That man should walk upright in the land
where they were born . . . what was there evil in it? . . . such
fear could not be cast out, but by love.
See Important Quotations Explained
Summary — Chapter 25
Jarvis and his wife go to visit one of Mrs. Jarvis’s favorite
nieces, Barbara Smith. While the women go into town, Jarvis stays
behind to read the newspaper’s reports on crime and the gold rush.
There is a knock at the door, and when Jarvis opens it, he is surprised
to see a frail black parson in tattered clothes. The parson seems
shocked by the sight of Jarvis and begins trembling so much that
he is forced to sit down on the house steps. Torn between compassion
and irritation, Jarvis holds the parson’s stick and hat while the
parson struggles to his feet and collects his scattered papers.
The parson explains that he is there to check on a friend’s
daughter who had come to work for the household. Jarvis refers him
to the house’s native servant, then realizes that the man before
him must be the parson, known in Zulu as the “umfundisi,”
of Ndotsheni, Jarvis’s hometown. Jarvis tells the parson that he
may wait for the mistress of the house to return, then asks the
old man why he is so afraid of him. The umfundisi, who does not
give his name but is obviously Kumalo, reveals that it is his son
who murdered Arthur Jarvis. Jarvis leaves abruptly to walk around
the garden, and though he is obviously very emotional when he returns,
he informs the parson that he is not angry. They share a memory
of Arthur when he was young, and Kumalo tells Jarvis how saddened
he is by the Jarvis family’s loss. Mrs. Smith returns and curtly
informs Kumalo, through Jarvis, that the girl he seeks was fired
after she was arrested for distilling liquor. She has no idea where
the girl is now. The parson leaves, and when Mrs. Jarvis asks Jarvis why he seems
disturbed, Jarvis makes a cryptic comment about a visit from the
past.
Summary — Chapter 26
John Kumalo addresses a crowd with his powerful voice.
His voice rolls out beautifully, like thunder, but his comrades
Dubula and Tomlinson listen with scorn and envy, for it is a powerful
voice not backed by their courage or intelligence. John argues that
the wealth from the new gold that has been found in South Africa
should be shared with the miners. The crowd roars with John as he
declares that the miners deserve higher wages and better conditions.
Some of the white policemen on guard say that John should be shot
or imprisoned. The narrator notes that while some leaders want to
go to prison as martyrs, John does not, since he knows that in prison there
is no applause. Toward the end of his speech, he states that he and
the crowd do not want to trouble the police.
Stephen Kumalo and Msimangu are among the listeners. Kumalo
is impressed, but Msimangu is skeptical—he knows that John lacks
courage, and wonders why God should have given this man a gift of
such oratorical skill. Still, he is thankful that John lacks heart,
because he believes that if John backed up his words with action,
he could plunge the country into violence and bloodshed. They move
forward to hear the next speaker, Tomlinson. Jarvis and John Harrison,
who have also been at the meeting, leave for Harrison’s club. Jarvis
refuses to discuss what he has just seen, simply stating that he
does not “care for that sort of thing.”
A police captain reports to his officer. He states that
John Kumalo is dangerous and comments on the power of his voice.
The officer comments on Kumalo’s voice as well, saying that he must
go hear it one day. The captain wonders if there will be a strike.
The officer replies that a strike could be a “nasty business.”
The narrative voice returns and states that there are
rumors that the strike may spread to the railroads and the ships.
The narrator adds that such a terrible prospect makes some white
people think about how much they depend on black labor.
