Russell Hoban - Riddley Walker (Picador Books)

RIDDLEY WALKER

by Russell Hoban

Copyright 1980, 1998 by Russell Hoban

This book is a publication of

Indiana University Press

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This book was originally published in 1980 by Jonathan Cape, Ltd., and by Summit Books.

First Indiana University Press edition 1998

Views of Punch by Russell Hoban

All rights reserved

No part of this book may be reproduced or utilized in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying and recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. The Association of American University Presses' Resolution on Permissions constitutes the only exception to this prohibition.

The paper used in this publication meets the minimum requirements of American National Standard for Information Sciences--Permanence of Paper for Printed Library Materials, ANSI Z39.48-1984.

Manufactured in the United States of America

ISBN 0-253-33448-9

The British typographic conventions of single and double quotes used in the paper edition are replaced here by international standard usage. Italics are indicated by underscores. This electronic edition otherwise retains all the spelling, punctuation, and language of the original text. -- rem 2003

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Contents

Riddley Walker

Afterword

Notes

Glossary

Acknowledgments

On March 14th, 1974 I visited Canterbury Cathedral for the first time and saw Dr E. W. Tristram's reconstruction of the fifteenth-century wall painting, _The Legend of Saint Eustace_. This book was begun on May 14th, 1974 and completed on November 5th, 1979.

Thanks are due to Dennis, Pamela, and Clare Saunders of Canterbury; to Percy Press, Percy Press junior, Fred Tickner, and Bob Wade of the British Puppet and Model Theatre Guild; to Stuart McRae and Paul Burnham of Wye College (the map is based on one sketched for me by Paul Burnham); and to Hans Kruuk of the Institute of Terrestrial Ecology in Banchory.

For much encouragement and many useful talks I am indebted to Leon Redler, Jonathan Lewis, Richard Holt, John Gordon, and my wife, Gundula. I thank my sons Jake and Ben for being good company during many working hours. I am particularly grateful to Leon Garfield, who put aside his own work to read new drafts whenever I asked him to; his responses invariably put me in better touch with what I was doing and his comments were always of practical value.

And to Tom Maschler, my publisher, who's game for anything and always generates a sympathetic electricity that helps the work along, my thanks.

R. H.

To Wieland

Jesus has said:

Blessed is the lion that

the man will devour, and the lion

will become man. And loathsome is the

man that the lion will devour,

and the lion will become man.

_Gospel of Thomas_, Logion 7

Translated by George Ogg

The quotation is from _New Testament Apocrypha_ by E. Hennecke, edited by W. Schneemelcher, S.C.M. Press Ltd, 1963. English translation copyright Lutterworth Press, 1963.

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On my naming day when I come 12 I gone front spear and kilt a wyld boar he parbly ben the las wyld pig on the Bundel Downs any how there hadnt ben none for a long time befor him nor I aint looking to see none agen. He dint make the groun shake nor nothing like that when he come on to my spear he wernt all that big plus he lookit poorly. He done the reqwyrt he ternt and stood and clattert his teef and made his rush and there we wer then. Him on 1 end of the spear kicking his life out and me on the other end watching him dy. I said, "Your tern now my tern later." The other spears gone in then and he wer dead and the steam coming up off him in the rain and we all yelt, "Offert!"

The woal thing fealt jus that littl bit stupid. Us running that boar thru that las littl scrump of woodling with the forms all roun. Cows mooing sheap baaing cocks crowing and us foraging our las boar in a thin grey girzel on the day I come a man.

The Bernt Arse pack ben follering jus out of bow shot. When the shout gone up ther ears all prickt up. Ther leader he wer a big black and red spottit dog he come forit a littl like he ben going to make a speach or some thing til 1 or 2 bloaks uppit bow then he slumpt back agen and kep his farness follering us back. I took noatis of that leader tho. He wernt close a nuff for me to see his eyes but I thot his eye ben on me.

Coming back with the boar on a poal we come a long by the rivver it wer hevvyer woodit in there. Thru the girzel you cud see blue smoak hanging in be twean the black trees and the stumps pink and red where they ben loppt off. Aulder trees in there and chard coal berners in amongst them working ther harts. You cud see 1 of them in there with his red jumper what they all ways wear. Making chard coal for the iron reddy at Widders Dump. Every 1 made the Bad Luck go a way syn when we past him. Theres a story callit _Hart of the Wood_ this is it:

Hart of the Wood

There is the Hart of the Wud in the _Eusa Story_* that wer a stag every 1 knows that. There is the hart of the wood meaning the veryes deap of it thats a nother thing. There is the hart of the wood where they bern the chard coal thats a nother thing agen innit. Thats a nother thing. Berning the chard coal in the hart of the wood. Thats what they call the stack of wood you see. The stack of wood in the shape they do it for chard coal berning. Why do they call it the hart tho? Thats what this here story tels of. [* Iwl write down the _Eusa Story_ when I come to it.]

Every 1 knows about Bad Time and what come after. Bad Time 1st and bad times after. Not many come thru it a live.

There come a man and a woman and a chyld out of a berning town they sheltert in the woodlings and foraging the bes they cud. Starveling wer what they wer doing. Dint have no weapons nor dint know how to make a snare nor nothing. Snow on the groun and a grey sky overing and the black trees rubbing ther branches in the wind. Crows calling 1 to a nother waiting for the 3 of them to drop. The man the woman and the chyld digging thru the snow they wer eating maws and dead leaves which they vomitit them up agen. Freazing col they wer nor dint have nothing to make a fire with to get warm. Starveling they wer and near come to the end of ther strenth.

The chyld said, "O Im so col Im afeart Im going to dy. If only we had a littl fire to get warm at."

The man dint have no way of making a fire he dint have no flint and steal nor nothing. Wood all roun them only there wernt no way he knowit of getting warm from it.

The 3 of them ready for Aunty they wer ready to total and done when there come thru the woodlings a _clevver_ looking bloak and singing a littl song to his self:

My roadings ben so hungry

Ive groan so very thin

Ive got a littl cook pot

But nothing to put in

The man and the woman said to the clevver looking bloak, "Do you know how to make fire?"

The clevver looking bloak said, "O yes if I know any thing I know that right a nuff. Fires my middl name you myt say."

The man and the woman said, "Wud you make a littl fire then weare freazing of the col."

The clevver looking bloak said, "That for you and what for me?"

The man and the woman said, "What do we have for whatfers?" They lookit 1 to the other and boath at the chyld.

The clevver looking bloak said, "Iwl tel you what Iwl do Iwl share you my fire and my cook pot if youwl share me what to put in the pot." He wer looking at the chyld.

The man and the woman thot: 2 out of 3 a live is bettern 3 dead. They said, "Done."