dat King Japhi was hankerin’ for trouble.” “ Let him look at me,” say Joshua.” “ And,” say de Lawd, hit’s a king name King bir which passed de word round dat he’s jest ipin’ at de bit for a fight.” “ Bebir ain’t hardly nothin’,” say Joshua. “ I take ‘em all on, one at de time, and whup de whole pa’cel of ‘em before breakfus.” “One at de time, yeah,” say de Lawd. But from de news I yars, you ain’t gonter git a whack at ‘em one at de time.” “ Lawd, you don’t mean dem boys is gonter ng up on me?” say Joshua. “ Dat’s jest zackly what dey done did,” say de Lawd. “ Well, great day in de mawnin’!” say Joshua. 7hat do you think about dat, Lawd? ” “ Looks like hit’s gonter be a natchal light,” say de Lawd. Page 160. “ Natchal fight is right,” say Joshua. You gonter stick by me, ain’t you, Lawd? ” “ I ain’t never runned away from a fight yit, when my people was fightin’,” say de Lawd. And I’m too old to start runnin’ now.” “ So old Joshua lined up his army at de crack of day and he marched out and pitched in at dem five kings. And you better believe Joshua and dem kings fit. Up de hills and down de hollows. They jest natchally fit all over de Promise’ Land. Fust one side was ahead and den de yuther, but they jest kept right on fightin’. “ We ain’t gittin’ nowheres wid dis fight, Lawd,” say Joshua. Fust hit’s me ahead, and den hit’s de five kings. Hit looks like to me dis fight is liable to end in a tie efn somethin’ don’t hapen.” “ Hit sho is some fight,” say de Lawd.” “ Yeah,” say Joshua. I been tryin’ to trick ‘em some, but dem boys don’t trick worth a durn. They jest fights.” “ What kind of trick you been tryin’, Joshua?” say de Lawd. “ Well, I tried dat marchin’ trick like us worked at Jericho,” say Joshua, but dem boys knows as much about dat trick as me and you does. Page 161. Den I tried ta hide my army in de bushes. dem scound’els had a army hidin’ in de bushes, too. So I tried to march like I’m gonter me at ‘em from de front and swing round and ‘em in de flanks.” “ Dat didn’t work?” say de Lawd. “ Work?” say Joshua. I say she didn’t. Dem :ound’els flanked right back at me. I never d such fighters.” “ Hit sho is some fight,” say de Lawd. tWin, se, or tie, hit’s some fight.” “ I wish I had me a rod like Moses had,” say Joshua. “ How come?” say de Lawd. “ I would try a new trick on ‘em which I can’t ;‘ onless I got a Moses rod,” say Joshua. “ What trick is dat?” say de Lawd. “ Hit’s a sun trick,” say Joshua. I’d wait to sun gits about a hour high, and I’d work hit. “ I wouldn’t wait to de sun gits dat low,” say Lawd. Hit wouldn’t be long to dark, and you can’t whup dese boys in de light, how you gonter whup ‘em in de dark? ” “ Dats part of de trick,” say Joshua. Page 162. “ Well, say de Lawd, I ain’t gonter give you no Moses rod. But I’ll give you power to pass one miracle, efn dat’ll do any good.” “ One is enough,” say Joshua. “Now you kin go on and set behind yo’ cloud, ‘cause I got dem boys as good as licked right now.” “ Well, say de Lawd, “they don’t look like they’s licked to me.” “ Jest go on to yo’ cloud, Lawd,” say Joshua. “Leave dem boys to me.” “ All right, Joshua,” say de Lawd. “But all de same, I b’lieve I’m gonter tote a few rocks over wid me and when I see a enemy standin’ under my cloud, I’m gonter drap a rock on his haid.” “Suit yo’se’f, Lawd,” say Joshua. “But don’t drap no rock on my men, ‘cause, from de looks of things, I need ev’y man I got.” So de Lawd went to his cloud and Joshua and de kings fit and fit. Fust one side was ahead and den de yuther. And ev’y now and den de Lawd would ketch a enemy standin’ under his cloud, and he’d kind of turn his haid and ease a rock down on him and say, “Enemies, Count O’ sol diers,” and he’d settle back to another got under. And he didn’t miss a man. But hit was so many enemies to they jest kept on fightin’. Page 163. “ To finally Joshua looked up and seed de sun was about a hour high. “ Now I’m gonter pass my miracle,” he say. So he r’ared way back and hollered three times, “Sun, stand still! Sun, stand still! Sun, stand still!” So de sun stood still and Joshua kept right on fightin’. So de Lawd stepped Out and told Joshua, Foshua, I don’t see no need in makin’ de sun and still. You ain’t no better off den you was hen de fight started. I’m gonter git me some mo’ rocks.” “ “Jest watch me,” say Joshua, and he started circlin’ round. Den all at once he r’ared back and give de command to his army: “Army,” he say, “go git ‘em.” And his army waded in. Well, from dat time on de fight was as good as over. De kings kept backin’ up, waitin’ for de sun to set, but de sun didn’t set. And Joshua kept right behind ‘em. To finally de kings backed in a cave and Joshua rolled a stone over de mouf. And dat put a end to de five kings which fit wid Joshua. Page 164. “ Joshua,” say de Lawd, “dat was a good fight, and I want to be de fust man to say so. But what I want to know is, what did de sun had to do wid hit.” “ Ev’ything,” say Joshua. When de sun gits about a hour high, hit shines right square in a man’s eye and blinds him. But jest for a minute ‘cause when de sun gits dat low, hit sinks purty fast. But I waited to hit got jest right and I made hit stand still. Den I worked round and put my back to de sun and had hit shinin’ right in de enemies’ eyes. And den I sailed in and ‘whupped ‘em.” “ Well I be doggone,” say de Lawd. I yared of a natchal-bawn fighter and I yared of a trick fighter. But you is de fust man I ever seed which was a natchal-bawn fighter and a trick fighter, too. You’s jest all right, Joshua.” “ You ain’t such a bad shot wid dem rocks yo’se’f, Lawd,” say Joshua. I seed you droppin’ dem rocks, and I ain’t never seed you had to drap mo’ den one to change a enemy’s mind.” “ Yeah,” say de Lawd, I had a heap of practice wid drapin’ things and strikin’ folks down. Forked lightnin’ or a rock, hit ain’l much diffunce.” “ Well, say Joshua, “ I had a little practice, trickin’, too. I been doin’ tricks all my 1ife.” Chapter I: Eve and That Snake Chapter III: Sin Chapter XIX: The Stratagem of Joshua Chapter XXII: Battling With Baal Martian Visitor ( Home ) The Pagan origins of Easter |