never stop. Finegan says,
Tell him you’re disarming his guards and that
they should give up. They’re facing an armed
rebellion. Tell him that.
The sentry is breathing hard, but is trying to calm himself.
Here’s the deal, you piece of shit. We’re an
armed rebellion. Lay down on the ground and eat
dirt, you piece of shit. . . And you other
guys, join us or die!
Collins can be seen facing the confrontation from the bushes, fists in
a ball at his side, frowning. Finegan has his hand over his face,
peeking through his fingers at the sentry. He looks over at the
oarsman.
You try.
The oarsman says,
73
You’re not in charge anymore Collins. You’re
disbanded. Turn over all the weapons. No more
tax collections.
Collins begins striding toward the bushes. His two armed guards are
smiling and bending over to put their guns on the ground. The community
he was attempting to rob had been standing as a group in the
background, but now scatters, fearing a shootout. Finegan says to the
sentry,
You dash over and collect those guns.
And then to the oarsman,
I’m going to stand out with my rifle. You go
down and make Collins drop to his knees and
hands over his head. . . Whack him if you have
to. . . But not too hard.
The sentry runs in a semi-circle around Collins. When he reaches the
other two formerly armed men, they all do high-fives and hug each
other. Collins shakes his fist at the sentry and points at him,
throwing out threats.
Arrest that man!
The oarsman steps out from behind the bushes and marches toward
Collins. He says,
They’re not even armed! Christ sakes.
Finegan steps out from behind the bushes, his rifle resting in his
arms. Collins stops his stride. The oarsman takes his club and punches
Collins in his gut, so he doubles over. Then he whacks behind his knees
so he falls on his butt.
Hands over your head. . . Hands over your head
I said!
Collins is rolling onto his knees, putting his hands up, but only part
way, sputtering objections. The oarsman whips some cord out of his
pocket and starts to tie collins’ hands together.
______________________________
The sentry is at the back of the houseboat, peddling. The oarsman is
sitting on a box near him, as they are taking turns at the pedals.
Collins and his two men are at the front, at the edge of the deck,
facing the water. Collins is still bound at the wrist, hands in front
of him. He is loudly protesting his arrest, citing statutes that he
feels authorized his presidency. He keeps this recitation up the entire
trip and can be heard in the background doing this nonstop.
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. . according to the Presidential Succession
Act of 1947 I’m in charge! . . Continuity of
government! . .
Finegan is also on the roof, his rifle resting in his arms, but he is
watching the three men at the front. The flooded city islands and
shoreline are seen in the distance, as the houseboat is heading out
into deep water. Joey is pacing the rooftop as usual, but looking back
at the bike seat, keeping an eye on the sentry and oarsman to ensure
they don’t leave the pedals and try to come forward.
. . I was under consideration for Secretary of
Transportation, dammit. . . The office was
vacant, so that puts me in . . All those other
people are dead, I tell you.
Rock outcroppings can be seen, and some trees. The island they are
approaching is not large, but has a long way to go before being under
water. It looks deserted, long since abandoned, and has no buildings or
farm animals in sight. Finegan says to Joey,
We’ll let the boat come close. Stop in about .
. now.
Joey hollers to the pair peddling,
Stop peddling!
The three men stationed along the front of the houseboat turn and look
at Finegan expectantly.
Untie his hands . . You want to go with him,
you can.
The two men are looking at Finegan and shaking their heads. Finegan
says,
Then push him into the water, it’s shallow
here.
Collins continues to complain,
. . This is kidnapping and treason . . You’ll
be shot for this. . . Death penalty.
Collins, still protesting, is shoved into the water and rises up,
sputtering. He can put his feet on the ground under the water, and
begins wading toward the island shore, thrashing and sputtering.
Collins turns to face the exiting houseboat, finally subdued, saying in
a quiet voice,
. . Oh dear . .
______________________________
That evening Joey is flinging the weapons they took from the armed men
overboard. The two men taking turns peddling are facing the rooftop, so
75
can see this. The two men standing at the edge of the front deck have
turned to watch this spectacle. Finegan is holding court on the
rooftop, his rifle in one hand.
No more armed robbery! New rules. And leave
that pompous ass out there to yell at the
squirrels. Don’t go rescue him nor nothing like
that. . .
76
Lost and Found
The houseboat is peddling along close to a shore that has occasional
rock outcroppings. Most of Memphis is at least partially flooded, but
the upper floors of high rises are above water. As with other
locations, earthquake and wind damage are obvious, even from afar. The
high rises have a spire here and there standing, metal shafts that are
flexible and do not collapse in quakes. Masonry or brick buildings are
a rubble, collapsed. Frame buildings are often simply tilted to one
side, thrown to the side during a large quake.
The remains of Memphis seem to go on for a long distance, to the right
and left of the houseboat. The tops of the Desoto bridge can be seen to
the left of the houseboat, on what was the Arkansas side. The Arkansas
side is completely flooded, as far as the eye can see. The remains of
Interstate 40 can be seen dropping down into the water and heading
toward the remains of the Desoto bridge arches. A rusty sign sticking
up indicates Interstate 40.