The Emperor Jones

Scene 7 is set at the foot of a colossal tree by the edge of a great river, with a rough stone altar nearby. Jones’s despairing wail gradually fades as he approaches the setting, moving as if in a trance, his expression fixed and bewildered.

Jones seems to recognize the setting, as if he’s seen it before. As he crawls away from the altar, sobbing, the Witch-Doctor emerges from behind the tree. The aged figure is adorned with animal fur, antelope horns, and bright red body paint. Holding a bone rattle and a stick with feathers, he starts a silent dance and chant. The tom-tom’s beat intensifies. Jones, mesmerized, assumes a half-kneeling, half-squatting posture.

The Witch-Doctor signals to the river, and a massive Crocodile God emerges, fixing its gleaming green eyes on Jones. The Witch-Doctor gestures for Jones to approach, and he does so, crawling nearer to the creature while begging for mercy. Remembering his last silver bullet, Jones pulls out his revolver and fires at the crocodile’s eyes. The animal retreats into the river, and the Witch-Doctor vanishes behind the sacred tree. Jones lies on the ground, whimpering in fear, as the tom-tom’s throbbing fills the silence.