 recorded books presents a griot audio production of standing at the scratch line by guy johnson this unabridged recording is narrated by dion graham and directed by ben rugero griot audio celebrates the best in contemporary african-american fiction and non-fiction this book is copyrighted 1998 by guy johnson this recording is copyrighted 2005 by recorded books producer and publisher of griot audio in the early 1900s when bare knuckle fights were still common a line was scratched in the dirt or on the pavement and the two fighters were brought to stand on opposite sides at a pre-ordained signal the fight would begin then the line could be crossed in gambler's rules if one of the fighters suffered a knockdown there was a break in the action the man who delivered the blow returned to the scratch line and waited the fighter who suffered the knockdown had to get up and walk back to the scratch line if he wanted to continue if he did not come to scratch within an agreed upon time frame the fight was stopped and the man standing at the line was declared the winner and now standing at the scratch line book one laroy bordeaux tremaine wednesday march 15th 1916 the thick low-lying fog covered the contours and waterways of the swamp only mature trees and shrubs were visible above the milky gray mist darkness was beginning to fade in the early morning light creating the surreal landscape of a nightmare two men propelled a flat bottomed skiff quietly over the water there were oars in the boat but favoring the method practiced by bayou dwellers both men used long poles trees loomed above them through the mist like towering observers as they pulled their way down the narrow channels that course to a system of small islands the silence was broken only by the distant bellow of alligators and the soft incessant buzzing of voracious mosquitoes the man in the front took his pole out of the water and listened for sounds ahead he motioned for his companion to stop polling somewhere to the right of the boat there was an indistinct sound of human voices high overhead came the long screeches of a pair of cranes calling to each other the man in the front of the skiff turned and began unwrapping an oil skin bundle in which there lay two bolt action rifles a quiver of arrows and a homemade longbow he directed his companion by hand signals to continue polling toward their right laroy tremaine followed his uncle's directions and quietly pulled closer to their quarry they were heading toward a large channel that fed directly into the gulf stealth was of maximum importance the fog began to dissipate in areas that were close to the open waterways where there was a tidal current they could not be sure that the mist would afford the same level of protection once they entered the channel uncle jake motion for him to stop polling again and the boat floated quietly forward after their left somewhere above them a man coughed laroy put his pole into the water to prevent the boat from continuing out into the channel if they had continued on they would have been caught between their quarry and a lookout man his uncle motion for him to take the bow and pointed in the direction of the cough picking up the bow laroy slid over the side into the dark brackish water jake handed him the quiver and squeezed his arm encouragingly laroy turned and waited slowly into the opaque vapor a cold glove of water surrounded him up to his navel he had to be careful for he was near the edge of the channel and the waist high depth dropped away to 12 feet there could be no splashing he strung an arrow in his bow and continued forward he did not know whether he would need the arrow for the man or an alligator but he intended to be prepared the man he was looking for was probably up in one of the trees which were looming his shadowy presences above him 20 feet further into the murkiness he felt a breeze blowing and the beginnings of the current moving on his right he was getting too close to the edge of the channel sample complete ready to continue