Sugar

The next morning, Reverend Thornton shouts that the workers from China have arrived at River Road. The workers, Mister Wills, and Overseer Tom all wait for the wagon full of new workers. At last, the wagon reaches the group, and the driver, Vincent Doucet, pulls to a stop and jumps off.

Carrying a shot gun, Vincent walks around to the back of the wagon. He orders the men inside to stand, and they get to their feet in unison. The men are “short, with shiny black hair twisted in a braid down their backs. […] Their skin is warm, much lighter than [Sugar’s], but sun-kissed in a nice way” (98). Their outfits are long, loose, and billowy, with high collars that seem unsuitable for Louisiana’s warm climate.

When Mister Wills welcomes the new workers, a clanking sound is heard as they try to move: The men have been chained at the ankle, as one would do enslaved people. Mister Beale and Mister Wills protest this atrocity, but Vincent scoffs at their outrage. He claims he had to chain the men because, after meeting several Americans on the ship whom they didn’t like, they changed their minds about wanting to work at River Road.