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CHAPTER 21:
The South African War is about to begin. The English -- known disparagingly by the Boers as
"Uitlanders" -- are beginning to leave Johannesburg, some heading for the coast, others enlisting
in the Imperial army.
Victor is called upon by Mr Warburton to represent him in a dispute at the mine, where the miners are
threatening to strike because of violence to Sonwabo. Victor intervenes and appears to reach a decisive
victory.
CHAPTER 22:
Victor's victory at the mine backfires when the mine authorities have Sonwabo arrested for sodomy. Tom
and Reuben then run away.
In the meantime, Victor is anxious to enlist in the Imperial Army and attempts to bully Crispin into enlisting
with him. Crispin, however, feels a duty to stay behind to search for the Pumani brothers.
PRESSURE TO ENLIST IN THE BRITISH ARMY
Conscription into the British army did not start until about World War II but before that there were immense
pressures to force men to enlist voluntarily.
The usual method was to accuse them of cowardice. During the Great War (1914-1918), a white flower
was often sent to non-enlisting men as a symbol that society regarded them as cowards.
Victor uses the accusation of cowardice against Crispin. He also tries emotional blackmail -- that Crispin
is letting everyone down. In short, that Crispin has become an embarrassment to both family and friends.
Crispin's response is interesting. He points out that, since Victor is not yet married to Frances, he is
therefore not part of the family.
This is a barb which would hurt Victor enormously because in reality Victor has no other "family"
except the Farboroughs.
Many of course would have supported Victor's bullying tactics. On the other hand, many men refused to
enlist.
It was noted, for example, that thousands of the male refugees from the war refused to sign up, claiming
that this was not their war.
Of course, Crispin was not to know this. His confusion as to whether to side with Victor or do the
honourable thing of sticking by Tom and Reuben was therefore a very lonely internal battle.
In the long run, Crispin chooses the honourable course. Yet such a decision is not easy for a person who
has never before shown much by way of strength of character and who has always succumbed to Victor's
bullying.
Have you looked at the questions in the right column?
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TEST YOURSELF!
Read the left column and then answer the following questions:
Why was Sonwabo being punished? With what consequences? (4)
[Need help?]
Sonwabo, if you would remember, was being used as a bride by the induna. It was a case of sodomy
which obviously disgusted Sonwabo.
Because of his resistance, however, he was sent underground but he was claustrophobic and could not
work. He was therefore punished for not mining enough by having his meat rations docked.
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In what way is Victor apparently victorious? (5)
[Need help?]
In answering this question, you need to take note of the fact that the mine authorities would support each
other because they were all guilty of enriching themselves in some way from the corrupt practices.
Crispin quickly warned Victor to keep clear of the sodomy issue because that could only lead to
Sonwabo's arrest, thereby causing the argument to be derailed and leading to a victory for the authorities
Victor therefore has to negotiate in a minefield -- and appears to do so with aplomb. (What does he do?)
It will all backfire on him, of course, as the authorities find a way of getting even with him through arresting
Sonwabo for sodomy.
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Explain Crispin's help to Victor in the mine dispute. (4)
[Need help?]
Crispin's fluency in Xhosa was better than Victor's and so he was able to translate the subtleties of what
the mine labourers were saying. He therefore quietly interpreted for Victor.
He was also aware that the question of sodomy was a minefield which would have led to Sonwabo's
instant arrest. He was therefore responsible for Victor's not exploring that issue.
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Sonwabo was arrested for sodomy.
- Why? What evidence was there to convict him? Why did Sonwabo confess to
sodomy? (10)
[Need help?]
Sonwabo would probably have confessed to anything once the ZAR police began torturing him.
Their methods were known to be brutal and would have caused a gecko to confess to being a crocodile
just to get them to stop the torture!
Does the novel explain what exactly the police did to him?
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While dealing with Sowabo and the sodomy case, the author mentions a massive conspiracy that existed
on the mines.
- What was that conspiracy? (5)
[Need help?]
The White officials on the mine each had vested interests, each earning extra money through illegal
means.
It was essential therefore that the authority of the indunas be supported, no matter how badly the indunas
treated their underlings.
A collapse in the authority of the indunas would lead to an investigation, which in turn would lead to an
investigation of the White personnel -- and their probable arrest.
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What is Victor's reaction to Sonwabo's arrest? (4)
[Need help?]
Victor appears more perturbed about the fact that the authorities have found a way to get back at him
rather than being worried about Sonwabo's arrest
He is prepared to do a bit of negotiation to get Sonwabo's prison sentence reduced but he is now far too
busy with his own future -- and his enlistment into the Imperial army -- to worry about something that
he regards as quite minor.
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Explain Victor's bullying attempts to get Crispin to enlist with him. (4)
[Need help?]
Victor is determined to get Crispin to enlist with him
At its heart is the fact that he is worried about the affect that Crispin's failure to enlist will have on his own
reputation
He therefore tries a barrage of arguments ranging from not letting the family down, to accusations of
cowardice.
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Why does Crispin choose not to enlist? (4)
[Need help?]
Unlike Victor, Crispin is more concerned with the well-being of other people, isn't he?
Victor's appeals not to let the family down nearly get to him, but ultimately it is his responsibility to find
Sonwabo and to help all the Pumanis to return home.
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Crispen's decision not to enlist, despite Victor's bullying tactics, reveals for the first time his decision to
become independent of his "big brother" whom he had always hero-worshipped.
Comment. (5)
[Need help?]
The entire story dwells on the fact that Crispin hero-worshipped Victor. He was always prepared to do
anything that Victor asked. Several things, however, seem to have led Crispin to change his attitude
towards Victor:
- The fact that Victor had caused him to get drunk and visit a prostitute;
- Victor's dating the Warburton woman despite the fact that he was engaged to Crispin's sister;
- Victor's apparent disregard for the fortunes of the Pumani boys.
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