Chapter 12 Summary

As Ned eats breakfast and waits for Mary to clean his clothing, he tells Lucius that a white man came this morning to wake him, telling him to take the horse out of town. When Lucius questions why Boon has not been released, Ned attempts to ignore the question, but Uncle Parsham forces Ned to tell the truth, pointing out that Lucius has withstood everything the men have put him through so far, and had to witness Butch's pawing of Everbe since the beginning. Ned finally tells him that Boon has beaten Everbe, and attacked Butch after learning that Everbe slept with Butch to gain freedom for Ned and Lightning. Lucius, appalled that Butch would hit a woman and disappointed that Everbe went against her word to him, refuses to believe the truth. Ned explains that Butch used the constable to imprison Lightning...