r/J Curtis Brown, Ltd. 575 Madison Ave., New York 10022 

JJ../J.1r 
V 

£ -/4;r"-~~t 
A PASSAG"' IN{ IMF, - Mt:S IsA/;H<> No <l 

~ / 

BY 

PETER ABRAHAMS 

( From Martha ltlinston) 

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) 

~,s IsLa,nrJ !Vot.J 
-A PASSAGE IN fiME 

Peter Abrahams UWI L
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TIME: 

PLACE: 

NATURE: 

The present 

An Island in the Caribbean 

A novel, a work of fiction, in which 
all persons and places are figments 
of the imagination; but since the 
imagination is nurtured by reality 
the point of departure of this story 
is the reality of the Caribbean. Each 
reader is therefore at liberty to decide 
the particular island on which he or she 
wants this story played out. 

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~ ONE: 

THE LEGACY 

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- 1 -

All day long the sleek little planes and the clumsy-looking 

helicopters had criss-crossed the hills, flying low and yet out 

of reach of possible rifle shot. 

though they are looking for me. 

The man thought : Almost as 

But he knew they were not. This 

was routine, part of the show of strength that had become habit even 

when there was no need for it and no-one to whom to show it. The 

peasants of these hills now had to be shown this strength all the 

time. That was something Josiah had learnt from the Old Man. But 

whereas the Old Man had used this show of strength only in times of 

need, Josiah used it all the time. Josiah had once told him that 

you can never over-do a good thing, especially if it were simple and 

straightforward. 

all the time. 

Since a show of strength is a good thing, do it 

Fly the planes even when the peasants are not 

cultivating their hillsides for a little corn and other ground provision. 

Make the show of strength all the same: make it to the trees and the 

earth and the warm late Sunday afternoon breeze. Perhaps these will 

impart it to the men of the hills when they come to their cultivations 

tomorrow morning. The earth does communicate with men: she does pass 

on unease and fear in precisely the same way that she passes on 

assuaance and confidence. Once this earth had communicated a high 

sense of freedom to its children 9 especially in the years immediately 

after the withdrawal of the occupying power. 

shadow over the land and its children. 

Now fear was a long 

At pundown the planes stopped their lazy criss-crossing of the 

hills. He came out of his hiding place which was a small cave high 

up near the top of the highest of the group of hills where he had 

hidden since Saturday night after the peasants had gone from their 

cultivations. 

It 

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He scrambled up to the highest point and looked down at the 

long wide plain. And, as always, his heart was filled with the 

beauty of his land. The plain was a carpet of lush green, three 

thousand feet below, beginning with the unbelievably placid Caribbean 

Sea and sweeping inward until it touched the f,a,thills and ceased to 

be plain. The pert buildings, the city and all the other man-made 

scars on the face of the plain seemed particularly unreal, ephemeral, 

embattled in the misty light of the dying sun: the slightest 

relaxation, the slightest letting up by man, and the lush green 

would over-run all his works and make nothing of them. 

Nearer, the sloping land climbed fast; at a sharp grade that 

raised the land to over three thousand feet above the sea in less 

than twenty miles. Immediately below the man's perch, twisting and 

turning like a long sinuous snake, was the one smoothl'lacadamised 

highway into the hills. At this point, the road swung to within three 

hundred feet of where he stood. There was a sharp, uninterrupted view 

of it for about twenty yards. For at least a quarter of a minute 

h • • d f 1 • f o anyt ing moving at an easy pace woul be ul yin -.cus. Josiah's 

car, with a screeching motorcycle escort front and back, would move 

at an easy pace. The man thought: I will have a quarter of a 

minute: that is all I need, just a quarter of a minute. 

He looked at the plain once more. And this time he gave way 

to the wave of heartache that swept over him. Now, at last, with 

less than an hour to go, it was allright to admit one's weakness, 

one's softness, one's heartache. 
I/ 

He turned and went back to the little ca.,e. When he came out 

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he carried an army type knapsack with him. He went back to the point 

from which he would have his quarter minute. He had found and cleared 

the spot the n_ight before, so now there was no need to prepare. He 

went down on the soft, hollowed-out earth and undid the knapsack. 

First he took out the small brown paper parcel containing the highly 

seasoned escovitched fish, the small loaf of wholewheat bread, and the 

small thermos with the chilled soursop juice. This was his supper. 

Perhaps my last, he thought detachedly, without any real interest in 

the thought. He put the food and drink aside. Then he unpacked the 

series of dull metal tubes and other objects that filled the knapsack. 

"d h" • h d • ~ He lai everyt ing out on the ground wit a elicate care, as a 
,\ 

woman preparing a special dish for her family. He sat back, checking 

over each item, even though he knew every single piece was there. 

Then he proceeded to assemble the pieces. 

When he had done he had a rifle; one of those powerful modern ones 

that Josiah had/J:ought ~o~ countifj to strengthen his growing 

security force. You had only to touch the trigger of one of these new 

ones for a score or more bullets to go streaking toward their target. 

But unlike the ones Josiah supplied to the men of his security force, 

this one was mounted with telescopic sights. 

The man laid down on his belly and fixed the rifle between the 

two boulders through which he commanded a view of the road. He looked 

I'" through the telescopic sights and the road was o/'ught up close so that 

he could pick out the iniividual small stones that had rolled onto it. 

It would bring Josiah up=:a,e c~ h~ t?d~~ ld ~ 81,le t e see the 
-e to ~L-.G-W 

hug}\ mole on his right cheek; perhaps evenLhis odd mannerism of going 

wall-eyed in repose. 

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With the rifle ready and pointing at the road, the man turned to 

his food. He ate slowly, savouring every mouthful of the crisply 

fried fish and the delicately sharp taste of hot green pepper, raw 

onions and vinegar. Then he drank the soursop. 

Then he waited •••. ~ 

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- 5 -

- ONE -

Joel Sterning switched off the radio and turned to his wife. 

Her expression told him that it was true. The Old Man was dead. 

"What does it mean?" Clara asked. 

(1/ 
He tried to think, but how 1 ou14 he explain time coming to an 

abrupt stop, or the light of the sun being suddenly extinguished? 

Such things are beyond the range of experience, and it is difficult to 

reason about the wiknown. He shook his head and his wife, Clara, 

understood the mental and emotional helplessness behind the gesture. 

They had long ceased to care about each other but they had been 

married a very long time, and they had worked out an understanding that 

made possible living together at a reasonably civilised level. 

The announcer's voice had been strained, unbelieving, frightened, 

when he said: "Ladies and gentlemen, the President is dead. A 

bulletin from the Presidential Palace announced that President Moses 

Joshua collapsed and died five minutes ago. The President was in the 

act of proposing an after dinner toast to his diplomatic guests when 

he died." There had been a lot more: the National Anthem, his 

favourite hymn, the voice of his wife. 

He was very old and the whole island knew that he might die any 

day. People had discussed the possibility openly. The Old Man 

himself had often referred to it, especially over the past two or 

three years. Yet his death was shocking and unexpected because all 

the people were afraid to think of life in this land without him. 

He had straddled the island as unquestioned leader for nearly half a 

century. 

Joel Sterning went to the telephone and dialled the unlisted 

number that would put him in direct contact with the Presidential 

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Secretary. He was one of less than a dozen people who had that 

number. It was !;:it£ 
Clara fixed a drink and Joel noticed how her hands trembled. 

He knew that her need, at this moment, was for comfort. If he put 

his arms about her now it might bring back memories of the love that 

had once been between them, and that had died. And his wife was a 

striking woman. Without having an ounce of excess fat there was a 

tropical lushness about her that most men found intoxicating. She 

had that flawless alabaster skin that white-skinned people with a 

small weak strain of Negro often showed. But he had long ago 

learned never to refer to the touch of Negro in the Isaacs family. 

They were proudly Jewish, but don't dare mention the slight Negro trace 
) 

in them! 

Once, many years ago, a social rival of the Isaacs women -

Clara, ~er mother, and her three younger sisters - had dismissed them 

as the five 'crepe sole brunettes'. The hurt had gone deep but they 

had to wait ten 
1- I 

years ~till the 
I - I 

family had grown rich enoughLfor their 

revenge. When it came it was terrible and complete. Because of this 

piece of female cattiness the Isaacs men systematically stripped the 

unfortunate husband of his business, took every penny he had, sold his 

home and threw him out on the street. In the end, broken and on the 

verge of being made a bankrupt, the p~ man and his family had to 

quit the island. That was the end of all mention, anywhere, of the 

touch of colour in Clara's family. Since that time the wealth and 
of 

influence/ the Isaacs has grown even greater. For Joel Sterning, the 

precision with which the destruction of that unfoftunate family was 

carried out was the ~eginning of the end of love. 

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His wife had always been the brightest of the Isaacs women, 

the most influantial with their menfolk, and he knew she had a big 

part in that piece of social and economic assassination~ 

But, as with everybody in Mosesville • the lesson had gone home 

and he dealt carefully and warily with his wife and every member of the 

Isaacs family. Even the youngest of the children knew and used, both 

at school and at play, the influence and power of the family wealth and 

name. 

Sometimes Joel Sterning woke in the middle of the night to wonder 

whether he would not have ended this unsatisfactory marriage a long 

time ago if Clara had not been an Isaacs. Such times usually ended 

with Joel prowling the town's nightclubs until he was helplessly drunk. 

Clara brought the drink and stood very close to him, looking 

steadily into his eyes. She was an Isaacs even in this moment of 

fear and confusion and so there was a hint of command in her need for 

comfort. 

He took the drink and turned from her, making it something 

casual, so that she should not see it as an insult. 

"Have I become that repulsive, Joel?" she asked impersonally, as 

though it did not really matter; then she added: "What do you think will 

happen now?" 

"I don't know. So many things are possible." 

"The power struggle that you predicted?" 

"Not immediately," he said. 

"If Josiah permits." 

"They may put that off for months." 

"He hasn't much choice. If he forced a show-down now he would 

risk losing everythi_ng. The others will gang up against him. 11 

"But the others were always fighting among themselves." 

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"Only for the Old Man's approval, and because the Old Man 

kept Josiah in check: the only way they can contain him is by sinking 

their differences and sticking together. 

is hanging apart." 

They know the alternative 

"Surely they can get rid of him. No,,.,. they can't. He can 
) 

outpolitic and out manipulate them any day. He's a clever little 

brute." 

Joel tried the Presidential Secretary's private number again. 

It was still ~ Clara took a turn about the spacious room. 

Joel followed her with his eyes. He realised that the physical 

beauty of this woman who had been his wife for eighteen years could 

still stir his mind. Only his heart could not be touched; and there 

is no love without the touching of the heart. She came to a stop 

near him. 

"Another drink?" 

He knew that was not what she wanted to say, and it pleased him 

a little that she had contained the Isaacs arrogance enough to not say 

what she wanted to. And now, for a passing moment, remembrance of how 

it was before love died was with him,and there was about it the faint 

nostalgia we feel for long dead things that were once beautiful. 

She went and poured the drinks and carried them to the L-shaped 

glassed-in balcony. She put down the drinks and moved one of the 

shatterproof sliding panels. A rush of fresh air flowed, like a 

temperate stream into the near-chilled air-conditioned room. 

Joel followed Clara across the room, appreciatively conscious, 

as always, of the taste and beauty of his home. Clara's good taste 

and money had created this, and whatever friend or foe thought or felt 

about her, all agreed that she had created beauty here. Carpet, walls 

and ceiling were a delicate balance of complementing pastel shades of 

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blue and gray with occasional touches of rust. And the furniture, 

all especially made of native woods and treated so that natural 

grain and line and colours were preserved, were given quiet emphasis 

by the perfect balance of the colours. One wall was a panelled 

sample of the wide variety of beautiful wood on the island. 

' "Its beautiful," Clara said, and there was a hint of awe in 

her voice. 

We've lived here a long time, Joel thought. She has looked 

out of this window, from this spot, countless times - ten, twenty 

thousand times perhaps - and still there is the wonder. Clara, 

with that rare Keatsian gift of making a thing of beauty a joy 

forever by constantly seeing it anew; and Clara, with the Isaacs 

arrogance and insensitivity and the Isaacs ruthlessness in pursuit 

of wealth and power: and both the same woman. 

"Yes," he said, seeing it freshly through her eyes, and 

feeling a small sickness at heart because of it. 

beautiful." 

"Yes, it is 

face. 

Clara turned her head quickly and looked intently into his 

"What now, Joel? What have I done wrong this time?" 

Oh God! he thought: Oh God! Oh God! 

"I don't follow you," he said quietly. 

He sensed, rather than saw, her slight shrug. 

Below them, a little to the left, the lights of Mosesville 

twinkled more brightly than the stars in the sky. They gave the 

city a fairy-tale quality that belied its day-time ugliness. The 

slums, the grotesque shacks of shanty-town, and the offensive zinc 

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- 10 -

roofs, were shrouded by the night, and darkness and the shimmering 

lights and the lush tropical vegetation, all conspired to create 

an aura of romance. 

The sudden tinkle of the telephone was explosive. Joel 

hurried to it. 

"Joel?" The voice at the other end was that of an old man, 

but one in full command of all his powers. 

"Clara there?." 

It was old Nathan Isaacs. 

"Yes, Nathan." 

"Good. Be at my place in an hour. Full family council. 

Understand?" 

"Yes. D'you want to speak to Clara?" 

"Not now." 

"What's happening at the Palace?" 

"The damn fools are wrangling as to who should have what 

title, bunch of silly shit-arses!" 

"Josiah?" 

"You were right about him, Joel. We should have spent our 

time and money on him instead of those fools." 

"Wouldn't have made any difference." 

"Don't be a fool, Joel. 

trick is to know what it is." 

Every man has his price. 

"Is Josiah with them?" Joel asked quietly. 

The 

"No; he just looked in at the Palace, wept over the 

President's corpse for the benefit of press and t.v. cameras and 

then he handed in his resignation. II 

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- 11 -

"What!" Joel exploded. 

"Don't you be a shit-arse," the old man said. "Not in 

that way. He gave them a letter putting his Portfolio and his 

services at the disposal of whomever they choose to succeed 

President Joshua." 

"I don't follow," Joel said. 

"And you're supposed to be our political expert. Josiah is 

the only one with a clear plan and part of his plan is not to be 

involved in the power struggle. But we better stop this telephone 

talk. You never know. \ " 

"Where is he now?" 

"Somewhere on the streets. While those shit-arses wrangle 

over power, Josiah is out on the streets." The old man let out a 

cold mirthless bark of a laugh. "They say that he is comforting the 

people. Hear that! Comforting the people! The bloody fools! ••• 

In an hourAJoel. You and Clara. Things could get ugly and we must 
J 

make plans." With that old Nathan Isaacs hung up. 

Joel went back to the balcony where Clara waited. 

"Papa?" 

"Yes. There's a full family council in an hour. 11 

"Did he tell you what's happening at the Palace?" 

"Much as we expected. Josiah's taking no part in what goes 

on at the Palace. He's out on the streets comforting the people." 

"Comforting the people? That what Papa said?" 

"Yes. That's the word." 

"Then things may really turn ugly." 

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- 12 -

"That's exactly what your father said." 

"Surely they'll contain him, Joel?" 

"Not if what your father said is true." 

"We should have paid more attention to Josiah." 

"Your father expressed much the same idea." 

After a long silence Clara said: "You think things might 

really fall apart here, don't you?" 

He said: "Life is a process of falling apart and coming 

together and falling apart." 

"We all depended so much on him," she said musingly. 

"Depended on him or used him?" 

"Doesn't it boil down to the same thing, ultimately? •.• Joel ••• " 

What now, he wondered, trying to follow the new turn of her 

thoughts. 

"Yes?" 

"Do you still get those bouts of homesickness for Europe? 

Remember, you told me of them once. You suggested we should spend 

time in Europe and perhaps visit your sister in Israel ••• " 

"That was a very long time ago," he said. 

He felt her withdraw. 

"Don't you want to protect your children against what might 

happen?" 

"By taki_ng them away?" 

"Yes." 

"Clara, Jean is seventeen and young Emanuel is fifteen. You 

can't just uproot children at those ages. They will have something 

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to say about it. And you mustn't forget that they are Isaacs 

children, my name notwithstanding. 

this thing out now." 

Besides, I want to stay and see 

"What if I decide to go?" she asked. 

"Then you go." 

"And what if I decide to take them?" 

"That's up to you." 

"But whatever I do, you are staying?" 

"Yes." 

"You really don't want anything from me anymore, do you, Joel?" 

"Please, Clara ••• " 

"Sorry: I' 11 go and get ready. 11 

She left his side and Joel listened for her movements, all his 

senses on the alert, making the following of her progress by sound a 

matter of major import. The thick carpet absorbed almost totally the 

shock of high-heeled shoes against floor. Still, he picked up each 

footfall. Now she was halfway across the room; that pause meant she 

was putting down her glass; at the door, and out. 

He looked down at the shimmering lights of the city then slid 

the glass panel shut and turned on his heels. Halfway to the door he 

changed his mind and veered towards the telephone. 

Presidential Secretary's number. This time it rang. 

Again he tried the 

But it kept on 

ringing until he was on the point of giving up; then there was a click 

and John Stanhope's voice,loaded with weariness, said, "Presidential 

Secretary". 

"John. Joel." 

"Thank God it's you! 11 

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"How's it?" 

"Bloody awful. They all seem to have lost their heads. 

You should see them. God help the island. Listen, Joel, can you 

come round?" 

"Old Nathan's just phoned to say there's a family council." 

"He was here a while ago. 

sleep for me tonight.\\' 

Come when it\. over. There's no 

"What of the Ministers?" 

"They won't arrive at anything tonight. I'll let them talk 

themselves out then pack them off till tomorrow. The confusion is 

mounting and you-know-who is out on the streets adding to it. 

Anyway, I'll warn the guards to let you in any time you come. Be 

slow and deliberate. They're all a bit jumpy. See you ••• " 

Joel turned from the telephone to find Clara leaning against 

the door. She had come in unnoticed. 

"Was that John Stanhope?" 

"Yes." 

"Anything new?" 

"The confusion is spreading. Where are the children?" 

"They're alf ight. They're not on the street." She crossed 

to the phone, suddenly brisk and businesslike, and dialled a number. 

She asked after her children of someone at the other end: she listened, 

ended the conversation and turned to her husband: "They' re both allf 

right and they'll be delivered here after the party." 

"I promised to go round to John Stanhope after the meeting." 

"I gathered that much," she said. 

She led the way out. She had changed to a simple black dress 

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and Joel wondered whether it was in mourning for the dead 

President. The line of the dress made her neck seem longer, 

gave her shoulders a tapering slope, her back a youthful erectness, 

and made her waist as slender as when he had first put his arm 

about it in the long ago carefree days of young love. And her hips 

flared out and he remembered how he and she had once shared the dance 

of love almost nightly, and how it 

She stopped uaiW1ia•g suddenly 

had been. 
~~ . 

j, 
and her-,nto her. They 

grabbed each other for balance. She regained balance and composure 

first, she stepped back and watched his face, her gaze compounded of 

speculation and slightly derisive amusement. He realised that she 

had done this deliberately. His anger was tempered by his awareness 

of the softness and the warmth of the feel of her. 

"I'm still your wife," she murmured. 

"What are you talking about! 11 

"Mentally stripping me, dear Joel. You don't have to, you know. 

The law says you have certain conjugal rights." 

"Without love?" he asked, startled. 

She pursed her lips and looked judicious. "It is of course 

preferred with but-" she shrugged slightly, turned on her heels and 

continued on her way out. 

When he reached the car she was in the driving seat. He started 

to remind her that he would be going to John Stanhope after the 

meeting , then he changed his mind. You do not have to remind Clara 

of such details. Tell her once and she remembers and provides for 

it without any further reminder. This capacity for remembering 

detail was a special Isaacs family characteristic. Whenever it had 

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upset him, Joel had excused it by conjuring up some lon~ Isaacs 

ancestor who might have been trapped in one of the physical and 

spiritual ghettoes of Europe, and whose survival and the survival 

of whose descendants, depended on his capacity to remember details. 

Thus, perhaps, out of the need to survive, was fashioned, and 

handed down If this extra family talent, as distinctive and sharply 

defined as an extra limb. But behind his thoughts, like a shadow 

to these thoughts, was the awareness of the feel of her firm warm 

body. And he knew this was as she wanted it to be, this was as 

she had planned, a demonstration of how to make things happen. 

And still the shadow was there behind his thoughts, and with it 

-- her voice gently urging him to further self-destruction with 

"I'm still your wife". 

The car swung out of the imposing driveway and the twinkling 

lights of the city were hidden on the other side of the house and 

the high wide hill on which it stood. The road dvwn was a 

spiralling corkscrew. Because of his affection for Clara the 

President had himself ordered that the office of Public Works use 

the best men and material available, and so this public roadway that 

served only Clara and Joel Sterning's home was one of the finest on 

the island. The people of the island, depending on which section 

it was, had been exasperated, amused, moved, irritated, angered by 

scores of such presidential gestures based on an old man's caprice. 

At the time when he gave the order about the making of the road to 

the Sterning home, a formal opposition party was still in existence 

since the •one-party state• · law had not yet~ sed. The 

opposition had tried to make an issue of it, _ : a motion of 

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no-confidence in parliament, and outside it charging the President 

with acting like a dictator. 

At an enormous function in the banqueting hall of the city's 

largest hotel. a mainly black tie affair. wher e chicken and wine 

were served, the spokesmen of the opposition had sent out a rallying 

call to the nation to rise up and man the barricades and hurl back 

and destroy the creeping dictatorship of the Joshua regimeo But 

the mass of the people could not afford to go to the great hotel to 

hear the call to the barricades. Besides, they said to each other, 

the Old Man was not doing anything new. He had been doing this sort 

of thing for as long as they could remember. So why the f uss now? 

And when the no-confidence motion came up in parli ament/ the Ol d Man 

had appeared at the door of the Chamber, wiggled the index finger or 

his right hand at the Members on the government benches, _.. laughed 

out loud and poked out his tongue at the 2pposition benches . The 

government Ministers had risen and solemnly marched out of the 

Chamber/ f oll owed by their backbenchers. The Chairman of the Chamber 
I,(.._ 

had been forced to adjourn the session for want of a quor; m. And that 

was the end of the no-confidence motion, and it was also the end of the 

opposition. By making a joke of it the Old Man had destroyed the 

opposition utterly. So, when the one-party l aw was passed later, i t 

merely legalised reality. 

At the time, Joel remembered, the joke of the Old Man' s appearance 

at the door of the Chamber had seemed hilariously funny, especially as 

i t was told and retold on the veranda circuit where it acquired, with 

each telling, a fresh cutting point. 

road. 

And it had all begun with this 

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He turned his head and tried to look at Clara's face . The 

dashboard gave enough light for him to see it in striking profile, 

but not enough for him to see it in ~ detail. He wondered whether 

she still remembered the making of this road. It was not a crucial 

thing on which survival or progress ~ depend, and the Isaacs gift for 

remembering detail operates at a highly selective level.. zf ,vs · , · o , 

"The road," he said, loud enough for it to be heard above the 

hum of the engine. 

She turned her head to him, ,..__ a quick doll-like jerk, then 

she turned back to watching the road. 

"What about the road?" 

Not a detail to remember, he told himself; aloud he said 

"Nothing/.• 

She slowed ....... the car ,.-. brought it to a stop. 
I 

They had made 

one complete spiralling downward circle. Again the lights of 

Mosesville could be seen far below. But now the lights did not 

twinkle. They were four hundred feet lower than the house, four 

hundred feet nearer the plain, and so there was no twinkle to the 

lights. They were, now, ordinary man-made lights, without any touch 

of fairy-tale magic. 

She turned so that she faced him fully. 

"What is it now, Joel? I've done something wrong again; but 

what?" 

"You've done nothing wrong. " 

"Yet you sat in judgement on me. I felt it, Joel. Am I not 

even entitled to know what I'm being judged for?" 

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"I was not judging. " 

Reacting then." 

"I was thinking about the road, about how it came to be made and 

the politics surrounding its making." 

"And so when you said 'The road', I should have made the 

connection immediately. Oh, Joel! And you the just and reasonable 

man. I wonder how you would have reacted if I had made the connection. 

Sometimes a situation arises between two people, and there is a need 

for one always to see fault in the other: I hope we have not arrived 
,, 

at that pointc;> ~ 

"What do you want, Clara?" Joel sounded a little weary, a little 

impatient. 

"Is it so wrong to care about being judged harshly by one ' s 

husband?" 

"You surprise me!" he said bitterly. 

"Why, Joel?" 

"Because you know, and you've known for all these years, that 

the only reason why I'm still with you is because leaving you would 

also mean leaving the island or else being destroyed by your family. 

You've known this and you have not cared, so why this sudden concern 

now for what I think?" 

"Is that all there is to it, Joel?" 

"Isn't it enough? Isn't the taking of my manhood enough? 

What else would you like? Would you now invade my last privacy and 

tell me which of my thoughts are good and which are bad?" 

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The woman was silent for a very long time, and because the 

man knew how her mind worked he waited, knowing she was examining 

what he had said with the care a jeweller gives to a precious stoneo 

He knew, too, that this act of examination meant she was deeply 

disturbed. But his mind protested against the notion of the 

woman being really profoundly disturbed. They had led separat e 

lives too long for either one to now be emotionally disturbed by the 

other. Their children, the habits that come of being married long, 
J 

what Clara sometimes call; 'the forces of circumstance ' , these were 

the bonds now. 

At last the woman came out of her reverie . 

"So I'm to blame for your weakness and your cowardice o Even 

that is held against meo Aren ' t you a man, Joel? Couldn ' t you have 

left me any time you wanted to?" 

"And what would you and your people have done?" 

"What do you expect, Joel? Would you expect my father and my 

' brothers to keep you on in the business after you had discarded me? 

They do have feelings, you know. " 

"Yes, I know. And they would have vented those feelings 

against anyone who helped me or gave me a job." 

"And so, because you were afraid, you stayed. And because you 

stayed you blame it on me and you take out your resentment on meo" 

"Did I start this?" 

"Didn't you?" 

"Yes, I did," he said quickly. "I'm sorry. I'd forgotten how 

simple and clearcut things are for you and your family . " 

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"What would you have me do?" she asked. 

Inwardly, silently, he screamed: restore my manhood! But 

he said nothing to the woman. The woman nodded as though she had 

heard that soundless scream. She reached out and touched the back 

of his hand, then she turned, started the car, and continued the 

j ourney down to the plain and the bright lights of the city . 

On the way down the mountain it was as all the other nights 

of their lives had bef n . The circular road was dark and deserted; 

the stars were in their placesj iAA-••l8sa;;;;;lmii!BBm•~a~t,-► the homes of the 

half dozen f amilies who had built at the f oot of the mountain showed 

the usual subdued lighting. 

Then they reached the outskirts of the t own and it was as 

no other night they had ever known . There were people everywhere. 

They moved like a flowing stream down from the hi l ls that made up 

the hinterland and backbone and tilR! heart of the island: a silent 

stream of bl ack peasant humanity. 

Clara l ooked at Joel for explanation. 

" I think they're going to the Palace," he said. 

>✓, 
They ' re so sil ent ," she said. 

"Be caref ul. Don' t blow your horn. Take the f i r s t side 

turni ng. It may be l ike t his on the ot her main roads too, so we'd 

better make our way by the side roads.'' 

"They're not hostile," she said. 

"Just bewil dered ," he sai d. "Like a household of small 

children who have l ost mot her and father." 

" I know," she said. "They are fri ghtened; and like all 

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frightened creatures they are likely to panic and run amok at the 

slightest shock. We' 11 have to be ~ carefulo" 

This, too, is part of the Isaacs character, h{ told himselfo 

"Let us hope all people who are in cars tonight understand. " 

"Yes," she said, "let us hope . " 

They reached a point where a side street branched off the 

main road. Clara tried to turn into the side street, but the stream 

of people was everywhere about the car, so thick and steady that moving 

against it, even at a slight tangent, was impossible without the consent 

of that stream ... 

Joel sensed Clara's mounting agitation and wished Jiae't he were 

in the driving seat. 

"Better come to a stop," he said. "Trafficator showing?" 

"Yes." 

She put her foot on the brake and felt the reverberation of 

many people bumping and pushing against the car. She felt people 

peering into the car as they flowed past. She thought: We are 

helpless here; we are at these people's mercy; what happens to us 

now depends on the mood of t his fJrmrh-g mass . Then she thought of 

the Old Man lying dead i n his Palace. And fear touched her. 

Joel felt the wave of fear sweep over his wife. He thought: 

It comes hard to those who have never known it; they don't know what 

to do, how to adjust to it. He reached out and put his left hand 

over hers which rested on the steering wheel. 

his hand. 

Briefly, she gripped 

A dark face peered into the window on Clara's side. Joel 

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l eaned across her to see the face . He felt her breat h like warm 

steam in his l eft ear, and his left shoulder was pressed against her 

right. This body contact had once been a powerful bond between them, 

perhaps the strongest of all the bonds . Joel lowered Clar a's window 

a l ittle more, enough for t he man outside to poke his head in . 

The car was a piece of driftwood in the human stream and the 

man outside held on to it to avoid being carried along with the flow 

of the stream. 

"What you blocking way for?" he demanded hoarsely. 

"Help us, brother," Joel said. 

"Mek a light. " 

"We want to turn here. " 

Joel r eached up and flicked on the small interior light. 

The man outside had a long gaunt face with a lantern j aw. The face 

shone a glossy black in the dim light . Other faces t ried to look in 

on Joel's side of the car. Momentarily , there was confusion and 

indecision among the crowd i mmediately about the car. 

"Please help us, brother," Joel s aid urgently. 

"Me know you ," the man said and turned away. 

Joel flicked off the interi or light . 

"Mek way for them turn!" the man said sharply, his voice 

slightly louder than normal conversation. He spread out his arms and 

those behind him came to a pause . A way opened to the left. 

"Now!" Joel said. "Carefully!" 

Clara inched the car forward and turned left . 

of people blocked the way into the side street . 

A small group 

11Mek way for them turn!" the long-faced man called again. 

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The small group stepped out of the way and Clara drove up the 

little street, freed, now , of the disturbing presence of the flowing 

stream of silent humanity . 

Clara said: "Thank you, Joel. " 

He lit a cigarette for her and felt the trembling of her 

fingers as she took it from him. She was born here, she and generations 

of her forebears . She's as native to this island as any of those peopae 

back there, but because the Old Man is dead she has just discovered that 

she ' s afraid of them. 

• hd b . d • ('fl . Twice they were el up y silent cr ow s at busy inte'l sections. 

Each time they waited patiently , and each time someone from the crowd 

came to their rescue and helped them across a main road into another 

side street. Three times they saw other cars caught in the s ilcn~ 

crowds. And they knew that whether the cars got out or not depended 

very much on what reaction the occupants ■i t■ a eare provoked in some 

key articulate individual in the crowds . 

At last, after spending nearly an hour on a journey they 

normally covered in twenty minutes, Clara turned the car through 

the enormous gates and into the vast grounds of old Nathan Isaacs' home. 

From the gateway to the house was a distance of a mile and a half. 

Only the Presidential Palace stood in larger grounds ) tt:l an ale Ua1!hMl' e 

l:sa r, and not even the Palace had such fine lawns and such a delightful 

and varied asortment of exotic flowering trees from every sub-tropical 

corner of the earth. For old Nathan Isaacs, this house was the 

outward and visible symbol of his success . He had started his working 

life inheriting a small drygoods store that was mortgaged to the hilt and 

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that carried more debt than his stock warranted. This had been 

the Isaacs legacy after four generations in the island. Starting 

with that, he had laid the foundations on which his three sons, 

Nathan Junior, Emmanuel and Solomon, had later built the massive 

Isaacs economic empire that today touched every facet of the life 

of the land. He had spent a fortune to make this house the symbol 

of the Isaacs success. 

cl~ 
Old Nathan's personal chauffeur opened the .ear a••• for 

Clara 
r f)..'5 

and slipped into the driv~ seat to park the car. 

"Everybody arrived?" 

"Yes, Miss Clara." 

Clara hesitated fractionally, looked at Joel, then led the 

way up the six steps to the large open door. 

A radio was on full blast somewhere on the upper floor, and 

the voice of the announcer urged all people
1
especially motorists to 

stay at home because of the mourning crowds from the hills. Not that 

there was any danger, the announcer hastened to add, everything was 

orderly and peaceful and under control. Then the Commissioner of 

Police came on to tell the people on the streets how they should 

behave and that they should try not to hold up traffic. He announced 

that buses would run all night so that people caught in the mourning 

crowds could get home. 

Joel only half-listened to the voice of the Police ColTUllissioner. 

Part of him fought against the loudness of the voice . He hated coming 

to this house because it was a house of noise. No-one spoke softly 

here ; everyone shouted. And there was always the conflict of noises 

from several radios, record changers , televisionl'!f.e, , and human voices, 

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While Clara lived in .this house, when he courted her, she had tried 

to impose some control on its noises . Now there was none . 

They hurried up the long flight of stairs to the upper floor, 

turned left, still pursued by the noise, opened a large oak door, 

slipped through, shut the door, and were miraculously free of the 

assault of sound. They had entered old Nathan's wing and he had 

insulated it against the noises from the rest of the house. 

Voices came to them from old Nathan ' s study which opened to 

their left. They went in and everybody was there except Clara's 

mother and sisters and the children. Her three brothers, Nathan, first 

son of old Nathan, Hanny, Solly, all flanked the old man. Nathan and 

Manny sat to the right of him, Solly to his left. Beside Solly were two 

chairs reserved for Clara and Joel. The three other men in the room, 

the husbands of old Nathan's three remaining daughters, sat a little 

•'- part, making it clear that Joel was the only non-Isaacs who was part of , 
t he family inner council. The family referred to Solly, Clara and 

Joel as the radical faction, while the old man, young Nathan (in his late 

fift ies) and Manny, were regarded as the conservative faction. When any 

situation demanded a conservative approach the conservative faction 

assumed authority and spoke for the Isaacs empire. When the need was 

for a radical line the radicals took over. Often in the past this had 

given the Isaacs empire a flexibility of approach that its rivals could 

not match. 

"You're late," old Nathan rasped. "Crowds hold you up?" He 

was a tiny, dried up little man with a large head and piercing eyes . 

He was darker than all his children but it was obvious that the slight 

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- 27 -

Negro strain did not come from his side. 

"It was terrible," Clara said. 

"Not really," Joel said quickly. "It was the surprise." 

"Yes; Joel is right." Clara took her seat beside Solly. 

"What do you think," young Nathan said to Joel~ He 

looked even more like a glum, very large and slightly overfed farmer 

than he usually did. 

"Do you mean are they likely to run amok?" Joel asked. 

"Yes," young Nathan said. "Revolution and all that sort 

of thing." 

"No," Solly said. He was the youngest of the three sons; 

the long and lean temperamental one, Clara's favourite brother and 

the one Isaacs Joel Sterning liked without reservation. 

"I asked Joel," young Nathan drawled. 

"Come now, to business," the old man said. "What do we do?" 

"Solly's right," Joel said. "They won't run amok. At 

worse we' ll have a few killings, a few demonstrations, a few cases of 

arson in field and factory ••• " 

"Why are you so sure?" 

"Because we know our people, brother," Solly saido 

"Traditionall.y they're on the side of government, whichever it is; on 

the side of authority, of law and order, call it what you will. If 

you and I represent authority and law and order then they will obey uso" 

"We 're not here for a political discussion," the old man cut 

in . 

"We're coming to the point, Papa, to businesso" Solly said. 

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"There is conf usion becaus e the death of the President means that there 

is now no authority for them to turn to. It is this that frightens 

t hem and so they all march to the Palace, the traditional home of the 

person in authority. Its a frightened, unreasoning action. But iis 

understandable and it gives us a pointer as to what could happen." 

"If I understand you , Solly," young Nathan said, "your point 

is t hat we have nothing to fear from the people. " 

"That ' s right," Solly said. 

"D' you go along with him,Joel?" 

"Yes. " 

"Surely you make the reservation that we have nothing to fear 

f or as l ong as they are not misled. " 

"The point you are missing , Nathan," Solly said, " i s the 
....----­

question: misled by whom? By communists, socialists, rac- ists? 

Which group do you fear?" 

"Does it matter? Any of those you've named." 

"But t hat is just the point," Solly said. 

misled by someone or some group in authority. " 

"I get it!" young Nathan said quickly. 

"They can only be 

"If you' re r ight then 

t he real pr oblem is who becomes t he new f ather-figure in whom t hey vest 

all authority . " 

"That's the real problem," Soll y said. 

"Josiah," the old man sai d, looking at each member of his inner 

council in turn. "Joel, can' t we do anything to hel p t hose others stop 

him? Isn ' t there one of them we can back heavily who has a chance? 

You ' re our political man. Tell us . " 

"There is," Joel said s lowl y. "But I think we ' l l lose. " 

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- 29 -

"I'm thinking of big money," the old man rasped. 

maybe two hundred thousand. It1 worth it to break him." 

"We don't think it can be done , Papa," Solly said. 

" Joel?" the old man said. 

"One, 

"If it fails , " Joel said slowly, "we will all be finished." 

"So?" 

"I think Josiah will win . -. " 

"So?" 

"I say don't get involved. Stay out. Do our business." 

Manny, the nondescript pasty- faced brother asked: "Will he 

leave us alone? Will he let us do our business?" 

"That is a c~ e we must take," young Nathan said. 

"Then you agree with Solly and Joel," the old man said. 

"I don't see we have any choice . Its not a question of 

If they're right then our approach will have to become agreeing. 

radical . I think they are. We'd better start by seeing that some of 

the darker workers are promoted to some of the special jobs . " Young 

Nathan's remarks, now , were addressed to the three men who were there 

by virtue of being married to Isaacs girls . l Uai:ike ooel , these tNd no~ 

yet eamw tae Pigb t t o fu ll eqtsaiit, within the fa111il:y eettneil "Dark 

girls in all the front offices, and courtesy: you know the plan ••. " 

"I thought that was already in effect!" Clara said sharply. 

"We took that decision nearly ten years ago!" 

"I know," young Nathan said. "This time it must be implemented. " 

"No wonder they call us hypocrites!" Clara was possessed by a 

violent flash of uncontrollable anger. "Why meet! Why make these 

decisions if they can be p· geon-holed for ten years! The great 

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- 30 -

progressive Isaacs empire dedicated to serving the nation!" 

"Clara! " the old man said sharply. 

"Come off it, Clara," Manny, the silent one, said mildly. "We 

could all see what was going on . 

about it now." 

You too. Let us not be hypocrites 

Solly put long thin nervous fingers on his ;fav~~~~ sister's 

arm. "Easy dear; Manny's right. We all allowed it to drift: all of 

us except Joel. He tried. " 

" I didn't - " Clara began, then she looked at Joel and shook her 

head. "Yeso Perhaps I didn ' t want to see • • • " 

"This gets us nowhere," young Nathan said. "And when you ' ve 

finished critici sing us, my dear Clara, just remember that our workers are 

still the best paid and looked after on the island. It~ not our fault 

if standards are abysmally low. The thing is to adjust to the times. 

And this time it is up to all of us to see that the policy is carried 

out at every level. It is a matter of survival. " 

"Alf i ght," the old man rasped. "Politically, we take no part 

in t he struggle for power; organisationally, we project a more popular 

dark-skinned image. What else?" The old man turned to his eldest son. 

"I formally resign the chairmanship of the board of Isaacs 

Enterprises," young Nathan said. "And I propose Mr. Solomon Isaacs as 

the new chairman and spokesman of Isaacs Enterprise. " 

"I second," Manny said. 

"ObJ'ections?" the old man said, then 1.·n th b th e same rea 1 
"None. Let it so be noted." 

Young Nathan smiled at his youngest brother. 

you want us to do?" 

" Anything special 

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"You and Manny will of course continue to keep internal control. " 

"Of course. " 

"Keep up your political contacts . And you might both let it be 

known that you are not too happy about what looks to you like our support 

for Josiah." 

"Who are you? You and Joel?" 

"And Papa and Clara." 

"Papa too?" Manny asked, startled. 

"Yes . I want to speak with the authority of a very strong 

majority.II 

"And just how unhappy are Manny and I?" Young Nathan asked. 

"Very. And you hope to win back control one day and reverse 

policy. " Solly looked at the three junior members, the three silent 

husbands of his three sisters . "This will not be discussed again once 

we leave this room: not among yourselves; not even with your wives . 

Understand?" 

The three nodded. 

"Anything else?" the old man asked. 

Young Nathan said "This is for your information, not discussion. 

I 've just made a sizeable increase in our holdings outside the island. 
·-P 

>/ Seni or membei?~ of t he board can get details any time t hey wish. " 

"Anything else?" the old man asked. Af ter a pause he added: 

"Alt ight. Meeting's over. " 

The ol d man rose and everybody followed suit . He led the way 

out of the study and into a large living room with a wide balcony that 

commanded a sweeping view of the rear of the great house and the sprawl ing 

acres of floodlit garden. From the balcony they could see a small party 

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- 32 -

in progress down by the swimming pool. Manny's eldest son was home on 

holiday from his college in the States . He had brought half a dozen 

friends with him. And since grandpa Nathan's was the largest of the 

family houses, he and his friends had moved in and taken over a wing. 

Now they had collected a group of young ladies from nearby homes and were 

having a night-time swimming party, under strict chaperonage of course. 

Old Nathan always insisted that young people behaved properly. 

The sound of young laughter drifted up to the people on the wide 

balcony. 

"The young people are happy," the old man said, and slipped his arm 

through Clara ' s . 

"It is easy for the young to be happy," Clara said. 

"Or sad," the old man added. 

"Not very. " 

"But sad. " 

"You very sad, my little Clara?" 

"I don!t know, Papao It isn't so simple . " 

"It never is, my child. Trouble between you and Joel?" 

Two young black girls moved s ilently among them offering drinks and 

things to eat. Joel, Solly and young Nathan were in a corner by 

themselves exploring further the political and economic implications of 

the death of the President. Manny, the family organisation and 

personel expert , stood with the three junior directors, clearing up 

points they had been too nervous to raise at the full meeting. 

"You understand I'm not trying to pry," the old man said. hastily 

when Clara said nothing. 

"I know, Papa. " She patted his hand. "There is no trouble. 

I wish there were. There is nothing. I didn't realise how proud he 

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was ." 

- 33 -

"I thought you were the one who was tired of him, my child. " 

"I thought so too." 

"And I still don't approve of what you did. I would have blamed 

you if he had divorced you." 

"He did the same thing," she protested. "He did it first ." 

"That makes no difference!" The old man was getting angry. "He's 

a man!" 

Clara choked back the angry retort that welled up in her. After 

a while she said very quietly. 

have stood by me, against him. 

"You would have blamed me, but you would 

You and my brothers . " 

"You are my child," the old man said stiffly. "You are their 

sister." 

"Yes," she said heavily. "Yes . " 

"I - we - are very fond of Joel. He ' s one of us . He knows it. " 

"He also knows you would have stood by me." 

The old man refused to follow where she was leading, so he led 

her to where Joel, Solly and Young Nathan stood. He felt old and tired 

suddenly , and it showed on his face and in the stoop of his small figure . 

"See me to my room, Nathan," he rasped fretfully. "Goodnight." 

Young Nathan led the old man out . 

"Don' t see how I can get to the Palace tonight," Joel said. 

"Shouldn't try ," Solly said. 

Joel looked at Clara and decided he could not let her make the 

journey home alone, or even with a chauffeur: not on a night like this. 

He would never forgive himself if anything happened to her,especially 

because things were bad between them. When things go bad we sometimes 

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- 34 -

wish something would happen to remove the person on whom we place the 

blame. And because he had had such wishes he had to protect Clara in 

order to protect himself. 

Solly said: "He's getting very old and we may not have him for 

l ong. " Joel and Clara knew his mind was on the old President lying 

dead i n his Palace. There was no more than three or four years' 

difference, either way, between the dead old President and their living 

father. 

Clara said: "Papa's been rather more caref ul than old Moses." 

Joel walked across the room to where the t elephone was and dialled 

John Stanhope' s number. Holding on, he t urned and looked at Manny and 

the three j unior directors who were there by right of marriage. There 

was an air of servility about fh~m, an attitude of three unt ouchables 

in the presence of a Brahmin princeo It ma{p; Manny seem magnetic and 

powerful. Poor bloody brutes. The ringing of the telephone stopped 

and after a while a desperate male voice said "Yes?"; but it was not 

John Stanhope. 

"Joel Sterning here; Mr. Stanhope, please . " 

"He cannot speak, sir ; he's with the Minister s and not to be 

disturbed." 

"Will you take a message then?" 

"I'm sorry, sir ; the Presidential Secretary cannot speak!" 

And you are on the verge of cracking, my friend, Joel thought as 

t he man at the other end hung up on him. Again he looked at the three 

surrounding Manny. He wondered whether he, too, had once fawned on the 

Isaacs wealth and name? as they now did. And it seemed to him that he 

remembered doing so , a little more subtly perhaps, with the sophistication 

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- 35 -

of t he European . 

and Clara. 

These three were island-born. He went back to Sol ly 

"Get John?" Solly asked. 

"No. Some fellow on the verge of breaking down who hung up on 

me. John' s still with the Ministers . " 

"Poor John , " Solly said. " I ' d tell that crowd to go to hell . " 

"He can ' t," Joel said , a little shar ply. 

and J ohn is a servant of the people! " 

"They ' re the government 

"Easy, Joel ," Solly was startled. "I didn' t mean anything: 

Certainly not what you seem to think." He looked f r om J oel t o Clara. 

"I'm going home," Clara said quickly, and began o move to the 

door. "You staying , Joel? If you ar e I'll l eave the car. " 

"I'll take you home," Joel said. 

They said goodbye to Manny and the three j uni or direct or s , and 

Soll y went down the stairs with them. While they waited for t he car they 
r: 

saw a speci al constabl e, a member of that br anch of the police force thap 

can be hired by private citizens , come round a corner of the house on his 

patrol . All through t he night a ' s peci al ' wil l be on patrol dut y around 

the house . Another will be at the gate, and a third will patrol the land 

at t he back of t he house. 

Solly t ouched Joel ' s arm and s aid "Something's worr ying you?" 

" I i s personal ," Clara said very qui ckly . "Between J oel and me . " 

" I s ee. " 

"Do you?" There was a hint of bi t terness about her now . 

v "Sorry," Solly s aid l?l d and withdrawn. He stepped back as the 

chauff eur brought up the car. The chauf feur opened the driver ' s door f or 

Clara. She shook her head. 

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- 36 -

"Please drive, Joel." 

"Look you two!" Solly exploded. "What the hell's the matter? 

I haven't done or said anything! I haven't tried to interfere! So 

why turn on me? When you've had trouble before I've kept the others 

off your backs to give you a chance to work out things by yoursel ves!" 

Then he calmed down as suddenly. We are an oppresive 

bunch. Maybe things would have worked out better if you had gone 

away for a few years in the beginning." 

"Goodnight, Solly," Clara said. 

'"Night, sis; 'night, Joel. I hope - II • He swung on his 

heels and went back into the great house. 

"You needn't take me home," Clara said softly. 
~ 

her father' s chauffeur. "With him driving and r special' 

I'd be quite safeo" 

For answer Joel started .efthe car and moved off. 

She indicated 

besi de him 

The chauffeur 

touched his cap. 

military salute . 

As they passed him the 'special' threw an elaborate 

The way back was easier than the way coming. Crowds were still 

converging on the Presidential Palace, but in smaller numbers now, and 

it was relatively easy to get the car through the crowds at t he main roads . 

Joel switched on the .o«!f' radio at one s tage and there was ■ournful, 

discordant hymn-singing as from a great and poorly guided multitude in the 

open under the stars. And when it was punctuated by the inevitable 

commercial, the announcer said that the broadcasting of this great and 

spontaneous expression of a nation's grief on the outskirts of the 

Palace where our fallen President lay had been made possible by the 

public spiritedness of Isaacs Enterprises. It later transpired that 

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a young priest of one of the less socially respectable churches had 

joined his humble parishioners on their march down from the hills to 

the Presidential Palaceo It was his efforts that had st &tea te give )/\... 

the wave of sorrow its religious aspect . Other priests had s oon 

followed his example . Now the approaches to the Palace gave the 

impression of a series of vast and mournful religious crusades. The 

or gans of publicity had seized on this . When, five minutes later, the 

man with the commercial came on again, Clara switched him off violently. 

But the memory of the hymn-singing, sharp and clear, lingered with them 

all the way up the spiralling road to their mountaintop home. 

Clara left Joel putting away the car and went into the house 

to s ee if the children were safely home. 

When he came in she met him with a drink. She s aid: "The 

children are alr ight. They're asleep. Something to eat? A snack? 

Cold chicken? Salami? Cheese?" 

"No, thank you." He wanted a snack, but a l one, not with Clara. 

He finished his drink quickly, checked to see that all doors 

and windows were securel y shut , sai d ' goodnight' t o Clara, and went 

~i•r'iijs to hi s roomo And because the President ' s death had come at the 

end of a l ong , hard day which was also the end of a hard week, he slipped 

i nto a very deep sleep almost as soon as he got into bed. 

In t he other r oom, Clar a refilled her glass ens uri ng , as a 

matter of habit, that her drink was iced soda water with j ust a f aint 

whisky flavouring. As the family hoetess for all i mportant occasions, 

which usually meant big political or economic or business dinners, she 

often had to appear to drink a great deal, so iced soda water flavoured 

wi th a few drops of whisky had become habit. 

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She carried the drink to the balcony. She opened one of the 

sliding glass panels. Below were the shimmering lights of the city, 

and the body of the dead President, and the mourning black crowds making 

discordant sounds out of their sorrow. She pulled a chaise close up 

to the glass and settled down, making her back comfortable by pressing 

it against the foamrubber support of the chair. 

The world was silent now, as silent and quiet as she had evl!r 

known it . When she was a child her room at her father's house had 

sometimes been as quiet as this, but never as silent. Always there had 

been the ticking of the clock that hung above her bedroom door. Here, 

in this all electrical house , the clocks were silent. And both the 

silence and the quiet were complete. 

Her stomach felt sore and sick . Once, a long time ago, two 

big black girls had cornered her behind some bushes in the deserted part 

of the school yardo They had pushed her, playfully rather t han aggressively. 

But she had become angry and slapped the bigger one on the face, hard. 

Without any change of expression the big black girl had closed her hand 

into a fist and hit Clara in the stomach . Then the two black girls had 

walked away. And Clara had leaned against the bushes, body doubled up, 

sore and sick in the stomach, unable to breathe properly for a long time. 

Now the sickness in her stomach brought back the memory of that dreadful 

day9 She had known , instinctively, and as soon as the pain had eased up 

sufficiently for her to be able to think, that the big black girl would 

not have hurt her if she had not slapped the girl. The knowledge had been 

no help and no comfort . And now, more than twenty years later she felt 

the same sickness in her stomach and r ecognised it for what it was. She 

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was afraid. And again the fact of knowing was no comfort. But she 

was an adult now, grown-up, the mother of big children, a woman of power 

and influence, so she did not allow herself to fall apart as she had done 

as a girl behind the bushes . 

She thought of Joel in his room. He had comforted her once , 

long ago, when he had loved her. Now he loved that part-Chinese black 

woman. She felt the pounding of her heart, and she put her hand over it 

to try and still the violence of its beat . She felt the firm outward 

curve of her breast. He used to love cupping her breasts in his hands 

so, fondling them endlessly, even after loving 1 as though they gave him a 

pleasure beyond the realm of sex. That woman would never be able to 

give the pleasure and satisfaction of body that she, Clara, had given 

him. When sex is as total and complete f or as long as it had been 

between them, then any after experience with anybody else is never really 

important. That is why she could not feel jealous of that other woman 

with her straight up-and-down boyish body. 

Where had it begun to go wrong? At what point had his love 

started to wither? The way it came out from him now it was as though 

the germ of i ts death was there at its birth . But how then account for 

the good years and the beautiful years and the happy times. 

Then, sharp and clear, the thought was full grown in her mind: 

We forced him t o recognise the streak of fear and cowardice in him; we 

challenged and proved wrong his own estimate of himself. For that he 

will never forgive me and mine. 

She tried to deny the truth of the thought, but she knew the 

attempt was futile. 

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She rose quickly and pushed her head through the opening in 

the glass panelling. Looking down at the twinkling lights, she thought: 

Elsewhere it might have been different, he would have been different and 

I would have been different; not here, not on the island •• • 

•• • It is a long time since I've crawled to anybody for comfort . 

We are strong people, we Isaacs . We have to be . Jews have always had 

to be to survive . But he ' s my husband and what is between us is wrong. 

How to right it? O Lord how to right it? •• • 

She shut the glass panel and secured it . She went to her 

room, changed into her night clothes, turned off all the lights and 

groped her way to the door of her husband ' s room. 

He had opened all his windows and the night was clear enough 

for her to see him as a shadowy figure in the bed. She trembled 

violently now, as though chilled. She crawled into the bed beside him, 

and the contact with his naked body made the sickness in her stomach 

unbearable. He stirred and pulled away. 

on him and began to caress him rhythmically. 

She put trembling fingers 

He woke. 

"What the-? Clara!" 

Then he heard the soft sobbing of his wife . He reached out 

and switched on the bedside lamp. He sat up and turned to her. He 

choked back the angry words as he saw the tears f l owing from her stark 

and frightened eyes . She was not given to t ears . 

"What's the matter?" 

"I 'm afraid, Joel; I 'm afraid o " 

"What of? What ' s wrong?" 

When she said nothing, he thought: Another Isaacs stunt 0 

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Then, watching her, he felt ashamed of himself. Whatever the reason , 

Clara was really frightened. I t was there in her eyes, and he knew 

this woman wel l . Then he became aware of her physical presence. He 

switched off the light quickly and settled back in bed, careful not to 

touch her. 

"May I stay?" 

"Yes." She had not been in his bed or he in hers for nearly 

four years. 

There was a long silence between them, punctuated now and 

then by a soft snuffle from Clara. Then she put her hand on him 

tenat ively. Her touch was as fire t o his skin . 

"The conj ugal rights business?" he asked coldly . 

"Just comfort, Joel , please. Just comfort . I ~ your wife . " 

He remembered how it had been . Afterwards, she had always 

made him f eel as though he had bestowed a great and precious gift on 

her. But there had been total harmony only in this, and it was not 

enough . She pressed her thigh against his and passion rose in him. 

Then he pulled her to him with a mixture of bitter rage and high passion. 

"So afraid," she moaned as she received him, and he knew it 

was of the island because it was without its father now, without Moses 

Joshua. 

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- 42 -

- TWO -

For them this night will never end, the woman told herself. 

They will weave a legend out of the happenings of this night, and with 

the legend they will bind and imprison their minds and make it easy 

for someone else to come and gain ascendency over them, as that dead 

old man in the Palace had done . She wanted to feel angry with them, 

but she could not . This is how they are, and to be angry with them is 

to be angry with man, and with God, and with life. 

She pushed her way through the thick mass of people, raising 

her voice now and then to insist that some big brute of a man make room 

for her to pass . They stared briefly at her, and they let her pass. 

Here and there she heard murmurs of r esentment, but these bothered her 

no whit, and she went on her way, weaving in and out of the large crowds, 

observing, listening, periodically imprinting a face or a voice or an 

expression on her memory with precise care. Thus she made a complete 

circle of the Palace and its vast throng of mourners . The journey 

took her the best part of ninety minutes and she was dog-tired when she 

got back to the Palace gates. The guards knew her, so there was no need 

to produce her press pass, but all of them were under strain so she 

showed it all the same. They let her through and she went into the 

l ittle guardhouse and flopped down in the first empty chair she found. 

All the way up the driveway, stretching to the very doors of 

the Palace, the place bristled with police and military . Even t he 

guardhouse was unusually crowded, and there was a constant coming and 

going of pol icemen . The old sergeant in charge of the guardhouse 

seemed the only calm and composed person abouto The old sergeant 

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left his desk and went to the woman. 

"Miss Lee • •• What a night , heh!" 

"What a night! " she echoed him. 

"Seen all the crowds?" 

"Just been right round the Palace . " 

"Never seen anything like it," the sergeant said. "Never!" 

Miss Lee was tall and thin and her thinness and her tight 

slacks and 1f ngish face made her seem even taller. She was a deep 

dark-brown, nearly black, and her face was of a matte; smoi hness that 
L 

glowed with a life all its own . But it was her eyes, wholly oriental 

and slanting and going round the corners of her face, and her straight 

thick blue- black hai~, hanging down to the shoulders, that made for the 

striking appearance of the woman . She was almost completely flat-

chested and the rest of her long lean body showed only the vaguest 

hints of feminine curves . There were laughter lines about the corners 

of the big mouth and a disturbing detachment in the gaze she turned on 

her world. Miss Martha Lee was the Political and Diplomatic 

Correspondent of The Voice of the Island. 

"What's it l ike up there?" She moved her head slightly to 

indicate the Palace . 

"Confusion, Miss Lee; confusion ma'am. All the Ministers 

except the Honourable Josiah have been there all the time since the news . " 

"Yes," she said drily . "I saw him weep on television. " 

"All that stop ...,," the sergeant said. "No more television 

and radio people up there; they won't even let you in there now. 

Some of your friends are up there _... , but outside the doors . t Anyway 
' 

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a little warm coffee, ma'am? 

and sweet." 

It not really hot again, but it strong 

"No thank you, sergeant. I~s sweet of you. Can I try and 

reach Mr. Stanhope on your phone?" 

"Not supposed to, Miss . Strict orders, and not from our 

Inspector either; a captain of the army is in charge up there now." 

Martha Lee tilted her head back and looked into the sergeant ' s 

eyes . · Fora while the sergeant met the steady gaze of the slanting 

Chinese eyes, then he looked away, disturbed; then, as though compelled, 

he looked back into those eyes . 

"I'll lose my job, Miss," he protested. 

"I'll see you don't, sergeant; I proinise . " 

The sergeant shrugged helplessly, looked at the two telephones 

on his desk and made a rapid inspection of the three little groups of 

policemen in the room. The group in the far corner was immersed in 

conversation; the smaller group near the door was playing dominoes; 

and near at hand, only some ten feet away, four young fellows sat 

silent and tense as though afraid to breathe• These latter were young 

country constables, part of the force from the rural areas that had 

been flown in to stand-by in case of trouble. 

Martha Lee rose and touched the sergeant's arm. 

"Sergeant, all I'm asking is permission to use your phone, 

understand? You don't know what for because I didn't tell you. As 

far as you know it is to get in touch with my paper. 

phoned my paper from here many times in the past. " 

You know I've 

"Allright, Miss," the sergeant said unhappily. 

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the desk. 

Palace . 

- 45 -

In two long strides Martha Lee was across the room and at 

She picked up the phone that was connected only to the 

She dialled the numerals 2, 3. Someone answered almos t 

i nstantly , but it was not the Presidential Secretary. 

her finger down on the rest, br eaking the connection . 

She pressed 

Quickly she dialled 

again, three numerals this time, 1, 2, 3. In one of his moments of grand 

expansiveness, the old man who now lay dead up there had himself ordered 

John Stanhope to give her these private numbers as well as a bottle of 

rar e brandy; and a week later he had publicly thr eatened to lock her up 

because of some article he did not like . Now, as the phone rang on the 

Old Man's desk, she half expected to hear the bluff, bullying voice 

The voice that did say "Yes?" was that of John Stanhope , gentle 

and charged with a terrible weariness . 

"Martha Lee," she said. "Sorry to bother you. " Once she had 

thought herself in love with this man; but that had been a long time agoo 

"Not now," he said. 

paper?" 

"When? I'm at the guardhouse . 

"It may be very long." 

" I can wait . " 

"Allright." 

I can wait . " 

The old sergeant came to her, relief written all over his face . 

"Allright, Miss?" 

"Thank you , sergeant . May I just make one more call , to my 

"Yes, Miss! " 

But it required three tries before she finally got on to t he 

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- 46 -

night man at the news desk. 

"Malcolm? Martha Lee. Hold the front page till the very 

last minute. Alr ight? ••• " 

She produced cigarettes and matches from the deep pockets 

of her high-necked Chinese- style blouse . She and the sergeant lit up . 

"Mr. Stanhope asked me to wait here, sergeant . " 

"Then that makes it official, Miss . " 

"That's right, sergeant. 

"Doesn ' t matter, Miss . 

e. 
He said it might bA a long time." 

If he said so then you can stay here 

t i ll morning. What about that coffee now, Miss?" 

"I like mine black and bitter, sergeant; a little like me." 

That was what the sergeant liked about this young lady: big 

job and all and pretty enough to claim to be Chinese; but no, she 

doesn ' t claim to be coloured or Chinese-coloured or any of those fancy 

ways of denying the blackness in her. 

blackness in her. 

She comes straight out with the 

In his pleasure he dropped his careful English and said: 

"Mek me see what dem have in de back, Miss . " 

"So easyf'°Martha Lee thought, both touched and irritated; so 

easy. Say the right words, make the right gestures and my people eat 

out of your hands. 

The sergeant soon returned with a mug of steaming black cof fee . 

"I got a little somet'ing to go in, Miss." 

She nodded and he brought a quarter quart bottle from the 

bottom righthand drawer of the desk and quickly l aced the coffee with a 

generous dash of white rum. 

i nto its hiding place. 

Then he slipped the little bottle back 

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- 47 -

Martha Lee wrapped the long fingers of both hands about the 

hot mug and realised how cold her hands were . The island sometimes 

turned very cold at night as Christmas appr oached, and Christmas was 

less than two months away. She drank some of the coffee, still 

warming both hands with the mug, and as she drank she thanked the old 

sergeant with her eyes . He beamed at her. So easy. 

Afterwards she went back to the chair. The sergeant 

returned to his desk and his paper work . A squad of policemen came 

off duty . The sergeant detailed the group in the far corner to take 

its place . The strong hot coffee and the stronger rum warmed Martha 

Lee and she forgot her weariness . She left the guardhouse and went 

to the Palace gates . They let her out and she was among the mass of 

mourners . Here, near the gates everybody was silent partly because 

of the noise from elsewhere, but also as though waiting for something 

to happen . Farther away, to the left and the right of the great 

iron gates, the hymn-singing took place. And it was those who were 

at the gates who were directly in the path of the meeting of the 

sounds of the conflicting hymns . From the left came Rock of Ages; 

from the right When the Roll is Called. And from further away, 

immediately outward between left and right Abide with Me was locked 

i n combat with Lead Kindly Light . 

A woman put a hand on Martha Lee's arm, leaned towards her 

ear and shouted: "You see him? Them let you in?" 

"No!" Martha shouted. 

"Me wan' see him! We wan' see him! Him belong wid we!" 

"You will!" Martha shouted. "You will! In the morning!" 

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- 48 -

"What?" 

"In the morning! You will see him!" 

"We wait! You see him?11 

"No!" 

"Don' go 'way! " the woman patted her reassuringly. 

"You will!" 

Just then a convoy of lorries car rying soldiers and police 

worked its way through to the gates. The crowd heaved and pressed 

this way and that to get out of the way of the lorries . To escape 

the pressure Martha Lee went back inside the gates. She had some 

trouble getting past a soldier who had come to share guard duty with 

the policeman who had let her out. She decided not to go outside 

the gates again. Further back the palace grounds were rapidly 

beginning to look like a military camp . Tents were sprouting every­

where and armed soldiers moved about with the quiet purposef ulness 

of people who knew what they were about . 

Inside the guardhouse, the sergeant looked up as she entered 

and said: "See how it is, Miss . " 

"Yes; someone's really taken over. " 

"I know I can trust you, Miss. Inspector just telephoned 

to say I must take my orders from the military." 

"As in an emergency," Martha Lee said. 

"Yes , Miss. 11 

An emergency operation against Josiah, Martha Lee wondered; 

and i f it were that, by whose decision? That of the Ministers? 

Or that of John Stanhope? She thought 
( ~.ul.. . . 

about it 1 andl t~at the decision 

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- 49 -

was that of the Ministers •. . But John knows what is involved, and John 

is not mad, she told herself ••• Somehow she did not feel comforted. 

The sanest of us, the most reasonable, the most balanced, sometimes 

reaches breaking point; and then anything is possible. 

She pushed these thoughts firmly out of her mind, settled back 

in the chair and closed her eyes . Her wait may be long, may stretch 

for two or three or four hours, or even into the morning. She made 

her mind blank; relaxed all her body. The clock above the sergeant's 

desk showed the time a little before one o'clock. 

now been dead for just about four hours . 

The President had 

The old sergeant touched her shoulder and she woke immediately. 

"Miss: the Ministers are leaving. 

you to come up." 

Mr. Stanhope called through for 

Martha Lee rose instantly and made for the door but the sergeant 

called her back. "No, Miss! You must wait till a soldier comes to 

escor t you. 

Pal ace." 

The military have taken over all securit y duty around the 

It was then that Martha Lee realised a soldier with the rank 

of corporal now sat at the sergeant's desk. 

on t he wall high behi nd the sol di er's head. 

She l ooked at t he clock 

I t was a quarter after 

t wo. J ust then a soldi er marched bris kly int o t he room, saluted hi s 

corporal and presented a chit. 

The corporal said "Miss Lee. " 

The soldier saluted again then stood aside for Martha Lee to 

leave the room first . They marched side by side up to the Palace, 

Martha Lee having to stretch her long leas to k • 
~ een un with the brisk 

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- 50 -

military pace. All about her soldiers were on guard, at fifty yard 

intervals -along the driveway to the Palace, and making a vast ring, 
} 

three deep, inside the shrub and barbed-wire fence that encircled the 

grounds . From the brightly lit Palace itself the Ministers now 

emerged in a body. About them, outnumberi1j them, soldiers with 

automatic weapons were on guard. 

Too many guns, Martha Lee told herself, much too many guns. 

"This way, ma'am, " the soldier murmured and led her off the 

driveway and across the lawns at a tangent that would bring them to 

a small side entrance . She had a brief glimpse of press photographetui] 

flashbulbs popping, then they were round the side of the massive 

building. The soldier came to an abrupt halt , jarred his head with 

the violence of his footwork, and threw a massive salute that forced 

Martha Lee to step back in alarm. 

with a junior officer in charge. 

They had come up to a guardpost 

The soldier handed over his chit and the young officer took 

charge of Martha Lee and led her into the familiar Palace which now 

had the appearance of an armed camp. Two soldiers stood on guard 

at the foot of the wide stairway that led to the upper parts . At 

the top, to the right, a soldier was on guard outside the Presidentia l 

Office; and two more guarded the entrance to the Presidential 

private quarters. To the left, and unguarded, were the offices 0£ 

the Presidential Secretary. And although it was the very early hours 

of the morning , people were hard at work, everyone in his or her 

place . For these people the death of the President meant more work 

to ensure that the machinery of gover nment did not break down as a 

result of the terrible jolt it had received. So the Presidential 

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- 51 -

Secretary's senior assistants were on the phone to faraway places, 

talking to the island's representatives in foreign countries, explaining , 

reassuring, giving guidance . 

Martha Lee knew this office well, but now the young officer 

prevented her from entering. Instead he waited till young Andrew 

Simpson, the brillant cadet whom Stanhope was personally grooming 

for big things in his country's service, saw them and approached. 

And even now, in the hour of national tragedy, the very tall , very suave , 

very handsome and very black young diplomat in the making , could not 

quite restrain the impulse to switch on his charm. 

His eyes lit up and he came towards her, both arms outstretched 

as if to embrace her. Martha Lee noticed a small twitch of contempt 

on the brown-skinned young officer's face . 

"Miss Lee!" young Simpson murmured and made a deep bow over 

her hand. 

The young officer clicked his heels as he saluted ; he handed 

Simpson the chit, swung about and marched away. For a s econd the 

f ! ppish air fell from young Simpson, and he was a sharp , alert, young 

man with a hint of ruthlessness about his eyes . His l i ps moved and 

Martha Lee thought she lip-read, rather than heard him murmur: "Silly 

toy soldier". In a flash it was all gone and he was once more t he 

smooth and charming young diplomat . 

"Mr. Stanhope's up in his quarters," Simpson murmured. He 

tucked his right hand under Martha's left elbow and steered her towards 

the very narrow and almost hidden flight of stairs t hat .nid up to the 
I\ 

private quarters of the Presidential Secretary. 

"You sometimes frighten me, young Andrew," Martha s a i d sof1;ly 0 

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"Me, Miss Lee?" He gestured gracefully with both hands and 

his shoulderso Then he laughed out loud, gaily. 

"Watch yourself, Andy. The President lies dead. " 

He stopped abruptly. Again the amiable mask was dropped for 

a few seconds. 

"You are so right, Miss Lee . Our beloved President lies dead 

and we must show due respect . But you will for give me if I refuse to 

make a hero out of a bully and an autocrat who has lived high off the 

hog on my people, who has misled them and sold them into the hands of 

the margin gatherers o You will forgive me, won't you, for being glad 

that the old brute has finally been removed from our necks . " He said 

all this casually, lightly, as one might talk about the weather. 

"Is that all there was to him?" Martha asked. 

"For me and those like me - yes! That was all. He held us 

back. And don't remind me { •ma peasant boy from the hills with a 

top job in the Palace . This is only small part payment of a tteavy 

undischarged debt owing to generations of poor peasants named Simpson; 

but here we are, Miss Lee, and you won ' t give me away,will you? My 

chief might think such thoughts subversive, and then I might have to go 

back to being a hill peasant Simpson - or worse." 

Martha Lee put a firm rein on her mounting anger. She restrained 

the young man from knocking on the door at the top of the narrow stairso 

"Have you been outside, Andy? Have you seen the poor people 

from the hill s weeping out there at the Palace gates, and all about the 

grounds?" 

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master. 

- 53 -

" I 've seen them, Miss Lee . I've seen them. " 

"And still you say what you do?" 

"They are his biggest crime : the slaves weeping for the slave 

He put blinker s of ignorance not on one but on two and three 

generations of islander s . " 

"So you dismiss those cr owds out there?" 

"No, Miss Lee. We don't dismiss them. 

sick in the way all brainwashed people are sick. 

But we know they are 

They don ' t know what 

they are doing out thereo So much of their humanity, of their dignity 

has been destroyed that they are afraid of standing on their own. Is 

this one of his blessings, Miss Lee?" 

"But is t hat all , Andy? 

He shrugged elegantly. 

Wasn ' t there something more?" 

"For you; not for me. " 

Martha gestured for him to knock on the door. He did so and 

they went in . He stood just inside the door for a while, waiting till 

John Stanhope , the Presidential Secretary , came forward . 

slightly and withdrew. 

Then he bowed 

As he came towards her Martha noticed that Stanhope 1s normally 

vibrant pale chestnut brown skin had a lifeless ashenness about it; the 

normally shrewdly twinkling eyes were dull; even the assurance
1
perhaps 

the single most important source~ of strength of the island's old 

coloured aristocracy, was gone. And because of this he seemed more 

pitifully human than Martha thought it possible for John Stanhope to be. 

His fingers were ice cold when he took her hand and t urned to 

introduce the European military t ype with whom he had been i n conference. 

Martha recognised the soldier as the recently appointed Colonel Jones who 

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had been imported to head the island' s armed forces . 

"Tell me, Colonel , " Martha s aid, "has a state of emergency 

been declared?" 

The Colonel opened his mouth then clamped it shut and inclined 

his head towar d the Presidential Secretary . "I'm only a soldier, mies:" 

Then he touched his peaked cap casually and left them. 

"Has it, John?" She stared steadily at Stanhope. 

"There's no emergency," Stanhope said wearily. He led the way 

through to his sitting room. 

"Then who called out the soldiers? And why?" 

The man slumped deep in his favourite armchair near the large 

open window . He gestured for her to help herself from the array of 

bottles on the liquor cabinet. 

brandy. 

The woman quickly poured herself a small 

"I called out the soldiers , " Stanhope said. "And you know why." 

And now, suddenly, Martha was afraid of asking the next question, 

afraid of the answer Stanhope would give, but she asked it all the sameo 

"On whose authority?" 

"My own . " 

"My God, John! 

about it1" 

How could you! •. • Did you speak to any of them 

"No. They'd all lost their heads and something had to be done 

to stop the spread of confusion and panic." 

"But John ," she protested. "You're a public servant, not an 

elected representative. You have no authority for making this kind of 

decision. 

John!" 

You have no power to call in the military, no power in law, 

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i 

- 55 -

"Someone had to do something." 

"Not in this way . " 

"Let me tell you something, Martha . I've had them here since 

the death . I've been unable to make them do a thing. They can't 

even agree on as simple a thing as signing a decree ordering a carry-on 

until the problem of the succession is resolved. Each is afraid that 

anything he does might be held against him later ••. " 

"I don't doubt your motives, John. " 

"But I was wrong?" 

"You know it . You know that you have now delivered yourself 

~ into the hands of anybody who wan1_ to get you. " 

military. 

11Like Josiaho But something had to be done, Martha!" 

"There were aany things you could do without manipulating the 

You had no right to manipulate state power. " 

"If only he hadn ' t concentrated all power in his own hands •• • " 

"That 's cheating, John . We can make up a long list of 'if onlys': 

if only his vice president hadn't died last year; if only he had appointed 

a minister of defence; if only his ministers were a bunch of patriots 

instead of a bunch of cowardly self-seekers; and to this, among others, 

we can add if only the Presidential Secretary had not lost his head and 

usurped the powers of the people's elected representatives • •• " 

"So, I should have done like the others ; taken care of my own 

interests and allowed the confusion to spread. What kind of patriotism 

is that?" 

"Oh John; John . You have no real faith in your people, do you? 

This is the real tragedy of our coloured aristocracy, they don't have any 

faith or trust in the rest of us . " 

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- 56 -

"I'm awfully tired, Martha and the going will. be tough when 

day light comes." 

Martha straightened up quickly. "Sorry, Mr. Presidential 

Secretary. I didn't mean to presume." 

"Come off it, Martha," John said wearily. 

"Please John," she was deadly earnest now. "The country is 

going to need what you have more desperately than ever before. If 

t he public service falls apart or goes rotten we will have no hope of 

surviving this crisis . So please make peace with Josiah . Save 

yourself in order to keep the service going. " 

"Make peace wit h Josiah? You're mad." ,. 
"John? You're not a political idiot. If you don't he'll 

break you for 

M~ 
;g1a1U e11110. who 

this night's work. 
~!y 

jus~ you can ' t stop 

You know as well as I do that the 

him." 

"He ' s no good for the country, Martha?" 

"He is one of those who presented the11selves to the people, 

and he was elected. They put him there, John , and nothing we say can 

change that . Neither you nor I have submitted ourselves to the people 

so neither you nor I have the authority vested in the least and the 

meanest of these people . It i s either that or the will of the people 

is turned into a mockery we do not believe in but pay lip-service 

to. " 

"Please Martha ••• " 

"I know. This is no time for a discussion on the nature and 

meaning of democracy. But you owe it to the country to try and get 

yourself out of this mess . " 

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- 57 -

"By helping to bring another would-be dictator to power?" 

"You have taken unto yourself powers which have been entrusted 

only to the elect of the people. Think about that, John . Because 

you are our most senior public servant you are invested with 

considerable power and authority. You have the power to protect 

public servants from political interference and to safeguard the 

integrity of that service . Unfortunately you have, whatever the 

motives, compromised yourself so badly that you may not be able to do 

any of these things unless you retrieve the situation • • • Now, may I 

please telephone my paper?" 

Stanhope nodded and Martha Lee telephoned the night duty editor 

and dict ated the main lead story while the night man listened and a 

stenographer took it down. She spoke smoothly , quickly, not fumbling 

for words and putting the story together with the professional skill of 

the old hand. She began with the inconclusive end to the meeting of 

Ministers, pointing out that the only absent Minister was Mr. Albert 

Josiah who had entrusted the decision-making to his colleagues while he 

went out to try and restore calm and confidence among the bereaved 

people o She gave it as her personal view , based on all she had seen, 

that Mr. Josiah and Mr. Stanhope, the Presidential Secretary, were both 

more concerned about the need to comfort and reassure the bereaved 

people than about the problems of state and power. And so, while Mr. 

Josiah was out among the people, Mr. Stanhope was keeping things under 

control at the Palace. Then she instructed that what followed was to 

be set in a box and dictated: "I am with the Presidential Secretary at 

this moment and he is trying to reach Mr. Josiah to get at least one 

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Ministerial authorisation so that the Palace gates could be thrown 

open and the vast army of mourners now outside be let in to view 

the body of their fallen President . With this end in view soldiers 

have been called in to mount guard to keep the crowds in order when 

the great gates are thrown open . " 

She looked at Stanhope and covered the mouthpiece: " Let it 

go or cancel it? Its the only way out. " 

"Let it go," he said, a faint suggestion of bitterness in 

his voice . 

She uncovered the mouthpiece. "And Malcolm, get the switch­

board to try and locate Josiah and get him to call Stanhope, heh?" 

Then she completed the dictating of her story . 

As she finished Stanhope took the telephone out of her hand, 

began to dial, then changed his mind. He put it down and picked up 

the other, internal phone. "Send Simpson here, please . " 

The smooth young black diplomat appeared in a very short while. 

Stanhope said "I've been trying to get hold of Mr. Josiah, 

Andy. I need his permission to open the gates and let the people 

view the Old Man's body. Didn ' t want to do it this way but must; so 

get on to the radio station and ask them to ask him to get in touch 

with the Palace." 

"So that's it," the young man murmured. "Right away, sir!" 

They waited for about ten minutes with the radio turned on and 

then the call to the Minister came over the air. Seven minutes later 

the Minister himself phoned. 

Stanhope picked up the phone and recognised the cold, flat, 

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impersonal, rasp of Josiah's voice~ 

"Mr. Secretary? Josiah here. What is this radio call about?" 

Martha saw the tic-like jumping twitch at the side of Stanhope's 

left eye . God how he hates Josiah! 

"Hr. Minister; I'm so glad to reach you at last!" 

"You are?" The man at the other end was mocking him. 

"Ifs about the crowds outside the Palace .• • " 

"Yes?" 

"We' 11 have to open the Palace gates and let them in.o." 

"Have to?" 

"You know what I mean •.• " 

"No, I don't, Mr. Secretary. " 

"Why?" 

Stanhope took a hold on himself and suppressed his detestation 

of the man. He spoke rapidly. 

or so. 

"Hr. Minister, I've been trying to reach you for the last hour 

I needed some Ministerial authorisation for my proposal that 

we throw open the Palace gates to the people outside . You know how 

the crowds are growing. 

what might happen . .• " 

If we don't do this there is no telling 

"Are you afraid, Mr. Secretary?" 

"No, sir. When I took my oath of office I promised at al l 

times to protect and further the best interests of my country." 

"Al3fight; but why 'f anf ('you get your authorisation from my 

colleagues who are now with you." 

"They have just left, and I have been trying to reach you for 

over an hour, sir. " 

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"What are you trying to say?" 

"I'm a public servant. " 

"Come on, speak man!" 

"It was apparent over an hour ago that nothing would be done, 

no decision taken. I knew decisions had to be taken that lay 

outside the range of my authority so I instructed one of my officers 

to try and locate you ..• " 

"The name of that officer?" 

"Andrew Simpson. " 

" I see . Did you know young Simps on is one of my supportez,s ?" 

"No!" Stanhope was startled and off-guard. 

"No, you didn ' t," the voice at the other end rasped. 

you still say you asked him to reach me?" 

"And 

"I tell you I did!" 

"Al, ight, you ' re said to be an honest man . 

point of all this ? What do you want from me?" 

Now what ' s the 

John Stanhope hesitated for a long time, and Martha Lee felt 

the terrible unhappiness in the man. 

"Well ... ?" 

"I think you should come to the Palace , sir. I think you 

should broadcast from here details of our period of national mourning. 

And I think you should announce that as s eon as there is enough light/ 

the Palace gates would be opened to all mourners. If you authorise 

me to I can arrange things so that you can make your broadcast the 

moment you arrive here •. • " 

"I see . " The cold voice s ounded preoccupied. "Are you 

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offering me an alliance?" 

"No sir. I'm a public servant and it is my duty t o do 

everything to further orderly and legal government for my country. I 

think of all the elected Ministers you are the most likely to bring 

about an orderly and peaceful transition from one leadership to another ••• " 

"And this is the basis for this call to me?" 

"Yes, sir. " 

This time it was the man at the other end who was silent for 

a long time. Stanhope put his hand over the mouthpiece, looked up 

sombrely at Martha Lee and said: "He is checking it over for flaws. And 

this is what I've tried to avoid all these hours! Oh God! To think of 

the island in his hands, and· I must help put it there!" 

"There is no other way," Martha Lee / napped, suppressing the 

compassion she felt for this unhappy man. 

At last Josiah spoke at the other end. 

"And you, John Stanhope: you ask nothing of me? 

security of your job?" 

Not even the 

"Nothing o~ er than that you uphold the constitution and the 

rule of law." 

" I understand soldiers have taken over at the Pa l ace?" 

"I called them in when I decided on t he course of action whi ch 

has led t o this conversation." 

"On whose authority?" 

" I gambled on yours ." 

"For the sake of the country?" 

"For the sake of the country." 

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"What if I refused your plan? You'd be in real troub.le." 

"I know. " 

"But it was for the sake of the country?" 

"As you say, sir." 

"Alfright, Stanhope! Make your arrangements. 

me about half an hour to get over to the Palace . " 

It' 11 take 

"One last point, Mr. Minister. I have Miss Martha Lee of 

The Voice of the Island in the next room. May I tell her of this? 

And how much?" 

"They don't like me ••• But let that be. Give her as much as 

we are likely to give out on radio and televisiono Anyway, the Lee 

woman's about the most independent writer they have, not in the pockets 

of the margin-gatherers . 

hung up abruptly. 

Still, we shall see what we shall see." He 

Stanhope walked across the long L-shaped room like a man who 

had suddenly taken a very heavy burden on his back . At the little bar 

he poured himself a stiff whisky and dashed it with soda. He looked 

at Martha Lee over the rim of his glass and she knew he was saying a 

silent prayer. 

"When is he coming?" she asked. 

"He's on his way . " 

"Then I'd better go. And I'd better stayL~ liittle whileo 

He ' s no fool, John~so watch yourself. And , John •.. It's just possible 
) 

that he cares as much abott° the country as you do .•• " 

John Stanhope looked steadily at Martha Lee but said nothing. 

Martha Lee went out, down his private stairs, past the Presidential 

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Secretary's office, down the broad stairway where the soldiers stood 

on guard, and out of the front door. Waiting press colleagues pounced 

on her, and she passed on the news that Josiah was on his way. 

Upstairs, John Stanhope was on the phone setting in motion t he 

new chain of events. Young Simpson stood at his elbow. 

Martha Lee ho~ered on the outskirts of the vast crowds until 

Josiah appeared. Recognition came qui ckly because he was in a small 

open con~ertible . She thought he looked very small and very incongruous 

standing up in that flashy little sports car. But the milling mass saw 

nothing odd about him. Those who saw him first shouted his name, 

informing each other that he had come. Others took it up, making it 

louder and louder, giving it shape and order and rhythm. Soon over a 

hundred thousand voices were chanting it in unison: Jo-si-ah!o . Jo-si-ah! 

• • Jo-s i-ah? steady and insistent as drumbeats . 

And then the little car stopped and the neat slender little 

dark brown man, looking black in the bright lights from the Palace gates, 

got out. He raised both arms high above his head, palms forward as one 

halting a flood . The people immediately in front of him parted, making 

a narrow human lane for him to pass through . Raising his head, and 

squaring his shoulders, he walked down the lane toward the Palace gate. 

As he went forward the l ane closed behind him, and soon Martha could see 

no sign of the presence of Josiah. But the sound of him was all about, 

rumbling after him, as thunder follows the flash of lightning. 

So it is done, Martha Lee told herself. And if you ask these 

people tomorrow or the next day or next week or next month or next year 

just how Josiah came to inherit the Old Man's mantle, and who gave it to 

t 

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him, t hey will not be able to tell you. If you ask them what made 

them roar out his name, they will look at you blankly and shake their 

heads • And yet they know what they are doing. And that is the 

....-1 pity of it, that they know what they are doing even though they 

will plead ignorance now and tomorrow and next year. 

Abruptly, she turned her back on the roaring crowds and 

walked away fast, as one flees from some frightening scene . When the 

crowds and their noises were far behind, when she entered a quiet and 

not very well lit narrow street, she transferred a small gun from the 

bag s l ung across her shoulder to the right-hand pocket of her jacket. 

She kept her fingers curled about the gun as she walked briskly through 

one narrow s t reet af ter another. 

There were lights in all 

that all thf orld had stayed awake 

that no one had gone to s l eep, that 

f ear and uncertainty for companion. 

the houses she passed. It seemed 

through the long hours of this night, 

everyone was waiting anxiously, with 

At last she turned into the main 

road which was the shopping centre of this upper suburban section of 

Mosesville . Here everything was bright ly lit. Dress shops, jewell ery 

shops, showrooms with the latest car models from all the worl d , shops 

filled with imported furniture, imported foodstuffs , all consumed vast 

quantities of high priced electric current to show off their wares t o 

best advantage . 

She crossed the broad, tree-l ined highway t o t he gas-station 

where she had l eft her car. Because there had r ecently been a number 

of well-planned robberies at filli ng stations the two night attendant s 

had locked themselves in. It took her nearly five minutes to wake them. 

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She phoned the paper and Malcolm, the night man, told her the editor 

had left word that she should contact him at the Press Union Centre. 

~ 1 
When she left the gas station the first dawn '$.I.I• hs were 

A 

coming up in the east. And because for her this was always the 

loneliest period to be awake in any twenty-four hour cycle,she gave 

in, briefly, to a mood of depression and wished desperately/ that Joel 

Sterning were with her now. 

Maxwell Johnson was a big man, well over six foot tall and 

massively large without being fat; it was a question of bones and his 

were big and heavy. He could cover a sheet of~ eight and half 

by eleven, by simply putting his open hand over it . As editor of 

The Voice of the Island he frequently had to spread his enormous hand 

over a sheet of copy to ensure that his managing director did not know 

its contents and so could not interfere . 

He had come to the island as a hulking young man in his early 
~~ 

twenties,t •aa•'J?y thirty years ago. He had found a job as a very 

junior sub-editor on The Voice of the Island, aware always of the 

resentment of his black and brown colleagues who knew that the owners 

of the paper would give him preferment over them. This had forced 

him to walk with delicate care in the presence of his fellow workers 

and to keep the representatives of the owners at a distance. In 

time his fellow workers had come to accept him as a man unwilling to 

trade on his own whiteness or their blackness or the colour bias of 

the country and of the representatives of the owners . Then there 

had been that wonderful day when all the invisible barriers had come 

tumbling down. The workin~ press, men and women, had or~anised a 

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country feed for him at a little seaside village fifty-odd miles 

from the capital, and there1while they ate and drank prodigiously , 

and while talk flowed with a freedom and intimacy peculiar to the 

island, he had surrendered his heart and mind and he had become as 

committed to the island as the most patriotic of its native sons 

and daughters. There too, on that same night, on that sandy 

beach, he had become aware of Myra, a towering amazon all of six 

foot and s trappingly feminine withal. All the racial strains 

found on the island seemed to have met and mingled in Myra, and the 

result was not African, not European, not Asian; and though all 

these had gone into the making of her, the Myra that emerged was a 

woman totally freed of all race or colour identification. And when 

they had lain together on a quiet corner of the beach, and the only 

sound was the soft and lazy lap-lapping of the sea, it was as though 

he had lain with a woman a thousand years hence in time, as though 

in making love to this woman he had been translated out of the 

twentieth century with its r ace and colour obsessions to a century 

and a humanity freed of this particular madness . And then he had 

marvelled at the physical strength of this woman and at the sweeping 

intensity of her passion . In the past , with other women, he had 

had to be careful in case he hurt t hem: with this one he had met 

his match. 

Six months later he and Myra had married and for five years 

they , and t heir friends , had been dazzled by the intensity of the 

passion that bound their minds and bodies . It was a spur and under 

it he founded and became the first president of the Press Union and 

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was the moving spirit in raising the money that went into the 

building of the Press Union Centre. He masterminded a strike that 

ended the era of low wages and for the first time in the island's 

history members of the working press earned enough to feed and 

clothe and house their families properly. By then the representatives 

of the owners in particular, and the business community in general, 

had decided that the presence of Maxwell Johnson on the island was 

not in the national interest. The paper had suspended him and there 

had been a great agitation for him to be deported. But in one of 

his unpredictable interventions President Moses Joshua had invited 

a deputation from the working press to come and talk to him, and 

after he had heard the deputation he~~~adio and television 

and delivered an emotional, semi-coherent broadcast threatening to 
tv 

personally leadLstreet battle in support of the working press if its 

just demands for a living wage and better working conditions were 

not met; and he and his entire government would resign rather than 

be a party to expelling someone from the island who stood up for the 

rights of workers. 

The day after the President's broadcast the employers 

recognised the Press Union as the bargaining agent for the working 

press and after one brief meeting they agreed to all the Union's 

demands ; and Max Johnson was re-instated by the owners of the Voice. 

After that the members of the working press saw President 

Joshua as the great champion of press f reedom and when he invited the 

Press Union to become affiliated to his party the majority over-ruled 

Max Johnson 's half-hearted opposition and did so. Thus when, a year 

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later, the President ordered the expulsion of the resident 

correspondent of an international news agency, the Press Union 

protested, but very mildly and with a hint of apology for doing so. 

It was while Max Johnson was worrying and arguing about this 

matter with the Union ' s executive committee that he received the 

call from the hospital, and the cool clinical voice at the other end 

ordered him to come at once. When he a~rived Myra had just died in 

childbirth. The child died fifteen hours later. 

Nothing had really mattered very much since. 

When Martha Lee arrived at the Centre Max Johnson had already 

worked nis way through half a bottle of rum. The only effect was 

to slow him up a little, to make him more deliberate in word and 

movement, and also to make him a little less withdrawn than normally. 

She walked through the large members ' lounge and the smell of 

stale tobacco and unwashed liquor glasses was oppressive. She 

opened two windows to let in the clean early morning air. 

"That you, Martha?" Max boomed from the office behind the 

bar. 

"Yes ! Coming! " 

"Well hurry up! And bring a cup !" 

She sensed misery behind the brusque words, so she went 

quickly into the little office . There was a pot of coffee beside 

the rum on the little table under the window; he used the coffee as 

chaser. The office smelled fresh because he had opened all its 

windows, and he was standing at the window that faced in the direction 

of the Palace, staring out as though to see what went on where the 

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great crowds were. He did not turn as she entered. She went to the 

little table, poured coffee into her cup and added a generous dash of 

rum. 

"Hello, black girl. " 

"Hello, Maxo" 

"Stanhope find Josiah?" 

"Yes." 

"So everything was as simple as that. 

the call. " 

"You said it would be like that, Max. " 

Withdraw and wait for 

"Not that Stanhope would deliver power into his hands . " 

"What difference does it make?" 

"That's what you people don't understand!" He was impatient 

now. "He was willing to wait for a call. I think he was prepared to 

accept a clearly defined mandate with that call. You people are so 

full of fear and hatred of Josiah that you don't even try to understand 

him. And so you've given him a blank cheque. I warn you, black girl, 

he's going to use it!" 

He refilled his glass and poured some more coffee. 

"Nothing could have held him back," Martha said. 

"He would have listened to the will of the people, if such 

existed. But we've made a mockery of it. Only the Old Man understood 

Josiah, and so only the Old Man could use him. Why d'you think the 

Old Man kept him on? He was the only one who tried to buck the Old 

Man's orderso••" 

"Even he needed at least one~ against whom to test his old 

cunning ," Martha cut in. 

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"Yes; and there was also the Old Man's compulsive need to 

destroy any spirit of independence in those immediately around him. 

How he enjoyed that! But that is only part of ito The Old Man 

recognised something in Josiah that he himself lacked; Josiah believes, 

has faith, in the people of the island. The Old Man envied Josiah 

this; he wanted to have the same kind of faith: but you cannot 

have faith in puppets and he manipulated his puppets for so long 

that no matter how much he wished and tried to, he could not regard 

them as adult and mature and responsible human beings . He knew 

them for what they were. 

more than just puppets . 

He also knew that they could have been 

And/ he stopped short at this point of 

knowledge. To go on would have meant acknowledging his own 

responsibility for their being turned into puppets ." 

"Even if you are right, Max, who could have given him a 

mandate?" 

Max tossed down the remains of his drink and poured yet 

another. 

"His fellow members of the Cabinet could have; that's one: 

the parliament could have; that's two: a powerful lobby such as 

those merchant princes and other friends of yours whom he call s 

margin-gatherers could have; that's three: and the people could 

have; that's four. I think he would have accepted it even from 

the margin-gatherers, if their price was not too high. But t hey, 

and the Cabinet, and the coloured middle-class, which is where 

John Stanhope stands, were rendered unable to think by panic. Was 

it the calling in of the military that undid John?" 

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"Yes." 

"We ride with the tide now, black girl. That is a directive . 

I'm meeting the directors later and I 'm going to lay it on the line. 

I know they ' ll bypass me with some of their hacks but you and I will 

see that the paper does its duty. It is just possible that he might 

breathe life into the puppets." 

"You really think so?" She sounded eager. 

"I promise nothing!" he snapped. "I'm no bloody prophet! 

Why the hell do you people always look to others for comfort and 

assurance! Look inward, man!" 

"It~ you who need to look inward, Max," she said quietly. 

He turned to her then, a crooked smile on his face . He 

rai sed his glass. 

island. " 

"The king is dead ; long live the king; and God help the 

"And you don't give a damn, do you!" She was angry now. 

"My name is not Joel Sterning," he snapped. 

"That is cheap," she said, "cheaper than I thought you 

capable of being 0 " 

"Yes •.• " He did not care. 

"Yes." There was a racial tinge to her anger. "So cheap 

Myra would have been ashamed." 

She had reached him and the measure of his rage f rightened 

her. His sal low puffy face turned bl otchy red. His mouth became 

a t wisted snarl . His two neck muscles stood out like rope pulled 

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taut. His eyes threatened to burst out of their sockets. A 

violent spasm shook his massive body. 

• o•He's going to hit me • .. 

He did not; instead, with herculean effort he brought body 

and mind under contr ol; he reached for the bottle of rum, half 

filled his tumbler, and turned his back on her and stared out of 

the window, as he had done when she had first entered the officeo 

After a long while she said "I ' m sorry, Max." She reached 

up and lightly touched one of the broad shoulders . 

"Go to hell," he said, but softly now, almost gently . 

She left him and walked out through the members' lounge, 

now cleared of its depressing stale smell, down the dark stairs, 

and out into the deserted street and the fresh morning air. The 

street was empty except for a policeman on duty turning the corner 

by the supermarket . The policeman saw her and walked briskly 

towards her, curious and suspicious as his duty required him to be . 

She got into her car and waited for him. 

here. 

"Morning , miss . May I ask what you're doing out so early?" 

The Commissioner ' s lates t courtesy campaign had borne fruit 

She decided to meet courtesy with courtesy . 

"Morning constable. I've been having a drink with my boss. 

He ' s in there." She indicated the entrance to the Centre with her 

head while she brought her press card out of her bag. 

"Mr. Johnson in there now?" The policeman sounded doubtful. 

"You can go up and check, but I warn you he's in a foul temper. " 

A drink with her boss at nearly five in the morning was a 

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little far-fetched but he knew Mr. Maxwell Johnson's car and the 

woman's was parked immediately in froifof it. More likely she's 

been giving him a piece of tail! No law against that if they do 

it in private . Wouldn't mind a piece of it himself! 

The woman read his thoughts and snapped, "If I did it 

would be none of your businessh but I didn't sleep with Mr. Johnson 
) 

so wash the filth out of your mind!" 

He looked at the press card and recognised the woman' s 

name . This one could make • world of trouble for him. 

" I had no such thoughts, Miss Lee." 

"Fine, constable. May I go now'?" 

He returned the press card, stepped back and touched his 

hat. 

We all do it, she t hought bitterly as she drove off. We 

all pull class and position on them. We all undermine the concept 

of the law as above class and position; then we blame the police 

for going along and protecting themselves, and we blame the mass 

of the people , the so~called ' little people', for recognising that 

the law and its servants operate a double standard, one for us and 

one for them. And we blame and condemn them for having no f aith 

in the rule of law and for seeing the police as their enemies . If 

I had in fact been an ~ onymous working girl, caught after having a 

fling with the boss, especially one without a car , I would have had 

to appease him in the way he wanted or else ris~ eing arrested. · \ 

In the half hour's drive between the Press Centre and her 

home Martha Lee watched and heard her world come awake. First, 

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the massed clouds, black and churning with turbulent fury in the west, 

were assaulted by the light rays from the east f and fled further west­

ward; and fleeing they changed their massed nature and colour, became 

gentle snowy mountains in the sky, changed again and were just white 

clouds set in a rapidly clearing blue sky. The rays of the still 

hidden sun brought colour into the· sky and into the earth . Trees, 

hedges, bushes, ceased to be darker shadows of the dark, and nature's 

green, the green of tree and grass, emerged the i . once more as f ominant 

colour in the land. The shapes of the mountains cleared, and there 

were mists in their hollows and clouds on their highest peaks . 

And people came out from the mansions and homes and hovels where they 

had taken shelter during the night . They walked now, in ones and 

twos and threes to their places of work, subdued, not saying much, 

most of them bone weary because the shadow of the death of their 

President had made sleep impossible during the nigh! .tust gone. 

Instead of going to work, many dressed in mourning and made 

for the Presidential Palace to swell the vast throng of people who 

had already begun the slow procession to look their last on the dead 

President . Among them the ladies of the voluntary services had set 

up emergency soup kitchens, as they did in times of trouble , such as 

when a hurricane strikes. 

It was just before six when Martha Lee entered her small house 

which was tucked far back from the road on a piece of rising l and. 

She checked through the pile of message slips beside the telephone; 

there was no word from Joel. She went into her bedroom, stripped" 
I 

then took a hot shower and crawled naked into bed. She looked at 

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the clock. I t was exactly eleven minutes past six and the sun 

was just rising. 

Clara Sterning looked and felt refreshed; the fears and 

uncertainties of the night before were still there, but muted,s ubdued 

by the new sense of invigoration that flowed th~ough her body. Odd 

that she should have forgotten this aspect of lovemaking with Joel, 

t his wonderful after-glow that had always coursed through her for 

several hours of the following day; there had been one glorious spe l l 

when it had persisted for a whole series of daJs and nights, and both 

she and Joel had been in a heady daze with it. But that was long ago, 

so long ago that she had, until now, forgotten all about that af t er glow 

• • . And even this will die because at the moment of climax last night 

she had been aware of a spiritual withholding on his part. He 

coul d no withh•~ any part of the physical side. Once started they 

went al l the way t~gether; but he had not given in, nothing had 

changed, and for Joel sex always had to be a renewal of commit ment 

or else it turned sordid: he was one of those men who made sex 

spiritual. 

Her son, young Emanuel, said "The cream please !" a little 

impatiently. 

"Don' t give it to him, mama! Ar e you t oo lazy to st r etch?" 

This was seventeen-year-old Jean Sterning , very grown-up and very 

considerate. She had ~ been made head girl of her school a f ew 

weeks earl ier, at the beginning of the Christ mas term, and power and 

res ponsibility were still an exciting game. 

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"Shut up you!" The boy's breaking voice rose to a high, 

girlish pitch. He checked himself and repeated "Shut up you!" in a 

rumbling masculine undertone . 

"That ' s enough," Cl ara said. 

"Pompous cow!" the boy rumbled. 

"Manny!" Clara warned. 

The girl made it plain ~she was treating the boy ' s childish­

ness with the contempt it deserved. 

The morning sun str eamed in through the open windows giving 

the breakfast room a bright and cheerful coziness. ' Winter' was coming 

and temperatures up in the hills might drop to between sixty~five and 

seventy degrees. This did not often happen but when it did the 

islanders talked about a ' severe winter' . Now the temperature was 

just above seventy and it was only the profusion of glass letting in 

sunlight that made this particular room as warm as it was. 

The radio had said all schools and government offices would 

be closed today. The merchants had followed the lead. Instead of 
t"u. l~cR- 4 ~ - ......J-~e ' 

their usual commercials there were a string of: h agents and distributors 
L- - - -l ~ 

of /_. ... he llett:,e of 80-a11d-W as a mark of respect and mourning f or our 

lost l eader announcif that it would remain closed so that all its 

employees would also be abl e to pay their personal respects to our 

fallen leader. 

The children finished breakfast andrirst the girl , then the 

boy} wandered away. Alone, Clara went back to thinking about Joel . 

She knew herself , knew that having her own way had become second nature ; 

controlling this, subordi nating her will to his, would be the hardest 

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if she did it, 
1.~ lJ,-

thing in the worldr And even i tj_~ not be worth 
i...:.t Jr-

the effort; he/ ~ still want no part of her; but she had to make 

the effort. It was the only thing that might bring him back • .• oh 

God! I don't think I can do it. I've had others doing the 

adjusting for so long. ' But I must . I must . I must . Why? How 

the devil do you know why you want only that man? Why only he makes 

you feel as you are now feeling? Oh God, why? . •• There were the 

children and before them what led up to their coming. This had made 

him that special man in the beginning. Now there was something else 

as well, there was the fear of time, of growing old alone. 

Joel entered the breakfast room a l ittle after half past eight . 

He was dressed for e,i•~ :&e the office; jacket, tie, everything ; all 

of which, Clara knew, was to make her know that what had happened in 

the night had changed nothing. In their younger days, before the 

children were born, he had told her of his first experience and 

because the woman had been older, very experienced, and casual, the 

aftermath for him had been a lingering sense of shame at the sordid-

ness of sex. It had taken him a long time to recover from this, and 

even longer to discover that it could be beautiful. Perhaps he had 

looked as t ightly wound up on that morning after as he did now . No, 

nothing is ever like the first time ; nothing. 

"Good morning, Joel!" The radiance that glowed within her 

came through. "I hope you slept as well as I did. And - thank you; 

thank you very much for last night . " 

Joel said "Good morning", trying to make i t social and im-

personal , but failing. The way she looked at him, the way she thanked 

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• • I made 1.· t 1.·mposs1."bl~A~~a1c•ae:±· lll!"eT'st7ffl!~~ him fQ&J last ll1g1t ~ ~ a; 1rpczscna:1:. But why 

only in this? Why cannot the harmony they achieve so easily with 

their bodies become part of their words and thoughts and dreams? 

Or is it that this is all that really matters to her? But even as 

he thought it he knew he was being unjus"e)M h~ . 

to her than just sex. 

There was more 

She thought : He ' s thinking of me in terms that are tender 

now. 

"Joel - 11 I love you; I really do; how can I make you 

understand that without any doubt and without any confusion: the 

only way I know is through my body; that way everything is clear 

and there is no confusion ; please try to understand that. 

She's doing it again, he told himself; and it disturbed him 

because in spite of himself he could feel a physical warmth beginning 

inside him, and he knew it was an involuntary response to the force 

she radiated. 

He said "Yes?" and used his mind to put a rein on his 

feeling. 

I must not for ce things, she told herself. 

"Nothing," she said quickly. "It's just that feeling got 

the better of me. You may have forgotten that it has always been 

like this for me - afterwards . Will you have your coffee now? 

And what would you like to eat • • • " 

And he told her and she fed him. And all the while he was 

aware of her sitting across the table, keeping some sort of check on 

the physical thing that she seemed to radiate whether she wanted to 

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or not . Odd t hat he should have forgotten this part of it. 

Solly arrived a little after nine. He was flushed and 

excited and more restless than usual. He had several copies of The 

Voice of the Island. He s pread a copy in front of Joel. 

"Your precious John Stanhope has sold out to Josiah! It~ 

all there! Have you listened to the radio? They haven't the same 

detail that The Voice has, but its all there! Not even a stand by 

anybody ! And our principal civil servant, the man you said re-

presented integrity in public life, he is the one to hand the country 

over to Josiah on a platter! And thanks to your faith in him he 

knows more about our operations and our real attitude than anybody 

else! If he were to tell Josiah how we felt about him. 1 Christ, 

Joel! How wrong you 've been!" 

"Please shut up, Solly!" Clara snapped . 

He stopped talking and prowled about the room while Clara 

and Joel read Martha Lee's report of political developments following 

the death of the President. 

At last Joel finished his reading and looked up at Solly . 

"I don't think you ' re right about J ohn. I don' t think he ' s 

sold out. II 

"You don't! In the light of what's there!" 

"There' s some reason for John doing this. " 

"Sure there's a reason: survival , maintaining his position 

and advancing himself by j umping on the bandwagon !" 

"Of course !" Joel said with sudden anger. "Everybody's 

for sale ! That is the gospel according to the tribe of Isaacs! You 

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make me s ick! Now shut up and don't do anything until I find out 

why John did what he did" \ \ ' 

more angr y wi th each stride . 

He got up and went to the door , gr owing 

He paused at the door " .•• And l et me 

tell you something , Solly, the sooner you and all the r est of your 

family stop holding everybody else cheap and buyable , the greater 

your chances of survival! The old days are dead!" He j er ked the 

door open, and now he was shaking with anger. "They died wi th that 

old man ! And so did the ugl y power you held in this land!" Then 

he went out and slammed the door shut. 

Clara called: "Joe 1 ! " 

"Oh my God • • . " 

Then she shook her head and moaned 

Solly poured himself a cup of coffee. 

"No need for him to flare up like that," he protested. 

"He was right," Clara said bitterly . 

body ' s for s al e, and it has made us ugly." 

"We do think every-

"What will he do now?" Solly asked. 

"What he said. He will find out why John di d what he dido 

And it will not be because John is for sale . 

another wall between him and me . " 

And this will be 

She got up and went to her brother 's side . She looked 

searchingly i nto his faceo "Why is it that here on the i s l and wealth 

turns people r otten? 

she left him. 

It doesn' t everywhere e l se, you know. " Then 

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- THREE -

Joel Sterning rang Martha Lee in the early afternoono He 

had spent the morning at his office, trying to get hold of John 

Stanhope and working out possible new lines of thought and approach 

for the Isaacs empire in the new situation: he had failed to make 

contact with Stanhope, and his thinking has been unproductive . He 

had lunched alone at the Club nearest his office, the Mosesville 

Athletic Club. Because all the public places were shut he had 

expected the club's dining room to be jammed. Instead he had been 

the only person taking lunch, and it was only towards the end of 

his meal that Maxwell Johnson had swept in. And because they were 

the only two in the room Johnson had joined him and ordered a beef 

sandwich and a double shot of rum. 

"Seen Martha?" Johnson had asked brusquely. 

"No. " Joel knew Johnson disapproved of him, had done so 

ever since the start of the affair with Martha. 

"Since the death, I mean." 

"I knew you meant that, and I haven't seen her." 

"I'm surprised!" 

"Just what does that mean, Max?" 

"You know bloody well what it means!" 

I'm not going to be provoked, J oel had told himself. He 

had pushed a silver coin under the edge of his plate, r isen and 

nodded stiffly and formally to Max Johnson. The waiter had hurried 

forward with his bill and Joel had signed it standing. The waiter 

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had bowed ingratiatingly and shuffled away. Joel had moved to the 

door. 

"Don't you need her inside information even more than you 

normally do? It isn't just a sleep that you get from her, is it? 

She's a fish you've 
0 . home!" cold and got a piece of hLt stuff right at 

Lo..t 
Before he had realised what he was doing, JoelLswung on 

Max and struck him a stinging blow to the side of the face . Max 

had risen from his chair and Joel had braced himself for uneven 

combat and a beating, knowing that the type of beating he would take 

would depend on how soon anybody intervened. Then Max had relaxed, 

slipped back into his seat , and rumbled: "Get the hell out of here 

before I kill you. " 

And Joel had left, shaking. It had taken him an hour to 

calm down. Now, holding the telephone, waiting for Martha to answer, 

he was calm; bleakly, depressingly calm. 

The phone rang for a long time, and he wondered whether she 

too would, like John Stanhope, prove imoossible to get today. Then 

someone answ7red, a stranger; and behind that voice were other voices 
..-'l 

and the tinklt of glass. Martha's house was full of people, press 

people most liker- This sometimes happened on special occasions: 

on election day and other days when public drinking is forbidden, or 

when there is some 9'••ial 

out freely and in private. 

became the gathering place. 

J , urgent matter that needs to be argued 

At such times Martha's JSi?iiR)c house 

The voice at the other end, a woman's and vaguely familiar, 

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slightly slurred, demanded to know what he wanted. 

"Miss Lee, please . Miss Mar tha Lee. " 

The voice yelled "Mar-tha!" with a shrillness that hurt his 

eardrums. There were noises as the woman put down the phone and 

theq, for a very long time, there were only the voices in the back­

ground, picked up by an open telephone receiver that everybody seemed 

to have forgotten . 

That woman ' s forgotten me; and if I hang up now no one 

might notice that the receiver is off and I may not be able to reach 

Martha for the rest of the day. 

to her place. 

Only way then would be to go round 

"Yes? Martha Lee here." She had to repeat it before he 

realised she was at the other end. 

grown unusually loud. 

The background noises had 

"Joel!" he said, raising his voice. 

"Please hold on," she said. 

a.,_. . 
Then, as the sound ox .tha---radio is switched off, the back-

ground noises were instantly gone. He knew she had unplugged the 

phone and would now be carrying it to the privacy and silence of 

her bedroom. He waited, not concerned now about time passing. 

There was a faint sliding noiseAthen her voice was with him, cool 
I 

and clear and in a very quiet room. 

"Hello, Joel." 

"How are you?" 

"A little drained. You?" 

"So-so. I had a run-in with your boss . " 

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"So I heard." 

"How?" he was startled. 

"He phoned and told me . Said he provoked you and you 

punched him in the face , right there in the dining room of your 

club." 

"Don't suppose he told you we were the only two there?" 

"No • . • But he swore he didn't lay hands on you. " 

"He didn't . That's partly why I ' m calling you now. " 

"He said he expected you would, Joel; and he asked me to 

give you a message . He said to tell you he could have been wrong, 

and his not hitting you was because of that, not because he was afraid 

of anything the Isaacs clan could do. Is this important to you?" 

"Very•" 

"He said it might be and I ' m glad it is." 

"He accused me of using you ; implied I didn't really care. " 

"Do you have to go over it with me?" 

"No; but it set up self-doubt . I have received special 

information from you; my association with you is an advantage to 

the firm." 

"I missed you last night . " She said it as though she had 

not heard what he had just said. 

"I would like to come over , " he said . 

"You've heard the racket here," she said. 

able to talk . " 

"We won't be 

"I need you," he said reluctantly, trying to make it casual 

and uni•?Ot'tant. 

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"Have you ~ time to take me to the village? I ' d like to 

see my child. " 

"When?" 

" As soon as you can. I want to be back early so the sooner 

the better. I can go by myself - but-." 

" I ' ll drive you," he said. " But I must get hold of John 

first , to find out something. I ' ve tried all morning without 

success." 

"If itfu what I think it is," she said quietly , " then I can 

tell you; but I know you'd much rather not get it from me . " 

"Not after what Max said." 

"He knows he was wrong.\ ~John Stanhope had no choice but to 

take this line of action. I was with him and I literally forced 

it on him because .. o" And she explained crisply and clearly why 

Stanhope had to call in Josiah. 

When she finished he said: "Thank you. Give me half an 

hour . " He waited for her to say something but she was silent for 

so long that he said: " Martha! Are you there?" 

"Yes, Joel. What is it?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"Why are you beside yourself with rage? What is it?" 

It is as simple as that, he thought ; you reach out and 

feel the things I do not say. Aloud, he asked: "Wouldn't time 

dull even this, Martha?" 

"It wouldn't have with Max and Myr a . " He felt her remote-

ness now . 

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that made you think of tenderness. And, of course, as a backdrop 

to all this there was the sea, placid as always, beautiful and clear 

with its constantly changing colours - the deepest blue to green to 

a breath-taking aquamarine to a subtle combination of the entire 

spectrum as a rainbow shaft rises vertically and unexpectedly 

because there is no reason for it - and with a hint of latent menace, 

of tempestuous violence and massive turbulence held in check. 

They had been silent for the best part of an hour, almost 

f rom the moment they had started the climb into the hills . Martha 

sat huddled up in the corner absorbing the sights and smell about 

her. From time to time Joel took his eyes off the twisting, winding 

road and looked quickly at her face. She was oblivious of his 

presence; for her, now, the only reality was the fact of the physical 

earth about her and her communion with it. 

Once , in the early days, he had tried to share this with her, 

to become a part of this strong bond between the woman and the land. 

He had sensed a connection as real, as physical, as that between a 

mother and her new born child before the umbilical cord is cut; he 

had reached out and touched her, hoping to share and understand, 

hoping she would let him in. She had turned unseeing eyes on him 

and shaken him off as one might wipe away a strand of hair from the 

eyes. After that he had never tried to follow her into thi s private 

world of her relationship with the land. It had hurt in the beginning; 

it hurt less now because he knew what a source of strength this 

communion ui.•1 l!hc csa m was to her. This and the child were the two 

most private things in her life , the only things she refused to talk 

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about or to share with anybody. 

Joel thought: Perhaps, one day ••• But he knew the futility 

of the thought even as it passed through his mind. 

At last the climb of the road grew less steep, levelled 

off to a stretch of flat land. To the left, now, they could see 

the town sprawling out on the plain, a thousand feet and more below . 

Overhead, five of the hugh carrion birds of the island circled with 

grace and power. Their presence suggested the carcass of some 

dead creature nearby. Then the climb began again, more steeply. 

Joel slowed down and brought the car to a halt as near the 

edge of the narrow road as possible; but still anything passing 

would have difficulty . The land below the road fell away steeply, 

a sheer drop of three hundred feet; the land above rose equally 

steeply. 

Martha got out and walked away along the edge of the road, 

always within inches of the drop . Joel lit a cigarette and became 

aware of the silence. When he had finished the cigarette Martha 

was out of sight around the curve of the road. He started the car 

and drove slowly after her. He picked her up quarter of a mile 

further on . She had walked very fast and was slightly winded. 

After that he drove as fast as the road allowed , slowing only when 

he had to pass through the three villages that were on the way to 

where they were going. And so, still without speech, they came 

at last to a broad, gently rolling hill. A cluster of low houses, 

classrooms, workshops, dormitories, all washed with white lime, 

nestled on the brow of the hill. They drove through a gate above 

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-

- 89 -

which was a wooden sign that said: 

Village . 
~ 

The sun, now 'J._ ~ far to 

the roll ing hills. 

Welcome To Sweetwater Children ' s 

the west, jus t above the rim of 

An elderly woman - one f or whom the physical things had been 

rendered unimportant by time - waited for them at t he door of the 

small administrative building. She was tall and bony, with a wiry 

str~ngth that came from the earth; and dressed in tough peasant's 

shirt and trousers she could easily be mistaken for a man: her 

arms, shoulders, neck, stance, the parched and weathered skin, had 
£A.._,.' . (~ 

all been hardened an/24,iop.le.,.ed and trinnned down to serve a will 

for which time had reduced life to one simple and clearcut reality. 

Sweetwater Chi ldren's Village was all this woman's life. 

If you were perceptive and you looked closely the bone 

structure of this woman might lead you to think that once there was 

great beauty here. And if you knew her name and her family history 

you would know that once, in the dark and distant days when man 

owned man, her family , her ancestors, owned a massive piece of the 

island and vast numbers of its dark inhabitants; and knowing that 

you would also know that this woman was the last of her line on the 

island, and that just as she had trimmed down mind and body to serve 

a singl e idea, so she had, with the same deliberation, shed all 

wealth and property. The land on which the Children's Village 

stood was the last of that property , and she had long ago vested 

even this in a trust to perpetuate the village. 

She stepped forward as Martha Le~ got out of the car. They 

shook hands. Joel came around the frontrf the car and greeted the 

woman. They had met many times in the past at this same spot , so 

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they knew each other. And since the woman was not interested in 

what went on down in Mosesville, there was little to say. 

"She's on her way," the woman said. 

to go and meet her." 

"I expect you'll want 

Martha nodded and abruptly walked away from them, swinging 
• A 

pound the corner of the building and~ along a footpath that 

climbed, slantingly, to the children's dormitories a half mile away. 

To Joel, the woman said: "Miss Lee is disturbed today. 

But of course her business .•. " 

"Yes," Joel said and thought that perhaps the day will come 

when this woman would not even bother to use words. He had noticed 

that she rarely used all the words needed to complete any thought. 

She gave you a clue and you joined her in completing the thought in 

silence. 

"Would you like to •.• " 

Joel nodded and followed her into the cool office. She 

went to her desk and he went to the window that gave a view of the 

direction Martha had taken • 

••• Here the death of the Old Man wasn't earth-shattering. 

And from here on further into the heart of the island it would be 

the same. Perhaps not quite as inconsequential as to this woman 

in this room, but certainly not an event charged with the personal 

intensity that it had for the people of the city and those who live 

in the foothills immediately about the city. Big news of course 

because the President is the President. But for all too many of the 

people of the island's hinterland what went on in Mosesville was 

foreign news. What happened there, who was born and who died, who 

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was in power and who had lost, did not materially affect their lives 

because the fruit of the progress the city folk talked about all the 

time had passed them by. Independence had not brought running water 

or electric light or more food or more and better homes or schools; 

it had been around for a l~ng time and it had ch~ged nothing and so 

it was as it was before it had come: just one more word used by 

politicians who only visited the remote village in the hills when 

they wanted votes ••• 

"I see you, too, are disturbed ••• " 

"Yes," Joel said. 

He could see Martha now; she was near the cluster of trees 

where the slope of the land ceased about two-thirds of the way to 

the children's dormitories. 

Martha Lee came to a halt as she saw the two children. 

They came slowly from behind the nearest of the dormitories, a boy 

and a girl. The boy tossed his limbs this way and that, twisted 

his body with each step, as you would expect to see a puppet move 

under the control of a drunken puppet master, or one who is amused 

by distortion. His arms and legs and all his body were terribly 

thin; his head enormous. 

Martha braced herself for the encounter ••• What manner of 

God is this who makes man in his own image? A joker? ••• Then she 

rid her mind of all thought and went slowly forward. 

The little girl, her little girl, was as perfect in shape 

and form as it is possible to be: a sturdily upright young body, 

nicely filled out, straightbacked, square-shouldered, and a pretty 

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little black doll face come alive, and gentle eyes that caressed; 

a perfect little ten-year old girl, led by the hand by a distorted 

little brown boy of the same age. 

The two children stopped a few paces from Martha and 

waited for her to come closer. She noticed how firmly her little 

girl held the hand of the little boy. She noticed how lovingly 

the little girl looked into the distorted face of the boy. She 

knew they were saying things to each other without words; but you 

have to have words, or, at least, the memory of words, something you 

once knew and used, to be able to communicate. And this child of 

hers had been born without words and without sound, and all she 

knew she knew through her eyes only. 

The little boy turned his head from the little girl and 

looked at Martha. He used his mind and all his will to instruct 

his lips to assume shape, and then he slurred out three words as a 

single, connected, animal growl: "heresheis". Then he raised the 

littl~ girl's hand and placed it firmly into Martha's; and then he 

turned and left them, tossing his limbs as he went. 

Martha waited until the little boy had disappeared, tossing 

and twisting/ behind the nearest of the dormitory buildings, then she 

turned and led the girl toward the cluster of cedar trees. The 

trees were fully grown and it was time for them to be cut down, sliced 

into board, and stored away till they were properly dried and cured 

before being sold to the lumber yards. At current prices the trees 

would earn enough to pay for at least a year's food and drink and 

clothing for the one hundred and fifty-odd maimed and twisted, deaf 

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and dumb, helpless and broken children of this special village. 

Inside the cool office the woman looked up from her paper­

work and stared with curious detachment at Joel Sterning's back. 

"Are they together now?" 

"Yes," Joel said without turning his head. 

gone among the trees and I've lost sight of them." 

"The boy?" 

"He went back a while ago." 

"They've just 

The woman looked at the small clock on her desk and noted 

down the exact time on a tiny desk pad; then she returned to her 

paperwork. Sterning had once tried to find out what had driven 

this last surviving daughter of what had once been the island's 

most powerful and aristocratic family to divest herself of her 

wealth and then found this home for the most helpless of all the 

island's children. 

She had laughed at him, the only time he had heard her laugh. 

And she had said more than she had said either before or since that 

time, and he had kn1 her for all of five yea,:,s now, almost from the 

first day that he had started the affair with Martha. The woman 

had said then: "For none of the reasons you might imagine, Mr. 

Sterning. I have no sense of guilt about the history of my family ; 

I do not feel I owe anybody anything ; it has nothing to do with my 

maternal instincts; I'm not sublimating anything; I don't believe 

in a life after this world and so I'm not working my passage anywhere. 

I do this quite simply because there is a need for it. Once one of 

my ancestors - one of the slave-owning ones - was convinced that the 

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only way to stamp out an ugl y and destructive atmosphere of 

festering discontent was by breaking a father and son, who were the 

ringleaders, on the rack. He did it and the atmosphere changed 

overnight. The father had been his playmate and the son as dear 

to him as his own son. Because of this special relationship both 

had been taught to read and write and both had access to the 

current emancipationist literature. If you visit the archives 

down in Mosesville you will find an account of this in my ancestor~s 

own handwriting and you will read of the heartache it gave him. 

But it needed to be done and he did it. In the same way there is 

a need for Sweetwater Children's Village." 

He turned now and looked at the woman: she was completely 

immersed in the paperwork that needed to be done. He thought: 

Whatever else they did, these people assumed responsibility for 

their actions. They paid the price of power. We, today's so-

called merchant princes" want the power without paying for it • 
.> 

The question is: Will history allow it? 

Martha and the child walked deeper in among the trees till 

they came to a log that had become smooth from constant use. The 

log was set against the base of one of the tallest cedars and the 

ground about it was bare of all other vegetation, so the long line 

of marching red ants, each large enough to give the impression of a 

distinct personality, stood out sharp. Martha and the child stepped 

carefully over the line of marching ants and sat on the log , still 

holding hands • 

••• When had it begun, this anchorage in holding hands? As 

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far as she could remember it began when the child was three,r that 

terrible day when the maid didn't do anything in the house because 

the child clung to her and the maid had realised that she had 

suddenly become very powerful and had made demands• f fNow, holding a 

human hand was security ••. 

Martha raised her free hand and touched the child's hair, 

feeling its wiry kinkiness. This child's father had been all black 

all the way and in her his blackness had completely swamped the 

Chinese streak Martha had brought to the creation of the little girl. 

1te had had his fun and he had gone on, explaining to Martha, half -
defiantly , half appealingl y , that he had to be free; telling her, 

and because of his fantastic charm convincing her for the moment, 

that all the repressed cravings after freedom of all the unfree 

Negroes had reached a point of culmination in his strikingl y hand-

some black person. So he had to take what he wanted and go on. 

And Martha knew that somewhere in the world at this moment, in 

Europe or the Americas, he was taking what he wanted, and he would , 

after the taking, drift on to other takings. -""4 He was the kind 

who would get everything except the very l ast bit. Right at the 

end of t he line he would be alone, probably sick and starving and 

with nowhere to shelter, deserted by his charm, and no woman to 

hol d his hand. There would be a desperate loneliness to his dying. 

And i t would be a long way f rom home. 

The child looked up from the ants. 

out aloud: "I was thinking of your father." 

Martha smiled and said, 

It seemed to her that the child understood and, without 

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words, asked: Where is he? 

"I don't know where he is," Martha murmured, running her 

hand over the child's hair, feeling its texture with her long 

fingers. "But I know he's al, _ight. He will always be alf ight 

until the very end. And then, right at the very end, in the 

moment of total defeat, his black pride will see him through. His 

only real fault, my dear, is that he turned his back on the island; 

he refused to have faith in its people and that makes him a party 

to all that has gone wrong here. 

not forgive him ••• 

That is the only thing I will 

"But what of you, my little black one? I know they feed 

you well and I know you have love about you. But does a deaf-mute 

little girl laugh? And what causes laughter? Does she cry? 

And what causes tears? I want to wrap my arms about you, my little 

~ one; but tQat wise old woman says it would disturb you, and 

she knows ••• " 

The long shadows were darkening the cool office so much the 

woman had to stop her paperwork. She peered at the 1't• desk 

clock, then leaned back in her chair and closed her eyes for three 

minutes. Joel Sterning seemed petrified at the window. Thought, 

for the moment was suspended and a great tranquility was inside and ' 

about him. 

When the three minutes were up the woman rose from her desk. 

"Time," she said, and went towards the door. 

Joel followed her out and waited while she locked up the 

office. The sun was nearly down and darkness was over the land. 

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A sharp wind that came from the north made the evening air chilly. 

The woman said "'Night", and marched away round the side 

of the building, following the path Martha had taken earlier. 

Joel got into the car and waited, still enveloped in the tran­

quility of the place. 

The child was the first to see the woman coming and a 

little spasm in the little hand that was buried in Martha's commu-

nicated this new information. They rose from the log, stepped 

carefully over the line of still-marching ants, and walked towards 

the woman. Martha felt the tug of excitement in the child's hand. 

This woman had now become more pivotal to the world of her child 

than she herself was. ~ You don't really need me any more, my 

If I ceased coming tomorrow it would not really 

make any difference to you; you've crossed over into another 

world and so you are stronger. It is I who now need 

She said it aloud: "It is I who now need you, my little 

black one." And there was pain, physical in its sharpness, because 

the child could not hear the words. 

They met the woman on the footpath and this time there was 

no need for the ritual of the transfer of the little hand. The 

child freed her hand from her mother's grip and herself placed it 

in the woman's hand. ~ Doesn't need me, Martha thought. 

'"Night, Miss Lee," the woman said, and the usually impersonal 

voice now betrayed an undercurrent of compassion. 

Martha watched the woman and the girl till they disappeared 

behind the nearest buildi_ng. Then she rurned and walkt briskly to 
,i 

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where Joel waited. 

All the way back to the city Joel was aware of the suppressed 

unhappiness that was like a cloud over Martha. Usually, and he had 

witnessed it often enough, this woman rode her miseries like a cruel 

horseman bent on showing a frisky horse who is master. Grief, she 

had once said - it was when Max Johnson's Myra had died - grief is a 

private thing: a private thing which is something you share with no-

one. 

They were halfway through the last of the three vil~ages 

when she suddenly ordered him to stop. 

screeching halt. 

He brought the car to a 

"Back to that little rumshop, 11 she said. 

He reversed the short distance to the village square. The 

shop, one half of which was a general store selling everything from 

bread to salt fish to zinc sheets and nails and cement, was the 

economic and social and political centre of the village. The liquor 

selling half was divided into two. One part was called 'the beer 

joint', the other 1the drinking saloon'. The beer joint was crowded 

with young men and a great deal of noise came from it. Four older 

men, all with the stains of the earth on them and carrying cutlasses, 

were quietly sharing a flask of white rum in the drinking saloon. 

Martha led the way to where the older men Were. There was 

a brief lull in the conversation from the beer joint while the young 

men examined the strangers speculatively, then the noisy talk started 

up again, self-consciously louder than before. 

The old men moved closer together to make room at the bar 

for the strangers. 

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A short round man with a little moustache and a very greasy 

yellowish brown skin came from the store part, a gentle, friendly 

smile on his face. There was an odd mixture of speculation and 

ingratiation in the attitude of the man behind the bar. The others, 

the four who had just returned from a day's work on their small 

holdings, waited, withdrawn, silent, emotionally non-committal. 

Martha smiled at the man behind the bar and said "Gentlemen!" 

The man behind the bar moved slightly and now his back seemed 

straighter, the smile seemed, without any visible change of expression, 

to be wholly friendlY.,aow; ¢without any hint of fawning about it. 
J 

"Mum and sir," the man rumbled in a deep gravely voice. 

Martha named her favourite rum. The four relaxed, returned 

to their quiet talk and drink, accepting the newcomers as strangers 

but islanders and therefore not too strange. The barman poured two 

measures. 

"And yourself," Joel said, so the barman poured a third. 

Martha made one long swallow out of her drink and wasked it 

down with water. A woman taking her rum like this drew admiration 

from the barman as well as the four others. It showed in their eyes. 

But Martha knew that if their own women had done this they would have 

disapproved. It was part of their ambivalence that things they 

approved of in a, 11aa1s middle-class women were terrible when done 

by their own women: like tossing down a drink or wearing slacks or 

showing too much of the female figure. 

Joel stood back sipping his rum, consciously trying to efface 

his presence; acutely aware of Martha's emotional need to make 

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contact with these people. 

"The other half?" he asked Martha. 

She nodded and the barman measured out two more drinks. 

"You join us, gentlemen?" Joel invited the four casually. 

They looked at one another, each unwilling to assume the res-

ponsibility for accepting a drink from the str~ngers. In the end 

the barman decided it for them by shoving a new flask of white rum 

towards them. The four made a ritual of servi?g themselves then, 

having accepting the drink from the strangers, they abandoned their 

reserve, raised their glasses and each in his own way murmured 'mum' 

and 'sir' and 'health'. 

of white rum. 

The barman helped himself from the flask 

"Sad t'ing ," the one who looked the oldest of the four said, 

delicately feeling out what seemed a safe line. 

Another grunted and moved his head in a circular gesture that 

could be interpreted any way you wish: either a nod agreement or a 

negative gesture of disagreement. 

"Death is our sure reward," the barman said solemnly. 

"Some say he lived too long," Martha murmured. "So he held 

US Upe II 

"Some live longer than others," the eldest one said. 

The others nodded judiciously. Playing safe, Joel thought, 

just as we and the other merchants are doi~g: trying to feel the 

way of the wind in order to go with it. 

"They say Josiah will take his place," Martha said. 

"So we hear too," the barman said carefully. 

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11They say the merchants don't want him but the small people 

do. 11 

11We don't hear that one yet, 11 the oldest one said very quickly, 

very loudly . 

"Tha's right!" the barman said. 

"Yessir!" another one said. 

"Not yet!" yet another said. 

11You will hear," Martha said. "You will hear." She put down 

her glass on the clean counter, looked first at the barman then at each 

of the others in turn,,~ ,4- broad smile cracked her face and ..- th• 

a&e1•11iiil~ia11•• tears showed in her eyes. "Goodbye gentlemen." And she left 

them and went into the car and waited for Joel to pay the bill and come 

out to her. 

When the village was behind them Joel said: "You knew it would 

be like that; that they would not commit themselves, that they would 

bend with the wind." 

that? 

"I knew," she said remotely. 

"Then why let .U.. cut you up as well?" 

11As well?" 

"You know what I mean: as well as everything else." 

"But it is everything for me, Joel. Do you still not unders tand 
~ 

Everything is part of what you call -Ut,' 
"This commitment to people who will not face reality? Who run 

away from everything? Who will only say what they know you want them to 

say? Who are always on the side of those in power? ••• " 

"Yes!" she said, angry now, with the kind of blazing anger he had 

seen in her ~before. "They're all that and more! I can make a 

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longer list of their faults than you can! But you are not qualified 

to name that list because you are not cJ mmitted to them!•t/Oh, God! 

Oh God! I'm sorry , Joel. ,~" 

"But its true," he said sadly . 

After that they were silent till they left the hills and were 

back on the plain. Then Martha touched his hand briefly. 

"Those men up there, Joel, they are the measure of our failure; 

they are uncommitted because throughout their history every decent 

impulse in them has been used as a tool to exploit them. And we, the 

decent people, have failed to give them faith in themselves and in their 

own dreaming. That is our failure, Joel.~ " 

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-.-a< TWO 

The Inheritors .. ---- - - -- - -

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Against his will,he began to think. And because he was 

• • • ~~ h. h h aware that he was unlikely to live beyond this aven•Rg is t oug ts 

were very sharp, very clear, very honest, but strangely without 

words. As a musician would think with sound, so he was thinking 

with feeling, thus giving the lie to the notion that man cannot 

think without words, even if those words are not shaped clearly in 

the mind. The use of words is only one vehicle of thought; the 

most important because the most universally used and understood, 

but still only one. Or is it? ••• What a silly tangent to go off at 

cX 
~ this time! 

Josiah should come sweeping round the curve of the road any 

time now. Hope to God he doesn't choose this one day to be late. 

The light is fading fast. If he is late by as little as five 

minutes there might not be enough light to do what has to be done. 

What has to be done. t\How did we get to the point where this has to 

be done? Whose failure? His? Ours? 

The man looked up at the sky, gauging what light still re-

mained, and how long it would last. And then inconsequentially a 

picture jumped into his mind's eye and he was looking into a kitchen 

and at the straight back of a long thin woman who called to him 'The 

onions are brown'; and all his senses were filled with the strong 

smell of onions browning in coconut oil. The onions are brown. His 

eyes f ilmed over and a powerful nostalgia for life took hold of him. 

He used the back of his hand to rub the hint of wetness from his eyes. 

Then he leaned over the rifle and looked down at the road through its 

telescopic sights. Everything fell into place once more, and a man 

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was a man because he was a creature with choice, a creature who 

could, unlike nature's other children, shape and mould the world in 

which he lived. 

And looking down at the road along which Josiah had to come 

within the next five minutes, he could think calmly of that kitchen 

into which he had looked and from which had come the smell of onions 

browning in coconut oil, and of Martha Lee calling to him~ 'the 

onions are brown•. If only she had been younger or he had been 

older. That night he had forgotten the time gap between them and 

tried something. 

near her since. 

She had laughed cruelly at him and he had not been 

She had called 'the onions are brown' and he had 

gone into the kitchen and made the curry. It was after they had 

eaten that he had tried and she had laughed and he had left passing 

that fellow at the gate, coming in to her ••• The onions are brown ••. 

And the smell of brown is rich and warm. 

Rich and warm and beautiful as this land is. Rich and warm 

and beautiful as its people. Rich and warm and beautiful as their 
cl 
f reams. Rich and warm and beautiful as their laughter. Rich and ... 
warm and beautiful as the hope within them that has been betrayed and 

that must be restored. \ 

It is getting dark now. 

Come on? 

Come on, Josiah. 

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- 105 -

- ONE -

John Stanhope stood j ust inside the door of the long Cabinet 
--10.. 

room watching the two senior clerks prepare f long table for the 

f irst meeting of the Cabinet since the death of the President. 

Outside the day was clear and still. 
' 

The soothing green of trees 

could be seen from the large open windows that t ook up most of 

three of the walls of the Oai!.ine t room. The great milling mass of 

people had gone, and so had the soldiers and the police, and all was 

quiet about the Palace and its environs. Old Moses Joshua had finally 

been put into the earth the day befor~ e3;~1 being on u iu, fa11 three 

JP..Y~~-s!ti,=ff:i::ix~e:ttt=:aa~td.tebee=i!P.i.,.J.iLiE1a~eee~a!fl11iEldRL=tlhiee!l!n;:::t1JllnRt!tlll~e~g~z"a~artt:-cc~al:1t!tih,eo~dh!r!"l!at!ll!:olu,-;•t~a'l'Ct.d ;r;r 
three days nearly one-third of the three million people of the island 

had f i led past the Old Man's coffin. Now he was deep in the ground 

and the land was turning once more to coping with the affairs of the 

living. And those who had worked closest with the dead old man, t he 

senior Ministers of his government, w IIIAilcti?XJ a( I • Gsti:.cs., were 

meeting without him for the first time this morning. 

Stanhope crossed the room.,_£111111 ilhe s eer t e the f attheat u.J.~ 

to the safe t hat housed all the key Cabinet papers. He was now the 

only one who had the combination of that safe. One of the things 

this morni?g's meeting would decide was which other person would al so 

have the combination. But although Stanhope knew how he could only 

open the safe when instructed to do so by the President, ae EHeetttiwe 

1Head of Otabet.,._ o/-e¼se i n the absence of the President/ by the collective 

will of the Cabinet. He stared long at the small dial of the bi g steel 

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- 106 -

box. Opening it would take him between fifteen seconds and half a 

minute. And inside this box were papers it would be best for none of 

these men to see; there were papers it would be especially dangerous 

for Albert Josiah to see. It was part of the Old Man's terrible 

capriciousness that these papers were not destroyed, were there to be 

used as weapons ee~f~d•e~:~c~tji~esis against others. 

He turned away abruptly, stuffed his hands deep into his 

trouserpockets and went to one of the long open windows. The sun had 

not yet reached all of the sprawling lawns and on the ground immediately 

below the morning dew still gave the grass the appearance of a fresh, 

new-born, dampness. A long time ago when he was a boy on the family 

farm deep in the heart of the island, he had always marvelled at the 

fresh dampness that seemed to be part of all new-born creatures. He 

had wondered whether it was so with new-born humans too, and so he had 

been very angry and upset when they would not allow him into his mother's 

room to see whether the baby brother they had promised him, and who took 

so long coming, would have that same look. 

One of the clerks luhi d him coughed artifically to attract 

attention, 

"Finished?" He did not turn to look. 

"Yessir." 

"Allright. The windows then." 

He had switched on the airconditioning as soon as he had 

entered the room so it would be fresh and cool when the windows were 

shut. The rule that the Cabinet always meet in a sound-proof sealed-off 

room was one of the few legacies going back to the colonial days that the 

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- 107 -

Old Man had kept up. Behind him the clerks finished shutting all the 

other windows, then one of them came to the window where he stood. 

He left the spot and went to the door, waiting while the clerk shut the 

last window. Both clerks joined him at the door and all three men 

looked carefully about the room, checking to see that every detail was as 

it should be. 

three of 

We've been doing this an awful long time, Stanhope thought: the 

us. , the same three. 

As though picking up his thought, the man on his left, the 

elder who was in his early sixties, murmured: "Won't be the same without 

him." 

The younger who was in his fifties turned speculative eyes on 

Stanhope: "It will never be the same again. He made it seem the same 

for all of the twenty years I've been at the Palace. That's whaf going 

to make it hard to meet the change." 

"All of life is change," Stanhope said, feeling oddly paternal 

towards these men the youngest of whom was at least fifteen years his 

senior. 

"He made us forget that," the younger one insisted. 

Stanhope shrugged so slightly there was hardly any physical 

movement; it was more a gesture of the mind pushing away a mood. 

"Everything's ready," he said briskly. 

The two preceded him through the door, then he locked it, 

pushed the key into his pocket and walked down the passage to his office 

and the noise of the rest of the Presidential Office staff at work. 
J, ~ 

He found Andrew Simpson it1. ~i e effiee, listening to t he-private 

telephone~ a~ no listed number and to which only a handful of 

I(" 

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- 108 -

people had access. 

"Just a minute," Simpson said, and placed the palm of a large 

black hand with beautifully tapering fingers over the mouthpiece. He 

looked sideways at Stanhope. "Mr. Joel Sterning on the line, sir. 

Wants to know if you could dine with them tonight." 

Stanhope nodded and took the receiver from Simpson. 

"Hello, Joel. Yes, I'd love to ••• Yes ••• seven-thirty: fine •.• 

I'm expecting my Ministers any time now .•• All of them ••• No ••• Can't tell 

you anything now ••• Allright ••• Tonight then." 

He hung up and was suddenly acutely, disturbingly, aware of 

the presence of Andrew Simpson. He tried to shake off this new, oppressive 

sense of unease, but it persisted, would not leave him. Stupid, he told 

himself: I know this boy; I know him well and I trust him. I ought 

to. He's been with me five years and I've taught him everything he 

knows. Then, shadowlike, almost not there, he heard a small voice H'9ffl 

deep inside him: ~ do you really~}ICMa!!!!!llli~I:WIKF?? ,:: . You didn't know he was a 

supporter of Josiah till Josiah told you; so what else don't you know until 

you are told? 

He looked quickly at young Simpson's face and felt ashamed of 

his foolish fancies. 

"A suggestion, sir," Simpson murmured. 

"Yes , Andy?" 

"Don't misunderstand me.~ " 

"I won't." 

"Well, sir, Mr. Josiah has declared openly his view that the 

mercantile community of this island exercises a power and an influence 

out of all proportion to the contribution it makes. II 

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"Yes," Stanhope murmured. "The Minister of National Guidance 
•, 

Has made no secret of the fact that that is what he thinks. So?" 

"He has also made public his view that for the good of the 

society we need to bring into play a new pattern of power relations in 

which more value and importance and honour will be accorded t hose people 

who contribute more to the productive wealth of the nation." 

"Alfright, Andy . So what's the point?" Stanhope was 

becoming impatient and young Simpson sensed it. 

"The point, sir, is that it might not be wise to be too closely 

identified with the most prominent mercantile family in the land." 

"I see." 

"Don't misunderstand me, sir. I'm looking at practical 

realities. If thin~ go the way they look like going some sort of show-

down with the mercantile community seems inevitable." 

"And the government's senior civil servant should not have any 

relations with any member of the mercantile community. 

Andy?" 

"That's not what I am saying ,sir.11 

"Then what are you saying?" 

Is that it, 

"That Mr. Josiah - and perhaps others - might misunderstand." 

"And think that I'm relaying government secrets to the mercantile 

community?" 

Stanhope waited, knowing that his mounting anger was unreasonable, 

that the boy was only doing what he himself had taught the boy to do which 

was to examine realistically and dispassionately the political possibilities 

in any given new situation. 

"I was thinking of your interests, sir." 

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Young Simpson was stiffly formal now, remote and withdrawn. 

And I've hurt him, Stanhope th~ught: He does what I teach him to do, 

and he does it for me and I hurt him. 

He spoke mildly, trying to undo the hurt: "My relationship 

with Joel Sterning is personal, Andy. He's my friend; he's been my 

friend for many years. You know that, boy." 

Young Simpson went to the door, opened it then hesitated and 

looked back at Stanhope. 

"Alfright," Stanhope urged gently, sinking into his chair, 

"Say it, boy." 

The thought was a flash of lightning across yo~g Simpson's 

mind: God, I like this brown man! 

"You told me, sir, that no area of 

servant, especially a very senior one, could 

personal." 

"Did I really say that?" 

"Yes, sir." 

"Thank you, Andy. 11 

the life of a good public 

ever bt~rivate or 

But now the young man would not accept his dismissal. 

"You'll think about it, won't you, sir?' 

"I'll think about it, Andy. And you, I suppose you agree with 

Josiah about this." 

"I do, sir. And about a lot of other things." He hesitated 

then added: "I think he'll be very good for the country, sir." 

And you know I have my doubts, Stanhope said to himself as the 

young man withdrew. 

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The first of the arrivals was the Minister of Youth and 

Community Affairs. He was a small man, sixty-five, and the colour of 

a piece of mahogany that had been left out 

of sun, rain and wind, for as many years. 

figure and a head and face too big for it. 

in the open f to the mercies 
I 

He had a trim boyish littlf'1 

His dress was youthful in 

the extreme, what the young people of the island described as 'sharp': 

his trousers legs were stovepipe tight with razor sharp creases: his 

high-heeled pointed shoes had large buckles and there was a conflict of 

shine between mettle and leather; his jacket had no collar or lapels 

and followed every curve of the 

creamy silk shirt and a spotted 

upper part of his body; he wore a 

e 
bow tie; F ormous cufflinks displayed 

his monograJI6fet- all th• • ,i.:1 Cg see. His hair was cut in the style 

popular among the bright young men who were the island's fashionmakers. 

In keeping with his dress, and the fact that he was the 

Minister responsible for youth, the Honourable Richard Young had care­

fully cultivated a ~boyish and bouncy manner and had sustained it 

for so long that it was now part of his personality. Any outsider 

coming into the island and meeting the Minister for the first time was 

usually shocked by the striking contrast between the youthful ways, 

figure and dress and the terrible old man's f ace of the Minister of 

Youth and Community Affairs. To the people of the island, however, 

this was how the Minister was: for him to have been anything els e 

would have been shocking. 

As Young got out of his car, two others drove up. Out of 

the f irst stepped the Honourable Ral ph Smith, tall and thin and black 

and nondescript. He was the only member of the Cabinet who had been 

,. 

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-

- 112 -

an ordinary working man before the late President had decided to make 

him a political figure and Minister of Labour Relations. He was 

modest, unassuming and he was regarded as the best man in the land. 

The late President had once declared from a public platform that 

Raiph Smith and the word 'faithfulness ' were one and the same thing. 

From that day on it had become custof;;} swear by Ralph Smith. And 

because he was completely without ambition even his Cabinet colleagues 

had helped build him up as the perfect party man. 

From the car behind Smith ' s came K.E. Powers , Minister of 

Works, Posts and Telegraphs, a very big, heavily built light brown man 

gone to fat on a large scale. Popular l egend had it that the Minister 
Q.. 

of Works had a the island. Mr. Powers 

himsel f helped 

concubine in e~ large town on 

to promote the gend of which he was inordinately 

proud. He also ate and drank heavily and he liked to be surrounded by 

big eaters and hard drinkers. In disgust Max Johnson had, a few years 

back, written an editorial denouncing Mr. Powers for making a public 

show of his gross eating and drinking habits and for boasting about 

the vast number of ill egitimate offspring he had s i red. Max Johnson 

had made it clear that he was not concerned with trying to change the 

Minister's ways but that he simply wanted the Minister to stop making 

a public show of what most of us did in private . "Sexual licen7-e, 

massive drunkenness and gluttony are human weaknesses , and most of us 

are guilty of one or the other of these . Most of us , too, are ashamed 

of our particular weakness and try to hide it . Not so ;.r' the 

Minister of Works! He parades his weaknesses as badges of virtue! 

And the values of our youth are distorted. Let us put an end to this 

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- 113 -

stupidity." 

The late President had put an end to Johnson's campaign with 

a terse public statement: "I see that our newspaper is trying to get 

rid of my Minister of Works. You should know~Mr. EditorAnot all 
'; J' 

brains are in pens. I and I alone have the privilege of hiring and 

firing my Ministers. Don't you know your 
p..­

Furthermore I like a man who is/~normal and 

and natural to love woman and to love food 

Constitution? Ha! Joke! 

natural man and it is normal 

and to love drink. So 

do not waste your ink and papell:)Mr. Powers stays till I say he goes." 

There had been a brief, three-day, national controversy. 

The churches had come out strongly on the side of Max and the paper; 

then word had filtered through that the mass of the little men had 

discussed the matter in their little rumshops throughout the island. 

The majority had seen it the President's way. Mr. Powe~s, they 

agreed, was a natural man; and it was natural to love woman and to 

love food and to love drink. The churches had quietly dropped the 

matter. Max Johnson had accepted defeat. K.E. Powers had 

celelJrated his victory with such vigour that he had >a month later j 

suffered a mild heart attack which had put an end to his orgies for 

nearly five years. And when he was restored to full health it was 

noticed that his deeds no longer matched up to his words: Mr. Powers 

was no longer the man he had once been. 

Young and Smith waited for Powers •then the three of them 
I 

entered the Palace. The two armed guards on either side of the great 

doorway saluted and young Andrew Simpson was just ins·ide, waiting to 

shake each of the Ministers by the hand. He led them into the 

special reception room reserved for very important personages. / 

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- 114 -

A steward met them with cigars and cigarettes and a pretty waitress in 

black and white enquired whether they would take tea, coffee-tea, 

cocoa-tea or chocolate-tea. The Old Man had made a very firm rule 

about not drinking before or at Cabinet Meetings. 

by holding all such meetings early in the morning. 

was the Cabinet called together at any other time: 
; 

He had compensated 

Only in emergencies 

t>-A ~ 
0 t :b t:1:lftes he 

overlooked any signs that one or more of his Ministers had had a few 

drinks. After all, going to cocktail parties and other social 

functions was part of a Minister's job• But he had been strict about 

the regular morning Cabinet sessions. So strict that he had once 

cancelled a meeting because he pad detected the strong smell of white 

rum on the breath of one of his Ministers. The Minister had tried to 

explain that he had talcen it medicinally, for a terrible cold, and only 

one small drink. But the Old Man had been firm and the Minister had 

been suspended from his duties for a month and from Cabinet meetings 

and the presence of the President for three months. After that all 

Cabinet Ministers, even the hard drinkers, retired early, and usually 

cold sober, on the night before a Cabinet meeting. This had been 

going on for well over twenty years and when a Minister was sacked, or 

died, the new one would automatically slip into the habit. 

Richard Young looked pointedly at Andrew Simpson. 

"Anything else, gentlemen?" Simpson asked. 

"Stanhope ready for us?" Young puffed up his little chest. 

Silly fool, Simpson thought, throwing his weight about: 

"Of course, sir." 

"Hope none of the others are late." 

"They never are, sir." 

11 Al1 i ght young man: that's all." He waited till Simpson 

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- 115 -

withdrew. Then, when the steward and waitress were out of earshot, 

he turned briskly to his companions and said: "Well gentlemen! 

Here we are without the Old Man. I know we can never replace him but 

we must choose a new Head of State. If the three of us arrive at a 

mutually acceptable person it will be difficult for the others to 

resist us. I think Mabel Anderson will go along with us. I spoke 

to her last night. That makes four; not a majority but a strong 

group. What d'you say?" 

"I spoke to the Prime Minister last night," Powers 

rumbled. 

"He's too old," Young snapped. "And he's not wearing as 

well as the Old Man. Choose him and we're in the same trouble in six 

months or a year. And he's not strong." 

Powers went on as though he had not been interrupted: "He 

said Mathias and Donalds and Lowe are with him: and he also said Mabel 

will go along with them." 

"So he is making a bid!" Young was outraged. 

"He didn't say so," Powers snapped. 

"But you said ••• " 

"They'll act as a group : don't you understand that. I don't 

want to be personal, Dick, but you know as well as I do that as a group 

they won ' t back you. 

the Prime Minister." 

You've fought with all of them, especially with 

"I was doing my duty! I couldn't allow inefficiency to impede 

that. The Old Man saw with me." 

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- 116 -

"Yes. But he's not here any more, Dick. Listen: Mathias 

said to me last night that he and Donalds would be satisfied to support 

me as a compromise candidate if the Prime Minister fails to win out." 

"You!" Young said bitterly. 

"Yes; me! 11 Powers was suddenly blindingl y angry: his face 

turned puce; his eyes popped; he struggled, arms pushing , legs kicking , 

to get out of the comfortable armchair but bulk and frenzy combined to 

defeat his efforts. 

"Gentlemen!" Ralph Smith said; "Boys!" 

Powers gave up the struggle and slumped back in his chair. 

"You and Smitty can decide between the Vice Presidency and 

the Prime Ministership,11 Young said grandly, taking a couple of j aunty 

turns about the room. 

"You •••• ? •••• You •••• ! 11 Powers choked. 

"We're getting nowhere," Smith said. 

of arguing , like the Old Man always did." 

"He's dead, Smitty!" Powers snapped. 

"Let us think instead 

"No need to lie about 

him any more. He didn't think. Not in the way you mean. He bullied: 

he acted first and thought afterwards and we were the fawning claque 

trying to outdo each other flattering his so-called intuitive genius. 

If he had any genius it consisted in his lust to reduce men to ciphers." 

It was little Young's turn to lose control. He leaped 

across the room and lunged down at Powers, his manicured hands clawing 

at the massive neck. Powers heaved upright in his chair and swung his 

left arm in a large back-hand sweep. It caught Young low on the chest 

and sent him staggering across the room and onto a settee. But for that 

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piece of furniture he would have gone down. 

"You my witness, Ralphy!" Young shouted. "You heard him! 

Our great leader just in his grave and he's already smearing him! 

Disgraceful! You'll bear witness, Ralphy! He's not fit for leader­

ship! Wait till I tell the little people what he said about the man 

they look up to as the father and founder of the nation! Its saviour 

and its salvation! Just wait till they hear! Just waitl" 

Again there was a flurry of activity, of heaving arms and 

flailing legs as Powers fought to get out of his chair; again his bulk 

and the very violence of his efforts fustrated him. 

hard. 

He gave up , puffing 

"Shut up ! You little •••• " And he spat out the most violent 

obscenity he could think of. Then he slumped back, gasping. 

"Ungrateful and unf it!" Young almost s creamed. 

"I' 11 kill him!" Powers rumbled: "I' 11 kill the little .••• " 

Andrew Simpson came quickly into the room. A 'fuss', he 

thought. In island parlance a 'fuss' w.as a row that fell short of 

actual violence. Pompous little Young sprawled trembling on the settee , 

as though Powers had picked him up and flung him there. And Powers 

himself looked as though he was on the verge of another heart attack. 

Only Smith seemed unruffled. Fleetingl y , Simpson wondered whether there 

was enough lif e in the man for anything to ruffle him. 

showed no feeling as he said : 

"Gentlemen, please!" 

But his f ace 

Smith began to say something but stopped as the waitress came 

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in. 

"Just a small political argument, young fellow," Powers 

rumbled between gasps, "Nothing serious. 11 

TG-
The girl servey tla c l i:sk and withdrew hurriedly. A 

buzzer hummed in the great hallway and in the Protocol Officer's 

room upstairs to warn that more cars with more Ministers were passing 

through the great gates. The buzzer's hum became continuous. 

Andrew Simpson forced a smile and said, "Sounds as though 

they are all here, gentlemen; and there's still ten minutes to 

meeting time. Excuse me." 

He bounded up the stairs, taking them two at a time, swept 

down the passage, tapped on Stanhope 1 s door and, without waiting f or 

reply , entered. 

"They 're here, sir! 

like that." 

I think it's all of them. Sounds 

"Together?" 

"Sounds like it. Signal from the gate was that it was 

being shut according to custom." 

"Then we'd better go down," Stanhope murmured and rose from 

litis desk. He thought: You're very excited, young man, like someone 

starting on a great new adventure; and like all the young you're 

unafraid because unaware of the dangers. 

"Young and Powers had a fuss," Simpson said. 

"About the succession?" 

"Most likely~ Young was trying out different phases of t he 

Presidential air on me when he first came in. 

realise their world has changed." 

They don't seem to 

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"Do we ever, Andy?" 

Simpson fell back into his official position one step 

behind the Presidential Secretary as they went down the wide stairs 

c:..~ 
Young , Smith and Powers had ~ to recei~ the Cabinet Ministers . 

~ • h . amaPgea ~ the reception room to meet t eir colleagues. 

He's afraid, Simpson thought, noting the stiffness of 

Stanhope 1s carriage, the tautness of his neck muscles . Then he 

looked down at Stanhope 1s left hand: it was bunched into a hard, 

tight fist . A sense of startled wonder spread over him. He 

thought: My , God! He's not just afraid, he's scared stiff. And 
.t--

the questions and the doubt werer and flowered. Why is he so 

scared? Because he's a light brown man? A shareholder in the old 

Establishment? Scared of the blacks in this changed world? And 

there was the devastating disappointment that comes when the pupil 

fir st discovers that the teacher is mortal and fallible , not all-
~~ ~0 

knowing , not all-wise? A. The Ministers came through the great door-

way and thought and feeling had to be suspended. 

The first to enter was the Prime Minister and Minister of 

Financial Affairs , the Honourable Franklyn F. Freeways . 

The Old Man's rubber-stamp , Andrew Simpson thought. And 

without the Old Man his rubber-stamp is without value. 

Freeways was a tall, willowy white islander , distinguished 

in appearance, with a bluff open friendly face, twinkling blue eyes, 

and a deep and genuine love for the island and its people. When he 

talked about the island and its simple peasant people he often choked 

with emotion and his eyes f illed with tears. 

Shaking his hand, Stanhope recalled how Moses Joshua, many 

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years ago, explained from a public platform, why he had chosen a 

white man to be his Prime Minister and Minister of Financial Affairs : 

"I know Mr. Freeways is a white man. I got eyes to see! And I 

chose him for that reason. When a white man speaks to other white 

men, there is respect and understanding between them, moreso than i f 

it is a black man speaking to white men. And it is easier too for a 

black man to speak to black men. I am not saying this is right or • 

wrong or good or bad, or I agree with it or I don't agree with it. 

All I am telling you is that it is a fact. I did not make the world 

but I must act in it. The white people still have the money we need. 

It is better if we send a white man to ask other white men for money. 

And all our big merchants here are white too and they like to deal 

with their own kind. So I let them have one of their own to speak to 

if it means we will get the benefit. 

stamp !" 

It is like using a good rubber-

Next came the Minister of External Affairs, short and round 

and ponderously judicious; very black and chosen for that reason to 

speak for the island at the World Assembly where black and brown men 

outnumbered the fair ones. The Honourable Z.K. Mathias loved the 

job of being his country's spokesman in front of a world audience. 

He had quickly slipped into the habit of spending more time at the 

headquarters of the world organisation than on the island. And since 

the Old Man, who in any case made all the real decisions on external 

affairs, approved, everybody had been happy. 

Then, in quick succession, Stanhope welcomed the Minis ter 

of Local Affairs, M.M. Donalds, the Minister of Land Development, 

D.J. Lowe, of Industrial Development, Dr. W.R. Mathew and MPs. Mabel 

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Anderson, the Minister of Health, Housing , Education and Welfare, and 

the only woman in the Cabinet. And finally, like a carefully stage-

managed afterthought, Albert Josiah slipped with dramatic unobtrusiveness 

into the room. Everybody turned to him and for a few seconds the 

slender dark brown figure in the worn and nondescript old suit dominated 

all else. 

He seemed at once small and frail and long. He was about five 

feet seven, slender and with long tapering fingers, long legs and a long 

body all scaled down. The scaled down impression ended at the neck and 

the long thin face seemed made for a man at least six feet tall; and so 

the very balance and symetry of the rest of the body made the face seem 

disproportionately large and slightly ludicrous. But the sense of 

incongruity lasted only until you looked into the eyes, rather close set, 

far back in their sockets, reflecting no thought, no mood, no feeling. 

And because man is a gregarious animal, made so by nature, he is disturbed 

and apprehensive when he encounters one of his fellows who ~ outside 

the natural pattern. And this man seemed not to need the comfort of others. 

This now was the mood of his fellow Ministers as they looked at Albert 

Josiah, Minister of National Guidance. 

He said: "Gentlemen •••. " 

"Ah, Josiah!" Freeways boomed. "You have an accounting to 

make to the Cabinet. It so happens that it turned out alf i ght, but 

still •••• We can't just act unilaterally , you know •••• " 

"I'm not aware that we're in the Cabinet Room," Josiah said 

carelessly , as one brushes away a small irritation. 

A mild shock rippled through the others . They had forgotten 

hvw thi s one was; that he a lone had stood up t o the Old Man. 

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"Then we'd better get up there," Powers rumbled and turned to 

the stairs. 

"Just a minute, K.E.!" 

until he was nearest the stairs. 

Freeways swung about and strode forward 

"Our departed leader always insisted 

on the right form and order of seniority." 

stairs. 

"And on our shifting our tails!" Powers snapped, but sotto ~• 

Freeways decided not to hear and started the procession up the 

The others fell into place behind him in accordance with the 

order of seniority the Old Man had decreed for them. Only Josiah did not 

take his usual place behind the Minister of External Affairs, but brought 

up the rear. 

Stanhope unlocked the door of the Cabinet Room and the Ministers 

filed in. Normally they hung about in little groups of two and three 

until the Old Man strode into the room. Then they all stood to attention, 

waiting to see which of them he spoke to first. The one singled out for 

this mark o• favour usually got most if not all of what he asked for from 

that Cabinet meeting; he was also the envy of his mates. Now, as they 

entered the long room the shadow of the Old Man hung heavy over them. 

"Nothing to wait for this time," Freeways was suddenly hoarse. 

"Take your seat~ gentlemen." 
~ 

He looked at the seat at the head of the 

long table. Pad, pencils, the glass of iced water had been laid out. 

And now he sensed everybody waiting for him. He sighed inaudibly and 

sank into his customary seat. 

remain unoccupied. 

The chair at the head of the Cabinet table 

"Well, gentlemen •••• we have a lot of business to attend to •••. " 

Stanhope slipped his hand under the table and flicked the switch that 

started the recorder that taped every word spoken by every Minister at 

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every Cabinet meeting. The Old Man had started this twelve years 

earlier after three Ministers he had sacked had gone about the country 

giving distorted information about what had gone on at Cabinet meeti~gs. 

Since then he had twice released for public broadcast statements made 

at Cabinet meetings by Ministers he had fired and who had challenged his 

authority. In each case the Ministers had been so hopelessly compromised 

that all further agitation was pointless. 

"If you're acting as chairman," Powers said, "the first thing 

we must decide •.• " 

"No one's been elected to the chair!" Young snapped. 

"I will remind you I'm the senior Minister, Dick!" Freeways 

said. 

"Read your constitution man! It says nothing about the senior 

Minister automatically assuming chairmanship of Cabinet meetings in the 

absence of the President. Only the Vice Presieent can do that. And 

since there is no Vice President we must select from among our numbers 

a chairman of Cabinet who will also act as head of state until there are 

new Presidential elections. t 11 

Everybody started speaking at once; but the woman's voice 

finally prevailed: "I'm under the impression that we haven't yet 

s tarted our meeting and,,_ Mr. Powers is concerned about a procedural 

point. Can't we just hear it?" 

"The Constitution," Young insisted, "specifically says there 

can be no meeting without a chairman. t\\,'.' 

"All I'm suggesting ," Powers bellowed, "is that we start by 

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discontinuing the practice of tape-recording what we say. \~ 11 

"It was a decision taken legally within the framework of the 

constitution," Young insisted. "It can only be discontinued in the 

same way. Instead of trying to shout me down, check your constitutional 

authority! I don't see how people can aspire to the Presidency of this 

Republic when they do not even know their own constitution!" 

with rage. 

"That is cheap and uncalled-for," Freeways snapped, shaking 

"The sort of thing only a petty person would say!" 

"Gentlemen ••.• " Ralph Smith appealed. 
l 

Again they all spoke at the same time. 

"May I say something ," Josiah said. "May I say something." 

He repeated it, again and again, not raising his voice, until one by 

one, beginning with those nearest him, his colleagues fell silent and 

turned to look at him. When they were all silent, he said: "Mr. Young 

is right in his insistence that we must do nothing to violate the letter 

of the constitution •••• " Someone began to say something so he raised-. 

his voice slightly, insistently . "Please1 Hear. me out! , Mr. Young 

should know the Constitution provides/ specifically that in the event of 

any unusual emergencyf where neither the President nor the Vice President 

are in a position to exercise constitutional authority, that authority 

devolves on the Cabinet whose members must collectively, until a new 

President is elected, exercise power. For the next three months, there-

fore, we as a group have the responsibility and the authority to run 

the country. During that period we can, am~g ourselves, make our own 

rules as to how we want to share out Cabinet authority. But the 

constitution requires that at the end of that three-month period an 

elected head of state takes over from the Cabinet." Josiah looked across 

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the table to Stanhope. "Am I right this far, Mr. Secretary?" 

"You are, sir." 

"I wonder if Mr. Young agrees?" 

He's taking over, Stanhope thought: quietly and easily; no 

fuss. 

"Yes," Young said reluctantly. "I meant to mention that 

detail." 

Powers snorted. "Then perhaps we can come to the poi nt of the 

tape recordings. \\" 

"Are you saying that we cannot elect an acting President?" 

Freeways was thoughtful and preoccupied. 

Suddenly the blank eyes of Josiah had a message for Stanhope, 

and i t was as clear as though the words were spoken. Stanhope felt 

chilled and all but shivered. He said: 

"What Mr. Josiah means is that you do not ~\. to elect an 

acting President in order to function; the Cabinet has the power to 

function without that. \\" 

Powers asked: "D'you mean we can rotate the chairmanship of 

Cabinet meetings?" 

"Yes; if that is what you wish to do. On the other hand, 

you can, if you wish, elect one of your numbers to act as President for 

the next three months and to assume all the authority and responsibility 

of the Presidency." 

"This collective business never works satisfactorily," 

Freeways grumbled. 

"I don't like it!" Young snapped, and then he realised and 

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was startled by the fact that he was agreeing with his rival. 

"I would like the opinion of our Law Officers on this point," 

Freeways said; but there was an air of hopelessness about him now,as 

though he had already lost the great prize. 

"I think that's a good idea," Josiah murmured, looking at 

one face after another around the table. 

Freeways pulled himself together and tried to shed the air of 

hopelessness. "I mean now; right now! I don't think it~ good for 

the ship of state to drift, and this collective business would be 

drifting. ,\~ propose that we summon the senior law officer immediately." 

"I second," Josiah murmured. 

Freeways blinked, like someone who had taken a solid punch. 

One by one the others nodded their approval. Stanhope got up and 

went to the telephone in the corner. 

and returned to the table. 

He issued instructions quickly 

Powers examined Josiah's face with speculative intensity. He 

said: "While we wait could we decide on this tape recorder business?" 

Everybody was silent, each waiting for someone else to speak. 

At last Josiah said: 

"What is your proposal?" 

"That we end it!" Powers said violently. "I've always hated 

it." 

"I've never minded it," Young said. "We all accepted it 

under the Old Man. Anyway, why didn't you object to it then, K.E.?" 

"You know damn well why! He didn't give a damn about our 

opinions. We either knuckled under or he threw us out. That's why. 

Let's not pretend that we loved it!" 

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"I think some of us did," Josiah murmured. "No man could 

do the things our late President did without at least the tacit 

approval of a majority here in the Cabinet as well as a majority in 

the country. It is easy for his critics to talk about him as a 

bully and a dictator now that he is no longer here. I think he was 

what he was because we allowed him to be that, we here in the Cabinet 

and we in the country. He wasn't a fool. In fact I think in his way 

he was a great man, a realist who understood and used human nature. 

And if you say he loved power I will ask you what are we doing here? 

Isn't it love of power that has brought us here?" 

win. 

"Then you are against the scrapping of the taping?" 

"I did not s ay that." 

"Well, I'm against it!" Young snapped. 

"And so am I," Freeways said. 

' That's done it, Stanhope thought: yout ve given him his first 

"I'm with Mr. Powers," Josiah said softly. 

Again Freeways reacted as though he had been hit. Then 

Freeways and Young watched their hopes fade as all the others, except 

the Minister of Land Development, supported the move to scrap the tapings. 

When it was over Stanhope switched off the recorder and dismantled the 

machine. 

Powers looked down the long table and kept looking till he 

caught Josiah's eye; then he tried to send, silently and with the 

force of his mind, the message that was both question and promise. 

Stanhope intercepted Powers' look and thought he guessed its meaning. 

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J osiah shrugged s lightly , a f aint smile f lickered briefly on his 

lips, then he nodded and turned away carelessly. Powers slowly 

expelled all the air from his chest, as men sometimes do after 

pulling off something tricky. 

He leaned towards Ralph Smith beside him and murmured: 

"I'm going with Josiah. It makes sense and its safe." 

"They say •• •\ ' Smith began. 

"I know what they say," Powers cut in, "but the people 

are with him and he can't lose." 

"You sure?" 

"Sure." 

Freeways said: "Well gentlemen - and I'm certainly not 

forgetting our lady - I hope we don't live to regret this." 

"There will still be records of all Cabinet meetings but 

in the form of minutes," Mabel Anderson said, "You must admi~ F.F . .,..__ 
/ / 

it was inhibiting to know that every cough and sneeze and linguistic 

mistake you made was there on record for the Old Man to mock at and 

use should the need arise. I'm frankly glad its over!" 

"You may be right," Freeways murmured, using the expressive 

qualities of his voice to make plain his own doubt. "Now, while we 

wai~, perhaps we can look into the problem I raised with Mr. Josiah 

when we first arrived." The Ministers grew alert and attentive. 

"You will all recall the .vents immediately following the tragic death 

of our late President. First, we had the calling out of the military; 

next we had Mr. Jos iah making a broadcast from the Presidential Palace 

to the nation in which he spoke with the authority of someone who had 

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the powers of head of state. In that broadcast he authorised t he 

opening of the Palace gates and announced the l ying in state and the 

details of when and how the people could view the body. Now, all 

this Mr. Josiah did by himself and without reference to any of his 

fellow Cabinet colleagues. As it happens it all worked out for the 

best. But that is not the point. The point is that Mr. Josiah 

usurped those powers which he himself told us a while ago rested with 

us collectively. I have been advised that if these things were not 

done the national confusion might have led to the breakdown of civil 

order. I am not sure that I agree with this. Our people are not 

like that; they are not lawless or rebellious by inclination. But 

even if that were so, Mr. Josiah still had no right to assume the 

powers he did. Now, before I propose that the Cabinet takes certain 

action against Mr. Josiah I think we ought to follow our usual procedure 

and discuss the matter. In fairness to Mr. Josiah let me say now 

that my proposal i s that we strip him of his Portfolio, expel him 

from the Cabinet and deprive him of all political rights for the 

atatutory period decreed by law on the charges of gross violation of 

the constitution. Whether or not the law officers then institute 

action of any kind against him is out of our hands. Perhaps this 

is a good time f or Mr. Josiah to indicate the lines of his defence or 

excuse. I will conclude by making it quite plain that there is 

nothing personal about my raising this matter: I don't pretend I have 

ever liked Mr. Josiah' s views but the country and the constitution are 

more important than either he or I, or our likes and dislikes." 

Freeways leaned back in his cahir and waited, and all the 

others waited with him. It seemed a long time bef ore Josiah spoke , 

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and when he did it was with a casual mildness that startled his Cabinet 

colleagues. 

"I'm sure you will see with me if I prefer to wait; till you've 

all had your say. For one thing it would save a lot of time if I got 

the complete picture of my alleged crimes before answering ; it might 

mean one answer instead of three or six or perhaps even nine. For 

another it is customary for an accused to hear all the charges. Who 

knows, there may be a number of additional charges. So I'll wait." 

With that he pulled pad and pencil towards him, and waited. 

Before anyone could speak the telephone rang and Stanhope went 

to it. After a while he called out to the room: "The Senior Law 

Officer. Call him in?" Several Ministers nodded so he said into the 

mouthpiece, "Bring him in now". He waited at the door and within half a 

minute there was a tap and he let in the law officer. 

"The question the Ministers want settled," Stanhope said, 

standing beside the man to give a little reassurance, "is whether it is 

constitutionally correct to say that they can either rule collectively 

f or the three months before a President is elected or else elect one of 

their numbers to act till then; and that if they decide to rule 

collectively then they can among themselves make internal rules such as 

rotating the chairmanship of the Cabinet." 

"That is the position exactly , Mr. Presidential Secretary," 

the legal expert said. "What they cannot do during this period is to 

either amend or propose amendments to the constitution." 

Freeways said: "Are you saying that it would be legal and 

constitutional for us, if we want to, to take turns playing at President 

f or a week or so?" 

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"There is nothing in the constitution and nothing in law to 

prevent it, if you make the decision properly in Cabinet, sir." 

"This is ridiculous!" Freeways exploded. 

A flicker of feeling glowed in the expert's eyes: "The law 

sometimes is, sir." 

"Thank you," Stanhope said and ushered the man out. 

"I'm sure that our late President never wanted the Presidency 

reduced to this kind of joke. President for a week, indeed!" 

"I don't think anybody else wants to," Mabel Anderson murmured. 

"But it is legally possible," Freeways protested. 

"Many things are legally possible," Powers said wearily, 

"especially if we stick only to the letter of the law and forget its 

spirit. Which brings us back to the question you raised, Mr. Prime 

Minister. I for one am not happy about your punitive proposals _against 

Mr. Josiah •••• " 

"I orotest \ " ~ ... Freeways began. 

"You had your say uninterrupted," Powers said savagely, "now 

let me have mine. We all know there are people who are afraid of 

Josiah and what he represents, some of them right in this room, and that 

they would like to discredit him in the public eye. That is their right, 

provided they go about it in the right way , observing both the letter and 

the spirit of the constitution and not twisting any part of it to serve 

private ends. I have no axe to grind. I don't owe Josiah or the 

merchants or the big farmers and estate owners anything. If I left 

politics tomorrow I won't starve. So my stand is based not on serving 

special interests but the public good, and I begi n by questioning the 

motives of the honourable Prime Minister in trying to get rid of Mr. 

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J •ah II 
OSl. • • • \ 

"I really must protest at this misrepresentation ... \ " 

"Misrepresentation, my foot! I insist on having my say 

without any interruption. Now, let us go back to the night of the 

Old Man's death. We all know what happened in this room. For six 

hours Stanhope tried to get us to make a series of simple and urgent 

decisions. And for six hours we - let's call a spade a spade - we 

funked facin g up to the fact that the prop had been kicked from under 

us and we were scared to function without him. The records are there 

on tape! They are there in Stanhope 1s memory! In mine! In yours! 

D1you want Stanhope to play back that tape so that we can all hear how 

each one fumbled? How we tried not to move lest we exposed our scary 

little tails?" 
j_ 

"t anguage, please, Mr. Powers," Mabel Anderson protested. 

"We decided not to .... 11 Richard Young began. 

"Of course we decided not to use the recorder in future. 

We did not decide not to play back past recordings. It might be 

salutary to hear ourselves again, to hear just what we sounded like , 

j ust how small we had shrunk, when we realised we were on our own, 

without our prop .•• \ " 

"That's neither here nor there," Freeways cut in decisively . 

"But it is! It showed us up for the toy Ministers we were. 

That's why we panicked when f aced with the need to decide. Is that 

why you want to destroy Josiah? Because he was the one who didn't 

panic? Or because of the other interests? If s o, I'm not going with 

you. I've had my moment of shame!" 

"Fine rhetoric," Fr eeways said, "but what about the facts?" 

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"That he acted unilaterally? He owed it to the state. 

With t he rest of us he took an oath to preserve the peace, uphold the 

constitution, promote orderly government and the welfare and stability 

of the people. When we failed that high oath, he did not. He too 

was elected by the people and when we failed to give them comfort and 

guidance, he did. Is that his crime?" 

Stanhope said: "In order for the Cabinet to get the record 

straight let me repeat here what I told each of you individually either 

by private telephone or in person the day after Mr. Josiah's broadcast. 

You will remember our six-hour meeting ended with no decision and that 

Mr. Josiah had left a letter saying he would abide by any decision 

arrived at by the majority of his Cabinet colleagues. You will al so 

remember how hard I pressed you to make certain urgent decisions but we 

f 'ld ' II a1 e ••. , Quietly he went over all the details that led up to t he 

Josiah broadcast, meanwhile noting down verbatim in shorthand his own 

words as he spoke them. 

Then Freeways said: 

When he had done there was a long silence. 

he nodded. 

"Any other views?" 

Richard Young cleared his throat then thought better of it. 

"Mr. Josiah?" Freeways said quietly . 

"I have nothing to say at this moment," Josiah said. 

"Nobody else?" Freeways looked from face to face. At last 

"It seems I'm alone." He was old and drawn suddenly. 

He ros e and held onto the table to steady himself. And now he was 

acutely aware, without quite knowing why, that he was the only white 

person in the Cabinet room. 

where to write my resignation. 

"If you will excuse me I will retire else­

Meanwhile you can decide whether you 

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want to publicise the fact or not and as a loyal citizen I shall 

abide by the decision of the government of my country." 

a slight bow, he walked out of the Cabinet Room. 

Then, with 

Young called out, frightened: "F.F. ! You can• ~ man!" 
,) 

Then when the door shut behind Freeways he looked from one to the 

other of his colleagues and said, wonderingly: "I don't believe it! 

You're not going to let him•\ \\' 

"He decided for himself," Powers snapped impatiently . 

Stanhope looked down the table at Josiah. He's as calm 

and casual as though this is a routine meeting; the Old Man would 

have dramatised this kind of victory, turning it into a piece of 

rollicking high,,,-jinks : to this one it is a cold operation, carefully , 

even ponderously worked out. Yo~ were impressed by the exhuberance 

of the Old Man even when he was being destructive or indulging in his 

favourite pastime of breaking men's spirits. 

with a certain glamour and romance. 

He invested wickedness 

to make. 

"You drove him to it by your cowardice!" Young snapped. 

"Why don't you follow his example!" Powers said. 

"Gentlemen!" Smith appeal. 

"We have much to do," Josiah said quietly. "Many decisions 

I suggest we select somebody to act as chairman just for 

this meeting and work out an agenda. 

been at a standstill far too long." 

The nation's business has 

silence: 

Mathias, the Minister of External Affairs, broke his long 

"I propose Josiah as chairman for this meeting." 

"I second," Mabel Anderson said qui ckly. 

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Young looked pointedly at Powers who stared back with 

mockery. Then Young looked at Smith who quickly lowered his eyes. 

"I propose Mr. Powers," Josiah said. 

The operation, Stanhope thought: nothing left to chance. 

"I stand down in favour of Mr. Josiah," Powers said quickly , 

before anyone could second Josiah's proposal. 

"I'm for Josiah," Smith murmured. 

One by one, in quick succession, the others cast their vot es 

for Josiah. At last only Young remained. 

"I would vote according to my conscience," Josiah murmured. 

Young pursed his lipe, shrugged, and said: "Mi ght as well 

make it unanimous. 

must pull together." 

I like a good fight but when it's over the team 

Stanhope j ust caught the passing flicker of disgust on 

Josiah's face, and he was startled by it because it was unexpected. 

Then, very quickly , very briskly, Josiah rose, gathered his 

papers and s trode to the head of the table. Casually , without hesita-

tion, he sank into the chair in which no one except the Old Man had 

previously sat. AitMtle4, anticipatory hush fell over the room. 

Even Stanhope half expected something to happen. Nothing did and the 

tension slowly dispersed. 

Josiah picked up the gavel and tapped the table lightly . 

"I now call this meeting of the Cabinet to order .•• \ " 

That, Stanhope told himself, is how easily and smoothly you 

climbed to power if your name is Albert Josiah and your will to power 

is as large as the world itself. Josiah was still speaking: 

"f •••I suggest we each cancel our other business and convert this into 

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an extraordinary session to review policy and the work of all 

Ministries from top to bottom. The drift must come to an end. 

The country needs directing and expects it from us. The problems 

are immense and a start in tackling them is long overdue./ 7/ If you 

..,r" II agree. 1 , 

"An excellent proposal," Powers said. 

long overdue work of shaping the future!" 

"Let us begin the 

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- TWO -

"It was the smoothest thing I've ever seen," Stanhope said. 

Clara Sterning sat on his left, sunk deep in her comfortable 

chair and very still in spirit. On his right Joel Sterning generated 

a mood of great restlessness. And immediately below, and seeming 

surprisingly close, as the stars sometimes are on a black night, the 

lights of the city shimmered and twinkled, and the headlights of cars 

flashed on and off reminiscent of the love ritual of fireflies and 

glow-worms. They had eaten an exquisite meal with two very fine 

wines. And now he nursed, warming it with the heat of the palm of his 

right hand, a snifter of champagne cognac. On the little table between 

his chair and Joel's was coffee and a large box of Havanas. 

Joel said tentatively: "I don 1 t understand about Freeways. \\" 

Then, quickly: "Please, John: I'm not trying to pry Cabinet secrets 

out of you; you know that." 

"That was part of the smoothness," 

yet he did nothing. He didn't fight back: 

Stanhope murmured. "And 

didn't argue. Didn't 

defend himself; didn't even attack oJ4 F.F. He simply won over the 

strongest man and everything else fell into place. And he won his man 

over without a word or a promise: a passing of looks, that was all. 

It was like the night old Joshua died. He went out and waited and 

everything came to him.'' 

"It's frightening ," Clara whispered, more to herself than the 

others. 

"But why the resignation?" Joel insisted. 

"Old F. F. went out on a limb alone and when no=one else backed 

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him there was nothing else to do." 

"But ••• \" 

"I know, Joel. But before you judge them too harshly remember 

I was the one who called him in to make that broadcast." 

"Only because the others wo"ldn't do anything." 

"Are you sure it would have been different if they had acted?" 

"What do you mean?" 

"I'm not sure; but I have the oddest feeling that whatever we 

do now will change nothing." 

"Surely we can influence trends," Joel protested. "You in the 

service, we in business and the sane M.P.'s in politics. 

was such a mistake for old F.F. to resign." 

That's why it 

"But Joel 1the resignation has meant nothing to the country! 

Look at your facts~man! A week after the death of the President the ; 
Cabinet meets for the first time and later issues a statement. It says 

it has gone into extraordinary session to make a comprehensive review of 

policy, suggests a radically new approach to the country's affairs is 

needed and that this is what it is working on under the chairmanship of 

Josiah. Then, almost as a casual afterthought, it says that the Prime 

Minister has resigned and that the Cabinet, acting collectively, has 

accepted his resignation because it could not agree with him that the 

Honourable Albert Josiah, Minister of National Guidance , should not have 

made the broadcast to the nation on the night of the President's death. 

And all the so-calle~ little people' applaud. And let me tell you one 

thing , Joel; making F.F's resignation public was not Josiah's idea. 
~\A,.~~ 

He wasf enePal~ indifferent; F.F. was out of the way and he wanted to 

get on with the job; obviously something had to be done so he left it to 

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the others and went along with their decision. And you know some-

thing , I know those men and for the first time today I've seen some 

of them behave like men instead of ciphers." 

"You sound as though he's got you too, John," Clara said 

softly. 

An abstract, worried smile flashed across Stanhope's face: 

"I'm a public servant, my dear Clara, and he is effective head of 

state . I'm either his servant or I resign." 

"Then resign, John!" Clara laughed teasingly. 

"It won 't make any difference," Stanhope said seriously. 

"The country will accept it as enthusiastically as it accepted F.F's 

resignation. 11 

"I was only joking ," Clara said quickly , touching his hand. 

"I had considered it seriously but it won't do any good. 

The idea of mass resignations by all the top civil servants is exciting. 

After all, we're supposed to be the backbone of the country, the 

guardians of its law and order. But just examine the notion seriously 

and you see how ludicrous it really is. You , the Isaacs empire, will 

make an opening for me at almost double my salary and everybody will 

say you are paying me off for favours I did you in the past- and bcca1u1a 

1,µuiH' ihc neo a:1:epc12satidft aeiiij;:: fau11-.Pa uel:llel ee i.111paadblt: . And the 

I 

other chaps in the service will say 'Its , all very well for him to make 
i.:.., 

this gesture; he gains by it becausel..moneyed friends are taking care of 

him. We have no moneyed friends and we're all of us in debt because 

we 're all living way beyond our incomes'. So ••• \" 

"It may yet come to that, 11 Joel said softly. 

"I~ only teasing ," Clara insisted. 

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"So where do we go now?" Joel asked. 

"I don't know," Stanhope replied. "I do my job; I hold 

the service together as best I can and I do everything in my power to 

keep it free of political entanglements; beyond that I don't know." 

"You know, we may be wrong about him," Joel said. "He 

may do a lot of good." 

"I'm sure he will. I know he intends to. I'm worried 

about the price. But we'll have to pay it, whatever it is." 

"I don't mean that kind of good, John." 

"I know what you mean; but I do not share your sneaking 

sympathy for radicalism and radical solutiot¥.J' 

A wave of rage swept over Joel. "Of course not!" Ke 
retorted savagely. "If you had - and I mean you as a class - we 

might not be saddled with Josiah today! You, the brown skinned 

elite, and the white mercantile and plantation crowd have literally 

brought Josiah about with your bloody ultraconservatism! 

see it yet, John!" 

"Keep your shirt on," Stanhope laughed. 

Don't you 

So 

we are conservative. Show me any place on earth, your so-called 

radical states included, where people who have something to conserve 

are not conservative. You people have made money. Is it a crime 

for you to want to conserve it?" 

"Yes! If we do it in such a way as to turn the mass of the 

people against us." 

"You know we're agreed there." 

"Then we ought also to agree that since the mass of the people 

are against us, the manner of our conserving, our conservatism, must be 

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to blame." 

"If you are saying we are where we are because of the failure 

of the good people I agree with you. But that doesn't make a sort of 

blanket radicalism right." 

"Perhaps not, John; but it does make your brand of conservatism 

wrong: Josiah is the proof of it. People like us will survive this. 

For the great Isaacs empire it is a question of using our wits, of 

adjusting ourselves to the new situation and so riding with the new tide. 

We might have to make liars of ourselves by being forced to say the 

opposite of what we said yesterday, by embracing those on whom we turned 

our backs ~ yesterday, but that is a small price to pay. We will 

survive . And because he needs what we have we will use our wits, and 

go on making money. II 

"You're awfully bitter for someone who'll do so well, Joel. \ " 

"That's not the point, and you know it. How I feel about it 

i s irrelevent to the fact that that is what will happen. The point is 

that we, the margin-gatherers as he calls us, will survive because he can 

use us and we can use him. You described what he did as an operation. 

Well, we are operators too. But what of the old families of the island? 

Of families like yours and what they symbolise here?" 

"They have survived more than Josiah in the past." 

a new undercurrent of intensity to Stanhope 's voice. 

There was 

"The past is dead and you've never had a Josiah before!" 

"That i s where you 've forgotten your European education, Joel." 

"The s ole value of a European education-" 

Stanhope cut in quickly : "Is that it teaches us to survive." 

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"I was going to use words like 'flexibility ' and 'adaptability' 

but perhaps 'survive' is the best word. Al, i ght, I'll buy your word ; 

but survival today demands that you abandon the terrible conservatism 

which is the besetting sin of this land. 

you, European education and all!" 

If you don't he will destroy 

Stanhope lit his cigar and savoured the first puff of it with 

deep sensual pleasure. He was aware that the stillness had deserted 

Clara and he knew that his exchange with Joel had brought to the surface 

of her mind the details of the conflict that had first eroded, and then 

destroyed, the great emotional and spiritual harmony on which their 

relationship had been founded in the beginning. He said, softly, 

reluctantly, knowing that it would upset Joel: "But education, European 

'" or otherwise, is not an end in itself anymore than survival is: U is 

either to a point or it becomes pointless itself." 

Clara made an audible noise deep in her throat and rose 

abruptly from her chair and walked away from them and the view. 

I've touched a raw nerve, Stanhope told himself unhappily. 

"But surely John, the point is not this brand of conservatism 
' 

that shuts its eyes to the monstrous extremes of this land." Joel 

pointed to the little table with its coffee and brandy and cigars. 

"This Oo\lld keep two large families up there," he waved at the hills, 

"for a month." 

"Then give it to them!" Stanhope snapped. "But for Christ 

sake don't force your bad conscience onto me! I haven't a bad conscience, 

only concern for the land and its people." And then he felt angry with 

himself for being angry. 

They were silent after that for a long time; and because they 

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were friends who cared for each other and who understood even each other's 

rages, the silence was without awkwardness, without embarrassment. 

After ten minutes Clara returned from her bedroom, refreshed, 

and played one of Stanhope's favourite Beethoven pieces performed by 

Schnabel. 

When Stanhope took his leave, a little over an hour later, Sterning 

said, with an off-handedness he did not feel: "You're right about there 

having to be a point to survival, John. But even if there is not, life 

still goes on, pointlessly often, but it goes on." 

Stanhope hesitated, selecting the words carefully to ensure that 

what he said did not come out sounding arrogant or pompous : "For more than 

three hundred years my family , families like mine, have tried to live 

usefully on this island; getting a living out of it and putting a great 

deal back into it. For us the notion of service is very real, and t he 

people are very real, with all their faults and weaknesses. We are the 

people who've grown trees and made roads and built homes and created 

stability . I don't say we have not made mistakes, that we have not thrown 

up our share of idiots and knaves. But I cannot accept the new dispensation 

that would tear down the past as uniformly evil and that would build up 

hatred of class against class and against all the stabilising f orces in the 

society . I do not think it is a crime to belong to an old middle-class 

f amily. I do not think it i s a virtue to teach the poor to be envious and 

jealous of what other s have, and to promis e that what others have would be 

taken from them and given to the poor• \\\' 

"But neither i s the massive gap a virtue, John," Joel cut in. 

"You know I agree with YOU&) Jeer. But to promise people the 

moon for plaything i s to court disaster. There are no quick, easy 

solutions." 

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cfo 
"Isn't it your fault, the fault of your class, that the mass no 

longer believe in you and turn to him." 

"I've conceded you the failure of the good people." 

"But not that they have to pay a price for it." 

"And what of the good they've done? No credit for that?" 

"That you must ask Josiah. I rather suspect he would say you were 

paid and paid with over-generous interest during the long rule of old Moses 

Joshua•\\\ " 

"He hinted at something like that this morning ," Stanhope murmured. 

"Anyway, there is a long day ahead even for this guilty, coloured, middle-

class, civil servant. If serving my country is a form of payment for a 

crime I do not recognise, I'm willing to pay all over again, starting very 

early tomorrow morning? " Thinking of the work ahead cheered him visibly. 

He kissed Clara on the cheek. 

as usual. I enjoyed it and I 

"Thank you, my dear) for a wonderful dinner 

refuse to feel guilty about it•tt\See you, 

Joel?" 

They stood watching and waving till his car's lights slipped out 

of sight down the spiralling mountain road. 

Clara turned back to the house and waited for Joel under the 

light over the doorway. She had gone out without a wrap and the chilly 

n_i ght air raised goose pimples on her arms. She rubbed them vigorously. 

She thought, clinically, of what might be the best line of ac.tion now in 

persuit of the end of bringing Joel back to her emotionally. She knew 

that any hope of future happiness depended on that. She Id p,ad been wrong 

about one thing : She had bought the fiction that time heals. It did no 

such thing. Like God, it only helped those who helped themselves. She 

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had thought that their being together in the same house - and time - would 

eventually tear down the invisiblt wall between them. So she had waited 

passively for four years , trying once to make him jealous by using other 
E,_,, 

That had been disastrous in er way. men. He had withdrawn further, and 

she, though no puritan, had felt defiled and unclean. And then, the other 

night, after she had gone to him like a beggar, and after they had slept 

together, she had felt cleansed. He had withheld all of himself except the 

physical , which he could not control; and that by itself, she knew, would 

never be enough for him. But that, for the present, was all she had, the 

only key that might open the door back to what had once been. 

He came to her slowly, hands stuffed deep into his pockets, head 

down; and she felt his unwillingness to be alone with her. She turned 

with him and they entered the house. The rest of the household had gone to 

bed, except for old Jonston, the butler, who now waited to lock up. 

She said: 

windows." 

"It's af right Jonston; we'll see to the doors and 

The old man bowed slightly and murmured: "'Night Miss Clara, Mass 

Joel. ~," and left them. 

Clara waited for Joel to look at her, and when he did she thought: 

He knows what's on my mind; not the details, perhaps, but the generality 

of it. The thing is if he thinks I'm pushing he 'll withdraw even more. 

Wanting anyone is a very sad business. 

"If you'll see to the doors," she said briskly , "I'll fi-x you a 

nightcap." 

He thought: I tho~ght the physical thing was really over; and 

the thought was a mixture of excitement and anger. And then he thought of 

Martha Lee and felt as calm as only she made him feel . 

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He locked and bolted the doors and checked the windows. By 

the time he had done Clara was waiting for him with the nightcap. She 

had, in the very short time, changed into nightclothes that showed and 

concealed all the things that had made her the most sexually exciting 

woman Joel had ever known. He clung to the cool and calming thought 

of Martha Lee but there was no stopping the physical warmth that built 

up within him and spread through his body. 

Its all animal, he told himself savagely, ••••••1~ but still 

the passion grew within him. He felt guilty about Martha Lee though he 

knew she would forgive him if he told her about it. . 
~ 'f~~\ . 

"Excuse me," he said aln:'9pii:EJ.,. and \Mill:ci ~~&J.y"""\:o his room. 

Clara waite~ ,eaJrnJy-r She thought she knew what he was about. 

She was certain that the physical thing was only a beginning, but it was 

the right beginning , what she should have done a long time ago; this was 

her only strong weapon against that sexless half-chinese woman who held 

his mind. 

paper. 

Martha Lee's maid told Sterning her mistress was still at the 

The telephone operator at the paper said she had left there 

more than an hour earlier. He gave up and put the telephone back on its 

cradle. He thought of undressing then changed his mind. 

When he returned to the living room Clara thought: He has not 

reached her. And then she was startled by the realisation that she was 

prepared to accept the fact that Joel cared for that Lee woman, had slept 

with her and will sleep with her again, and that she, Clara, still wanted 

him and was willing to do battle with that other woman for him. Briefly, 

she was touched with a sense of great desolation. Joel saw her 

desolation and it stirred ancient racial and historic memories in him. 

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She looked more Jewish than he had ever seen her. 

She said, Wlexpectedly, humbly: "Will you come to me ton_i ght?" 

He saw her humility and said: "yes." 

John Stanhope put his car in the garage and strolled slowly 

roWld the enormous palace, making for the front. 

very bright, the sky a clear, cold, watery blue. 

The moon was high and 

The grass felt crisp 

and springy to his tread and the world was very quiet, very tranquil. 

Suddenly, he was aware that Max, the great Labrador, was silently 

padding along at his heels. At one stage, about seven years back, the Old 

Man had briefly been interested in breeding Labradors. Max had been the 

first puppy of the first litter, and in a characteristic moment of impulsive 

generosity he had presented the puppy to Stanhope, making a great show of 

it. Now Max was all that was left of that great and costly, and very 

brief, show by the Old Man of his interest in 'dumb things'. 

Stanhope reached down, patted the ~ ead and murmured: 

"There, boy." The dog made a low, deep-throated, emotional response, and 

man and dog walked up to the great doors now closed. 

The two policemen on guard duty came smartly to attention. 

"Easy ," Stanhope murmured and invited them to share a cigarette 

with him. 

"Minister still here," the corporal warned. 

"Oh! Which one?" But even as he asked,he knew the answer. 

"Mr. Josiah, sir." 

Then he saw Josiah's little car, sixty yards away, in the shadows 

Wlder a tree. He opened the door and the dog slipped into the ~ 

palace hall. He said "Goodnight" to the men OR lats and shut the door. 

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He realised, and it came as a surprise, that he missed the presence of 

the Old Man. He climbed the stairs ver y quickly and looked in at t he 

open door of the 

Josiah 

Presidential office. 
,~.a-­

sat at the ~ desk in shirtsleeve, his tie askew 

and a very loose band about his neck, the top three buttons of his shirt 

undone revealing his chest which was without a single hair and smooth as 

a baby 's skin. About him the desk was piled high with official files and 

immediately in front of him was a large stack of sheets filled with neat 

close writing. He looked up at Stanhope and his eyes were bloodshot and 

his f ace drawn with fatigue. 

They said he was a glutton for work, Stanhope thought: Plodding , 

pers istent, patient. That was how he had earned a degree for himself, 

studying privately by himself. Perhaps our mistake was not admitting him 

to the Service when he applied_t~ l'­
"Ah, Mr. Stanhope," Josiah said. 

"I didn't know you were still here," Stanhope said conversation­
A--,<1A 

ally , and then regretted it as he saw the sudden flicker of bitter fecliag 

in Josiah's eyes. 

NNie 

Josiah rose and stretched, working his shoulder muscles. ~ 

'ihe tension. 

"Where have you been?" He was coldly impersonal. 

"Out to dinner." 

"I know that : 1Miw where?" 

Stanhope hesitated, taken aback; then he made up his mind. 

"Mr. Minister.\\ " 

"Yes, Mr. Secretary.\\•~ 

"I've been dining with some friends of mine but I don't see ••• \ ' 

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"Are you ashamed of your friends?" Josiah whispered. 

to name them?" 

" Afraid 

"I've been dining with the Sternings but with respect, s ir, I 

don't see what business of yours it is." 

"Saying 'with respect' doesn't change offensiveness." 

"No offenfe was intended, Mr. Minister." 

"I'll take your word for that, Mr. Secretary." 

"What is this?" Stanhope exploded, caught between anger and 

bewilderment. 

"Don't you know?" 

Then both men became aware of the dog 's low angry growling; the 

hair on the back of its neck stood up straight; its eyes glared malevolently 

at Josiah; its fangs showed in a savage grimace. 

"Home, boy!" Stanhope ordered. He had to repeat the order 

more insistently before Max obeyed and made his way to his master' s 

private apartment. 

"Your dog?" 

You know, Stanhope said angrily to himself. "President Joshua 

gave him to me," he said aloud, stiffly. Then he said, knowing that 

this was the first of the encounters: "My private associations and 

relationships are my business as much as your private relationships are 

yours. I think you know my public conduct is always_ guided by civil 

service regulations and I make sure that nothing in my private conduct 

does any injury to my public conduct and position." 

"That is how it was," Josiah said carelessly , as if to dismiss 

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the matter. "From now on public and private conduct, public and private 

association, will be the s ame." 

"What does that mean?" Stanhope asked sti ffly. 

"In your case, that you will end all associations like t hat 

with the Sternings. You're an instrument of government policy . That 

policy will soon be in conflict with these people• \« 

"If you are suggesting the regulating of my personal and 

private associations-" Stanhope gave up the attempt at off icialese. 

"I'm sorry , Mr. Minister but I cannot accept anybody 's ~ight to tell me 

who my ~ nds should be." He was shaking with anger now and he did not 

care whether Josiah saw it or not. 

"I'm not interested in you or your f riends , Mr. Stanhope." 

Josiah sounded tired of the whole matter. "I want to get back to my 

work. Your emotional problems don't interest me. As an instrument of 

government policy you will end all associations with all mercantile groups 

or, i f you love them that much, you will resign your j ob." 

Damn you! Damn you! Stanhope fought to control his anger. 

"You can't enforce either of your alternatives!" 

"Can't I ?" 

"Not legally !" 

"You seem to forget, Mr. Stanhope, that laws are made by t he 

elected representatives of the peopl e , not by the civil service, not by t he 

head of the civil service. I suggest you retire and think caref ully 

about it. 11 He abandoned his patient, explanatory air and said , briskl y , 

sharply : "And arrange for more coffee f or me." Then he swung about, 

went back behi nd the ~ desk and settled down to his work with an 

absorbtion and concentration that banished the presence of Stanhope f r om 

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his consciousness. 

When his anger subsided a little Stanhope realised that 

his presence had ceased to register with Josiah. This made his anger 

flare!\ up again. He stalked away shaking. But for all his anger he 

remembered, when he got to his quarters, to phone down to the kitchen 

and order more coffee for the man who sat working at the Presidential 

desk. Then he slumped deep into his favourite armchair, closed his 
~ 

eyes, relaxed all ~his body, and waited for F heat and passion to 

leave him. After a while he became aware of the warm breath of the dog 

on the back of his left hand. He opened his eyes. Max was sitting 

very close to his chair, mutely pleading for reassurance and some show 

of affection. Stanhope touched the cool damp nose and rubbed the soft 

velvety ears. 

"Alf ight, boy. ,, We don't like him, do we?t t fr But stay 

away from him, heh. +'He's the kind that might even hate animals and 

show it. H n No. ·lt \ I'm not sure I'm being fair to him. Thing is, if I 

give in now• \t\Come, let's find something for you to nibble." 

The man and his dog went into his little bachelor kitchen 

and both were equally pleased to see that the staff of the real and 

functional kitchen, where the food for the residents of the Palace was 

cooked, had remembered to send up the usual dish of bones for the dog. 

The man put down the bones but the dog waited till the man said "Al.,.ight, 

boy." Then he licked the man's hand before attacking the bones. 

The low, happy growling of Max, at work on his bones, made 

Stanhope feel ~tPaRg••Y warm and comforted. He forgot his anger and he 

forgot the man who sat working in the Presidential office. Instead he 

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remembered the family farm on which he was born and where he had spent 

the earliest and happiest years of his life. The house on the highest 

crest of a series of green rolling hills would be in complete darkness 
~ &£.. 

now; even the caretaker's J,;i,,,t t l e cottage at the back would be in 

darkness: they still went to bed early in the country. And the land, 

too, would be silent and still and dark. Odd that he should remember 

Before the house had the farm now; he had not done so in years . 

become empty and silent and dark he had spent every moment of his free 

time there. 

We're a dying breed, he thought. And in his mind's eye 

he saw not only the dark and empty and deseeted farmhouse in which he 

was born, but all the dark and deserted and empty farmhouses on the 

island. It was the old families who were dying, and with them a whole 

world was dying: for a world is a way of living and thinking and work-

ing and playing and seeing. All this was changing, was being replaced 

by other ways and other values and the quiet drift into the new ways 

would now be accelerated and the number of the deserted farmhouses would 

be multiplied and more farmland would go into ruinate. This was what 

the man down there at the Presidential desk represented; he represented 

a . forcing of the change and the people were with him. He thought: 

Really, it isn't him I dislike or resent, or even the change which is 

inevitable. It is the casual blotting out, without thought or feeling, 

of so much that was good and beautiful and that could still be used. 

There was no sadness to the thought; a heaviness perhaps, like the 

psychological heaviness and regret with which one recognises the inevitabi­

lity of death - but no sadness. 

Only after he had left the dog , changed and got into bed 

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did the sense of tranquility leave him, and then for a~ brief moment 

only . Just before he fell asleep the thought flashed across his mind: 

Does he want to get rid of me? Then the counter-thought: But he can 't; 

I'm the head of the civil service and my position is entrenched. 

Josiah, meanwhile, worked steadily at the great desk. 

At the other end of the town, Martha Lee parked her car i n 

front of the great newspaper building. The long wide avenue was silent 

and deserted. She wondered how many of its citizens had ever s een the 

heart of their city like this, with the stillness of death over it. For 

the present, for the next half hour perhaps, even the great presses were 

s i lent. She looked up and down the wide avenue, knowing what she would 

see and wanting to see it; and it was there, the unending black s urf ace 

s t retching in both directions, striking light from the overhangi ng s treet 

l amps and shining like mirrors, or like water, catching and throwing back 

the light. This, she told herself,is my city : this is my world, my beat. 

Then, abruptly, she swung about and entered the building. The lift 

carried her up to the top floor and the vast newsroom with its array of 

desks and t ypewriters and telephones . It was deserted, except f or t he 

night news editor, a couple of subs on late duty and one reporter working 

on a story . The cleaners had not yet come in and the wastepaper baskets 

were f illed with dis carded newsprint, and empty cigarette packets ; and 

t he f loor, too, was littered with paper. Glass partitioning had been 

used to make half a dozen cubbyholes f or the editor and his senior 

editorial s taff . Martha entered the cubbyhole that said : M. Lee. 

A s :i:ngle sheet in her t ypewriter said,: "See the editor!" 

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But first she went through the pile of telephone messages. One of 

It was them showed that Joel had called. She looked at the time. 

a little after half past twelve and the slip showed that he had called 

less than an hour earlier. She picked up her telephone, hesitated, 

then dialled his home number quickly, as though driven. It rang 

once; twice; then she dropped it back on its cradle as though it 

were burning her hand. She leaned back and willed herself to be calm. 

The only other telephone message that interested her was from young 

Andrew Simpson. He had left a number for her to call when she got 

back. He had phon$ two hours earlier. She called the number and 

when someone answeP'fhe background noise told her some sort of party 

was in progress . Then, through the din, she heard the gay voice of 

Simpson. 

"Hello?" 

"Martha Lee," she said, raising her voice a little. 

"Ah Miss Lee? I'd given you up. I called earlier 

because I thought you might like to meet some of Josiah's key supporters. 

It's by way of a little celebration." 

"I would have liked to," Martha said, "but i t's rather 

late now." 

"Not too late for us, Miss Lee. It is not far from where 

you live and I'll be glad to come pick you up and take you back after-

wards. I really don't think you ought to miss this." 

"AU/ right, Andy. 11 

"I'll be there in ten minutes." 

"No. I 'm still at the paper." 

"I'll pick you up there then." 

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"No; I'll be home in about three-quarters of an hour if 

your party is still going." 

"Fine, I'll be there," young Simpson said gaily and hung 

up. 

Martha Lee went to Max Johnson's slightly larger cubby-

hole and sat down and waited till he finished tapping out a special front 

page editorial for the coming edition of the paper. This was the last 

bit of matter before the paper was put to bed. When he had finished he 

passed what he had written to Martha. 

certain alterations and additions. 

She read: then she suggested 

They discussed and rewrote sections 

together. When they had done the finished product read: 

"Special Page One Editorial 

A WARNING 

"Since the news of the resignation of the Honourable F.F. 

Freeways as Prime Minister and Minister of Financial Affairs, and coupled 

with the announcement that the Cabinet has gone into continuous emergency 

session to review all aspects of government policy, there has been great 

ferment and agitation in financial and business circles. This is 

understandable. It is right that those who have a great stake in the 

country, either as merchants, manufacturers , or the representatives of 

overseas investors, should be concerned that the interests they represent 

are not damaged by any new line of policy adopted by the government. 

And since this island is as dependent as it is on foreign investment we 

find ourselves in sympathy with those who insist that nothing should be 

done to undermine the foreign investor's confidence in the stability of 

this island and in the good sense of its people and their rulers. 

f( 

It is precisely because we support this view that we issue 

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this warning to the representatives of some of our mercantile, 

manufacturing and overseas investing interests. Wild and alarmist talk 

from them is as likely to undermine the confidence of foreign investors 

as is wild talk from any other section. Indeed, we venture to s uggest 

that wild alarmist talk is infinitely more dangerous coming from them 

than from other sections because overseas investors put that much more 

weight on what t hey say. Talk of dictatorship , of business peopl e 

packing up and pulling out, of a breakdown in law and order, is dangerous, 

misleading and calculated to spread alarm and despondency. To do t his 

so shortly after the death of our President is to do the country a 

particularly grave disservice. 

The facts of Mr. Freeways' resignation are clear. When we 

received the government statement we immediately approached MF~ Freeways, 

showed him the statement and invited him to comment on it, add to it, or 

subtract from it. We published the statement and Mr. Freeways' comments 

on the front page of yesterday 's issue. For any~ne to now suggest that 
L~~~ 

Mr. Freeways' resignation was the result of .cdliersian or pressure pf any 

kind is to fly in the face of the facts. 

this whispering campaign to desist. 

We warn those who have started 

The nine persons who now make up the Cabinet that governs 

this country are the elected representatives of the people. Their 

accountability is not to one group or section or one special interest. 

They are accountable to all the citizens of this island. They alone 

have the responsibility to govern, vested in them by the freely expressed 

choice of the peopl e . These nine (since Mr. Freeways chose freely to 

resign) assumed responsibility fully for the first time, without the 

guidance and massive authority of the late President, just twenty-four 

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hours ago. We urge everyone, especially our merchants, manufacturers, 

and overseas investors, to give them a chance to get on with the job. 

We do not say people should not lobby for their own interests. But 

we warn sternly that the t ype of wild talk and threatening postures in­

dulged in by some of those we have mentioned are a greater danger to t he 

i sland than the t hings these people profess to fear. Respect for a 

country and its people is expressed, in the first instance, by natives 

and outsiders alike showing respect for the elected government of that 

country." 

Max Johnson phoned down to the press room to s ay that the 

las t piece of copy was ready, then he smiled humourlessly at Martha. 

"Think they 'll get the message?" 

She shrugged slightly . "Not if tonight's little do means 

anything. I think they 've got old F.F. talked into campaigning as the 

businessmen's candidate." 

"Oh no!" Johnson groaned. 

"Yes. Divine right to rule and so on. They didn't say 

it but I could feel it. Old F. F. sensed it and looked .flMMN- miserable 
l~~ 

every timei a hint of the latent white chauvinism coming to the surf ace." 

"What about the local peopl e ; the I saacs crowd and so on?" 

"Not represented. No J ews, Syrians, Arabs were there." 

"But surely old F. F .•• \ ' 

"He didn't know how it would be, Max. He's being used; 

he' s hurt and disappointed and it's always easy to use someone like t hat." 

"Hope to God s omeone gets him out of this mess," Maxwell 

Johnson murmured as he got up. "Come , I'll buy you a drink." 

"Sorry; young Simpson's going to introduce me to some of 

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Josiah's supporters." 

tomorrow." 

"This time of night?" 

"Didn't seem to bother him. So you may not see me at all 

"Al/ right; but check in if you're away from your phone. 

I expect a run-in with some of our respected directors over our leader." 

"They'll be too scared and uncertain to be rough," she 

said. 

He nodded. "Anything new on Josiah?" 

"No . He's not been seen since the Cabinet went into 

emergency session. Saw Powers; smug as a sleek fat cat but uncommuni-

cative. I hope to get something out of young Simpson." 

afterthought: 

"Young man on the way up?" 

"Yes; and he deserves to be. Very bright." 

"And very bitter," he murmured drily , and added, as an 

"I hear." 

Trust you not to miss a trick, Martha Lee thought and said; 

a cool remoteness to her voice: "With reason, bredda man; with reason." 

Johnson half turned away from her, grabbed the copy from his 

desk and handed it to the man who appeared at his door. He waited till 

the man was out of earshot, then he said, without looking at Martha : 

"I think it's important to have a line on the Isaacs attitude at this 

stage. \\\" 
-1o 

"Are you assigning me [ he job?" 

"Yes !" he snapped, suddenly irritable. 

An odd little smile flickered across her face. Everything 

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becomes personal here in our land; perhaps this is the last remnant of the 

African thing in us; and for all your being born somewhere else and of another 

culture, you are caught up in it too, Max Johnson. She said, "Right, sir!" 

and it was a gentle sneer. She walked away from him, down the large deserted 

news room to the door and the waiting lift. Just before she drove off the 

great presses started and a steady hum took over from the silence of the 

deserted avenue. 

When Martha Lee reached home Andrew Simpson's car was parked 

outside her gate. She put her own car away, spent a few minutes in the house 

tidying herself up and changing her skirt and blouse for a pair of s lacks and 

her favourite high-necked Chinese-style blouse with its wide deep pockets. 

The telephone message pad showed that Joel had phoned the house before trying 

to reach her at the paper. Must have been a matter of importance and for a 

passing moment she was tempted to try and reach him till she realised, 

looking at the clock, that it was a little after one in the morning. The 

thought began to form in her mind: He might not be alone. She killed it 

deliberately , as a person would step on a biting ant. She went out to Simpson 's 

car. 

"Hope I didn't keep you." 

"A little; but it's alf right." He got the car going then looked 

quickly at her. "I'm glad you could make it. I - we - know }IOU must be tired." 

Why this gratitude, she wondered. 

"You said a celebration of Josiah's supporters. Why?" 

"You'll see. You understand the invitation is personal, not to 

you as a newspaper person." 

"Just a minute, Andy. If you're saying I'm not to make use of 

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anything I might hear or see at your party then you might as well 

take me home again .•.• You should have know that. 11 

"I'm sorry I didn't make myself clear. We are 

not trying to impose any kind of restriction on you. It is just 

that we want you to know we didn't invite you for any publicity 

purposes and that for preference we would have no publicity at all 

right now. But that's up to you." 

"Who is ' we '?" She wished she could see his face. 

She sensed a new seriousness in Simpson, and she wanted to look into 

his eyes and try to read its meaning. 

"You'll see,11 he said softly. 

then 

After that they drove in silence for ten minutes and 
~ 

Simpsonl ~ into the sate of the home of one of the key second 

rank civil servants, a man whom Martha Lee knew. A large number of 

cars were parked on both sides of the street, the usual sign that a 

party was in progress. 

Martha Lee recognised many of the people immediately 

she got out of the car. Most of them were senior public servants 

stationed at key administrative posts all over the island. The over-

whelming majority were very dark : here and there, standing out in the 

uniformly dark setting , she saw a brown or white face, 'like spit on 

the face of the river' as one of her favourite Caribbean poets, ?he 

Haitian Jacques Roumain once put it . 
I 

But perhaps the most startling 

thing was the quiet, sober, orderliness of the party. It was going 

on for two in the morning, there was liquor to be had, but no one was 

tipsy let alone drunk. 
l 

The people sat or stood in groups, inside the 

house, on the veranda, on the front lawn, in the large garden at the 

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side of the house, talking earnestly, arguin~ .atfd exchanging ideas. 

Martha thought: These are the people on the fringe, 

the people with the training and ability to become part of the elite 

but because they are black and have not gone to the right schools, 

and do not have the right social connections, they have remained just 

on the fringe of the elite; highly placed and highly paid, but 

knowing that were it not for their colour they would be higher than 

those above them because their abilities are greater. 

Beside her , picking up her thought, young Simpson 

murmured : "Not the wild and destructive and irresponsible lot that 

all Josiah's supporters are supposed to be." 

"No," Marthe said and looked quickly up at his 

face. "But they are people who want to take over, not in order to 

improve things necessarily but to become the new elite, to replace 

the present pale skinned political and social elite by a dark skinned 

one. The question i s : do they care any more about the people?" 

The flashing smile lit up young Simpson's face . 

"I think they care but that isn't the important thing. What is im-

portant is to shift the balance of power and responsibility ." 

"And that will solve everything, Andy?" 

"It is the indispensable beginning. 

nothing is possible." 

Without it 

"You sound as though we are on the verge of Year 

One, as though nothing has happened before and everything is about 

to begin with Josiah." 

"Basically that is how it is. This is .QYl;. beginning." 

"Andy , let me ask you again. Who are the ' we' you 

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refer to?" 

He led her towards an outside bar, past a group of 

strikingly dressed and beautiful young black women. The women 

suspended their animated convevsation to turn and examine Martha Lee 

critically, ~ idly, and for all her self-assurance their stares 

made her feel out of place . Andy Simpson took her arm,. brought her 

to a halt, ,and Jun dtng l e 5 be-- turned to the young women and said: 

"This is Miss Martha Lee of The Voice of the Island." The frigidity 

immediately disappeared. The women showed their teeth in flashing 

smiles; one by one they offered Martha Lee their hands . As soon 

as Martha and Andy left ~hem the women dispersed, going from group to 

group to let it be known that the badly dressed woman with Andy 

Simpson was the famous Martha Lee, the political writer. And there 

was one woman who knew that she had an affair with that Jewish 

businessman, and this too was passed on among the women. 

At the bar Martha received her rum and water from Andy and 

said: "Thanks for the rescue operation. It was awfully cold." 

"About that 'we' , " Andy smiled thoughtfully. 

here are representative." 

"All of us 

"Me too?" 

"Of course - unless ~ feel you 're not part of us." 

"What about your friend and mentor John Stanhope?" 

"He's an is lander, isn't he?" 

"I see •t\~I thought -" 

"We're not racialists, Miss Lee. You should know that. 

But we reject the notion that the only way we can prove that we are 

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not racialists is by perpetuating the present state of affairs where 

a tiny white minority is in control of all the key areas of real 

power in the land." 

"I thought real power was in the hands of the people• J/f" 

"Who have been misl~ d and abused and confused and mis-

educated for three centuries and more. They've been made to see 

their vote in terms of dirty five-shilling notes, curry goat feeds 

and white rum binges at election times. They 've learnt, in time , 

that the so-called real power of their vote was a face thing because 

their leaders, the people they elected, could be bought and sold by 

the money men. \ " 

"Oh come now, Andy! 11 

as platform stuff." 

Martha protested. 

"Yes, I know how crude it sounds; but you know as well as 

I do that this is what has happened - though not as crudely as I put 
-~ 

it. And if you tell me not all of them have done this I will agree 

with you and then I will ask you why it is that in spite of all the 

decent people that you claim exist we still have such vast inequali­

ties, such great gaps between those who have and those who do not 

and why the whites who represent less than five per cent of the nation 

still control something like ninety per cent of its wealth?" 

"Haven't you got your villains a little confused, Andy?" 

"There you go again, reading racialism into what I say ! 

I simpl y state\ the facts ." 

"Laced with elements of blame which can be turned to bitter­

ness and hate which will not make things better by one iota f or your 

people and mine. I'm worried about your point of departure, Andy." 

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Andy Simpson spread his feet a little and braced his body, 

bal ancing it as one who is about to make some pqysical effort. A 

shy , t entative smi le made him l ook very boyish and young. Martha 

Lee thought: So young , so sensitive, so compassionate; I like you , 

young Simpson, and I ' m afraid of what they mi ght do to you: they 

s eem to have a sick need to use clean and upright men like you, these 

shaper s of the worl d. 

Simpson was caught in Martha Lee ' s mood. He forgot the 

thought that had been slowly dressing i tself in words . Instead he 

was envel oped in the disturbed and dist urbing tenderness that radiated 

suddenly f rom this woman. 

He said, and i t was 1 s >azo~sd involuntary exclamation: 

"What is it?" 

The woman smiled and the mood was gone, as though it were a 

thing of his imagining. 

"Shadows ," Martha Lee said quietly, "just shadows , Andy . " 

And Andy knew that there had been something more than his 

imaginings . Brief ly , without words , he and this woman had been 

close , intimate. And then the thought was there , sudden , unexpected: 

I wish this Martha Lee were twenty years younger. After that the 

reali sation came calmly to Andy Simpson that because of what had just 

pas sed between them he would always, f rom now onwards , be a littl e in 

L love with this woman who was too old for him to do anything about it. 

Martha rested her hand l i ghtly on his arm for a few seconds 

and then removed it. He l ooked i nto her eyes and knew that she knew 

what had passed through his mind. Then , whi le he yet watched, she 

was transformed into the cool , detached, analytical Martha Lee of 

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The Voice of the Island. 

"You were going to say . \ tl " she said. 

"I've forgotten," he said, knowing he could remember very 

easily, but not wanting to. "It111 come back.• 

A tall, sallow, brown-skinned man moved sd:c 15 bb'l:t purposefully 

to where they stood. His suit, of a light pastel shade, was cut in the 

latest style fashionable in London's Mayfair. He puffed a Blackfriar 

cheroot through an ivory holder. 

art of self-conscious locomotion. 

Each step he took was a study in the 

Andy Simpson turned on his diplomatic smile and shook the 

newcomer's hand vigorously. "So nice to see you again. Have you met 

Miss Martha Lee of The Voice of the Island." 

- "No-0-0,11 the newcomer drawled, "but I've been wanting to, you 

know •••• " He offered Martha a limp hand and cocked his head sideways. 

"Professional esprit de corps, you know, though my main occupation is 

books, of course. These stints as foreign correspondent are good for 

discipline and keeping one's feet on the ground, you know ••• My editor 

gave me a letter to yours but I've not got around to seeing him yet. 

The people in the know on The Street and at your Embassy said nice things 

about you. Everyone said to get to know the island you simply must 

meet Martha Lee. Of course they tend to forget that I originally came 

from the island, probably because some of their best critics think I 

write better about their people than their own writers. I made it 

plain that I wanted none of this nonsense of being t yped as a 

Caribbean writer concerned and restricted to the limited life of the 

islands and the limited lives of their people. 

enough for that: like this jaunt I'm on now. 

Journalism's good 

None of the islands are 

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really worth more than a series of first-class articles, but they 

must be first-class, of course. If you must do a book, then make 

it funny; an exotic comic novel set in the sun and poking fun at 

the islands and their people. The English critics seem to love 

that. Look at the success of that fellow whatisname •••. Though I 

frankly didn't think the book was up to much, my dear. Didn't mind 

too much because it wasn't about our island, don't forget I still 

feel about this island though I'm now an Englishman with an English 

Passport •... Anj'lilay, let's have lunch tomorrow and talk about all this, 

shall we, Martha dear? My room is three-three-three at the Imperial 

and I shall be free from twelve onwards unless those people at the 

Ministry keep me though I've told them I want that part of my programme 

cut to a minimum - seeing only really key people, you know. I want 

to do something good for the island and we have a circulation of .... " 

Martha Lee made a strangled noise deep in her throat. Andy 

Simpson saw she was on the verge of exploding. He grabbed the writer's 

arm and hustled him away, saying urgently: "There's somebody important 

you really must meet, Mr. Mastering , one of the key people •... " 

Martha turned and looked appealingl y at the young man behind 

the improvised bar. "I need a strong one, please!" 

The young barman .a•• Hii•n ■uea "ih1 1 · II Je IP dill) i-- laughed 

with his eyes as he served her. Then he asked : 

"He really one of us?" 

"He was born here," Martha said, "but one of us, I don't 

know." 

"One thing for sure," the barman said, "he didn't learn to 

chat so here ." 

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"That's for sure," Martha agreed and felt much better. A 

new thought crossed her mind, making her feel worried. She offered her 

glass to the barman for a refill and said: "Know something , until I 

went to England I had a false picture of Englishmen. I thought they 

were all masters and prejudiced and rude and rich, because that's how 

I found them here. It was only after I met them in their own country 

that I saw them as ordinary normal people like us.Ttf' 

The barman noddec\:p kmtwing the rest of "he:t was in Meil' tha' ~ 

"And now you fear they think we all like this one." 

"Something like that." 

"It hard, heh, mum! And prejudice a hard thing ••.. " He 

turned away to serve a group pf bright young men. 

Andy Simpson returned without the writer. 

"That was the great Martin Mastering , our w , , l!cst gift to 

English Letters. 

Read it?" 

Trouble is his book - the one and only one - was good. 

Martha said "No." 

"You should. The story gives a new twist to the old one 

about the quaint habits of the •natives•. The 'natives' of his story 

are the English and a black anthropologist from an unnamed country goes 

and lives among them to study their customs, habits and beliefs in order 

to write a book. The result is the most hilarious kick in the pants for 

the English I've ever read.\\\Trouble is, now that I've met him I'm not 

so sure that's what he intended." 

"And his visit here? Whose foreign correspondent is he?" 

"London seems to see Josiah in much the same way as our 

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merchants and Mastering 's assignment is to come and see how close to 

dictatorship we are." 

"How's he doing?" 

"Miserably. There's too much noise; there are too many 

dogs ; too many babies; the streets are too dirty; people are un-

punctual; the sun is too hot; • • II service is poor ••• , 

"Just keep him away from me!" Martha Lee warned. 

"But he simply must see you and your editor, 11 Andy mimicked; 

"esprit de corps, you know." 

Martha let out an unladylike snort and spat out, softly but 

~ distinctly, the island's favouritp letter cuss word. Simpson 

stepped back in mock horror. One of the young men who had come up to 

the bar for service murmured: "Lady! Lady!" 

There was sudden commotion among the~ oups of people. 

They began to move towards the front of the house. 

"I think this is what we've been waiting for!" Simpson took 

Martha's elbow and urged her in the direction everybody else was going. 

"Josiah?" she asked. 

"Yes!" 

He was chauffeur-driven this time, in one of the Palace 

limousines. This particular house had a car-port that was part of its 

veranda, and the big black limousine drove right into it, and Josiah 

stepped out ci::f:.ii;t onto the veranda. Those on the veranda surrounded him, 

shaking him by the hand, but in orderly fashion, not crowding him, not 

pressing against him. 

Simpson worked his way through the crowd, gently pushing Martha 

in front of him. People recognised him and made way , till they too were 

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on the veranda. Close on, under the light, Martha saw how drawn and 

tired Josiah looked. His bloodshot eyes stood out in their sockets 

and every now and then he seemed to have difficulty keeping his 

drooping eyelids open. 

Si mpson said, "Excuse me , " left Martha and went closer. 

Josiah saw him and his face lit up. II Ah, Andy ! II 

Simpson said softly , "She ' s here, sir." 

"Good man! " Josiah reached up and put his hand on the 

shoulder of the tall young man. "Bring her to me. " 

Simpson saw the writer, Martin Mastering , some distance of f 

fighting his way through the clusters of people . He whispered to one 
u."'- ,, b-:,-.... ~.' , ' .Q., 

of the strapping young men who had formed ant9etruaive semi- circle 

about Josiah. The young man went among t he crowd, spoke to a person 

here and there , and then worked his way towards t he writer . Now the 

writer suddenly f ound his way blocked and the people unco- operative , 

and even hos tile , when he tried to bull his way through. At last the 

strapping young man reached the writer and spoke to him b~i etly . The 

writer gave up his attempt to get to Josiah. 

Josiah raised both arms above his head. The waiting people 

f ell s ilent. He said: " My friends) ~ brothers and sisters; t here 

is no need f or speechmaking between us. You and I know what I mean 

when I say the great work i s about to begin . The only ones who do 

not know what I mean are those who are not supposed to know. " He 

paused dramatically and a smile lit up his f ace . "And t hey will know 

when they will know. I came so that we can be t ogether f or a small 

passage of time so that you should know our compact is still t he main 

driving f orce in what is to come to pass . I expect all of you to go 

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back to your posts and carry on, because the only reward for us is 

more work. You will hear many things that will test your faith and 

your strength: you will hear of dictatorship, of tyranny, of collapse, 

and you will remember that we have waited a long time f or this moment 

when we can begin our work , the hard work that none of us may live to 

see finished." He lowered his head as though in prayer, then he looked 

up and smiled. 

No one applauded. This is religious, Martha Lee told herself, 

f eeling the mood of mystical commitment: the Rabbi, the religious, never 

needs, or receives, outward applause from his crligionists; 

inward and invisible, but palpable. 

it is all 

Then she was aware that Simpson had returned and was saying 

something to her. 

"He wants to s ee you." 

"Me? Josiah?" 

"Yes. Come." 

She was aware of many faces turned to her, of helping hands 

urging her forward, of f riendly eyes caressing her because their leader 

showed regard for her. Then she was beside him. She knew him, had met 

him and spoken with him many times before; she had fended off many eff orts 

on his part, as she had on the part of ~ other politicians, to plant 

But then he} t.:! ;1;;.--one of a number of 

politicians, one of the smartest, but still just one; now he was the man 

ideas and make use of her. 

at the centre, and in spirit he seemed larger than he had been before -he­
; 

bei:aa,e 1!ne man at the :.:entre, calmer, in control. Or was it because 

both he and she were aware of his new power€), ,he w seres: 1~ it the man 

who has changed and grown? Or is it my awareness of his new power that 

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• 

• 

• 

- 171 -

makes me invest him with these new qualities? Like how handsome and 

gallant an ordinary young fellow becomes when dressed in a dashing 

uniform? 

His smile suggested that he had an idea of what was passing 

through her mind. 

"It was good of you to come," he murmured. 

"My pleasure , Mr. Minister." She knew this kind of small­

talk was an effort for him. 

"Come inside." He signalled to Simpson and the three of 

them went into the house. No one else followed. ~ .. ~cl.cz, ~ stopped 
} 

abruptly, turned to Martha and said: "I've seen your editorial." 

For a few seconds she was nonplussed, then she connected 

and said : "But you can't have!" 

He smiled and looked at Simpson. "It reached me just 

about the time Andy picked you up• \,\Oh, I shouldn't bother to find 

out how." 

Martha felt cold suddenly, withdrawn and on guard. 

"I'm not the only one, Miss Lee," Josiah murmured. "The 

.r 
chay::an of your Board also has a copy and so has a friend of yours in 

the Isaacs set-up. At least, I know copies went off to them. I 

have no way of knowing whether they've read them or not. The thing 

is: don't get angry with me or invest me with a new villainy because 

I do what my enemies do in order to know what's going on." 

"No one is supposed to. \ ~ " Martha began. 

"Its been going on a long time," Simpson cut in. 

"The thing is ,I liked your editorial," Josiah said. "I 

would have emphasised one or two points a little more but it will do. 

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• 

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~ understand you yourself attended a meeting earlier this 

night and so I don't understand why your editorial does not mention 

the fact that the meeting represented a largely expatriate business 

group with strong anti-semitic undertones. I should like you t o 

follow this up. Forget t he implied anti-semitism if you like but 

give weight to the latent conflict between expatriate and local 

business interests. t\\ 11 

"Mr. Minister . .. ~._'.' Martha began. 

"In return," Jos iah said insistently, brushing her objection 

aside, "In return, here is something special which you can use f irst. 

Presidential elections will be held as soon as possible. Instead of 

waiting out the three months we will call t he election within four 

weeks of a resolution to this effect being passed in parliament. 

Parliament will meet in special session late tomorrow evening and the 

resolution should be passed a little after midnight. \\..\" 

lt-te JPI, Rahn ;ia.. Martha Lee realised ~ the timing had 

been especially arranged to ens ure that she 'scooped' radio and tele-

vision. 

She said "Thank you, sir!", warmly. 

"You'll find that section twenty-three, sub-section sixteen 

of the Constitution~ gives us power to call such elections under 

certain conditions.~ 11 

"And who, s ir, will be your party's candidate?" 

Jos i ah pursed his lips and shook his head. "I favour either 

Mr. Smith or Mr. Powers but my colleagues seem determined that I 

myself stand. \ \ 11 

"May I say this?" 

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"Of course, but no direct quotes, you understand. Md I 

suggest you talk to some of the other Ministers. In fact it might 

be an idea if you and your editor have lunch with me tomorrow. 

You will then be able to meet my colleagues for a little off-the-

record chat. One thing, Miss Lee. I want none of this to get about 

until after it has gone through parliament. Tell your editor and 

prepare your story - and call on Mdy for anything more you may want -

but don t ou or your editor discuss it with your friends: not with 

Stanhope and especially not with your friend Sterning. t ~, " 

Martha began to raise a protest but before she could dress it 

in coherent words, Albert Josiah turned from her and walked quickly out 

of the room. She rushed out after him and was just in time to see 

his limousine drive off, and a small brown hand waving to his highly 

disciplined supporters. 

Martha stood on the veranda and watched the car drive out of 

the gate and down the wide street. Then she became aware that she was 

trembling , aware that the beating of her heart was so violent that she 

felt it behind her ears, jarring her head. No one had ever told her 

what to write and what not to write, whom to see and whom not to see! 

Md with that casual air which suggested that that was how it would be! 

Md because she was an honest and intelligent woman she recognised and faced 

up to the primary reason f or the violence of her anger: Josiah's 

quiet assurance had frightened her. And being afraid in this way , of 

some nameless, irrational feeling of impending disaster, was something 

new for Martha, creating a sub-area of shame- faced self-consciousness : 

and yet her awareness that her fear bordered on the superstitious did 

not in any way lessen the intensity of that fear. 

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Simpson touched her lightly on the shoulder. She shook 

her shoulder violently , making it plain she found his touch abhorrent. 

Then she walked away from him in long brisk strides. 

and caught up with her bef ore she got to the gate. 

He followed 

"You're a realist, Miss Lee. You understand the problem .... " 

He took her arm and forced her to a halt, but gently, using only 

enough f orce. 

"If this is your reality you can keep it and go to hell with 

it! I want no part of it!" 

11 And your people?" he said softly . "Should they go to 

hell too?" 

A great weariness swept over her. Of course, it had to 

be in the name of the people: always in the name of the people, for 

the people. 

Andy Simpson said: "Miss Lee, you know as well as I do -

better r f act - that the so-called free organs of opinion, press , 

radio, television, have been used t o serve certain special interests . 

You know this; I don't have to s ay it to you. You know - better 

t han most - that f or t he htJ?gry and the homeless and the illiterate 

and those in darkness in the bush your free pr ess and free speech 

~ 
~ not meant anything. Is he so wrong when he says let us for a 

change use the pres s in the service of the people, in the interest 

of making life better for them, instead of in the service of the 

margin-gatherers? So he inhibits you a little, but in the interes t 

of the peopl e . Is that so wrong?" 

She t hought: There is just enough truth in t his to make it 

hard to answer. Aloud , impersonally , she said: "Tyranny often has 

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small beginnings, like inhibiting one journalist a little." 

"So what do we do?" he asked, and added, "In our context, 

to act in the interest of the people is to of fend someone, some 

special interest . No matter what we do, someone will cry t yranny . 

He said it here not so long ago. So what do we do, Miss Lee?" 

"You make it sound very easy, Andy . " 

"It is you who make it s ound very easy ; it is you who talk 

about the small beginnings of tyranny . Tell me how we can do a job, 

which I know you agree needs to be done, without soiling our hands . " 

"And when you've done the job, will we have any free insti­

tution left? .• •• Take me home now , please: I'm ~ tired." 

He took her arm and they crossed the road to where he had 

parked his car. 

free institutions . 

"It depends," he said, "on which are the really key 

When your belly is full and you live in a nice 

house and your children are in good schools and you have running 

water and electric light and you can call in your doctor whenever 

there is sickness you are likely to have a very different sense of 

values from the man who is hungry and homeless and whose children are 

not in school and who cannot get adequate medical attention . The 

values of free speech and free institutions are relative . There are 

people - not only here but all over what has become known as the 

third world - who will happily t rade free s peech and free institutions 

for three square meals a day , a roof over their heads and reasonable 

health services . Are you prepared to say they would be making s uch 

a bad trade?" 

They got into the car and"~ drove off. 

She said "So it's all worked out , like every other move he 

has made." 

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"He doesn't want to interfere with the press unless there 

is no other way." 

"And you and your friends·.back there are prepared to do 

whatever he wants?" 

"He wants what we want; without him we can't do it, with 

him we can't fail. He is the spark our movement needs." 

"And you have no doubts about him? I mean you personally, 

Andy?" 

"None whatever, Miss Lee; not one." 

Martha looked jlllS:f at the houses flashing by like dark 

shadows. It would be a crime to try to undermine this young man's 

faith. All that mankind has achieved thus far on earth has been 

based on this kind of faith. Without it very little could have been 

done, very little achieved. But for the gifted and the perceptive 

and the genuinely compassionate ones the moment of recognition of the 

limitation of such a ffiaith had often been devastating , sometimes 

fatal. She said, softly, tenderly: "If things ever change, Andy , 

try to remember this night and our conveFsation, and that things are 

never as simple and clearcut as the shakers and shapers and revolution-

makers would have us believe. There are no interest-free shortcuts. 

If you skip a stage in one way, you pay for it in another. So i f 

things ever change , don't let the change change what you are, and what 

you believe and hold dear. You are fine the way you are, and what 

you're after is right both for yourself and our people." 

"But you don't trust him; you don't like him. Why?" 

"I don't know," she said. She thought: How do you make 

someone who lives with both love and belief understand how it is to 

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live without belief but with love. This Josiah of his is full 

of belief and without love and I am f ull of love and without 

belief. Yet Andy's probably right. Josiah will bring much that 

is good : it is only the price that is frightening to contemplate. 

Aloud, she said: "I'm not even sure you 're right in saying that 

I don't like or trust him." 

"Then what is it? Why are you not with us?" 

"I' m not against you." 

"It' s not the same thing." 

.v 
"Its all I can offer." 

He said nothing but she felt his withdrawal. 

still there when he dropped her outside her gate. 

It was 

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- THREE -

Most of those who worked i n the great Isaacs building, 

which occupied a whole block in the very heart of the city, had never 

seen old Nathan Isaacs. Those who started the Isaacs empire with 

him - in the days when the extent of its area was a single barnlike 

room thirty feet by forty feet and its capital was one man's will and 

gluttony for work - had either died or retired. So the coming of old 

Nathan to the office was an event comparable to a visit from British 

royalty or from the currently most popular coloured singer from the 

United States . Between the time when the sleek black limousine de-

posited the old man outside the great building and when the lift 

carried him up to the Board Room on the sixth floor, a matter of less 

than five minutes, everyone of the three hundred and sixty-two workers 

knew that ' Old Mass Nathan ' had come: and everyone knew that this 

meant something very special; and most of them guessed that there 

was a connection between the old man's coming to the office and the 

sensational midnight sitting of the house of parliament three days 

earlier and the disturbing press and radio headlines announcing ,.-■n;/ 

.;i,i&;hCi &U-:g.;• that Josiah would stand for President; that all foreign 

. . ~ . . companies on the island(H:- be required to sell half their shares to 

local investors; that the freehold ownership of property would be 

restricted to natives and that foreigners would only be allowed to 

lease propert0 p to a maximum time period of twenty-five years; that 

all natives must declare whatever stocks, shares, property and other 

holdings and money they may have deposited abroad; that all schools 
~ K L~ come directly under the control of~ overnment in an integrated 

education programme and that education~ immediately become free and 

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compulsory for all children between t~ es of five and 

every young person, male and female,e,~ive two years 

service to the country; that thereJ...wJd:l be direction of 

fifteen; that 

of national 

labour and 

of investment, control of wages and profits and a development tax 

levied on everybody. Josiah would fight the Presidential election on 

this programme. F.F. Freeways, former Prime Minister and Minister of 

Financial Affairs had announced that he would stand against Josiah and 

agaiRst the programme. All the workers in the great Isaacs building 

knew , some vaguely and in a general sort of way, others sharply and 

clearly, that it was these developments that had brought old Nathan 

down to the office for the first time in well over twenty years. And 

the very few in the know, . the private secretaries, the personal assist­

ants, the key departmental heads, were aware that the old man, his two 

elder sons, Nathan Junior and Emanuel, and his daughter Clara, were all 

waiting for the youngest son and the chairman of the Board of Directors, 

Solomon and the spokesman for the Isaacs empire, Joel Sterning , to 

return from a conference to which Josiah had summoned them. 

"He's keeping them a long time," the old man said, a little 

impatiently. He had gone carefully over the lead story and editorial 

in the latest issue of The Voice of the Island. Now he pushed the paper 

away from him. He almost knew the details by heart. He ignored the 

radio transcripts: the radio station (and its television subsidiary) 

operated under a licence from the government , and since the terms of 

the licence empowered the President to cancel the franchise at will, ' in 

the national interest •
1 

the radio station was always very careful - s o 

careful indeed, that it sometimes i gnored straight news, as it had now 

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omitted from all its bulletins any mention of r.r. Freeways' 

candidacy in the forthcoming Presidential election. 

The telephone rang. Young Nathan picked up the receiver, 

listened for a while, then snapped "No!" and hung up . Even he 

seemed ruffled out of his normal ponderous phlegmatic solidity. There 

was little of the hearty overfed farmer about him now. Beside him at 

the long board table, on the right hand side of their father, his 

brother Manny sat , more colourless and past y-faced than ever, his eye­

lids red and swollen. But he seemed calmer than either his father or 

e l der brother. 

Clara who stood at t he window looking down at the road, 

turned her head and said: "They're coming." 

Soll y and Joel came up very quickly , aware of the tense 

anxiety with which they were awaited in the beautifully panelled and 

cooly comfortable Board Room. 

rasped: "Well!" 

They entered the room and the old man 

Solly said: "Easy , father," and went to sit on the left-

hand side of the old man, close to him. 

Joel paused at the door and looked at each Isaacs in turn, 

and they were all conscious of a new gulf between him and them and 

that it was a creation of his mind. Clara moved quickly towards him 

and in spite of the moment his mind registered the grace and beauty of 

her hips. She rested a hand on his sleeve, lightly, just above his 

wrist. He looked into her face and she saw and felt him grow less 

wit hdrawn, less remote. A sudden desire to put her arms about him, to 

press her body against his took hold of her. Instead, in a quick 

gesture, shyly self-conscious and wholly submissive, she raised the 

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hand she had touched, kissed the back of it then she rubbed it 

lightly against her cheek. 

"Christ! Not now!" Manny protested. 

"Shut up ! 11 Solly said sharpl y . 

"It is an odd time and place for the love game," young 

Nathan said, but mildly . 

"Alt i ght!" the old man said; "Alf i ght!" 

Clara went back to the window, withdrawn. 

"Just leave them alone," Solly warned. 

"It's alf i ght," Joel murmured, and joined the men at the 

table . 

"I asked you •••• !" The old man raised his eyes to the ceiling. 

"He asked for our co-operation," Solly said abruptly . 

"Josiah did?" Young Nathan sounded incredulous. 

"Yes." 

"Begin at the beginning," the old man ordered. 

"That's the beginning." 

The old man turned his piercing eyes on Sterning : "Joel •.. ?" 

"It's as Solly said, sir. His first words were ' Gentlemen, 

I called you here to ask for your co-operation, the co-operation of 

Isaacs Enterprises 1 ." 

"I don't believe it?" Manny exclaimed. 

" Al .,i ght?" the old man said. "You tell it." 

"He was quite open about it," Solly said evenly c1 detaet.941.y? 

"He knows that all the business interests in the island are against him 

and he knows that he will have a very tough job if he is faced with 

united opposition from the business interests .'\: " 

"An impossible job," Manny cut in. 

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"The way he put it," Solly went on, "the job is not 

impossible and I am inclined to agree with him; don't you, Joel?" 

Joel nodded. 

"It's impossible to buck the entire mercantile community," 

Manny insisted. 

"He said he knew that many merchants thought that. And he 

said they were wrong. He said he could buck the entire mercantile 

group/ and take over everything. He had no illusions about the 

result. The economy, here on the plain at least, was likely to 

grind to a halt; there would be dislocation, shortages, massive un­

employment, political unrest and possible starvation• \t\" 

"And he's ready to risk thiis?" Young Nathan asked. 

"Yes. He said if it happened he would simply be forced to 

go further than he wants to. He would have to nationalise everything , 

beat the ' racialist drums, drive all capitalis1 out of the country, and 

ask for help from the communist world. ~\ 11 

"This is blackmail!" Manny said angrily. 

"He called it whitemail." Solly smiled. 

"Will he do it?" the old man asked quietly. 

"Yes ; he'll do it." 

The old man looked at Joel; and Joel nodded. 

kept his eyes on Joel's face. 

"Will he do it in any case?" 

"I don't know," Solly said. 

"What d' you mean?" Young Nathan asked. 

"Whatever we do," Manny said impatiently . 

the things he t hreatens even if we co-operate"?" 

The old man 

"Will he do all 

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The old man said: "What do you say, Joel. 11 

11 Like Solly I don't know , 11 Joel said. 

Clara turned from looking out of the window and moved 

quickly into the room till she stood behind her father ' s chair. She 

put a hand on the old man's shoulder. 

"What do you think , Joel?" 

"I don't think he wants to nationalise or expropriate ," 

Joel said slowly~ thoughtfully. "At least I don ' t think he wants to 
,J 

do so now. He understands the problems involved, sees the difficul-

ties too clearly •\'t\" 
"Then call his bluff," Manny said. 

"But he isn't bluffing , is he , Joel?" the old man murmured. 

"No , sir." 

"Go on, Solly," the old man commanded. 

"That ' s all ,really ," Solly said. "With us on his side the 

others would s oon fall in line, or, at least, accept the new dispensa-

tion. He made it clear that he wouldn't then have to resort to 

extreme measures .\\\' 

"And our reward?" Manny asked softly. 

"We become the government's principal adviser and agent on 

all trading and business matters; we get a basic commission of two 

per cent; you can be sure we 'll make a lot out of it." 

"And we' 11 have power , 11 young Nathan murmured , "a great 

deal of power." 

The old man had been studying Joel ' s face searchingl y . Now, 

he half-turned and tilted his head upward till he could look into Clara ' s 

eyes. For the space of a quarter of a minute fat her and daughter 

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communed silently , then the old man turned back and looked at his 

sons and son-in-law s itting waiting on both sides of the long t abl e . 

The old man knew what he had to do; and the knowledge and the 

mental effort needed for what had to be done made him conscious of 

how tired he was, of how heavily the years weighed on him these days. 

He tried to shrug off the heaviness but it 

"Alf i ght , Joel. \ What is it? 

persisted. He sighed. 

You predicted this thing ; 

and it has come to pass . We are s afe and he asks f or our help because 

we followed your policies . Sure, most of us were against your line. 

I myself was all f or spending a lot of money to try and stop him. 

So were the others . Perhaps only Solly was with you, but only with 

half his heart because he's a born compromiser. Clara couldn ' t come 

into it because she's your wife ...• " He used his hands and lips, 

miming out the rest of his thought on that aspect . "The thing is, it 

came out as you said and you saved us . 

So what is it , Joel?" 

But you are not satisfied. 

Joel looked at the old man, then down at the table- top , then 

back at the old man , and finally , up at Clara, standing behi nd the old 

man, her hand on his shoulder, her index finger rubbing his sticking­

out ear in a gesture of absent- minded affection. 

111 hope we ' re not in for a morality ••.• " Manny began: but 

the old man snapped "Shut up !" and Manny swallowed and was silent. 

"Well, Joel?" The old man's voice was gentle to the point of 

tenderness . 

Joel kept looking at Clara. She thought : Like a drowning 

man clutching at a piece of floating straw. He's a weak man , really , 

and it isn ' t fair that one so weak should also be so morally scrupulous. 

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Then, with a tinge of bitterness to it, the thought-pattern rounded 

itself off: And I'm the victim of it all, of his weakness, his 

scrupulousness, his hatred of this world of business and the ugliness 

of island life; he blames me for all of them as a child gets angry 

with its mother because it rains and the child cannot go out to play. 

"We're waiting , Joel," she murmured, something of her feeling 

coming through. 

"He wants us to become his cannibals," Joel said evenly: 

"To do his dirty work and consume our own kind• t \• 11 

"That's not what he wants!" Solly snapped hotly. 

"Remember you sold him to us," Young Nathan said quietly. 

"Stop it! All of you!" the old man ordered; then, to Joel: 

"Is that what he really wants, Joel?" 

"You know what I mean ." Joel made an effort to speak calmly . 

"Whether he consciously wants it or not is unimportant. What is im-

portant is that doing what he wants will in fact mean our consuming our 

own kind. You know it, sir!" Emotion broke through. "His proposal 

that half of all stocks and shares in all industries should be locally 

owned is a calculated blow at the foreign- owned businesses here. He 

told us himself there isn't enough money in the island to buy half of 

all the foreign-owned businesses here, which is why he thought up the 

device of the government taking up the shares and paying for them with 

low-interest bearing Bonds redeemable in twenty- five years . In 

practice the government will i ssue Bonds in exchange for half of a 

company ' s stocks or shares . These Bonds will begin to bear three and 

a half percent interes t from the date when they become negotiable, 

which is a quarter of a century hence. Meanwhile the government will, 

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in addition to its taxes, colle ct dividends from its newly acquired 

and unpaid-for shares which will earn anything from seven percent to 

fi f teen percent per annum. \\\" 

"So this is robbery," the old man said softly. "It was 

because I f eared this that I wanted him stopped. You said he could-

n't be stopped and you were right. So now he does what we feared he 

would do. You said if he did it, it would be for the good of the 

people. So. . ?" 

"Do we have to be involved in his destruction of the foreign 

businesses?" 

"I see.· \'..' the old man s aid 111! 11ezrs»9. "You want 

us to refuse to co-operate with him. Solly , what would happen i f we 

said to this Mister Josiah: ' No sir; we do not like you; we do not 

like what you plan to do; we will not co-operate with you; we are 

bus iness people, not politicians; leave us alone to do our business.' 

Will he leave us alone, heh?" 

"No sir," Solly murmured, looking at Joel. 

"Heh, Joel, will he?" 

"No," Joel s aid. 

"Alf i ght then," the old man said, forcing himself to a 

briskness he did not feel; "let us f ace facts. It is a nice word 

you use, that cannibalism: man eat man, dog eat dog , cat eat cat. 

But don't we do it all the time in business? How do you think we 

made the money we have today? In business you must be a cannibal; 

you must eat your rivals or they will eat you. This is nothing new. 

And this Mister Josiah comes to us not becaus e he likes us but because 

he wants to do something and he looks f or the skills and know-how to 

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get the job done. If we don't do it, he will find others to do 

it. And if we refuse him he will consider us his enemies and he 

would have to be a fool to want to leave his enemies alone at a 

time like this, especially if they are as strong as we are. So? 

I promise you that if we refuse to help him he will not leave us 

alone. It stand to reason. Unless he's a fool, of course. Is 

he a fool, Joel?• 

"No." 

"So there we have it: cannibalism is part of business, it 

is how we got rich and powerful; if we don't do what Josiah wants 

others will and they will be the cannibals and we will be the eaten 

ones. And one more thing, Joel; when people get to where we are, 

when they have what we have, they cannot just resign or withdraw. 

When the politician loses an election he can withdraw till his turn 

comes around. We cannot." Suddenly the old man seemed to run out 

of all stamina. His face and body seemed to shrink. "I don I t like 

it any more than you do but I'm too old to run away from where I was 

born. Besides, I don't want to. {\\" 

"So we go along with Josiah," Manny said, breaking the long 

silence that followed the old man's last words. 

"We have no choice," Young Nathan said. "In any case, 

that's what both Solly and Joel advocated; and Clara and Papa went 

with them and so we went along. Come on, Joel, admit it; this was 

your line! I agree we thought you mad but you were right•• t\' ' 

"There is always choice," Solly said. 

The compromiser, the old man thought with weary tenderness: 

half hardheaded business man, half dreamer like Joel. And it is you 

two who must dea l with the new ruler. 

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"Yes," the old man said quietly. "You can always choose to 

either live or die, and even when you're as near the grave as I am, you 

still. find yourself choosing to live•'\t\ 11 

Wash your hands of it now, Clara thought; and the thought 

became an act of will. Do it now! I'll go along; I'll be with you; 

look at me, Joel! Look! 

And when he raised his eyes to her face she thought it was in 

response to the force of her mind, so she concentrated harder , mirroring 

the thought in her eyes so that he should see it • 

••• We 'll go away, just you and I , to your beloved Europe; to 

Israel, if you like, and start again. It's not too late for that. 

They'll give me something as my share of the business; enough for us to 

live on. Tell them! And then we'll wal k out together, free! .•. 

Joel shifted his gaze from Clara's face back to the ol d man's. 

The old man said: "You yourself told us he will make things 

better for the poor. ,\\" 

Yes, Joel agreed silently ; yes . 

" ••• And you know business , especially international business, 

can take care of itself. The home firms can put pressure on Whitehall 

and the State Department , and London and Washington in turn can , if 

they wish , make Josiah listen as all of us put together here cannot. 

Don 't misunderstand me, boy , but I think you 're looking for trouble. 

If he 's going to do what you want, which i s to better things for the 

poor , and if i t suits our business too, then I would have thought you 

would be happy. Remember the people you're concerned about are not 

concerned about us: they would break and sell us tomorrow if they got 

a chance. And many of them make no secret of their anti-semitism.~ " 

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"~l f ight," Joel said, trying to hide his unhappiness. And 

because of his own spiritual misery he did not see the unhappiness 

mirrored in the look that passed between Solly and Clara. 

Old Nathan Isaacs closed his eyes and leaned back for a few 

minutes like one summoning his last remaining reserves of strength; then 

he straightened up, opened his eyes and announced briskly: 

"Frankie Freeways came to see me at breakfast this morning. 

You know why. Told him I couldn't tell him anything till I'd met 

with the directors here but I warned him not to hope for anything. 

Don't suppose we can give him a little campaign money •• . " the brisk­

ness went out of the old man's voice and a wistful note crept in . \ 

"Frankie and I went to the same school, you know; he was younger, of 

course, but he was in my House the year I was House Captain . Nice 

man, too; did some good work for the country. " The old man looked 

at Solly , not as his son but as Chairman of the Board of Isaacs 

Enterprises , and it made quite a difference . 

tell him?" 

"How you want me to 

"I ' ll do it for you," Solly offered. 

The old man shook his head. "That would be cruel•\\" 

Joel looked at his watch and said: "Josiah wants to make the 

preliminary announcement in the midday news bul letin so that it can be 

raised in parliament tonight . He ' s expecting to hear from us about now." 

"I want to tell Frankie before i1:!s on the radio , " the old man 

said. "Clara, come with me to Solly's office. ,\" 

went to him. 

"Are we agreed?" Solly asked. 

He got up and Clara 

"Yes," the old man said harshly; "we're agreed, aren't we, 

Joel?" 

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- 190 -

"We're agreed," Joel said. 

Solly picked up the telephone and dialled the number that 

would connect him with Josiah working at the great presidential desk . 

After a while he said: 

"Solomon Isaacs here, sir. My Board has just agreed to your 

request • • • We're at your service .. • Yes, sir. 

make our contribution • .. " 

Unanimously ••. We want to 

Those watching saw Solly's jaw suddenly tighten as he clenched 

his teeth. 

" •. . If making our margin also helps the country .. . Yes, sir, 

we ' re all satisfied with two percent •. . " 

At last Solly put down the telephone and stood still, staring 

into space till some of the anger left him, then he shrugged slightly and 

lit a cigarette. 

In Solly's office old Nathan Isaacs spoke on the tel ephone to 

his fFiend and former school mate, Franklyn F. Freeways, former Prime 

Mini ster and Minister of Financial Affairs, and f w the man who would 

oppose Albert Josiah in the Presidential election due at the end of 

three weeks. He said: "I ' m sorry , Frankie, and take the advice of your 

friend and don't stand . . . " but before he could complete the sentence the 

line went dead at the other end. 

but without anger : "he hung up. 

going to mash him up." 

The old man looked at Clara and said, 

The bloody f ool; this boy Josiah is 

"Isn ' t that better sometimes?" 

"Stop that , girl. 

on like Joel. " 

I gave you a business head. 

Solly came in and Clara asked: "Where's Joel?" 

Don't you go 

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"He's just lefto" Selly said. 

She grabbed the phone but the downstairs receptionist told 

her Mr. Sterning had just driven away. 

Josiah rose from the great desk and walked briskly out of 

the President's office past the Cabinet Room, down the passage, past 

the busy administrative offices and into the large conference room. 

Ever ybody in the room looked up as he entered and there was something 

of the air of a headmaster walking into a room of model pupils. All 

the Ministers were present, each sharing a desk with the Permanent 

Secretary from his Ministry. There was a pile of files on each desk. 

A large blackboard against the wall farthest from the door completed 

the impression of a post=graduate class at work. 

The day after the Cabinet had gone into continuous emergency 

session Josiah had started these three=hour daily study classes that 

began at nine in the morning and ended at noon. He had told his 

colleagues that as representatives of the people they had to educate 

themselves into being fit for their jobs. And so days had been set 

aside when specialists from the university had come to instruct the 

Ministers in the history of their country, its economic and social 

and constitutional structure, its people and their diverse racial and 

geographic origins and their social habits and cultural history. 

Other days had been set aside for each Minister, in turn, to explain 

in very great detail the structure and f unction of his Ministry and its 

place in the over=all national picture. The first Minister who had 

performed this particular task had been Mr. Richard Young, the Minister 

of Youth and Community Affairs. Mr . Young had been given the best part 

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of a week in which to prepare himself but it had soon become clear that 

he had not done his homework and that he expected to get away with 

' fine language' and his: "My Permanent Secretary will fill out the 

details for those of you who are not familiar with them." When he 

finished and sat down, obviously pleased with himself, Josiah had 

questioned him, quietly, coldly, in devastating detail till it was plain 

to all present that Mr. Young had only the haziest notion of the structure 

and workings of his Ministry. Then Josiah had said: "A teacher must 

prove qualification before he or she is permitted to teach our children, 

a doctor before he can heal the sick; the people under you, Mr. 

Minister, your Permanent Secretary and the lowliest established civil 

servant in your Ministry have had to prepare themselves for their jobs, 

have proven fitness •.. " 

"I prot est!" Little Young had begun angrily. 

But Josiah had gone on. "Fitness for the job is the least we 

should expect of you, of all of us. If I were as ignorant of my job I 
,\ 

ld • ' '11 wou resign. \\ . 

Little Richard Young had been stunned into silent immobility. 

The classes, after that, had been serious and hardworking 

affairs; and the next Minister who had held forth on t he work of his 

Ministry had come very well prepared. 

Josiah looked across the room to where K. E. Powers, Ralph 

Smith and Mabel Anderson worked as a little group , their desks close to 

each other. 

"I've just had a call from Solomon Isaacs," he said, addressing 

Powers directly. "They' ll do what we want. I want your people to 

become difficult with all foreign firms . 

things like that." 

You know, permits , licences, 

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Powers nodded and whispered to his Permanent Secretary who 

left the room to phone the new directive down the line. 

Josiah turned his head till he was looking at where the 

Minister of Industrial Development sat. 

"You know what to do. \ " 

The Minister nodded. 

"Fine. Don't hesitate to consult; the matter is delicate 

and I'm available." 

Again the Minister of Industrial Development nodded. 

Josiah beckoned to Mathias , the Minister of External Affairs, 

then walked down the centre of the big room, between the desks, till he 

stood by the blackboard. When Mathias joined him both the blackboard 

and the blackness of the Minister of External Affairs, showed up 

Josiah's brownness, which was striking because he had projected so 

strongly the image of himself as a black man t hat everybody accepted 

him as a black man. 

He said to Mathias : "The howl will begin within the next hour 

so you 'd better get down to your office . As long as we didn't have 

anybody to do the job for us they were prepared to wait and see . 

Now that we have the Isaacs crowd they will know we mean business . 

Refer anything from London or Washington to me . And you'd better not 

bother about these seminars till we are over this thing. II 

" I ' m worried ," Mathias said. 

"Good ?" Josiah said, "so am I . Only fools don 't worry. But 

this is only the beginning. The hard things are still to come , and from 

our own people:1/ Then he turned and walked back to the door , leaving 

Mathias deep in thought . 

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When Josiah was out of the room Smith and Powers signalled to 

Mathias. He went to them. 

"What happens?" Smith asked. 

"He ' s worried too," Mathias said with a touch of wonder. 

"Says only fools don't worry." 

"That ' s our boy," Powers said , then: "Because of this merchant 

thing?" 

"He expects fireworks from London and Washington so I ' m going 

to my office . " Mathias looked searchingly at Powers . "Know something , 

he sounded soft just now, and kind and human and I thought it would be 

wonderful to have someone like that for a friend. And he said the hard 

things are still to come and from our own people . " 

"Will he pull this off?" Smith asked. "We'll be in a mess if 

he doesn't . " 

"You heard him say he's got the Isaacs crowd, " Mathias said. 

"Internat ional big busi ness is rough , " Smith insisted. 

"I think he can do it," Powers said , adding, almost reluctantly : 

"I believe in him. II 

"I ' m beginning to, too , " Mathias said worriedly. 

Smith made a slight gesture with his head. " Don ' t laugh fellows: 

he ' s a boy to me in years but I can't speak to him man to man; i{s not 

exactly fear - you know how it is ••. " 

And because they knew how it was the other two held their peace . 

Josiah walked past the administrat ive office then changed his 

mind and turned back . There were flutters of excitement - men scrambling 

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to their feet, women tugging at dresses and blouses and patting their 

hair - as he walked through the general office , tapped on Stanhope ' s 

door and went in. 

Young Simpson, who was with Stanhope , rose to leave . 

waved him back. 

Josiah 

"What I have to say concerns you too , indeed it concerns all 

public servants . , I have been informed , Stanhope, that you have again 

told senior publ ic servants to defy polit ical instructions . \ \ " 

"No sir," Stanhope murmured evenly, "you were wrongly informed. " 

"I think not , Mr. Pr esidenti al Secretary! Did you not veto 

three appointments?" 

"Yes; because they were contrary to regul ations governing 

appointments to the Public Service . 

by the Services Commission - " 

If these appointments had been made 

"Of which you are the chairman!" 

"Yes sir. They would have been constitutional and valid." 

"Tell me, Stanhope , if I had personally recommended these three 

appointments to your Commissi on , would you have confirmed t hem?" 

He really wants me, St anhope thought calmly , looking up at 

Josiah leaning agai nst the door. "I don't know , sir. The question 

did not arise . " 

"You vetoed them on procedural grounds pur ely?" 

"Yes sir. " 

"Without reference to the other members of your Commission?" 

" I never act wit hout reference to the Commissi on on such matters . " 

"And they are with you?" 

"Both the Constitut ion and Service Regulations are explicit on 

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this point , sir." 

"AlJki ght! Now I ask you again : if I had personally re­

commended these three appointments what would you have done?" 

"The question never arose , sir." 

"It has ari sen now! Do you know anything about the three 

persons involved?" 

"I do." 

"Enough to assess character and capabilities?" 

"I think so." 

"I repeat then: i f I had personally recommended them to 

your Commission what would you have done?" 

"Only the Commission , as a whole, could do anything. With 

respect sir, I think you should put that question to a sitting of the 

Commissi on." 

"You should have been a politician," Josiah murmured sarcasti-

cally. 

"You are the politician," Stanhope said evenly. 

Josiah shrugged slightly , a flash of irritation passing over his 

face. "Alr i ght! Let us try once more . You know enough about these 

peopl e , you have looked into their training , their capabilities , their 

backgrounds, their characters with sufficient care to have formed some 

sort of opinion. Can we agree on that?" 

"Yes sir." 

"The other members of your Commission would have expected you to 

brief them on these people. Right?" 

"Yes s ir." 

"They would also have expected to be guided by your assessment and 

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judgement . Is that right?" 

"Yes sir." 

"All right . We are back at the edge of the water : let us go 

in. Would you have recommended appointment or not?" 

" I cannot answer that, sir." 

"You mean you won 't, don' t you?0 '.' Suddenly, Josiah was angry. 

"Come man! Tell the truth! You won't ! Isn ' t that it?" 

"Yes sir, " Stanhope said evenly. "I will not tell you. In t he 

interest of a non- polit ical and independent public service those who f ramed 

our Constitution saw fit to put all civil service appointments in the hands 

of the Services Commission and provided f r eedom from pressure to that 

Commission. One of the guarantees of the freedom of the Commission is the 

provision that only in the event of a grave miscarriage of justice being 

proven can its decisions be voided; another is that no individual member 

of the Commission shall be called upon to reveal his stand on the question 

of any appointment." 

"I ' m the head of state ," Josiah whispered with suppressed fury, 

"chosen by the people who will confirm their choice very soon. 

state I order you to answer me." 

As head of 

"I 1m sorry , sir , I cannot . I took an oath to uphold t he 

Constitution . \ 11 

~ 

"Against the interest of the people?" Josiah thundered, wild 

with rage now. He turned blazing eyes to young Simpson: "This 

gentleman ! This Presidential Secret ary! This head of t he civil service ! 

This gentleman who has been polished and made smooth by our f ormer imperial 

masters ! He tells me of his oath to uphold the Const i t ution. And I ask 

him: Against whom? Pray tell me sir, Mr. Presidential Secretary! I f I 
I 

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need t o make certain appointments to serve the i nterests of the people 

and you block those and tell me you are upholding the Constitution, I 

ask you, is the Constitution against the people!" 

Josiah swung about abruptly and stormed out of the room. 

It was a long time before Stanhope was aware that young Simpson 

was speaking to him, urgently, almost pleadingly. "It is only an 

instrument, sir , a document of broad policies and principles and this 

one was written under the influence of the occupying power. For all 

these years old Moses Joshua has used it. We need something else to 

go forward ..• " 

"Then change it according to the rules!" Stanhope snapped 

angrily. "Now get out! I took an oath to uphold it, faults and all! 

I don I t expect you and your master to understand that! 11 

"Mr. Stanhope, 

"Get out!" 

• II sir ••• 

Young Simpson went out, trying to control the growing resentment 

he felt against Stanhope. 

After a while Stanhope rose from his desk and went to the window. 

He was startled by the peaceful picture outside: the trees stood calm 

and majestic, hinting at untapped oceans of tranquility, and the grass 

suggested a world made up of care-free Sunday morning picnics. 

Back at the ~ presidential desk Josiah wondered briefly , as 

a passing thought, whether John Stanhope was a political idiot or a man who 

cared nothing about his people . Then he pushed the thought aside and ,-~ 
went lsl!lleic "t!-e his work. He worked steadily for two hours then he 

straightened ~•h eme turned his neck from side to side loosening 

its tense muscles; then he relaxed all his body , slumping back 

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in the great chair, and allowed only his mind to work. But even 

as he thought out the problem he knew that he had really decided on 

its solution right there in Stanhope 1s office while they were still 

jabbing words at each other: from that moment till this the details 

had been working themselves out at one level of his mind, at what is 
~ 

now called the subconscious level, while allowing the/ areas of his 

mind to grapple with the mass of important documents on the ~ 

desk. A man ' s most dangerous and tricky possession is his mind: 

the thought brought a quick, flickering smile . He leaned forward, 

pressed his finger on a switch and spoke into the tiny black box that 

connected him by sound to the general office: "Send Mr. Simpson here, 

please . 11 He removed his finger and the circuit was broken. 

Simpson knocked and came in. 

the desk to the young man. 

Josiah rose and walked round 

"We'll have to do s omething about the Services Commission, 

Andy . 11 

"I know, sir. I tried to reason with Mr. Stanhope . " 

"Don't misunderstand him, Andy . I have no doubt about his 

integrity . I don ' t think he ' s against me or us . It is just that 

for him the Constitution of this country is more important than are 

its people; in the name of legality he will hold up progress . The 

law and regulations governing the Services Commission will have to be 

changed , but we can ' t afford to wait till after the election to make 

these appointments that he ' s blocked. They are part of the pattern 

for winning the el ections decisively : you know that." 

"Yes s ir. " 

"D1you think anything could be done to win him over?" 

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"No sir," Simpson murmured reluctantly. "I tried. 11 

"Then we have no choice, Andy. I want to see the two other 

members of the Commission as soon as possible.~\Arrange for me to 

have dinner with them tonight, and I don't want Stanhope to know any­

thing about it or to contact them before I've seen them." Josiah sensed 

Simpson's unhappiness. "I dislike this as much as you do, but what are 

we to do? Abandon everything because one man, an honourable but mis-

guided man, stands in our way?" 

"How far do we go, sir?" 

"You know the answer, Andy. 

everything if he resists?" 

You tell me: do we give up 

"We can sidestep him." 

"You know the country and you know our people. 

we sidestep him how will the country interpret it?" 

11! see your point." 

Tell me, if 

"Alf i ght! And if the country tells him that he's scored a 

victory it will strengthen his hand and comfort our enemies . Do you 

think the Isaacs people will play ball if they bean Stanhope dug in 

his heels and got away with it? I think not. So we are back to this: 

Are we tough enough to pay the price? 

have started on this road. " 

If we are not then we should not 

"I'll arrange for the dinner, sir." 

"Just a minute, Andy. I'd like to hear you answer the question 

you asked me . How far do we go?" 

"All the way," young Simpson said firmly, "if he does not give 

way." 

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"And you know what that might mean?" 

"Yes sir.11 

"There are no easy ways, Andy; no painless methods of breaking 

out of situations such as ours. And remember, our enemies are on the 

alert. Let them see any sign of weakness and they will pounce. We 

~ sidestep Stanhope, and still carry on with our plans . But if the 

Isaacs crowd dug in their heels and refused to co-operate everything 

would be undone. At the moment there is nothing I can do to f orce them 

into line were they to defy me. Then why have they not defied me? 

I'll tell you, Andy. Because at the critical moment of confusion I took 

over at the Palace and acted decisively; because when old F.F. defied me 

the Cabinet broke him and he resigned; so in their eyes I'm a strong man. 

I took over when there was confusion and I defeated each and everyone who 

bucked up against me . I've kept little Richard Young in the Cabinet 

because he has helped build up the myth of my ruthless strength by the 

stories he s preads•\\You just persuade the Isaacs people that anybody 

can defy me and get away with it .•• " 

"Doesn't he understand this, sir?" 

"I don 't think so; I don't think he wants to. 11 

"Does he understand what might be involved for him?" 

"I'm sure he does, Andy. I f you doubt me you try and explain it 

to him." 

"Then we have to break him ,11 Simpson said thoughtfully , unhappily. 

"Yes, Andy: a decent and honest man who has served his country 

faithful ly and who now stands stubbornly in the way of its progress . There 

is one consolation. Li ke old F. F. he will never do anything to subvert the 

legally constituted government so we don 't have t o do anything more dr astic 

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than force his retirement. See what I meant when I told you - all 

of you - that we'd sometimes have to pay a high price and that t here 

would be times when we would hate the nature of the price." 

"He'll only be retired," Simpson snapped, shaking free of 

his emotional mood and remembering how Stanhope had ordered him out. 

"The thing is that he's forcing our hand," Josiah said, 

turning back to his desk. 

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~ THREE: 

The Executor s 

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The sun was going down now, and darkness was racing on the 

land from the east, making black shadows of t he higher mountains far 

behind the hill where the man with the rifle lay waiting. 

The man listened and grew tense as a distant, steady, hum 

came faintly to him. He adjusted his body, making it as comfortable 

as possible. He had an urge , now, to test the rifle by firing a 

round •• • What if it would not fire? What if t here were some flaw? 

This was something he shoul d have done an hour ago when he had first 

assembled the thing. Too late now. 

He concentrated on the approaching sound, determinedl y , in 

order to get away from t he wave of uncertainty . It worked: he grew 

calm, remembered the needs of the land and what had to be done . 

The sound came nearer , grew louder , became identifiable. 

Josiah ' s limousine, preceded by two motorcycle police escorts , 

and followed by two more, was drawing near. 

The man put his finger to the trigger and l ooked t hrough the 

sights that brought t he road close up. 

The sound of the engines was close now. 

The man prayed: Dear God , forgive me . It i s not what I want 

to do ; it is what has to be done for the sake of the land and its 

people. It is for this only that I break your sixth Commandment , for 

the sake of the land and i t s people , for he i s destroying all that is 

beautif ul in both. Amen . 

Then the man braced himself. 

The limousine came easily round the bend in the road and 

through the sights he could see how worried and preoccupied Josiah was ••• 

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- ONE -

The Presidential election which took place six weeks after 

the death of Old Moses Joshua was the briefest and most orderly in 

the history of the island. The two candidates were Albert Josiah 

and Franklyn F. Freeways. Josiah had the support of the Cabinet of 

Ministers, the trades unions, the farmers' organisation, and the 

organisation of civil servants (which for the first time in the 

island's history abandoned its stand of non-involvement in party 

politics). As the President of the civil servants' organisation 

explained it "There is no sense in servants of the government trying 

to be politically neutral when the government pays their salaries and 

the needs of the country have dictated the setting up of one party 

government." All this had come about shortly after the Presidential 

Secretary had suddenly left the island on six months pre-retirement 

leave. These developments had led Martha Lee to question, in her 

weekly political column, the legality of Mr. Freeways' candidacy. 

Her point was that if the law of the land permitted only one political 

party, and the official candidate of that party was Mr. Josiah then it 

was as illegal for Mr. Freeways to stand as it would be for him to form 

a rival political party. She discussed the pros and cons of this 

point in great and funny detail and for a week the 'Letters To The 

Editor ' page was crammed with interested and interesting responses from 

readers. Then Josiah summoned Max Johnson and all talk and writing on 

this point immediately ceased. Martha Lee was dispatched to one of the 

other islands to cover an important conference and her promised follow-up 

article on the Freeways candidacy never appeared. 

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Franklyn Freeways had t he support of the mainly white and 

coloured upper and middleclasses of the towns, the support of the 

majority of well established professionals people - the older 

doctors , dentists and lawyers - as well as that of those who ran 
1' 

small independent family businesses . 

quietly and covertly , the handful of 

Behind these r ups, w1ul ;,~ 

big foreign- owned companies 

worked hard for Freeways and put money into his campaign. 

The local merchants bided their time, waiting to see which 

way the wind would blow, how the cat would jump , on the alert for 

any sign f rom the Isaacs empire . Unknown to the rest of the mercantile 

community Josiah had told Solly Isaacs and Joel Sterning that he 

expected the Isaacs empire to maintain an att itude of strict neutrality 

throughout the campaign. "There is no political alliance between us, 11 

he had said casually , "only a business arrangement . You ' re doing 

business with me for a margin , not out of conviction or sentiment; let 

us keep it like that. 11 And so , in this elect ion , the Isaacs empire 

remained strictly neutral. 

Towards the last days of the campaign the rest of the mercantile 

community had grown suspicious . Perhaps the Isaacs neutrality was more 

apparent than real; perhaps t here was some deep dar k plot behind it. 

The quiet but open support the sugar int erests were giving Josiah added 

to mercantile suspicion . Then , eight days before polling day, marching 

supporters of Josiah encountered marching supporters of Freeways and 

there was a brief, sharp eruption of violence . Because the Freewa_% 

supporters were mainly pale- skinned and well-dressed and the Josiah 

supporters mainly dark-skinned and ill-clad the violence assumed 

dimensions of race and colour. The police very quickly put a stop 

to the fighting. But many merchants were greatly alarmed for they saw 

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it as the beginning of racial violence directed at all those whor 

fair-skinned. One of the mercantile organisations petitioned the 

Cabinet to suspend the election. The Cabinet ignored the petition. 

First one , then another, then another) the local merchants sent out 

feelers to Josiah's campaign headquarters: if there was a shortage 

of transport cars and trucks could be made available; printing bills 

could be met; free liquor for campaign functions . 

At a great outdoor rally Josiah told a gathering of more 

than fifty thousand of his supporters of all the wonderful offers of 

help and money and transport and liquor he had Ml.di at:, received from 

the~ mercantile community. He turned it into something that made 

his vast audience roar with great gusts of mocking laughter. t~f 

And when the votes were counted a few days later less than five 

percent of the total had cast their ballots for Franklyn F. Freeways. 

And for twenty-four hours all life on the island was transformed into a 

jubilant fiesta celebrating the end of one age and the glorious and 

hopeful beginning of another. And Josia~, the new President, moved 

among his people, laughing with them, embracing them, and feeding the 

dream that made each man and woman, each boy and girl, self-consciously 

aware of a new sense of ~ignity and purpose in being alive and belong­

ing to this land and this people . • . . 

Martha Lee returned three months after the inauguration of 

President Josiah. On the last day of the conference in the neighbouring 

island she had received a cable from Max Johnson ordering her to London 

and then the United Nations. She had tried to reach Max by phone that 

same night but the distant voice of the man at the Night Desk, guarded 

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and wit hdrawn and suggesting mor e plainly than words the spirit of 

'I'm not getting involved in this one ' made it plain to Martha that 

Max did not want her to reach him. So she had followed instructions 

and spent three months in Europe and the States, sending occasional 

pieces about the doings of expatriate islanders and her weekly column 

which dealt now with the events of the great wide world instead of 

island affairs. 

Now the great plane had landed and she was ready to disembark . 

The young man from immigration greeted her warmly, as one welcoming an 

old friend . Immediately, she felt better, more able to bear the mood 

of quiet depression that had been with her these past three months. 

This was home and it was good to be home . 

The young man said: "Want me to arrange about your baggage, 

Miss Lee?" 

"Please," she said. Nothing like corning home; nothing in the 

world. He took the luggage tickets from her, wrote a quick note and 

gave tickets and note to a porter to take t o the customs house . 

"Go along with this porter and they'll see you through quickly, 

Miss Lee." 

"Thanks very much." Very good to be home. She looked quickly 

at the small cluster of people who stood waiting. There was no one she 

knew, no one to welcome her. 

In the customs shed another friendly young man asked the usual 

questions then let her through without opening her luggage. There was 

still no-one she knew outside t he cus toms shed so she told the porter to 

f ind her a taxi. Then she saw among the airport taxis and limousines 

from the hotels come especially to pick up tourists, a private car that 

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seemed familiar and that was having di fficulty getting by the 

hustling taxis. She went to the porter and told him, pantomime-

wise, to defer trying to get a taxi. 

At l ast the car got through and inched its way to the curb 

where Martha stood. Joel Sterning came quickly out of it and 

walked round the car to her. 

An airport policeman sauntered up and said only taxis could 

stop there. Sterning ignored him. The porter explained, a little 

agressi vely : "He I s only picking up the lady ." 

Sterning took both Martha's hands. 

111/s been a long time." 

"I thought I'd been forgotten." 

"Never!" 

And the s udden tightening of his grip was part of the good-

ness of coming home. The porter, meanwhile, was trying , unsuccess-

f ully ,to open the trunk of the car so Sterning turned from Martha to 

show him how. The policeman sauntered away muttering about people 

not knowing where they were supposed to park. When he was out of 

earshot the porter snapped : "Wait till Josiah f ix him! Fat blood-

sucker! Poleece, hah ! 11 Then, the trunk finally opened , he packed 

i n Martha's luggage, banged the trunk shut, collected his tip and 

went off, still inveighing against the ' fat bloodsucker poleece '. 

When they were clear of the heavy airport traffic Joel 

s lowed down, then, half a mile further, he turned into a lay-by that 

faced out to sea. He stopped the car and switched on the interior 

light tho_ugh it was still early evening and with much light ~ in 

the sky. He studied her face closely for a long while then he switched 

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off the light . 

"How was it?" he asked. 

"I should have enjoyed it. 

have been wonderful." 

In other circumstances it would 

"It could have been if you ' d called me." 

"And precipitated an open scandal? In any case I wanted to 

be alone." 

He was tempted to argue the point, but changed his mind. 

"See Stanhope?" 

"Yes. He took me to dinner and the theatre, to dinner and the 

opera , to dinner and a concert; and it was marvellous each time and I 

was ashamed because I could not give him and the wonderful f ood and 

entertainment the appreciation they deserved." 

"How was he?" 

A sudden wave of impatient irritation swept over Martha. 

"How do you expect him to be? Full of beans at being forced 

out of his job?" Then her mood changed. She touched the back of 

Sterning ' s hand in a quick gesture of apology . "Sorry• f} I don 't know 

why I always turn on you. t He tried not to show anything but it came 

through." 

"Tell you when he ' d return?" 

"Not till his leave I s up." 

"Josiah indicated to Solly that he expects Isaacs Enterprises 

not to hire John when he comes back." 

"And they 'll obey," she said bitterly. 

"As you say. 

t wo percent.',· " 
\ 

They are now the official government agents at 

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She tried to look into his eyes in the fading light; she 

wondered what she would see there . 

anything but eyes . 

But it was too dark to see 

" And you , his friend?" She made it as impersonal as possible. 

"Nothing 's changed," he said , suppressing the violence he f elt . 

"He i s my friend; he always will be." 

"Be careful darling , they may need to make him a sacrif ici al 

offering t o the new day. Anyone near him may get hurt." 

"Are you , " he asked. "Another sacrificial offering?" 

She laughed out loud, a sound made ugl y by stridency. 

"I ' m not i mportant enough , darling. I can be shunted off , as 

I ' ve j us t been , into some siding like an unnecessar y rai l way carriage . 

Besides , they know I can ' t be agains t them." 

"That may not be enough f or our friend Josiah. " 

"Perhaps not . It i s not somethi ng I want t o anticipate : I ' m 

not as religious as you. " 

involved. 

"You will f i ght f or press f r eedom, I know." 

"Then you know more than I do. " 

"Of cours e you will. " 

"There ' s no of course about i t , J oel. It depends on what ' s 

You know how i mportant pr ess f reedom is to the vast maj or ity 

of our people . " 

"It i s one of the bas ic f r eedoms , Martha . " 

" For you and me , and those l ike us ; not for t hose who cannot 

read and live without elect r i city and running water and s cratch t he eart h 

l ike beas t s of burden grubbing for a littl e sustanence . But you know 

t hi s so why wast e time t al king about what we know?" 

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"Because knowing settles nothing ; one is still split - at least, 

this one is ••. It's good to be able to talk again, I ' ve missed it - and 

you." 

She felt the stirri ngs of emotion in him. All he needed was a 

slight gesture of response and he would let i t flow over her , because for 

this one, now , no matter how it was earlier when he married Clara Isaacs, 

loving that satisfied whol ly had to be the chil d of cal m cool creative 

thought , the after math or accompaniment to a meeting of minds. So it had 

always been between them; and this had often made their loving appear 

~~-- of passion . 

She said, very carefully so that he shoul d not feel called on to 

commit himself; " D'you want to take me home?" 

"You don ' t want me to.• 

" I t may be a mess. " 

"It i sn I t for that onl y . I t is t o be with you; to talk or to be 

silent . " 

"I know." she touched him and now he had his slight gesture . 

He pulled her to him and ki ssed her tenderly, lingeringly. 

"Even to make a mess of it would be better than not to be with you. " 

"I've missed you too ," she said. " Take me home if you want to. " 

"Your fri ends are waiting for you, " he said. 

overdue at your welcome- home party ." 

" Fact is you're 

"To hell wit h that," she sai d briskl y. 

"The party is at your home." 

"Take me home. " 

She turned away from him and looked across t he harbou~ ~ ship, 
/' 

majestic and unusually whi te in the fading light, rode the vast ocean in 

l onely splendour. Like peopl e , Martha thought irrelevtftly{ not quit e 

sure of the meaning of the thought . 

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"This Max's idea?" she asked softly, not turning from the sea. 

"Yes." 

Let's go home." 

He felt the woman withdraw and grow coldly frosty; guessed at 

the reason for it. He had feared that she might react in this way and 

had tried to warn Max Johnson, but Max had been in no mood to be warned; 

we rarely are when there is a need to atone. 

"He meant well, Martha." 

Martha turned her face to him and it was a thing of shadows; 

and because he knew her there was no need to see her face to recognise 

the mood. He started the car, reversed a little, then swung it on to 

the highway that led to Mosesville . 

The town seemed unchanged, unchanging , as it was when old Moses 

Joshua straddled it, and the island, as the bragging, blustering, bully-

ing , wheedling manipulator. The old bully was dead but the town remain-

ed, unchanged, undisturbed by his going ; almost as though he had never 

been. And when the young man who has inherited the Palace and its power 

reachecl the end of his reign the town would still be here; grown a little 

and perhaps with a few newer and taller buildings, more cars, a more 

efficient public transport system, but basically the same, equally undis-

turbed by his going. The town, like man in the mass, will always outlast 

and therefore conquer the individual. 

She lit a cigarette and in the brief flare of the ~ light 

Sterning saw, before he turned his gaze back to the road, her face as a 

skeletal death- mask, drawn and bloodless. This, he realised, absorbing 

the shock, was how she would be immediately after death and before decay 

takes over. 

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He said: " Martha!" 

And the intensity of his disturbance reached her, forcing her 

to come alive with concern for him. "What is it, Joel?" 

He shook his head as though she could see, then added: "The 

light plays tricks . " 

"Duppy tricks?" 

"Duppy tricks," he said, alarmed, as so often before, by this 

woman ' s capacit y for reaching at his unexpressed thoughts and feeling. 

It was dark when they reached Mart ha ' s house ; all light had 

f l ed from the sky and neither moon nor s tars had yet appeared , so the 

heavens were a deep black ceiling. They heard t he noise of the party 

before Sterning b~ought the car to a stop. 

"Want me to come in?" aQ &!!!he&..-

"No; I'm feeling ugl y and racial and you deserve better. " 

"Shall I come back?" 

"I ' ll be uglier when this is done; uglier and more hateful. " 

"I'll phone you l ater," he said. 

She touched his hand and walked towards the house and t he strong 

savoury smell of roasting s ucking- pi g coming from t he back of the house . 

Then, abruptly , she swung about and went back to where Joel was taking 

her luggage out of the car. She took two big bags , one i n each hand. 

lady. 

"I think it was t he racial thing that made me play t he grand 

That ' s why I wouldn't marry you , Joel, wouldn't take you from 

your Clara. I' d never be able to be bitchy or nasty to you without the 

fear that i t might be the racial thing and that woul d be unbearable and 

you don't deserve that kind of mental block in a rel ationship. " 

" I t isn't a block now , " he said. 

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"Then why did I come back to help carry my bags? There is 

the consciousness of it; and for me that is a block . Sin only exists 

in our recognition of it." 

"We ' ve been over this before!" His exasperation came through. 

The door of Martha's house opened and a gust of human sound 

burst out. The stars , now, were beginning to show themselves, and in 

the west there was a hint of the moon about to rise. 

A woman ' s voice yelled: "She ' s come!" 

"I know; but we each live with ourselves first of all , before 

we live with anybody else." 

"Your standards are impossible, unattainable," he snapped. 

"Isn't that your problem too? Would you want me to come to 

feel about you as you feel about Clara?" She turned her head and saw a 

group of tipsy people bearing down on them.,noeM ~he h1~ee, She touched 

his hand and said , hurriedly: "People like us shoul dn't marry. Our 

standards are all wrong. That ' s why I feel sorry for your Clara." 

"I shouldn 't have married her?" 

How he yearns for me to be possessive, she thought and said 

"For her sake - no: or anyone else." She was aware of the people 

about them now. "Call me soon , please." 

"I will; ' bye." He turned to his car. 

Big Max Johnson, towering above the welcoming group
1

taam the 

,tte11111 a9 glass in hand, roared: "Stay and celebrate, Sterning!" 

The back wheels of t he car screeched as Sterning got away f ast. 

"He'll never stop running ," Johnson said disgus tedly. 

Martha supervised the collecting of her baggage and the group 

went into the little house . They were all there, the officers of the 

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Press Union and the senior members of the working press. They had all 

been waiting for the best part of two hours; and while waiting they had 

consumed vast quantities of liquor so talk was loud and uninhibited. 

They welcomed her with the noisy demonstrativeness that liquor engenders . 

Only one colleague, the normally aloof Social Reporter , seemed distr essed 

by Martha's homecoming. The others had steadily fed her rum punch on an 

empty stomach and now she sat weeping loudly and all by herself in a 

corner, repeating over and over that nobody loved her. When she saw 

Martha her weeping took an aggressive turn and she bl amed Martha for the 

fact that nobody loved her. In the end someone took the Social Reporter 

to the back and fed her. She came back half an hour later, considerably 

sobered by the food, steady, not weeping her normal aloof sel f. 

Max Johnson made sure that there was always too much noise and 

too many people about for Mart ha to be able to t alk to him.so i tt5J.i' • 

And when the eating and drinking were done and it was close on mid- night, 

he hustled everybody out and tried to get away himself . 

anticipating this_. was waiting at the gate. 

"Is this all there is to it, Max?" 

"Yes! Did you want roses and champagne as well!" 

"You know what I mean . " 

But Martha , 

"Well don't be a damn fool . You know the score as well as I do." 

"And all you have to do is suppl y - :c liquor and f ood and every-

thing is made right. Even the best of you whites cannot help be ing 

arrogant and patronising with us. t " 

"That's nast ier than I t hought even you could be ," Max cut in 

angrily . 

" Fr at ernise with them a little, say a few nice words , declar e your 

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belief in racial equality, marry one of them, and you have a 

licence to walk all over them, to use and manipulate them. I think 

you'll either have to be humilated racially , as we have been, or 

you'll never get over the built-in racial arrogance that has been 

nu.rtured in even the best of you for centuries. tr II 

"You're lucky you're a woman!" 

"You going to let that stop you?" 

There was a long , long silence, then Max sighed heavily. 

"Have you done?" 

"But for one thing." 

"What?" 

"I know it's an impertinence on my part - s ir ••• " 

"I've had enough of your crap - " 

"Have you sold out to Josiah? That why I had to be out of 

the way?" 

back. 

"You listen to me - " 

"Because if it does I'm not for sale ••• " 

"You go to hell!" 

He walked away from her. 

"I ' ll see you there first!" she yelled after his receding 

Her anger was ~ like dry ice; her body was under control, 

not shaking as with hot anger. She stood there till the tail-light of 

Then she WE 6§11 aori- went into the 

house. 

The maid , Lydia1was collecting glasses and emptying ashtrays . 

She had opened all doors and windows and a · cool freshness was spreading 

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through the house. After a while Lydia came into the sitting room 

with Martha's golden Labrador, Sheba. 

went silently hysterical. 

When the dog saw Martha she 

"She miss you - we both miss you -

fondl~ the 

"How was it? Over there." 

Miss Martha." 

dog. "I missed you too." 

"Not like here," Martha said thoughtfully. How do you tell 

a person like this of things that are outside the range of her experi-

ence? How do you make her know what it feels like to have your self-

assurance and sense of humanit y undermined in a thousand subtle ways 

by the whites among whom you were - to such a point that you were ready 

to deny them their humanity? "Not at all like here1 Lydia. You won't 

like it. It will upset you." 

"Because of the cold?" Lydia asked. "My sister over there is 

always bawling about the cold." 

"That too, yes . But really because it isn't home. You know, 

for us who are coloured and who are of the western worl d, who live in 

the western world, only this chain of islands is home. Once we leave 

these islands we're outsiders. 

in Europe, in Africa, in Asia. 

We 're outsiders in continental America, 

Our ancestors came from these great 

land masses but they are no longer home to us. And so we're outsiders 

even among those who look like us but who are not of these islands. 

this is true for even the white-skinned islanders. We are a new breed, 

a kind of outpost of the future trapped here in the twentieth century. 

I think we would have a sense of being insiders, of belonging , in the 

twenty-first or twenty-second centuries. In today's world the people 

of these islands of ours are , in racial terms, trapped at a point of 

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t ime t hat is pr i mitive , barbaric and out of joint. Another way of 

putting i t is that we've outgrown t he pr evailing r acial mores of t he 

times and because we are such an inf i ni tesimal minor ity this i s l i kel y 

t o drive us mad or e l se t o bei ng cr uci f i ed by t he major ity . That is 

why some of us want t o invent and create raci a l pr obl ems for the islands ••• 

Sorry , I ' m wasting time and it is l ate." Lydia fMfflJ 21 don sho:.c 1 she 

did not understand , but she smiled warmly and sai d : 

"I like i t when you speak so , Mi ss Mart ha." 

"Ti me for bed ," Martha said bri skl y . "How ' s your boyfr iend?" 

"He l eave me t wo months now." The mai d l aughed happily . 

Martha knew she had wanted an end to the rel ati onshi p but had 

been too afraid of the man to break it off . 

"So everyt hi ng is f ine." 

"Yes ' m ! I never t hought day woul d come when man l eaving me 

woul d make me so happy. Funny , heh?" 

" Goodnight, Lydi a . 11 

"'Ni ght Miss Martha." 

Lydia shut all the windows , except those in Martha ' s bedr oom. 

In t hat r oom she drew t he b l inds aga i nst pr ying eyes . All t he wi ndows of 

t he house had ' bur gl ar bar s ', a feat ure common i n the homes of all except 

t he poorest s ections of the isl and ' s populati on. 

Because her mist ress was back Sheba did not go out to the maid ' s 

little back r oom with Lydia. Instead she l ed t he way i nto Mar t ha ' s 

bedroom and curled hersel f into a contented ball on the .J.ittle bedsi de 

r ug , both guardian and companion. 
J-...t/... r J-,svAo. 

Mar tha stripped , went i nt o t herdF@D'fA , lit t he geyser , turned on 

the shower and allowed i t to run hot ; t hen she s t epped under i t and 

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scrubbed herself vigorously till she felt free of all the sweat and 

grime t hat had collected during the long air passage . Some of the 

ugliness in her mind and spirit seemed to go with the dirt that lef t 

her body. She turned off the water; she towelled her boyish body 

vigorously , making it tingled. Her mind relaxed the tight control 

it held on her body . Her muscles relaxed, became soft, f l abby. 

Weariness, no longer held in check, took over. She felt f aintly 

lightheaded. It was all she could do to make the short passage 

bet ween the bathroom and her bed. The sheets made her nerves tingl e , 

raised goose pimples about her shoulders and sent a shiver down her 

back. She leaned out of bed, unplugged the telephone connection then 
~ 
j 

switched off the light. It took a few minut es for the heat of her 

body to warm up the bed. When body and bed were the same temperature, 

she burrowed a little deeper into the bed , curled her body into its 

most natural, foetus, shape , closed her eyes and fell asleep immediately . 

__..ii--

She woke late and e112TTg t he mountains l outside her window 

~ 
assurid'her that she was really home . Lying in her bed in the sun-f illed 

room, with the mountains j us t out of reach, and the .whoa world a place 

of living green ~ag ta t:i:c::, yest erday and yesterday and yesterday . all 

seemed unreal: New York with its acres of concrete and steel reaching 

up even unto the heavens and all but bl otting out the sky; London with its 

f ilthy sti fling industrial air where t he few parks and the sickly- looking 

trees and gr ass only intensified her nostalgia for the vibrant green of 

the island; the pinched faces of pinched peopl e for whom life was 

per manently grim and embattled. 

And when Lydia brought for br eakfast a tall tumbler of freshly 

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s queezed orange juice, a huge golden yellow mango, an egg laid half 

an hour earlier and supplied by the next door neighbours as a 

welcome-home gesture, and a pot of rich aromatic coffee made from 

freshly ground mountain beans, the unreality of the way of the 

world outside was intensified. Except that it was as real as this. 

And not much less ugl y , she told herself, recalling last night's 

encounter with Max Johnson and knowing there would be another soon. 

When she arrived at the paper it was close on noon and the 

telephonist said: 

"Welcome home, Miss Lee! 

like stormy weather." 

Editor waiting for you. Looks 

tl-61ioP11ty rnaa1iheP' meant the editot· was in a foul 1iolllpar and 

at ~u~b times everybody kopt 0~t er- his way. h'he storm warnings 

were all over the editorial room. People called greetings to her, 

but quietly , in case they offended the editor. 

She t apped on his door and waited. 

"Come!" 

She went in, closed the door, leaned against it, waited. 

He spent a full f ifty seconds on what he was doing , then he looked 

up at the clock abover her head, noting the time so that she knew he 

was noting it, and then he said, brusquely : "'Morning. " 

"Morning sir." 

"Not much of it left ." 

She i gnored that . "I was told you wanted me ." 

"Yes. Sit down." She hesitated so he exploded. "I said 

sit down! Dammit!" 

She moved forward, slipped into the only chair in the room and 

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waited. 

After a while Max Johnson l ooked up , examined her face 

searchingl y , pursed his lips. 

"Last night," he said carefully , coldly, "you foisted your colour 

complexes on me" 

'-' 
"This is our place of work, sir, "she cut ,,tin, equally coldly . 

"And it was your rule that what happens outside this pl ace is not t o be 

brought in here. " 

"It is the business of this place when you accuse me of selling 

myself; 
~ 

I can~sell myself as editor of t his paper" . 

"I didn ' t accuse, sir; I asked. 11 

"Bloody clever; but I ' ve forgotten more about the trick use of 

words than you ' ll ever know. ' I didn ' t accuse, sir; I asked', hah ! 

Like the prosecut or asks when he ' s satisfied beyond all doubt that the 

person he asks is guilty . I suppose it ' ll be part of my white superiority 

complex i f I tell you ' re just not clever enough ." 

"You could have answered my question," Martha snapped. "You 

could have told me I'm wrong ." 

11 I see. So I ' m accountable to the great almi ght y Miss Martha -

bloodJ y- Lee ! Pray tell me why ! Because I was unfortunate enough not to be 

born in your sunny paradise? -Because I ' m a poor bloody pale - skinned 

bastard who must forever bend over backwards to prove that I ' m without 

prej udice? Go on! Tell me why I'm accountable to you?" 

"I didn ' t say you ' re accountable but I'll accept your clever 

wording - so much more clever than mine. I think we ' re all accountable 

to friendship , to shared ideals; i f ther e is a mutual commitment to values 

then we are entitled to measure each other ' s conduct against t hose values." 

"Now you're getting airy- fairy and a little arsy : s ave that 

-

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for Sterning. Our commitment, yours and mine, is professional: we're 

a couple of journalists. That is the one thing that is between us. Our 

business is to get the news and to present the news and when we go 

beyond the getting and presenting1 the news then our so-called commitment 

goes to hell. When you start interpreting and analysing and slanting , 

when you start crusading because your tail is moved by the patriotic 

itch, then I become the boss and I decide what you do and whare you do 

it and when you do it and I don't owe you or anybody else any damned 

explanation. As long as I sit here that is how it is going to be and 

no crap about friendship or ideals will make any difference to that. 

Journalists are not 

great authority and 

politicians, are not suppt d to play God. We have 

no responsibility. Don't ever forget that. So we 

have to build-in the responsibility ourselves, within ourselves. If you, 

or anyone else, try to use this paper in a manner that goes outside 

the scope of the getting and presenting of the news I shall stop it in 

any way I see fit, all your charges of ra~ial arrogan, Qotwithstanding. 

If you don'f ' like it you are free to get out - or to use the influence 

of your friends to get me fired." He paused to light a cigarette, then 

he continued but with less of a hint of passionate anger. "Disraeli, 

who was the first Jewish gentleman to become Prime Minister of Great 

Britain - because he was a better Englishman than he was a Jew - wrote 

in one of his books that the world is a wheel and it will all come 

round right. Unless the journalist who is supposed to be the chronicler 

of the events of his day understands this he or she will end up no damn 

good as a journalist." He shrugged as though suddenly grown bored. "Any­

way , you do your job and I'll do mine and forget about f riendship and 

shared ideals and commitments." 

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"Ri ght, sir , " Martha murmured impers onally. 

I t's gone that deep , he thought, pursing his lips and watching 

her carefully . 

Martha Lee noted the cool detachment with which Max Johnson 

examined her and realised how wrong she had been to assume his 

involvement. For all his years here, for all his great love of a 

woman of the island, this one had never made, will neverjnake t hat 

commitment to the land which i s a thing of the heart and of the mind 

and of the soul - a wayward thing of dreaming and feeling that sought 

to establish a link with time and the earth and which would make more 

of a man ' s existence than just the brief moment of consciousnes s wd call 

life . 

Max Johnson wished there were more to say , or that what had been 

sai d could be unsaid. There had been f riendship of a kind. 

She s aid "I apologise if I seem to have presumed. I misunders tood. " 

It gets lonelier and lonelier, he told himself . 

"I think it's a good idea for you to spend the next week or 

so going about the island. It ' ll refresh you and it~ important to 

assess the new climate in t he countey. Something of our bad press outs ide 

i s filtering through." 

"Right , sir. " She got up and went quickly out of the door . 

Max sat very still for a long time , f eeling l onelier than he 

remembered e eing for years . 

The telephone rang and they told him that Mr . Andrew Simpson, 

the Acting Presi dential Secretary was on the line. He took the call. 

"Mr. Johnson? Simpson from the Palace . How are you?" 

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"What is it, Mr. Simpson?" 

"We understand Miss Lee's back". 

"Yes." 

"The President has a suggestion for a series of articles and 

with your approval he thought Miss . Lee might be the ideal person to 

do this. I think he would like to s peak with Miss . Lee himself but 

we thought be would. like to speak with Miss, Lee himself e~~ht 

it best to clear with you first." 

"I'm sorry it won't be possible." -;-
"I beg your pardon?" 

"It won't be possible for Miss . Lee to entertain the idea." 

• "That what she says? 

"She has nothing to do with it. At their last meeting the 

Directors gave me special instructions to ensure that the editorial 

staff is guarded against any undue outside influences and pressures. 

I have therefore decided to restrict personal contact between my 

~ 
staff and the Palapce, as well as personal contact between my staff and 

\.,.,'" 

all the major mining , agricultural and business firms on the island. 

They face harsh disciplinary action i f they i gnore these instructions 

and they are under orders to report any attempt - " 

"I'm speaking for the President, Mr. Johnson." 

"I know that." 

"And that is what you want me to tell him?" 

"Those are the facts. Tell him what you like." 

Andrew Simpson hung up abruptly . 

In her own cubbyhole Martha Lee went carefully through the new 

directive from the editor that she found waiting on her desk. 

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listened with an 

expressionless face while Andrew Simpson told him of his telephone 

converstaion with Max Johnson . 

"Alf i ght, Andy ," Josiah murmured at the end of it all, 

nodding slowly , thoughfully, as a met,- to a hard decision, 

Martha Lee walked int~ x Jonson 's cubbyhole, placed the 

directive on his desk and said: 

"I cant't do my job under these restrictions." 

"Al f i ght ," Max said, without looking up , He picked up his 

internal telephone , snapped: "Chief Accountant !", waited t hen s aid : 

"J ohnny : Max : make a note of this. Martha Lee i s suspended until further 

not ice . \ At half pay . Yes?" . He pressed his finger on the rest, 

breaking t he connection, then he removed his finger and said: "News Editor. " 

He waited, then said: Joe, Miss Lee i 1 suspended till further notice." 

He replaced the receiver and looked up at Martha Lee. 

" That all, ~ir?" Martha asked. 

"Yes . I'll let you know when I want you back. I still want you 

to make that tour; in fact I want you to start it immediately . That ' s 

an order! " 

She nodded austerely , seeming more aloofly Chinese than Negro 

now , and left him. 

Max Johnson thought of the possibility of the Palace reaching 

her by telephone . If they di d it would be hard for her to refuse to go 

and see the head of stat e at his own invitation. He thought of calling 

the head of the telephone service to try and arrange for her number to 

be rendered unobtainable, then changed his mind; there was some point 

of law involved and he did not want to get anyone else into trouble. 

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Then he thought of the paper's own technician who was responsible 

for things like electrical maintainence in the plant . He called in 

the business manager and told him what was on his mind. The business 

manager was firmly against the idea. "He's a staunch union man and all 

for Josiah". 

In the end, unable to do anything else, Max went into Martha ' s 

cubbyhole and caught her on the point of leaving , files of personal 

papers under one arm and her portable typewriter in the other hand. He 

told himself: You can't just order this woman not to answer her 

telephone; that's beyond the scope of your authority and responsibility. 

Alo~d, he said: "The Pal~ e has been on to me: your young friend -
Simpson. It seems the President has some ideas for a series of articles 

he wan, you to write. I told them about the directive. I want you to 

know in case they reach you before you leave town." 

She said: "thank you," coldly. Then she pushed past him and 

-walked down the long room, between the desks and the rattle of typewriters 

and the ring of telephones and the buzz of human voices. 

Word of her auspension hadz •dF the newsroom and the 

men and women at work watched he~ g surreptitiously, aware that 

at times like these the wrath of the editor could be as indiscriminate 

as falling rain, with only those who are she+tered escaping. 

Within an hour of Martha Lee's ~ c, and after someone had 

phoned to say that after loading her 1~•••• car with provision a:t Ii a ~ 
:,...-

■lll!Jl 9NR?rket and then having t-he cru 1 csen car efuJ Jy serviced she had 

taken the road north, the storm-warnings were hoisted down in the news 

room of The Voice of the Island. 

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Andrew Simpson went into the President's office and 

reported: 

"The maid says Miss Lee's gone, sir; on a tour of the island. 

My information from the newspaper is that she's been suspended from 

work. A copy of the directive to the paper's writing staff is on the 

way here. It won't be difficult to get hold of Miss Lee. I have her 

car number and I am sure our road patrol police can set hold of her within 

the hour." 

"We don't need her now," Josiah said. "Let her go." Then 

tangentially. "Know what a newspaper like that is, Andy?" 

Knowing the man, Andrew Simpson waited for the President to 

answer his O\'m question. 

Josiah did. "It is the most potent weapon in the society , more 

powerful in its impact on the minds of men than anything else in the 

country. And this paper, in our society today, is the single most powerful 

instrument of the nee-colonialism which is the bitterest enemy of the 

emancipation of our people . That is our problem, and the question is: 

How to deal with it~~\" 

Simpson waited but Josiah had done speaking and Simpson realised 

that he had slipped away into that mental world where he worked out the 

problems and possibilities of using power with a delicately realistic 

precision. 

Simpson withdrew. 

An hour l ater the President summoned the Acting Presidential 

Secretary and ordered him to arrange a Cabinet meeting for the next 

morning. Before he had finished fat K. E Powers, now Prime ~inister and 

Minister of Financial Affairs, came in to report that his three-pronged 

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attempt to raise new money had failed. The former occupying power 

had turned down the island's request for aid in the form of a money 

grant for development purposes . It had offered instead to examine 

sympathetically any development projects the island's leaders cared 

to put forward with the idea of possibly providing technical skills and 

raw materials and, perhaps, very cheap loan money. 

"We wi.l,l not submit our development programme for their approval" 

Josiah snapped. 

Second, the International Bank, had made it plain that money 

was available, but not cheap money and in any event, since the island 

was behind with its dues a loan could not be considered until it had paid 

off its membership arrears. 

"They will only consider it after we 've paid," Josiah commented. 

"Not good enough. We 're a poor country. We can' t afford these fancy 

club memberships unless the gains are worthwhile." 

"I tried to get a commitment out of them "Powers,ta,id. 

won 't say anything till we're paid up ." 

" And our gr eat neighbour?" 

"They 

"The same. Cancel the 'Ownership of Foreign Companies ~ the 

1 Ownership of Property ~ amend t he ' Control of Profits and Wage~ , 

and then come and talk . " 

"So they won ' t lend until we break our promises to t he people 

and go back to being a lucrative investment field for foreign capital." 

"That's about it." 

"And the state of the treasury?" 

"Not too bad, and not too good. Some of our l oan repayments 

are going to be difficult. And a number of businesses are pulling out ." 

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"Flight of capital?" 

"The banks are not forthcoming with the information. " 

"So check on Exchange Control regulations, Andy . Tell our people 

to draft something , if it i s needed, that would stop the flight of money. 

That ' s all for now, gentlemen." 

Very late that night a nondes cript , poorly dressed black man 

appeared at t he Palace gates . The guard on duty grew forbidding as t he 

man approached; but before he coul d send the man about hi s business t he 

man f ished a piece of square cardboard from his br east pocket , held it out 

as far in front of him as his arm would s tretch and advanced behind it 

as though behind a shield. 

"What you want?" the duty guard snapped. 

"Josiah pass , " t he man said, pushing the bit of cardboard close 

to the guard ' s face . 

The guard had been informed of these things called "Josiah passes" 

and he wanted to have nothing to do wit h them so he turned his head away 

snapped : "Come! " and led t he way t o the guardhouse. 

The old sergeant who had been on duty on t he night Moses Joshua 

died was again the officer- in- charge . 

The duty guard sal uted. 

" This man got one of those pass things sarge." 

" All r i ght . Back to your post." 

The sergeant took the card f r om the man and examined i t, waiti ng 

till the guar d was gone before speaking. 

"What you want?" 

" I have word for the President." 

"It is late." The sergeant looked up at the guardhous e clock 

which said it was a l i t tle aft er ten . 

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"He will see me," the man said. 

"What name?" 

"Tell him the number on the card." 

The sergeant grew angry. "I can't call the Palace except you 

give me your name." 

"You better, sarge," the man said softly , "or else you catch 

a whole heap of trouble." 
/,< 14....., tt.tR_ 

The sergean~ Rid bean tcJcL about these special passes and the 

type of people who had them. Odd people .,,....e had be CB fa id they were, 

not the kind you would expect to turn up at the Palace; and he had been 

warned that the new President set great store by these people. He picked 

up the telephone that connected him with the Palace and dialled the number 

of the Presidential Secretary's apartment. The number rang and kept 

ringing. Fleetingly, he thought of John Stanhope, wondering where
1
Nthe vvoR. Id I.Q. ...,.,s 

A f rh,s "1""''"'1 (I ..,,~A.~ of r-he ru"lc,.,- K,11f K-e. ·" , 
/new President was quietly driving him out of his job. All this was part 

of the change that had come over the Palace and over the country and that 

was symbolised by this man standing in front of him and demanding access 

to the President without giving his name. The sergeant looked up. 

"Nobody answering." 

"Who you calling?" the man asked. 

"Mr. Simpson, acting Presidential Secretary." 

"Call the President." 

"I can't just do that, man." 

"You better, sarge. He will want you to. " 

The sergeant examined the card once more, waving it slightly 

f rom s ide to side, hoping , it seemed, to gently shake from it the secret 

of its power. 

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"This thing important?" the sergeant murmured and it was half 

question, half statement. 

"It is important" the man said, a hint of anger creeping into 

his voice. 
:J✓ 

The sergeant noticed the man ' s growing anger and t he PQaJi.aties 

..i;;if tbj s shook him. The impossible had come to pass: a man whose whole 

upbringing , whose history and tradition had conditioned him to be humble 

and ingratiating in the presence of ordinary policemen, let alone sergeants, 

was getting angry with hi m. 

"These are new days," the man said , checking his anger. "We run 

the law now. Call the President , sarge ." 

"Brand new world, " the sergeant murmured to himself . 

The man heard and nodded. "Yes sarge ." 

The sergeant di alled the number of the President 's office, 

silently praying that the great man had gone to bed. He was wrong : the 

President himself answered instantly . 

"Yes?" 

•rnuty sergeant at guardhouse, sir." 

"Yes, sergeant?" 

"Man here, sir. Don 't want to give his name, sir. Man with a 

card, sir. \_\" 

"My card? A blue one with a number?" 

"Yes, sir. I tell him. \ " 

"Send him up immediately !" 

The sergeant said: "Tessir" but the phone had already gone 

dead. 

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The sergeant raised his eyes to the face of the man. ~ J/ P 

sepga~t knew this type from long experience . This man came from that 

half-world inhabited by the ' operators ': people who had not passed the 

school examinations that would get them admitted into the island' s vast, 

cumbersome and overstaffed public service, but who were sufficiently 

educated to impress the mas s of their fellowmen who were either totally 

illiterate or s emi-literate and who put great store by the ability to r ead 

r 
and write and speak in the pseudo-accents of the island's great nof hern 

~ 
neighbour. Since t he change thef e had become the people on the fringes 

of political power - hanging on to the coat- tails of the successful 

politicians, arr anging their meetings , driving their cars , selecting their 

bodyguards or the strong- arm squads that are so important in keeping 

marches and demonstrations peaceful. The more s uccessful of these peopl e 

als o operated as contact men introducing businessmen, especially foreign 

or out- of-town bus iness people, to the right persons in the right 

ministries . A small number of these 'operators ' had grown rich and powerful 

and respectable . The maj ority scrambled desperately not to sink back into 

t he vast faceless mass out of which they had to claw and f i ght their way . 

These people were not criminals, but they knew the criminals and used t hem 

when the need arose. They battened on i gnorance , on fear, on hope , on 

ambition , on greed, on human vanity . And the society , composed mainly of 

t hose who used them and despised them , a minority, and t hose who envied 

and looked up to them, a maj ority , had been ambivalent about them until 

Albert Josiah appeared on the political scene and described them as symbols 

of the was ted manhood of a nation. The police force in general and this 

sergeant in particular, had never had much time f or these symbols of the 

UWI L
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- 234 -

wasted manhood of a nation. And this man had told him that they were 

running the law now, and the man who sat in the President's office seemed 

to agree. 

"Well , sarge" the man said. "Was that the President { " 

"Yes. I'm to send you up." He pressed a buzzer , summoning a 

constable in the back room awaiting his turn to go on guard duty . 

"Take this - gentleman - to the Palace . Tell the guard there he's 

to be taken straight up to the President's office. The President's 

waiting." 

The man held out his hand for the pass , and his mental attitude 

and his physical bearing made of the gesture a demonstration of power. The 

sergeant reached up and placed the pass into the outstretched hand, acknowleg­

ing t he reality of power. 

The young constable also recognised the man for what he was but, 

being younger, his mind adjusted to the new importance of the operator 

more easily , so he led the man off to the Palace showing no feeling , doing 

nothing to ruffle the man's sense of self-importance . 

The two men on duty at the great doors had escorted other such 

men into the presence of the President late at night, so they too took it 

in their stride . 

The constable handed over his responsibility and marched 

briskly back to the guardhouse, determinedly blanking out of his mind all 

thought of the unlikely visitor to the Presi dent . While one of the guards 

led the visitor up the wide stairs the other hurried into a small off ice­

restroom do~m the corridor and woke the security officer on duty who slept 

fully clothed on a camp-bed in a corner. The guard told the officer of the 

visitor. and on the alert; while his feet 

worked their way into his shoes he grabbed his shoulder holstef :un .....,.. .:_ 'Ji-\ 
(. 

Instant y the offi 

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f rom a chair, s lipped it over his head and through one arm, put 

on his jacket and hurried out and up the stairs. He 1b'upt into the 

Presidential office in time to see Josiah rising t o meet the s tranger . 

The smi l e ~ eon Josiah ' s face, his outstretched hand seemed petrified 

from a br ief fraction of time, like a f ilm that had been stopped in midmotion) 

sf.pen he pl ayed out the action by dropping his hand and looking at the door. 

"It's al f i ght," he said coldly. "I was expecting this 
11 

gentleman . 

"But sir ," t he Security man protested) caught between anger, fear 

and exasperation , "I'm held responsible for your security and you don ' t inform 

me of this,\_~\' 

"There was no danger; no risk." Josiah snapped. "You can l eave ." 

"But s ir.\\ " 

" Don ' t waste my time !" 

The security man moved his head so that he could t ake a quick 

careful l ook at the visitor's face, t hen he withdrew. 

The man said: "They ' re very mistrustful.~~ That sergeant . 

"It ' s their job:
1 

Josiah cut in. He sat down abruptly . The 

II 

Security man had interrupted his ges t ure of cordiality;he coul d not go 

through the performance again. "Well?" 

"A f riend of mine . \:' the man began. 

"What is t his about?" 

"A meeting. " 

"What meeting?" 

" Fairways and others and a pl ot to overthrow the government." 

Josiah sighed. 

"Alf i ght ; sit down. Want something to eat?" 

"A drink , please." 

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- 236 -

Josiah depressed the switch on his desk and s poke into hi s little 

black box: "Bring up some rum, coffee and sandwiches, please . \ ~t " He 

lifted his finger off the switch , L 11s breaking the connection. He 

examined his visitor's face searchingl y . The man became uncomf ortable, 

nervous, a little fri ghtened even, under the steady gaze ;--.i~i--•I•-lla. 
) 

much so that he sighed audibly when Josiah looked away , seeking , by 

so 

looking into space and therefore inwardly , the words wit h which t o exa iii l tiQ 

t his man a8d melec hiin: understand the gravity of what he said. 

"You understand what you are saying?" 

"Yes s ir." 

"You know you face serious trouble if t his is false?" 

"It is not false." 

"Those who informed you could be wrong." 

"Mo sir." 

"You and they could go to jail if t hey are. You understand that?" 

"Yes sir. " 

"Al , i ght . Who ar e these people? Your informants ." 

"Two wor k in t he house of Fairways . One is my woman ; one i s her 

brother. The other is a woman who works in the home of that bi g rich white 

man, t he one who i s in oil and shipping. " 

"Bulmer-Whyte," Josiah murmured. 

" That ' s t he one . My other contact is a man in charge of the 

waiters who serve in the private rooms upstairs at the Imperial. You know 

t:l./ 
him; he I s Lstrong party man." 

"And all these people told you of a meeting where Fairways and 

,I 
others plotted the overthrow of the gova :r;.ment?" 

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- 237 -

"No. There have been many meetings. Some with only two-three 

people in the Bulmer man's house, some in Fair&ays' house, some at the 

Imperial upstairs. Sometimes you have a big party at some place and thesel 

selfsame men manage to get together in a private room or in a quiet corner 

of the garden. And always others join them as though they are taking orders 

and go and pass on these orders. It is like just before we had the 

election which made you President, sir. You know how they tried to 

scheme then. Only thing is it is more serious now. The man at t he I mperi al 

once heard them talking about arms; my woman once heard them talking about 

guns too. And the woman at the Bulmer man's place swears there ' s a 

packinr ase full of guns locked up in the basement of the house . " 

"Your conspiracy becomes real, my friend. " 

"The meeting I came to tell you about is tomorrow. I hear it 

is planned for after the big reception for the visiting trade delegation . " 

"You hea; ! \\\" 

"Yes sir. From the same people and it build up in the same way 

as the other information I gave you: one person picks up a little here, 

another picks up a little there and because we're all suspicious we come 

together and check each little bit of information against all the other 

bits of information. Believe me sir, what I ' m telling you is true. The 

people are plotting to go back to the days when the black man was a nothing 

in his own country ." 

"Let me see your card again," Josiah said; and when the manr/ 

gave it to him he noted the code number car efully . Later, in his private smite, 

he would open a small s tee l trunk j ammed with files and look up this man, 

and t he contents of the file would guide him in assessing the weight of t his 

man' s information . 

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- 238 -

Josiah rose and extended his hand. " Thank you; you ' ve done 

a big job for your country . I must now get the experts to sift what 

you ' ve told me . You know where to report to. Tell them I say to give 

you fifty . " 

The man rose and took the President ' s smallish brown hand 

in his big black one. 

"I ' m not doing this just for money, you understand. " 

"I understand , " Josiah said , "but a man must live." He press ed 

a button summoning one of the guards to come and escort the man out . 

"It ' s for our people - the black peopl e ." 

"Yes," Josiah said , "yes; I unders tand. ~/\ " 

He came round the great des k and walked with the man to the 

door . When they reached it there was a light tap and it opened, but 

instead of one of t he guards the s ecurity officer had himself come 

up to escort the stranger out. a.Ii. the Pal tel.?.. 

Jos iah mocked the s ecurity officer with hi s eyes and said: "As 

you see, nothing ' s happened. You wouldn ' t have been so anxious if my 

vis itor had been your Mr . Bulmer-Whyte and yet I ' m s afer wit h this 

man than with him. " He paused and looked at his visitor and a smile, 

rare and humourless , f lashed across his face and was gone . "This," 

he said dispassionately , "is the disease known as the\ '\ 1hite Bias' . 

The tall , handsome, strongl y built brown- skinned security officer 

relaxed his body and blanked out all thought so that there was nothing 

for the President's ~robi ng eyes to see. 

Abruptly, Josiah said"Goodnight", eased the stranger out, turned 

back into his room and shut the door. 

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"This way ," the security man said and led the way to the great 

stairway . 

At the foot of the s tairway the stranger paus ed and looked 

back up the stair s . "That is ~ President," he said. "It's 

t he fir st time in our history that the President belongs to the black 

peopl e ." 

"He belongs to the whole country," the security man said." Jus t 

as President Moses Joshua did." 

"No sir! " the stranger said. " That one didn't belong to us. 

He used us and the white people used him. This is the only one s i nce 

the slavery day leaders who belongs t o us ." 

"And what of the other people of the count ry?" 

"You worrying about them? Then go on worrying. We won 't. 

They had their innings, a good and long innings, and they didn't worry 

about us. We ' re not going to be as rough as they were; we 're not going 

to put them in chains and make slaves of them; we 're not even going to 

have colour bars to keep them out. We 're not going to rob them or lynch them. 

But we 're not going to wor ry about them anymore , and we're not going to 

serve them any mor e , and we're not going to put their interests above 

our own any more , and the sooner they and peopl e like you , Mister Security 

Man , learn that, the bett er because then maybe we won 't have to bust 

their asses and yours to show ~hem and to show you that it is our turn 

now and we've taken over. I don 't suppose you and your friends , Mister 

Security Man , heard or read about a s peech whi ch sai d ' Massa Day Done '. 

Well , all the poor black peopl e in all these islands heard it or read 

it or wer e told about it and believe it and we 're maki ng it come 

true here and Josiah , the President , is our man . What d ' you think of 

that, Mr . Security Man?" 

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- 240 -

"An operator's smooth line of talk," the security man said. 

The s tranger looked into the brown eyes and read no fear and 

no concern, read only indifference which was a refusal to recognise 

the reality of the new power structure . A flash of blinding anger
1

a wild 

uncontrollable gust of passion , swept over the stranger. 

"You! You •••• You facet y arrogant bitch ! You wait! You white 

sucker you! You j ust wait!" 

One of the guards, attracted by the stranger's voice raised 

in anger pushed his head round one of the great doors. 

The security officer called out: "Will you see this gentleman 

out before he causes a dist urbance . See him right out of the gate, please ." 

Then he nodded curtly to the man and walked away& te tRe PQ&t Flsm. He 

checked his time as he went and it was another two hours before his 

r epl acement was due to 

the cot and wrote out 

L -~ \..Uk- ~ 
relieve him j _/ e sat down at the 

a careful, detailed report of all 

little table beside 

that had transpired, 

l eaving out nothing . Only when this was done, when he was s tret ched 

full- length on his back on the cot did he allow himself to think of 

what the stranger had aiid. And as he recalled the stranger' s words, 

t urning them this way and that, exploring all possible meaning and 

impl i cations , and as he connected them with the stranger ' s access to 

the President and the Presi dent ' s cryptic r emahk about Bulmer.:Whyte, 

his mind gave way to the concern, verging on alarm , his training would 

not allow him t o show in t he presence of that type of stranger(-) •tt--

w,a3 ubviot13 that tae ~aR ua'i iiQ et'er e:tor, one of that anny of people HRa 

hae he:d jtmt eno~gh ec;h,1oation to be aicrnatiofied with povei'Ly but Het -

eBoY.ght to g,g any thing ebottt i t . 1:eo erigi'lt fgp the ElYll j e&H, th at tbe_ 

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- 241 -

"Seffli litez1ate O.id hke machines for less than the maehines eost, bttt 

,not gualified enough to eftter the pr ofessi.0;1i. op the !'aelie se11vice, aft& 

..se haoing to liv'i by their wits, on tl::i'i fringes of e•.er'y thing , despises,-

·lolfrt.11 Josiah eaffle aJ ang, by eyerysoe:y. 'fher e had been talk ef these 

_;eeop] e 1;,eeoming 111011e powel':r'UI , more 1.nfluent1.al and they looked uith 'in1ry anQ... 

.res en tmcnt OR :tl:u:)oe, e.,pecially the paler colOU!'eds , who had the things 

;th'i:Y die. Bot he. v e-. 

The young security man was particularly concerned about 
~lL 

clamour for nationalisation and land reform that came from •••• • 

He and hi s wif e had)a year earlier, put all their savings plus a 

substantial amount they had borrowed into two hundred and fifty acres, a 

small herd of high gr ade dairy cattle and some of t he most modern dairy 

equipment . They had planned everything carefully and according to t heir 

plan they would both have been able to give up their j obs in five years ' 

time and go full- time into dairy f arming , using the hillier parts of t heir 

land to build up a f ood forest . They had spent a l l their spare time on 

the farm\ f or this would be the estate they would leave to their two 

youngste1 That had been the great incentive. 

Then the old Pr esident had died and Josiah , t he man upstairs , 

had come in and the sure foundations on which t hey had laid t heir plans 

and hopes for the future had become shaky and uncertain; and the peaceful 

and happy people of the countryside seemed l ess so now than they were 

' 

,, • .•. ~ - J.0-' o, ..:IQ_ 
~\' 

a year ago. Thenr n a week- end he would never f orget one of a gang of 

men wor king on the roadside near t he entrance to their land had yelled, as 

they drove past : 

"Gi' us a piece a ' t ail? Red bitch?" 

He had wanted to s top and go back to the men, t o confront them, 

UWI L
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- 242 -

to shame them into apology. But she, a daughter of the i s land, a 

'crepe sole' blonde who had grown up in the country, had talked him 

out of it. 

After that, because that incident had alerted him to it, he 

looked for and found a world of latent pre j udice among t he dark skinned 

peopl e against those whose skins were fair, whether they were native to 

the island or not, whether they were white or jus t very pale coloureds 

like his wi fe . 

And he grew alarmed about t he safety and security of their 

inves tment and their drea~s of a modern, efficient profitable dairy far m; 

and about the safety of his wife from molestation ; and about the future of 

his children and his dreams for them; and all t hese led, in t he end , to his 

being desperately disturbed about the growi ng instability in the land. It 

had been comfort of a kind to discover t hat hi s fears and feeling were 

increasingl y shared by most of the people he knew , that the spirit of 

concern for t he stability of the society was growing apace among all those 

whose forebears had worked s o hard to make this i sland into what it was . 

And now this str anger who had spent nearl y an hour with the 

President had spoken the language of race hatred and r esentment and 

j ealousy; and the President had said he felt safer with people like t hat 

than wit h men like Bulmer - Whyte.\: 

That investment had looked so good j us t over a year ago. \\ 

From the shadows just beyond t he head of the s tairways J osiah 

had watched and lis tened to t he sudden passi onate outburst of hi s visitor 

and the s urpris ingl y calm r esponse of t he security man. He was not sure t hat 

he, in t he pl ace of the security man, would have shown s uch restraint. But 
,... G\.., 

t hen , neither he nox his visitor had gone to!fine ol d public school 
I' 

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- 243 -

started by the missionaries a century and more ago and teaching young 

men t hat air of j udicious det achment which set them apart from the less 

fortunate who went to the very few , very overcrowded, poorly staffed 

ordinary government schools. 

Now, with the hallway in silence and the watchers and guardians 

out of sight and sound, Josiah turned and retraced his steps. He 

hesitated outside the office door ·'Qben went past to the end of the passage 

and up the short flight of narrow stairs to the Presidential apartments. 

There were two suites: a large one that could house a President who was a 

family man with a wife and three children, and a smaller one designed 

for accommodating visiting dignitaries but which old Moses Joshua had used 

as a place of favour where the most popular sycophant of the moment was 

put, like a court jester of old, till he fell out of favour. Josiah had 

moved into . the smaller of the two suites, and after ordering all the fancy 

furniture removed he had turned it into rather austere bachelor quarters. 

He entered his quarters and went straight into what had once been a 

dressing-room but which he had turned into a study. The small steel trunk 

stood on a massive chunk of wood near a desk under a window . Josiah unlocked 

it and took out the file on his recent visitor. He studied it for the best 

part of half an hour, replaced it and ~ refal ly locked the s.t u=: trunk again. 

He mixed himself a drink which was just a hint of rum with a great deal 

of ice and water, then he used the unlisted telephone that went directly 

out, by- passing the Palace switchboard, to dial/ the home number of the 

man he had appointed head of the security service within ten days of 

becoming President. The men heading the Security Service, the Police Force 

and the Military were appointed by the President in consultation with his 

Cabinet of Ministers but without reference to the Services Commission. 

These offices had been held by expatriate officers under President Moses 

UWI L
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- 244 -

Joshua. Josi ah had r epl aced al l t hree by islanders : each with a long 

recor d <1" di s t ingui shed servi ce, each very able , each very dark. 

The telephone stopped ringing as someone lifted the receiver at 

t he other end. 

Josiah said: "Joe? Josiah here . Get here as soon as you can . 

It ' s something big . The opportunity to make our show of str ength; could 

a l so fit in with the pressures we ' re getti ng from overseas .••• Yes ..•. Set 

things in mot ion for a round- up but make sure of your men •••• Yes ...• " 

Jos i ah replaced the tel ephone on its cradle and picked up the 

other one beside i t. The night dut y man at the swi tchboard answered 

immediately . 

" Do you know where Mr. Simpson is?" 

"At a concert , sir; he left a number in case of need." 

"Ring and tell hi m I want him , immediately 9 " 

"Yes sir! " 

The man at the swi tchboard phoned thr ough to t he booking office 

of t he Nat ional Audit orium where Michael Chen , the world famous pianist from 

mainland Chi na , was giving a Beet hoven recit al. 

Up in the Presidential Box of the great hall , which had cos t twice 

as much t o put up as it would have done in America or Europe , Andr ew Simpson 
the President , 

represent ing/played host t o seni or diplomats and their wives . The young l ady 

he escorted was currently the beaut y queen of t he isl and , and she was a 

wil lowy- waisted , wide- hipped, big bosomed , taller t han aver age and s triki ngly 

beaut iful bl ack gi r l who also had t he rare gi f t of intelligence. Mona Wright ' s 

father was Mr. J ustice Dougl as Wright , President of t he i sland ' s Supreme Court, 

and Andrew Simpson could not get r i d of t he s uspicion t hat t he fact that she 

was t he daught er of t he gr eat judge had somet hing t o do wi t h Josiah ' s quiet 

UWI L
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encouragement of his interest in the young woman. The President had 

said, when urging him to take her out as often as possible: "We need 

to restore pride to our women, to make them feel their men are proud of 

their black beauty . That is the only way to put an end to the present 

attitude which puts an especial value on paleness of skin, the only 

way to heal the damaged pride of our black women." Simpson -~ not ~ ~ 
the President that of all the young woml_n he had ever met this one was 

J.J~ 
least in need of the kind of reassurance 

N~ 
political. ~ r e 

the President urged. Hz pew Jos iah's 

'd lmi.-s • l consi eratMtg were main y stole a quick, sidelong look at 
,~ 

the girl. If there ~ uch a thing as a black a1;ocracy on t he island , 

hers was its leading r. Behind her; were generations of land ~1',t't.g: 1highl y 
I-.. H' wllS fl-wllP.lf t J.ol f-he. 

educated, weal thy black Wrights •/ wife of t he British Ambassador, i mmediately 

to his right, had intercepted his look and now her knowing woman's smile 

showed what she had read into it. Then Mona hersel f turned to him, touched 

the back of his hand and mocked him~ with spari ng eyes. The others 

in the party in the Presidential box were intent on the music. 

Then someone came into the box, l eaned over Simpson and murmured 

that the Palace was on the phone. He guessed that he might not return 

so he put his hand on the girl ' s arm and whispered. "The Palace on the phone. 

Please 
~".b 

take care of our guestsAexplain~ if I have t o go~ ' 

- She pressed his hand and nodded, Ue slipped away . 

I,.) 
F. F. Freeways wras arrested two days after the night the informer 

had visited the Pr esident . He was t aken in a pre-dawn swoop led by the newly­

appointed Chief of Security himself. Others were taken too, eight business men -

three local and five expatriate - two great landowners who between them 

controlled close on a ~uarter of a million acres, and three professional 

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men , an accountant , a barrister and a doctor. A large quantity of 

ar ms and ammunition was also taken. But t he real shock was the arrest 

of Freeways who had until so recentl y been old Moses Joshua ' s 

spokesman bot h at home and abroad. 

The Voice of the Isl and had already come off the press when 

the news broke, so it carried nothing about the arrest~ but the 

government- controlled radio and television stations had a field day . 

And the way they presented the news made i t clear that a dangerous conspiracy 

threatening the life of the island republic had just been averted thanks to 

the prompt , efficient and couraf us action offa-. security forces . The 

enemies of the people had planned to seize power but their plot had been 

uncovered and destroyed. 

When word reached back to the Palace that there were people, albeit 

a small minority who questioned the char ge that Freeways had planned treason 
) 

against the 8g:saNlil9nt ef hi1o country , the radio station put on a programme 

headed ' The Anatomy of Treason ' which went back into history to show how 

t he Freeways f amily came to the island , how they acquired their land, 

became s laveowners , dealt with their slaves , fought agains t the 

abolitionist movement , res isted all progressive ~hange through the years 

and how they acquired their wealth. The programme was repeated three 

times at peak listening hours . After that there were no more questionings 

of t he char ges against Freeways, certainly not in public. 

At eight i n the morning the American Embassy telephoned 

the Palace. The Ambassador urgently wanted to see the President at 

his earliest convenience . Almost immediately after the American phone 

call there was a similar one from the British Embassy, then from the 

French and then the German embassies . Each time the person at the other 

end was aery senior so Andrew Simpson handled the calls himself; and each 

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time he regretted that he could not disturb the President at the 

moment but would see him as soon as possible and phone back. 

At ten, armoured cars appeared in the streets of the capital, 

cruising about showing their guns. 

At eleven the radio carried a brief Palace announcement that 

Mr. Richard Young had been relieved of his post as Minister of Youth 
w ~ 

and Community Affairs and ):aken into custody because the early morning 

round-up had produced evidence implicating him in the plot. 

A reporter from the Vojte of the Island arrived at the Palace 

seeking an interview with either the President or the Acting Presidential 

Secretary to fill out the details of the Young story. He was turned 

away, politely but 

staff of the radio 

firmly. 
'( 

stat on, 

As he left a fellow journalist, a member of t he 

arrived and was ushered up to the Presidential 

office. The journalist phoned this information through to his editor. 

At noon the American Embassy phoned again; still the 

President could not speak on the phone or see the Ambassador. At two in 

the afternoon an Embassy official delivered a note of protest against the 

detu tion of two American citizens among those taken in the raid. The 

official was kept •aiting an hour~then Andrew Simpson descended the stairs 

and handed him a single- sentence reply rejecting the protest because 1/a11'­

people in this island, native and foreigner alike, are subject to the laws 

of the land and to the same due process should they violate these laws; 

anything else would be a denial of national s evereignty. " 

When the official got back to the Embassy with the repl y the 

Ambassador himself telephoned the Palace; and because it was the 

Ambassador the President took the call. 

"Yo4 Excellency • • • " 

"Mr . Ambassador •.. " 

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" I have been tryi ng t o reach you all morning .• • " 

"So I hear •.. " 

"About our not e and your rep l y , sir •.. " 

"Yes , Mr. Ambassador .• . " 

" I had hoped , I s t ill hope it is possi ble for us to talk about 

this thing face to face . \\ There are ways of sorting out t hese things , as 

you know. \ \Wi th President Joshua . • . " 

" I know, Mr. Ambassador; but President Joshua is dead and the 

rul e of law, mow, is supreme in our land.\ " 

"But sir.\\_' 

"He could and did manipulate the law ; I cannot and do not want 

to . Surely you agr ee with me. This i s what your country always preaches 

to the world. \\ " 

"Could we talk face to face about it , sir. Could you spare me 

just a few minutes ..• " 

"The matter is out of my hands , Mr . Ambass ador •.. " 

"There are political cons ider atio~ , sir. Ques t ions of you/ 

country ' s relations wi th a neighbour who has not been ungenerous i n coming 

to your help in the past whenever such help was needed, a neighbour 

who has , by treaty , guarant eed ,t he very s ; vereignt y and independence 

mentioned in your repl y to our Note . I think , sir, you woul d not 

want lightly t & t ~ away from the pattern of traditional relations 

has existed between our two countries •\\'.' 

" Mr. Ambassador, only last week two of my countrymen 

sentenced to long terms of imprisonment for breaking your laws ; and 

that ~ 

these were not exceptional. Suores of my count rymen have been arr ested , 

tried and sentenced t o t erms of i mprisonment or have been fined or have 

-../ 
been expelled from your country . In all these cases we have ne~er 

chall enged or quest ioned the right of your courts to administer your 

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laws in your land. There is no record of any / otes of protes t f rom 

our Ambassador to your State Department; no threats about the consequence 

of lighly turning away from patterns of traditional relations. \.~" 

"No threat was intended , sir. \\" 

"One was discerned, s ir!" 

"Then you were in error, sir, because no threat was i mplied. " 

"What am I supposed to do<? Reverse myself because you say I ' m 

wrong~ This brand of arrogance might have worked ~ith old Moses Jeshua ! 

And please note very carefully that I do not like being threatened 

with the witholding of ai d. If you want to with} l d it , then do so! 

You're not the only one we can turn to•t\" 

"I apologise for the unfortunate turn this conversation has 

taken, s ir. 11 

" It has not been of my choosing , sir" 

"Perhaps a personal meeting. \\" 

"No s ir?" 

"Then I ' m to transmit your repl y to my government?" 

"What you transmit to your government is your affair?" 

"Your Excellency . \ •\ ' 

"Mr . Ambassador! I have accorded you the courtesy of 

interrupting important work to answer your call. Please accord me a 

similar courtesy.\\' 

"I ' m concerned with your interests too, sir. The critics of 

our aid programme will seize on your repl y to press for further cuts 
11 

in aid and this could hurt your country badly , sir.~\ 

"That is your business, sir.\~• 

"About our detained nationals, sir. \f 
"I suggest your Embassy approabhes the securit y aut horiti es who 

are the people rightly concerned with a matter of this kind•\~Good day , s ir•\:t " 

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"Your Excellency ••. " 

The telephone went dead and the Ambassador let out a single 

explosive expl~ ive which~~ his Counse11f r, listening on an extension 

line, heard. 

A little later Max Johnson telephoned and the President agreed 

to see him in the late/ afternoon. 

When news of the detention of the two Americans reached 

Washington what had up to then been treated as a routine Car ibbean 

political incident became front- page lead matter. A Senator j ust returned 

from the island told a national-wide television audience that the 

ground to the false arrest of two respected American businessmen 

back-

was a 

communist takeover which had in fact been financed, through aid, by the 

American government, and he called for the impeachment of the President. 

It was late afternoon and a cool breeze, light and gentle, made the 
!• 

dwarf coconuts below J~ iah ' s office window ~way rhythmically , as if 

dancing. He had turned off the airconditioning and opened the window wide . 

All day he had worked in shirtsleeve, poring over the reports of r eactions 

to the day ' s happenings . 

Just before the arrival of Max Johnson he had gone up to his 

quarters to shower and shave and change into a freshl y starched white linen 

suit . Now he sat back in his chair, clean, crisp , unruffled. 

Max Johnson made himself comfortable on the other side of the great 

desk. 

Josiah said: "I take it you are here because I wouldn't see your 

man earlier today ." 

"That is your privilege, Mr . President . My protest is that you 

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and your staff made it so blatantly obvious that this was an act 

of discrimination against my paper." 

"And that's a crime, I take it?" 

" No sir. I'm here because I think we understand each other. 

You know what my paper is and what it represents; we know who you are 

and what you represent." 

"If we 're going t o be honest with each other then I must -question your 

' we •. Who are your ' we? ' 

Johnson acknowledged the point with a quick smile . 

"Not t he directors or shar eholders , not even the editor and 

his staff , but t he paper as a corporate concept with a life of its 

our own , s tretching both ways in time , into the past pred4ting 
?-~Ir 

existence and into a future which will probalhl y; ·~-date you and 

~ , sir." 

"Probably ," Josiah said dri l y . "So?" 

"Your job is t o run the country . My job is to run t he paper~ 

I thi nk you know t here is no arrogance of any kind i n my coming to you 

to say I want to avoid any possi bility of/ a collision through 

misunderst anding. For one thing you are the elect of the people and 

we - the paper - are not her e to pl ay t he part of the opposti on. 

We have not submitted ourselves to the e lectorate . For another , news~ 

} owever 
·r, 

it comes, what ever i t i s , ,our business ." 

"And in your ' business ' t au will take guidance from no one? 

Not even f rom those whom you describe as the elect of the people?" 

"We will co- operate as far as possible, sir." 

A faint smil e, bereft of humour, flitt ed across Josiah ' s face . 

"But not take guidance , Mr . Johnson?" 

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Max hestitated fractionally then said: "No, s ir. " firmly. 

Then, after a few moments of s ilence, he went on. "Mr . President, you 

have a special responsibility to the society as its head of state. 

The paper 

different 

has a r esponsibility to the society 
~ 

in kind and quality . k~ submit to 

as well , thought it is 

guidance from anyone, even 

from the shareholders, when it comes to editorial content would be to 

fail in our responsibility ~o the s ociety." 

l:.s Josiah rose abruptly, pushing back tb~ gPoat chair. The action 

was so sudden, so unexpected that Max involuntarily moved back, as 

someone withdrawing from the possibility of attach. 

Josiah smiled and it was a manifestation of complete amusement 

that softened the normally bleakly austere face, made it look youthful, 

attractive, friendly, charming even. 

Waywardly , some marginal area of Max ' s mind noted that Josiah ' s 

waist had thickened visibly ever the past few months . 

"In this job I get very little time to excercise ~1 Josi ah said, 

"so I always t ake a walk in the grounds at this time . We can finish 

our little talk while we walk . " 

Josiah led the way out! along the busy corridor and down 

the stairs . The rattle and clatter of t ypewriters, the buzz of t he 

voices of people at work , came to them f rom the administrative section 

over which Andy Simpson presided in t he absence of John Stanhope . 

Downstairs t he Presidential security officer on duty came out of his little 

office . It had become routine for the security man on duty to keep the 

President company on hi s daily walk . Josiah waved him away with a f riendly 

smile, and went briskly out of the door, looking smaller than his five 

foot six and lighter than his one hundred and twent y pounds because of the 

towering white giant 

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When they were fift y yards away from t he great bui lding Josiah 

stopped , looked back and pointed to a small window at the top of the 

building. " A man with a highpowered rifle goes up t here whenever I go 

for a walk ••• " Then he pointed at a couple of athl etic looki ng young 

men who had emer ged from t he Palace and were now splitt ing up , one 

going left and the other right. "They ' re supposed t o be my bodyguards 

and I ' m sure they woul d willingl y risk their lives to prot ect mine . I f 

you' d been black and poorly dr essed and not the great editor of t he great 

paper I ' m s nre they would have searched you before let ting you near me . 

But because you ' re you they weren 't even suspicious of that bulge under 

your breast pocket. And yet my great est danger comes from people like 

you. \\\Come.\ " 

For ten minutes they wal ked i n sil ence through the great green 

park wit h it vast wel.l, kept lawns and its magnificent t rees t hat had been 

brought from all the tropical cor ners of t he earth and pl anted here to create 

the most exotic garden of trees in the Caribbean . Old Moses Joshua had 

allowed the Scouts and t he Guides and other youth organisati ons to use t he 

far n~ hern end of the gr eat par k as a camping site . The l and t here was 

farthest away from the city and was the beginning of the climb up into the 

mountains . Also , out of a hi gh rockface f r om which ferns grew lushly , and 

from a small circular hole in what seemed one mass of solid live rock, a 

clear s t eady stream of sweet water bubbled forth. It had done so for 

centuries and i n time it had made f or itsel f a path that became a dancing 

rivulet that had , again many centuri es ago, found a hollow non-por ous pi ece 

of land and worked on it till a minature l ake had been cr eat ed. And 

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the t as k of the cl ear sweet water was to feed the tiny lake. A long , 

long time ago , but not so long compared with the age of the r ivulet 

and the minature l ake, a f lock of wild ducYs had come accidentally 

upon t he little lake . They had liked it , staked claim, and settled on 

it to produce many generations of what became known as Sweetwater ducks . 

And because an early colonial governor had proclaimed these birds 

protected and the minature lake at t he f ar northern end of the park t heir 

natural home, the i s landers who were not really interested in animals , 

f eathered or otherwise , except as food or beasts of burden, developed 

an oddly self - conscious pride in the Sweetwater ducks, so much so t hat 

when independence came the Sweetwater ducks and t heir home became part of 

the island ' s coat- of - arms. And for twenty years , until his death, a 

member of the old parliament before the coming in of one-party government, 

had regularly during each Budget debate asked searching questions about 

the health and upkeep of the ducks and the beautification of their 

. tO 
env1.r7'nment . 

Josiah turned in the direction of the miniature lake, and Max 

Johnson wondered whether he intended walking a l l the way there . Max 

looked at his watch in a way that r sured Josiah seeing him do it. 

The trees, here, created such an air of peace and transquility as to 

make the setting seem unreal , not of this world. 

Josiah said: "I hope you understand there is nothing personal 

in what I ' m about to say . " 

Max looked quickly at Josiah ' s face and grunted noncommitallyle) 

"What you said back there about your paper's responsibility 

t o the society interested me because in a way - and I accept completely 

that no arrogance was intended - you were saying that I have a 

responsibility to the society as head of state and you have a 

responsibility to the socieyt as editor of the paper. And this assumes 

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that the thing common to both of us i s our responsibility to t he 

society, no matter how different our capacities or t he manner of our 

discharging this responsibility . Is that a reasonably fair statement of 

our positions as you see them?" 

"I wouldn ' t have put it in those terms . " 

"Then this is not what you wanted t o convey to me in t he office?" 

"Not in those terms . I was not putting myself up as sharing 

an equal or even corresponding responsibility . I thought I made that 

very plain . " 

"I ' m not trying to trap you into anything, Mr . Johnson . " 

Max kicked at a tuft of grass, l etting go of the hard knot of 

irritation building up inside him. 

"I ' m not concerned about being trapped Mr . President; my concern 
) 

is to s t ate a position clearly." 

"So is mine , Mr. Johnson ; so is mine: so let us t ry again. 

Would you accept it if I said that in your statment in my office when 

you sai d that my job is to run the country and your job is to run the 

paper the implication was - and indeed you said it obliquely later - that 

in your job , in your s phere of activity, no matter how small compared t o/ 

mine) your primary responsibility, like mine, like that of any good citizen, 

is to the s ociet:S,?" 
;., 

The trap , Max thought, calmly cu1ous now to discover the point 

of it. Up to this moment he had thought it was irritation, or even seeking 

r evenge, over the articles he would not allow Josiah to inspire Martha Lee 

to write . Now he knew it was something mor e , much bigger . And in spite 

of himself he felt calm and at peace, aware of the deep pools of tranquility 

the trees made of the shadows they cast . 

"Yes ," Max said remot ely , almost carelessly. "And you are saying 

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I do not have the same sense of r esponsibilit y to t he soci ey that 

you or any ot her good citizen have ." 

"I go further : I say itfu impossible. Let me ill ustrat e it 

at a very element ary level. In any conflict of interests between this 

count r y and t he l and of your bi rth who would claim your first l oyalty?" 

"Is the question real or r torical ?" 

"Real." 

" It will depend. \\" 

"There you are . It is as simple as that , 't, " 

"What do you expect.\ \ 11 

"It doesn ' t depend for me , or f or those like me . \\\" 

"If I were in Britain editing a British paper and a British 

head of state asked me the same question I ' d make the same answer . " 

"No doubt . And you would be one of a dozen or so and for the 

vast majority there will be no ' it depends". I thi nk you see what I ' m 

driving at . In any case , If, it depends now when the question i s purely 

academic it means that I can never be sure of the backing of the mos t 

powerful opinion- moulding organ in the count ry i n any conflict of 

interests with one of the two major countries with whom we deal . " 

"And you must be sure of that backing?ft " 

"For what we have to do, Mr . Johnson , it is imperative . We 

cannot as yet afford the kind of press you hold up as a virtue. For 

! s, for our needs , the press must be involved in the s t ruggle to bring 

into being a completely new pattern of social and economic and political 

relations in the society . It must be an instrument of change serving the 
/).;.,,.; 

political will , much as I amt nstrument of change serving the political 

will . When you say to m~ it will depend ' ••• " Suddenly Josiah stopped 

walking. He tilt ed his head to look up at Max Johnson , then he spread 

his arms out, palms upward, in a gesture at once both helpless and 

deprecating. "I ' m not sure I can make vou understand b ec.r111~P t-ho c-t-=>+0 

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of mind and what it stems from is totally alien to anything you or your 

people have experienced for centuries." He let his arms drop to his sides 

and shrugged slightly. "You know, I cannot say 'it depends' in the way 

you do and mean what you mean. It does not 'depend' for me in the same way 

it does for you. You are primarily concerned with the salvat ion of your 
r~ 

indivi.w! soul. I am not that free . Between me and your kind of f reedom 
A 

stands a terrible wall which I and thos e like me cannot climb until we have 

achieved the salvation of our racial soul. Till then your concern about 

individual soul is a and enviable luxury which I 
. _g rare recognise longint y 

then put behind me. Till then we cannot be individuals in the sense that 

you are and until we are all relations between white and coloured must be 

counterfeit by definition.\\' 

your 

and 

They walked on to a little rising of land. Here the wind seemed 

to have found a way through a passage in the mountains so the cool breeze 

blew more strongl y through this spot, stirring the leaves, making even the 

grass bend with its force. Josiah paused once more. 

Max lit a cigare~ and waited, certain now of what was coming , curious 
L 

only to see how Jos iah presented it. Instead, Josiah moved off again, 

briskly , so that Max had t o stretch his long legs to keep up . 

"So according to you , sir, we are to rule out the possibility of 

any decency in motive or action on the part of any person unfortunate 

enough to be born whi tel\.\" 

"You ' re angry ," Josiah said calmly; "but not even anger is 

j ustification for dis t f_rtion." 

" Only being Jos iah," Max snapped . 

Josiah came to an abrupt halt , consumed by a sudden towering 

r age that hit Max Johnson with an impact that was physical in its f orce and 

violence. 

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"I am the President ! Under stand! The President ! To insult 

the Pr esident i s t o i nsult the land , t he nation ! Everyt hing!" 

Startled, Max Johnson said: "I ' m sorry, sir ... I. .. " 

"Woul d you have done this t o your Prime Minist er? Your King?" 

"I ' m sorry , sir. 't_\ I thought we were talki ng man t o man . " 

Josiah ' s anger left him as suddenl y as it had come. 

"You don ' t talk man to man to the President . It is not an 

eight- to- four job . I cannot , like you , go on the ~ as a private 

citizen after hours . But you know all t hat . It is just that you 

cannot t ake our institutions as seriously as you take your own. You 

remember , no matter how unconsciously, that your forebears were the 

lords and masters here , so t here can be no real humility in your dealin~s 

with us and our institutions , no real awe before our symbols of power 

and authority . Which is one of the reasons why we have t o assert our 

auth~ t y and to insist on your showing respect ." 

"Respecting is not the same as crawling , sir." 

"I agree with you. And yet our peopl e have been taught that it 

is . We have been made to crawl. This is something they understand ; 

it is something they ' ve experienced. They will only know that they are 

truly in power , that the dominance of the white skin has been removed 

when they see the whites doing some crawl ing too . An ugly thought, isn ' t 
q 

it~ I ' m paying you the compl iment of being honest . It is ugly . I don ' t 

like it . But it is real. Wi t hout a sense of pride in t hemselves , 

without the confidence of being the masters , the people of this island will 

never begin to move , will never build a f uture that is meaningf ul for 

themselves and their children . Possibly the bi ggest b l ock to getting t hem 

moving is the sense of racial inferiority . They must be shown they amount 

to as much as a white man and more , that bheir inst i t ut ions are respected 

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and even feared by the whi tes, that @Y@ry job in their land is open 

to them. You know and understand all t his ; t\•'I " 

see you." 

"Yes . And you want a b l ack or brown edit or i n my place." 

" Preferably black . I thi nk you know that ' s why I agr eed to 

" I know now." 

"There ' s nothing personal about this , you under stand. " 

" Please, Mr . President ! You use your office to inhibit any real 

rejoinder ; you tell a man to give up a l i fetime ' s wor k and then you say 

it isn't persoaal! What am I supposed to do , sir? Fall on your neck ! 

Tell you what a wonderful l y patriotic man you are! No s ir! It i s very 

personal to me !" 

" I know i t is ," Josiah said mildly . "But it real ly isn ' t for me . 

Before you came I wondered whet her I woul d be able to make you understand.\ " 

"Does it matter?" 

"You sound bitter now, like a Negro. It does 1because I like you 

and I don ' t like doing this ." 

"But you do i t. " 

" I have t o . And because you ' re the most honest and able man the 

owners of the paper ever imported. " 

0 "A good man fal l en among 7 gues you ' ll be saying next ." 

Josiah l aughed , and i t was harsh and humourless . "If you wer e 

a Negr o , Mr. Johnson, t hey would call you a ranting extr emist for being 

so bit terly angry. Being white , it is just r i ghteous indignation . Perhaps 

not a good man fallen among thi eves ); rat her, a good man t r apped in the 
~ -wrong passage ( time . In this position a hundred or even fifty years ago 

you would have made your paper serve this societ y a great deal better than 

i t did. Twent y years hence the fact of what you look l ike and where you were 

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born is likel y to be irrelevent, once you have the ability and are 

committed to the country. Todayp the times are out of joir(;) as someone 

said, and we with them. Today , the best service you can do us is to let us 

do things for oursei ves, even if we make a mess of them. There is no other 

way to attain self- respect and pride in what we are . I don ' t think 

I have to tell you t hat the racial insult hurl~ t s ome white on our 

streets, the agressive race talk , are all symptoms of our sick need for 

self- respect . " 

"And how you attain it doesn't matter!" 

"The angr y extremist again. It does matter , but because there 

i s no nice and decent and easy way of attaining it that meets with the 

approval of what you would call the free world ' - which includes places 

like South Africa and Portugal and Spain - does not mean we must do nothing. " 

Max Johnson stopped under an ancient and massive cotton tree . 

Josiah went on a few paces then stopped and turned back . 

"Want to go back?" 

"No point i n going on," Max said. "They were afraid of you. I 

see now they had reason t o be . 11 

"You knew it all along ," Josiah said casually . "You and Martha 

Lee . The big differ ence is in her own way she i s as committed as I am. " 
' 

"I didn I t see the implications as clearly , " Max said thoughtfully . 

"Didn ' t want t o , would perhaps be more accurate," Josiah suggested, 

then he added musingl y : "I wonder , would you have given me the kind of 

support you did had you seen the implications as clearly?" 

"I dcim ' t know ," Max said. "You're right about Martha. She 

did see t he imolications . 11 

" And made a choice," Josiah said, "even though she kept on denying 

it t o hersel f . The other peopl e who saw t he i mplications as clear l y and 

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made their choice as deliberat el y are the Isaacs crowd. The res t of t he 

merchant crowd sensed, instinctively, that ultimately this man Josiah was 

a threat t o their insterests , j ust as the mass of the people knew , wit hout 

being able to explain how or why, that Josiah r epresent ed hope for t heir 

interests . " 

Briefly , they had achieved the harmony of men exploring an idea. 

Now , Josiah felt Max Johnson gr ow cold and withdr awn once more . 

Josiah said1! "If you or anyone else could show me some way of 

doing what has to be done without upsetting the mer chants or the 

foreign investors or those who believe in your brand of free press and 

f ree speech or the free ent er prisers or even , ultimately , my own people 

who have been corrupted into wanting to have t heir cake and eat it wit hout 

paying for it, I shall be glad t o follow that way. The trouble i s t here 

is no easy way." He made a wi de arc with bot h arms , taking in t he hills 

behind them. "All this can feed us and provide what we need t o make a decent 

living but it will require top 1 effort , dir ect ed and guided to one end and 

you know our societ1 ~ill not do this of its own f ree will. That is why I 

am needed. " 

"Why tell me !" Max snapped. "I ' m not needed. " 

He began to walk back i n the direction of the ,alace , too angr y 

to show the traditional defer ence due to the Presidential off ice . Josiah 

followed s l owly , a little surprised at hi mself f or not being angry at this 

insult t o hi s office and what it represented, f eeling , instead , more 

depressed than he wanted t o admit over doing what he knew had to be done . 

He wondered whether Max Johnson had r eally understood the mood and feeling 

he had tried to convey , t he things that words can only hint at , suggestively , 

shadow like . 

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He found Johnson wai ting for him under a tree just out of sight 

of the men on duty outside the great doors of the Pal ace . 

Johnson said, coldly, making it plain t hat it was no mor e than a 

guesture of politeness : "I'm sorry, sir." 

Josiah shrugged slight ly . "When will you leave?" 

"I haven 't said I ' m leaving." 

"You will. The only thing that kepff ou here was the job . The 

gr ave was just self• deception . Wait ! I don"'!t want another display of 

bad manners . I might do something about it! I ' m not saying you didn't 

care for your wife, that yog don ' t mourn her. I ' m sayi ng she's been 

dead many year s and the only thing that's t ept you here is your job and 

you'll prove i t by going. You're not a fool clutching at shadows and 

your commi tment was not t o us, it was to the job ." 

"Then I may not leave the job." 

"You will and you know i t, Mr. Johnson . I am the President , the 

elect of the people, as you put it. Please note 
) 1 ve paid you the 

compliment of not inviting you to stay on my t erms ." 

i "May I go now." 

"You may but you ' ll have to walk with me to the door otherwis e 

the s ecurity peopl e might be concerned and I don't want it to s eem that 

we ar e parting in anger. They might turn on you i f someone else were to 

do away with me after we' d been seen to part in anger." Josiah l ed the 

way , deliberately strolling slowly . "When you come to write that i nevitab l e 

authoritative book of yours on how a dietatorship came to a Caribbean island 

I hope you will remember the es s ence of what we talked about this day .'t " 

The policemen on duty s aluted smartly . Josiah paus ed at t he gr eat 

doors and turned t o Max. 

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"When do you leave?" 

Max stared stonily at him. Josi ah nodded sli ghtly . 

" I know how you feel and I apologise . I have felt like that many 

times in my life and each time the hurt was fresh and new. I am sorry you 

should feel it." 

Josiah pushed out a s l ender brown hand . A mulish expr ession showed briefly 

in Max :johnson ' s eyes then he took tha President's hand bent over it in a 
I 

sli ght gesture of formal respect and l et go of it. 

" Goodbye , Mr . Johnson," Josi ah said. 

Max Johnson said: "Mr . President", nodded again , swung on 

his heels and wal ked bri skly away , controlled anger in each step. 

Jos i ah watched Max Johnson unti l he got into hi s car and drove off , 

then he climbed t he stairs to his office . Young Andrew Si mpson was 

waiting with a large pile of s tate papers . 

"Know somethin~ Andy ," the President said. " I just sent away 
) 

a man who could be very useful to us, and I sent him away experiencing 

probabl y for the first time in hi s life the kind of emotions that we grew 

up with . It's not pr etty ." 

Simpson nodded knowingl y and sai d nothing . 

For an hour and a half the Presi dent and t he Presidemtial 

. I I 
Secret ar y worked s t eadily at the St at e Papers . Hhile t hey wor ked people 

came and went ; expert s clarifying points of constitutiona l law, Minis t ers 

of government and senior Civil Servants summoned t o suppl y essential pieces 

of information . The l ast t o come were the Director of Py.blic Pr osecutions 1 

t he head of the 
"llA-

threeLPr es i dent 

under detention. 

military and the head of t he security f orces. With these 

wor ked out a pattern for dealing with the f ourteen men 

It was decided t hat those who were natives of the i s l and would 

be put on trial f irst , beginning with ol d Fr eeways . The strongest 

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- 264 -

case of all was to be built up against him. The Public Prosecutor 

·a (., ~ was to demand the de/ th penalty for conspirap to over throw the 

government . .ia!iee:r"'1e ' l?R ta 13e :tt:ioa on Ai.e e ,,Pl. The head of 

security reported that two of the local businessmen UR&ar ee~tRtioP 

had indicated their willingness to turn on their fellow conspirators 

and give evidence for the State. It was decided that these would be used 

to help build up the case against Freeways . Only when the case against 

Freeways was over and done with would the others be put on trial; 

first the natives, as a group; then the Europeans; and finally the 

two Americans . 

"Never forget for a moment," Josiah conclu'[ed, "that primarily 

this is a political trial with very clearly defined aims . First, it will 
,-, 

assert our authority in the land unmistakJ,ably for all our enemies to 

see, those at home and those abroad, and there will be no more plots and 

conspiracies. Second, it will make plain to all investors, foreign and 

local, tha~{j'lis is a break with our 

foreign or local, will no longer be 

.J 

ne<folonialist past and that capital, 

I.. 
permitted to manipulate power Jn 

this land . The great powers will get our message too, and it will be up 

to them to decide what they will do about it. Third, and most important 

of all, this trial must make clear to the people in the hills and in the 

villages and in the fields and in the little shacks that this is their 
r ~ e--. i~ 

government exercising~~ behalf. They must see this trial as the 

assertion of their interests, the interests of the downtrodden and the 

dispossess~ and the black, against the interests of the rich and the 

powerful and the fair . If the trial achieves these a~ it will be justified; 
\ 

ft will represent a twenty-year leap forward in the struggle to impl ant 

the idea of real independence. We will then be able to p~ most of our 

energies into the struggl e to create economic independence. Fail in these 

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aims and t he tri a l becomes t he poi ntl ess act of cruelt y our critics 

are going to make it seem in any case . ~\ That is all I have to say 1 

gentlemen . Much will depend on your handl i ng of i t. And in legal terms 

it must be above criticism." 

It was then, under the inspiration of Josiah ' s clear vision of 

the ai ms of the trial , t hat t he chief of s ecurity conceived the idea of a 

car efull y selected armed people ' s mi l itia. 

Josiah liked t he i dea and sent the t hree men away t o work out the 

details . 

At las t the President and the Act ing Presidenti al Secretary 

were alone . The day was over , night had fallen and the admi nistrative offices 

were dark and desert ed · . Onl y a skeleton night staff was on duty: four 

young cadets, two drinking coffee and playi ng cards i n the staff canteenN 

while the other two slept for four hours . Then it would be the turn of t he 

card players t o go to s l eep and the sleepers to drink coffee and play cards . 

Sometimes t he cadets had to deal with a suprising volume of telephone 
-f,~ --calls ~consular and embassy and government offices r other countries 

where it was not night. Mostly these were routine matters t hat t hey handled by 

t hemselves ; occasionallY. a caU !z.<?.rns~me nf ~ ~wa~place was sufficiently i mportant 
T~ ~~ !t'.~~ a~ -r~ '~ ~ ) ~~I~~ £'( ~ -

t hat the Presidential Secre~ had awakened the Presi dent . But mainly, t he 

young men spent the l ong hours of t he night playing cards and drinking coffee . 

Periodically they were joined by the security officer on duty . Sometimes 

they went out of the great doors for f resh air and a smoke under the stars 

and casual conversation with the two pol icemen always on guard duty outside 

the Pal ace door s . 

Except for the kitchen night man , who was on call at all hours t he 

domestic s t aff lived in a cluster of outbuildings behind the Palace and , 

like all the workers in the l and , wer e unionised and worked a f orty- four 

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- 266 -

hour week. Those who wor ked l ate when the President entertained 

r eceived time off to ensure t hat they did not exceed the statutory 

length of t he wor k week. 

Now, with the day ended, t he pattern of the nightly routine 

came into play. iii 1!i:e great Pa1iHlh In t he days of old Moses Joshua 

two dinner parties a week had been common ; there had been a grand ball 

once every three months on an average; and there had been innumerab.lf:.._ 

cocktail parties, receptions and s tag parties where the old President and 

his cronies and favourites of the moment often drank prodigiously. With 

Josiah all that had ended. There had been his inaugural reception and a 

ball and nothing formal and official s ince. Periodically small groups of 

key party peopl e f rom t he country areas came to t he Palace to dine 

quietl y with t he President . The President used t hese small informal dinner s 

t o keep himself informed of t he mood and probl ems of the country as seen 

through the eyes of dedicated party workers on the spot. He also used 

them to send back to the part y , and the country , explanations of policies 

and i deas for future action . At these parties the President asked 

questions , posed problems , and spoke more frankly about the things t hat 

wer e on his mind than he ever did to the nation at large . Neither parliament, 

the press nor the mercant i le community had ever been ab l e to get any 

information of precise l y what was discussed at any of t hese dinners . All 

they knew was that Josiah and t he mass of the people of the country 

seemed linked by a channe l of communication and understanding, strong and 

sul6staining as th~ bet ween mother and child at t~ moment after birth ~ 

befor e the cord i s cut . 

Josiah and young Si mpson f inished their work. Josiah looked 

at the desk clock . I t showed that the guests to his small dinner par ty 

t oni ght would arrive in two hour's time . For t hi s particular part y 

he di d not want anyone connected with the government ~ present. 

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There were matters he would not discuss in t he presence of the most 

loyally committed of the Presidential staff - and he had made sure t hat 

only people committed to him pers onally were now on the Presidential 

s t aff. 

He said , casually, without looki ng at young Simpson , "Tonight ' s 

little gathering i s very special. What have you got on?" 

" I ' d arranged to dine with t he Wri ghts but ••• " 

" I want you t o go ," Jos i ah c_ut in. " Its i mportant . And l et 

the President of the Supreme Court know what ' s on my mind and t he aims 

of the trial. 11 

cases ." 

"He ' s a very difficult man , sir, when it comes to pending 

" I knowr.-but you t ell him all t he same ." Jos iah rose , stretched 
) 

and walked to the open window. 

Just about t en years between us, Si mpson thought with a t ouch 

of wonder . Al oud , he said: "I think i t 'll come much bett er from you." 

"Your job is to open the door , Andy . I want him to have time 

to think before I talk t o hi m." To hims elf , Josiah said : He doesn ' t 

usually hesitateJ like this about doing my bi dding. "You t hink I ' m 

wrong?" Josiah turned to l ook at the younger man ' s face . 

Andy ' s wide , open smile disarmed him completel y . 

" Truth is I ' m a little scared of the old man , s ir." 

A f lash of humour showed on Josiah ' s face , making it soft and 

attractive . " I know. He ' ll have to be prepared though ." 

" I will do it . " 

"I mean really pr epared to do things our way ; but that ' s my job 

and I expect him to be difficult ." 

11 :¼Iow much do I tell him?" 

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- 268 -

"Everything we discussed about the trial.\ D' you have time 

for a drink?" 

Simpson nodded and the President led the way out of the office 

and to his private suite . For the President Si mpson prepared the usual 
0.. ~ 

very wefk rup and water ; for himself he mixed a stiff scotch and soda. 

Drink in hand, Jos i ah prowled silently, aimlessly about the austere room, 

touching a piece of furniture here , a book there, all unseeingl y . Simpson 

crossed the room to the window and l ooked out on the night, then back at 

the President . 

from 

"Things are going t o happen very fas t now, Andy~ •fsimpson knew , 

other times , that Josiah was really speaking for hi s to benefit, to 

externalise and so visualise his own ,, 
held his peace. If we control these 

in our direction now, we will make a 

thoughts more clearly , so Si mpson ~, 
happeningsl manage them now, ride t hem 

great forward leap in the history of 

our country. The thing to understand, Andy , is that our people have been 

historicall y conditioned to submit a l most blindly to ' dul y constituted ' 

authority provided that aut hority shows clearly and aimply and 

unmistak~ abl y that it is strong and will not hesitate t o use its s trength. 

In our context a show of strength is a very good t hing and you can never 

overdo a good thing. The people have seen me use it to get the Presidency; 

t hey ' ve se, me use it against my political enemi es inside the party; 

against the merchant s, wher e the Isaacs crowd were most useful to me for 

reasons of their own; in my dealings with the civil service, and especial l y 

in the collision with St anhope . Now , in order to ma1te them work for the 

good of the nation, in order for them t o accept directions of l abour, 

compulsory shifting of populations, controls and t axes on wages , there 

b • f • k • d • "' l. h f t th must ea Series O more stri ing an imr prest ve SOWS O S reng • 

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"Not against the people, though, " Simpson said quietly . 

"Not unless we have to ," J os iah said. 

"Does Freeways have to die?" Simpson asked. 

"I don 't know," Josiah said, "I hope not. It will depend 

on how things unfold." 

"But why call for his life, s ir. He ' s not that important." 

"Symbolically he i s , Andy." Josiah lltopped close to Simpson and 

l ooked searchingly int o his face. "Symbolically it would also be 

important for me, the black President of a black country to decide , as 

an act of mercy, to spare t he life of a descendant of a slave owner." Suddenly 

hi s face softened. He reached up and rested his small brown hand on 

Si mpson ' s shoulder. "Andy , don 't you buy the fi ction of Josiah as a 

bloodthirsty bl ack dictator in t he making." 

"Of course not!" Simpson said quickl y , fiercely . 

"There are no easy ways , Andy ; no simple, painless s olutions to 

our probl ems . I don ' t like sending Maxwell Johnson away or putting old Freeways 

on trial, or driving certain types of investors away. But you know why I ' m 

doing it, Andy . You were in it when we began our secret movement i nside 

old Moses Joshua ' s party . We knew then there were no easy ways . Now we are 

in power; and we have to act out the not-so-easy ways ." 

" I know , sir!" Simpson said. 
I 

" But its hard , heh?" 

" At times , yes ." 

" At those times , Andy, just ask yourself what it's like for me . " 

He turned and walked away then. And t o Simpson, so much t aller 

and broader, he looked very small suddenl y , weighed down by the bur dens of 

state he carried s o abl y that be seemed t o do it wit hout strain or effort . 

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We somet imes forget he i s as human , as subject to hurt and 

depress i on as we are , Si mpson told hi mse l f . 

"I ' m sorr y sir ," Si mpson murmured . 

Josiah smi led war mly at hi m across t he r oom "Ti me for 

you t o go . " 

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- 271 -

- TWO -

They lay side by side , naked , the tall handsome bl ack boy and 

the s t at uesquely beautiful black girl. The song of the surf was t he only 

sound in the moonl it worl d. And because they were on a pr ivat e fenced- in 

beach they l ay rel axed , unaf raid of intruders or the night prowlers who 

preyed on lovers on lonely beaches . Besides , they were an hour ' s drive 

out of t he city and t he ni ght pr owlers operated at public beaches much near er 

t he city . 

The boy was mute wit h wonder because of t he unexpectedness of it 

all. It had not been what he had i ntended. They had been here , on t his 
w. 

beach , many t i mes in t he past, and nothingl happened. But unexpectedl y , 

s urprisingl y and in a manner that he coul d not now r ecall, he had made l ove 

to her and dis covered , with awed dismay , that i t was t he f i rst time for her . 

She had taken hi m in quietly , as a mother s uckling a baby at her br east and 

f inding fulfilment i n t he very hurt of the act . He thought she had wept 

a l i ttle but he could not be sure of anything except t hat it had been the 

f irs t t ime for her and the s t range feelings of , ~i l t and wonder this fact 

had evoked. You woul d not be l ieve i t , wit h the vast army of admirers 

a lways around her , wi th t he whirl of parties and dances she at t ended , and 

especial l y af t er you ' d experienced t he competence with which she necked 

and pett ed and t he casual ass urance with whi ch she had joined in any 

discus sion of s ex when i t ar ose . 

Afterwar ds t hey had gone i nt o t he warm sea~'. then t hey had l ain on 
.:> 

t he beach for a l ong t ime , her l eft hand in his r i ght , and he had f ound 

hi mself beref t of speech , like a man s truck dumb. 

She said , s oft l y , br eaking the long s ilence : " I ' m s orry i t 

was so messy ." 

"Oh God !" he expl ocled, a mute burs t ing int o s ound f or t he firs t 

time . " I di dn' t know! I didn 't know!" 

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dates. " 

- 272 -

"Would it have made any difference?" 

"Yes ! No ! I don ' t know! Yes ! I would have married you first !" 

"I hoped you ' d say that. " 

"Why didn't you tell me?" 

"It might have frightened you away ." 

"But I love you , " 

"You never said i t, Andy . I thought I was just another of your 

" And s t ill you let me?" 

She laughed: a caressing maternal sound. 

"Virginity isn't as i mportant to women as it i s to men. We ' re 

not as fascinated by firsts as you are ." 

"But you are - were - 11 

" I wasn ' t saving myself for you or anybody else, Andy dear. I 

just never wanted to make love to anybody before . Tonight I did." 

He turned on his side and propped himself up on one elbow and 

tried to look into her eyes . 

"So it is just my luck that I am with you tonight. I t could have 

been someone else •. • " 

She laughed again, at him this time, with a gentle hint of mockery 

"No, my dear, I wanted you , Andy Simpson, personally . No one e lse 

would have done. Now preen yourself. " 

He gathered her to him then, in a flood of tender feeling that 

soon transmuted itself into a wave of passion. Then they made love once 

more . And for the woman, t his time the glowing purity of the passion wiped 

out the memory of the earlier pain and made their loving a thing of 

gloriously bubbling joy . 

Afterwards they lay as they had done before, on their backs, 

hand in hand. 

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- 273 -

He said, voice charged with compulsive passion: " I love you, 

Mona !" 

She turned only her head so tha t she lay looking at him instead 

of the starlit sky . She quoted dreamily : "Lo I am bl ack but comely O ye 

daughters of Jerusalem, as the tents of Kedar, as the curtains of 

Solomon . " 

He said, trying to sound businesslike : "Will you marry me?" 

"Pray ask my daddy, sir." 

"Be serious. Hill you?" 

"Now I know why the President call s you ' Young Andy '. All 

idealism and hi ghmindedness ." 

"Nonsense ! You ' r e rich , you ' re beautiful , marri age t o you raises 

my social s t at us i mmeasurably ," he hesitated trying to control the note of 

rising passion . "You make love as no other woman I ' ve known . .. " 

"And you ' ve known many ," she mocked, but tenderly. 

"A few ," he s aid. "Will you?" 

" Harriage i s forever, dear Andy ; a thing that mus t out l ast the 

passion of sex. It must still be there when my wai st is as wide as my 

hips and my breasts are sag ing bags f r om feeding many babes . In my 

family we gr ow big and fat and shapeless as we age ; you ' ve seen it in my 

mother and my aunts and my other r el ative . And I adore my neat and trim 
N. a.AM.'-'· 

fat her for still being able to penetrate ~maas fol ds of fat and f l esh and 

s t i ll see t he real woman . For him she is still the same trim young woman 

0 
he possessed tht se many years ago . That is how I want it to be when I ' m 

old and ugl y ," 

"You ' ll never be . " 

"I will." 

"For the last t ime : will you marry me?" 

" Dear , dear Andy ; young Andy\ ell you what: when you are r eady 

UWI L
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274 

to face the fact of my gorwing old and shapeless , and you still 

want to marry me , I ' 11 be r eady and willing" 

" I ' am ready now! Don ' t you understand! I know what ' s ha:t!>pened 

to me t onight . Its all very well to ' young Andy ' me but I ' ve had 

experiences with other women; I 've slept with ot her women , I ' ve 

had affairs, I ' ve even thought mysel f in love befor e and I know that 

this is for good. I didn ' t want to make love with you. Don 't you 

understand what ' s happened to me !" 

"You ' ve fallen in love , " she said gently , calml y , as a mot her 

t o an only child or a teacher to a favourite pupil. "You made love 

to me - mainl y because I want ed you to. You discover ed t hat I was what 

you would call ' untouched ', that no- one e lse had known me . Perhaps 

it was the fir st time this had happened to you -" 

"I t wasn 't" he insisted. 

"AlY:,i ght. Still , this discovery touched t hat strong streak 

of idealism in you , that impulse t o nobility of t hought and action. 

And so you' re in love, cleanly , purely , idealistically . But mar riage 

is not all moonlight and singing surf and white sand beaches and it 

would be unwise to make commit ment s that must l ast a lifetime on j ust 

this." 

"If t elling you I l ove you is not enou_ghf, what mus t I do? 
~ 

Enter i nto a legal contract swearing t hat I will do [for t he rest of 

my life?" 

"You 're getting angry now, Andy , and that doesn 't help. 

Marriage is precisely such a legal contract . All I ' m saying is let us 

UWI L
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275 

not enter into such a contract on the basis of one sexual experience , 

no matter how wonderful. You might come to regret @) and being you -

highminded and all that - you might s pend a lifetime doing your duty 

and silently regretting i t." She paused for a long time then, as 

casually as she knew how, she added : "And that would break my heart, 

my dear" . 

Suddenly , in spite of and because of his newly born special 

feeling for Mona Wright, Andrew Simpson saw and understood the mood and 

feeling and intent behind her words. Somet hing of the undercurrent of 

tranquility that was a part of her mood crept into him. 

He said, quietly . "I'll wait till you are ready." 

"It~ really till I'm sure you ' re ready." 

"Every night before I go to sleep I 'll imagine you as old and 

as ugl y as possibly, and awfully fat . How will you know when I'm ready?" 

"And you'll marry me then?" 

"If you ask me. " 

"You know I really do love you. I must have done for a long time. 

It isn't just sex, though making l vve to you brought it out." 

She raised herself and leaned over him, and now he could just 

see the sparkl e of her eyes . She kissed him on the forehead . 

"I love you too," she said lightly : "very much and very much and 

very much." Then she jumped up .J j j ty, wrapped a l arge towel about her 

body and walked away from t he beach to t he little family ~ cottage 

nestling among the dwarf coconuts on sloping land a hundred yards back. 

Simpson stayed on the beach until he thought she had had enough 

w 
time to shower and ch7:.e and put on 

towel about his naked body and made 

her makeup , then he wrapped his 

his way to the cottage . She was on 

the little verandah , dressed, combing her hair. He went in, showered, 

dressed, mixed a couple of drinks, turned down the oil lamps , and carried 

the drinks out. 

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276 

She was humming softly to herself, radiating a mood of quiet contentment 

that made him feel very good. 

with his . 

He gave her one drff and touched her glass 
V' 

She said: "I want to remember each detail of this night so that 

I can tell my daughter on the night she comes of age. And I will say he 

was one of the most striking yo/41n of the day in spite of his humble 

origins; tall and handsome and clever and with a driving impulse toward 

noble deeds ." 

He said: "And you will add that he loved you - loves you." 

"I will. " 

There was a long s tretch of s ilence. And in it they watched a 

shooting star str eak across the heaven and being young, made wishes; and 

listened to the distant, unending song of the ; E surf. 

At last, reluctantly , he broke the silence . 

"Something I should have said to your father at dinner this 

evening." 

"I felt there was something on your mind. Import ant?" 

"About the coming trials. Something the President wants him to 

know" . 

• You can still do it. Daddy rarely goes to bed before midnight. 

All this passion ' s got me into a drugged and desperately hungry stat e 

so I ' d be glad to get back, have a snack and go to bed." She hesitated 

a whil e then went on : " Daddy ' s not happy about these arrest~ so I hope 
) 

you don 't have to do anything t hat will make him more unhappy." 

"It is something t he Pr esident wants him to know." 

And having grown up in a home where the head of the f amily was 

privy to s tate secrets and often had t o make grave decision that affected 

life and death, Mona Wright quest ioned Andrew Simpson no further. 

UWI L
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277 

They finished their drink~ locked up the JJ i cottage, 

pusijed the key under the door of the shack of theb~ 

watchman , got into Simpson ' s car, and took the coast road back to 

Mosesville . 

The road was free of traffic, and the bright moon, high 

in t he sky now, made i t almost clear as day . Mona Wri ght nestled 

against Andrew Simpson as they sped through the beautiful night • 

trim and 

. iJ~\Jr . 
Mr Justice{ was a smallish 

delicate air about hi m. 

man , five foot seven , with a 

His hands , feet , face , nose, eyes , 

ears, mouth , were all s~ l and so his body al~ ys looked larger than 

i t really was . His face , almost jet black , showed none of the strengt h 

his adversaries knew he had. He was sixty- six, smooth of face, with a 

thick, well-groomed mop of kinky gr ey hair. In r epose there was an 

air of sadness about him and onl y the winterketness of his eyes hinted 

at the boredomi of age with the business of living. 

The Judge looked up as Mona knocked and opened the door . Then 

he saw the young man with her and roser.-smiling politely . She crosseed 
) 

the booklined room and leaned down a little to embrace and kiss her 

f ather. He held her off and looked at her face , aware of some subtle 

change in his daughter. 

"You're home early ." His voice was surprisingl y deep . 

"' "We went to t he cottage , \ she said , "and had a swim. " 

"I asked her to marry me ," Andy said , s till near t he door. 

"I see ," the Judge murmur ed . 

And it seemed to the two young people that he knew what had 

transpired at t he beach and they~ rew sel f - cons cious . 

"We ' re engaged , but s ecretly , Daddy dear . I don ' t want it known 

yet. " 

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278 

"Why?" 

She hesit at ed for a few seconds , seemingl y unwilling to say , 

t hen she burst out; ""I want him to have a chance to be absol utel y sure . " 

"I am," the young man cut in. "I am absolutely sure. " 

"He idealises , Daddy . " 

"I see." He patted his daughter ' s cheek then he turned his eyes 
..----... 

on the young man and smiled benigna:dl y . "This calls for a drink. " He{ 

went to a small liquor cabinet in a corner of the room poured three 
) 

t ouches of brandy into three tiny snifters and handed two to t he young 

people . The t hird he raised in a silent toast . 

"You ' ll tell your mot her , of course , " he murmured. 

"Of course . '-~\•\ Daddy , there I s something else . Andy has a 

message for you ; somethi ng privat e , so I ' l l go and find myself a snack . 

Anybody else interested?" She moved towards the door while speaking : now 

she s lipped out and shut the door behind her. 

With MonJ,}going the atmospher e of the room became cold and 

impersonal as a judge ' s chambers . The judge returned to his desk and 

motioned Si mpson into a chair near it . He leaned back , elbows on t he 

armrest of his chair, thumb against thumb with t he rest of his f ingers 

intertwined making a canopy of hi s hands . He waited , head slightly 

cocked, eyes searching , alert . 

Andrew Si mpson told him of Josiah ' s summoning of the heads of 

the milit ary , the police and the security force and of what had trans­

pired and of Josiah ' s expl anation of the aims of t he trial. When it 
~~~to l-~ 

wa~. o~r , . t he. iudge sat think5,pg f.e;. ~ .. v~rv lo{HZ .t,ime , , .. ithd!:dfl,hl; tl;,.i:s (\ . ~ , r. . 
~ L.lJr ~ tt..l., 't_~ ""'--~ • --r<--~ \ ~ \,-~G~ •t{..:Q 1l'L C'°6 ~ 

.-tt,..~ was how it was when Josiah had to work out some difficult problem. 

At last the judge ' s thinking was over. He looked curiously at 

Si mpson. 

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279 

"He works out things very carefully-"' sir. " 
.) 

"And letting me know what ' s on his mind is part of t his 

working out?" 

"Yes sir. " 

" Did he t ell you when he will speak to me himself?" 

"No sir. But I t hink it will be soon. He ' s anxious to 

get t his over wi t h . " 

" And what of you , young man? I hear he trusts you completely . " 

"I don ' t understand you, sir. " 

" Don ' t these things bother you? The manipulation of the police 

and t he civil senice? The attempt to manipulate .~ ~he law? Do you 

really think t he law should enter into this conspiracy against Freeways 

for daring to oppose Josiah?" 

"He ' s the President , sir. " 

"You don ' t need to t each me that, young aan. The question is: 
) 

don ' t these things bother you?" 

" Of course they do! " Si mpson paused to bring his rising passion 

under control. " Of course they do, sir. As much as the hunger and 

homelessness and miserable poverty that is the lot of most of our people . 

I am bothered by t he fact that s omethin~ like ninety per cent of our popula­

tion is bl ack and after hal f a century of independence t he wealth of t he 

nation is s till concentrated in the hands of the ten percent who are not . 

I know the poor i n all nations come f r om the majorities in those nations 

so the faces of the poor will be the same colour as the faces of t he 

majority;but the faces of the rich would be that same colour, and so 

would be t he faces of the power f ul and the inf luential. It is not so 

here , sir. And I am bother ed by that too, sir." 

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• "Must I now match your decl aration to show I too am 

concerned"f 11 

"No sir." 

"For that at least, thank you." 

"I know the President is bothered , too, sir . He expressed 

it to me today ." 

justify 

"Alf i ght , young man, so we ' re all concerned, H'foes t his 

what the Pr esident proposes'?" 

"He will tell you, sir: much bett er that I can." 

" I would s till like to hear what you say." 

The young man was alert and intent now, an advocate p leading 

his case before the gr eat j udge; he chose his words with care and used 

all his body - hands , eyes, head, motion ~ to dramatise his presentation . 

Watching him, Mr Justice Wright thought : He would have done well at 

the Bar. 

"This is an unjust society , s ir: har sh and cruel to the majority 

of its people& You talk about~manip~la~ing the poli ce and the civilr 
~ ~- "'-t'1 .:J' l ~ ~ ~ • ~J- l~ lb"'~ 

service and the 1aiw1ave been manipulated first to run the slave state ) ~ G 1--<--

~ ~ ~,~ J:...~ ll> ....._ ~ ~~- ~t..U.. 
~ which was handed over not t o the mass of t he \,eople but to the descendants 

of t he slave owners and the heirs of t he colonial state . Is it such a 

crime then for us now to ~ i pul ate the police and the civil service and 

t he law in t he interest of t he maj ority of t he peopl e?" 

" I t ake your point, young man : -tlie past has been unjust and 

cruel and evil. Does t his now jus tify a counter cruelty and injustice?" 

,,,__ft' 
"That is not our purpose , sir. All we wnat to do is break out 

of this situation. It was the resistance of t he mercantile,-rommunity t hat 

compelled the President ' s strong economic measures. 

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• 
281 

It was in order to prevent a flight of capital that he was forced to 
:J,- · 1~ 

freeze assets;j the massive land-hunger that forced our nationalisation 

measures . It was - " 

"Yes, young man, I ' ll concede you can make an overwhelming 

case for the evils of the past , for the greed and selfishness of the 

wealthy and for the massive inequalities of our society . What I ' m 

asking is whether you personally are prepared to manipulate the police 

and the civil service and the law t o change this situation. You ' ve 

asked me just now whether it would be a crime to do this in the interest 

of the people . Would you answer that question yourself-?" The judge 

leaned back and waited. 

the 

and 

"Yes, sir , I ' ll answer: I don ' t think it is a crime at all" . 

"Let's go a stage further, young man . Let us assume that all 

things the President propis, and you endors e are carried through 

it still does not end up as serving the interests of the maj ori t y 

of the people •.• . please! It isn ' t such a unique proposition . It ' s 

happened before and since you are playing with life and death you 

should at least be prepared to think out t he consequences •.••• So I ask 

you again : what happens if, after you've carried out your programme 

you still find that the interests of the majority have not been served?" 

"I can ' t answer a question based on the supposition of failure. 

I don ' t think we ' ll fail . He ' s not that kind of man. " 

"We all are ' that kind of man', young man . For each one of us 

one final failure is certain; most of us experience many before we get 

to that final one. Let me\ tell you one thing. I ' m not as hostile to 

your changes as you seem to think . What I fear, and I fear it for the 

land and for the ~eopl~,is the way in which the President dest~ ys the 

way back to where he started f rom each time he takes a step forward. 

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• 
282 

We need to be able to retrace our steps if we get lost or suffer 

defeat . And we talk about the interests of the maj ority . How do we 
/"' 

know what those interests are ? How are they expr essed after he has 

destroyed all opposition and criticism? And how do the people remove 

him if the day ever comes when they want to get rid of him? These are 

the things that worry· me,young man. And it worr ies me t hat you, the 

people around the President , accept hi m as infallible . " 

"I don ' t think that ' s f ai r , sir. No man is as committed to 

the people as is Pr esident Josiah." 

A wave of impatience swept over My Jus t ice Wright . "And 

no man is as commi tted t o the Pr esident as you are! But unlike you 

I ' m not interested only in the person and position of the President , 

young man. I ' ll accept his and your sinceritY.~but I ' ll defend and 
) 

. -~ . uphold t he law against anyone because I beli~e that in the long run 

t he l aw , indepedent and defending the l etter and the spirit of t he 

constitution , is a gr eat er guarantor of the real interests of the 

majority of the people than any one man , no matter how benevolent, wise , 

all- seeing or committed he might be . I had hoped you might underst and 

that , young man ." 

The judge r ose , and it was an act of dismi ssal that reminded 

Andrew Simpson of t hat other time when John St anhope had dismi ssed him 

in similar mood. 

" I hope you can f ind your way out," the j udge said curtly . 

"It seems my daughter ' s gone t o bed." 

"Yes sir, goodnight . " 

"Goodnignt . " 

But Mona was on the verandah , sleepy but waiting to see him off. 

She sensed that he was ~ upset and murmured: "Rough?" . 

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• 
283 

e 
"He doesn't se..11\m to understand; and yet one feels t hat he does . 

I don 't know." 

"Is he as ups et?" 

"Think so. Di smissed me coldly." 

-

I don ' t 

She said soberly : "I don.:_it say this becaus e he ' s my father and 

k • ( li>.1, ' now what 1 t s about ! /\ ( ust remember Daddy s not a f ool, Andy . 

And he is a very good man , which is why he ' s honoured all over the world as 

a great judge . " 

"And I am young and i dealistic," Andr ew Si mpson said with a touch 

of bitterness , 

"Which is why I love you," Mona Wright said. 

"Then tell; him II 

She put her hand over his mouth and stopped hi m. 

"You tell him whateve r you want t o , Andy. In my family we don ' t 

influence each other ' s ideas except in the 

Pl ease remember that always ." She l[lemoved 

0 
r,r se of 

her hand 

normal conversation. 

from his ~ , kissed 

him quickly , murmured ' goodnight', and s lipped into the house . 

Andrew Si mpson stalked angrily to his car and drove off, cursing 

the i s land ' s black aristocracy f or refusing to face t he realixies of the 

problems of power. 

Inside t he house t he judge met his daughter at the foot of the 

stairs leading up t o the bedrooms . 

" Thought you ' d gone to bed." 

11•·I -wai ted to see Andy off." 

"Yes ." He waited awkwardly , not knowing what to s ay . 

''Don ' t j udge him, Daddy." 

"Alf i gh~;,__ I won I t ." 

She took his hand and they went up the stairs t ogether. 

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• 
284 

It was early ~ morning , three days l ater, when the summons 

from t he Palace came . Mr . Justice Wright was in his Chambers high up 

in t he Supreme Court building going over the evidence of a complicated 

rural murder case that had aroused unusual national interes t because 

it was a crime of passion in which the accused, a man widely known for 

his generosity and gentle nature , was said to have come upon hi s woman, 

mother of t hree of his children , and his bes t fri end , in sexual embrace. 

The j udge was reading the conflicting expert evidence about the man ' s 

s t at e of mind when he clubbed the two to death with a tree branch~ ~ 

,the telephone rang. 

He answered it absently , not registering young Simpson ' s 

voice until the boy said it was the Pal ace and the President wanted to 

speak . Then he was alert at once. 

The President ' s voice said : "Morning to you , J udge . J os i ah here ." 

"Morning Mr. Pr esident ." 

"Woung Si mpson told you I wanted to have a word with you?" 

"Yes , Mr. President ." 

11i en I s convenient?" 

"Any time that suits you. " 

"This morning? Now?" 

"Yes . " 

"Alf i ght then , sir. Come over now please . I'll have a cup 

of coffee waiting for you. " 

Mr Justice Wright replaced the recaiver and sat thought f ully 

still for two minutes . Then he pr essed the buzzer summoning his clerk ; 

after that he phoned downstairs ordering his car. When t he old clerk , 

the j udge ' s senior by a year or two and not as well pr eserved , entered, 

Mr Justice Wri ght rose . 

UWI L
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285 

"I ' m going to t he Palace , Edwards . " 

"He called you?" 

"Yes . " 

"About the Freeways case?" 

"What el se : he ' s a pr actical young man , is our Pr esi dent ." 

"He woul dn ' t dar e t ry to bully you. " But t he old cler k 

sounded doubtful and a little f rightened. 

"We ' l l s ee ." 

"I s till t hink you should have summoned all t he ot her juf ges 

and t ol d t hem what you t ol d me . " 

" Li s t en, old fri end. There is no t rade union of judges t o 

arrive at a col l ective decis i on in order to engage i n collective barga i ni ng. 

Each judge i s appoi nt ed i ndividually and hi s busi ness i s t o uphold , t o 

int erpr et and t o instruct in t he execution of t he l aw . My trade union is 

here. " He made an ar c with his arm i ndicati ng the four wal ls of t he room , 

all l i ned with l egal books . "You know how gr eatly we can di ffer in our 

i nter pret ati ons of a point of l aw; and t hat is a good t hing. What I hope 

is t hat ther e will not be one of usf who will be prepar ed, for any reason , 

to sur render t he i ndeoendence of t he judici ary t o political expedi ence . 

But t hi s , in any case , i s a pr ivate deci sion for each man ~ sit s on the 

bench . \\ Now ! I must not keep the President wai t i ng." 

Together the judge and his old cl erk ent ered t he lift and were 

carried down . People stood asi de respectfully to let the great judge ou'tr~ 
' 

,l@~fiii=!•m:=Jj'.EF:1:11~~ and along t he corridor leading t o the street they acknowledged 

his passage and honoured him with bows and the look in t heir eyes . 

Outside on the street people ointed him out to each other as , 

in other countries , t hey would point out a well - known fi l m s t ar . 

"That ' s him. the great judge . Judge Wr i ght. Them say he ' s one 

of t he bi ggest in the world and when t here are p i g bi g cases t hey sometimes 

call hi m to sit wi th the ot her great j udges i n the Wor ld Court . " 

UWI L
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286 

"That 's something , heh! And him black too!" 

"Black man day coming!" 

" And him not much to look at!" 

~ 
"Its the head t hat count, Not the prettiness." 

"Right name for him, too , Wright!" 

"Yeah. Judge Wright never wrong !" 

The chauffeur held t he door open for The 

bolder among the spectators waved. The judge bent his head in acknow= 

ledgement. The car moved off and gathered speed. At every intersection 

the policemen on point duty held up other traffic . t o let the ~§~9"~ 

j udge 's car through . 

Ten minutes later the President himself welcomed Mr Justice 

Wright outside the ~ doors of the Palace and escorted him in. 

"it was good of you to come, sir." 

"My duty , Mr President . " 

"I hope it isn ' t only that, sir." 

Upst airs, Josiah led the judge into a large~ cool, cheery sun= 

f illed morning room. A f teward wheeled in a coffee trolley . Josiah 

gestured for the j udge to sit and set about pouring coffee . 

"We ' re bot h very busy men, sir, so I ' ll come immediately to t he 

point . I understand young Simpson told you why this trial is so important 

to me = to us, to the country. " 

"As I understand it you want to make a political demonstration 

of strength." 

"Precisely ." 

"That would have nothing to do with me"'sir , or , I expect, with any 
I 

other member of the Benvh. We must judge the case strictly on its merits 

in ~ law. That is the law and we are all bound by it. I know I don't have 

to refer you to the Constitution , Mr President." 

UWI L
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287 

Josiah handed the j udge his coffee, poured a cup for himself 

and sat down . 

"You understand , sir, that I am faced with a political problem?" 

"Yes ." 

" Do you understand what I am trying to do?" 

"I think s o." 

"Are you hostile to what I am trying t o?" 

" No." 

"Then why can ' t you , whom I know to be a patriot, help me , sir? 

What is the problem?" 

"You know your country ' s history, Mr President, so you wi ll 

remember how your predecessor came to power. I was a very green young 

barrister Yhen I defended, in my very f irs t big case , an agitator called 

Moses J oshua who was accused of plotting the overthrow of t he duly constituted 

government of t he day." 

"It was a colonial government; the people had not voted it into 

being. I -ls not the same thing." 

" My point, Mr President ~ s that t he j udge presided at that trial 

j udged the case on its merit in l aw t 
sole[ . He was not an $ lander, not 

one of us by birth or colour. It would have been easy and understandable 

for him to have seen the political inter est s of hi s own country , the 

colonial power, and t o have judged accordingl y . And i f you had been in that 

court you would have seen how t he pros ecution tried t o make him see the 

case in a political light . But he refused to and I con my case." 

11 I take your point , s ir , " Josiah s a id. "That i s t he ideal situation 

That is how I woul d like it to be , but my position is not strong enough for 

thatf if it were,__ I wouldn ' t have you here .... " 
/ 

"I doubt t hat," the judge murmur ed. 

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288 

"What!" Josiah ' s eyes popped with a sudden f lash of anger. 

He began to get to his feet. 

"Please!" the judge said col dl y . "Don ' t tell me I ' m accusing 

the President of my count ry of being a l iar. I'm sure you mean what 

you say , you believe what you say , but I question the validity of what 

you say. The rule of l aw must never depend on the strength or weakness 

of the position of any rul er. It must be a constant , above person and 

position." 

Josiah said , suddenly grave and thoughtful and quiet : "What 

~ "' 
are you sayi~gj judge? That you put the jud1 cr up against the will of 

the people? Is that what you are saying?" 

"No s ir. If you will pass a l aw making the courts subordinate 

to the political will , subject to direction by it , t hen , Mr Pr esident , 

i t would be my duty to do what you ask. " 

Josiah exploded. "You know I can 't do t hat in under three 

years ! The Constitution is riddled with so many damned safeguards on this 

point !" 

"I know , Mr President . I heited draft it." 

Josiah jumped up and walked away , and now there was no doubt about 

his bl azing anger and t he herculean effort it required to keep it in check . 

He stormed across the large room from window to door, then he swung back 

and criss:.::crossed it f rom wall to wall. He kept up t his brisk walking 

till he gr ew calm. He went back to where Mr Justice Wr i ght sat . 

"Do you really understand how important t his trial is to me) 

judge? Di d young Simpson really make my position clear to you?" 

"So clear, Mr President, I think I understand it better than 

he does ." 

"What ' s that supposed to mean? ' 

UWI L
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289 

"Simply that you ' ve got him to believe in the idea of liberation 

by personal ity rather than than by principle and the habit of good rules. 

Which is probably why my daughter wants some of his idealism shaken up a 

little before she marries him." 

" Please let ' s get back to the case, judge ." 

"It must go to court like any other case , Mr President. I{s already 

had all t he preference possible by upsetting the entire calender. " 
..,_£'( 

win ." 

" I can't affor di to win ." 

"If it ' s a good case, properly presented and conclusive" you 111 
J 

"I must be absolutely certain of a conviction, judge ! Look ! If 

I promise you t o exercise mercy and spare Freeways ' life, and if I promise 

you t hat I will never ask anything like this of you again, will you give 

me this case? For the sake of the country, will you?" 

Josiah rose abruptl y . He stood waiting till judge Wright got to 

his feet . He s tared coldly into t he judge~ eyes . 

"I am the President," he said harshly; "elected by the people; 

and you who have not submitted yourself to the people have chosen to defy 

me ." 

"No sir." the judge said stiffly . " I am not defying you. I am 

simt ly s tating my sworn responsibility to uphold t he l aw and the rule of 

the law accordingl y to our constitution." 

"Good day , sir!" Josiah said coldly and swung on his heels. 

" Mr President," t he great judge sai d and inclined his head s lightly 

at the President ' s back . Then he walked slowly from the sun=f illed room, 

down the long corridor, down the wide, carpetea stairway and out of the 

great Palace . 

UWI L
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280 

The ear ly aft ernoon news bulletin on t he government- controlled 

radio station opened wit h the announcement that t he President, exercising 

the powers iested i n him under t he Constitution and in consultation with 

the Cabinet , had relieved My. Justice Douglas Wright of his position 

as President of the Supreme Court . 

The news of the sw::in1&ry dismissal of t he great j udge brought 

Martha Lee hurrying back to the capital. 

And that evening when Andrew Si mpson phoned to l e t Mona Wright 

know that he would be coming round later, she put him off . He wanted 

to explain about what happened between her father and the President . 

Still she would not see him. The thing t hat distressed hi m was that 

she was not angr y and she did not bl ame hi m; she just sounded t ired and 

listless, like someone drugged. 

Later t he Presi dent tried t o comfort him. "I didn ' t want t o 

do it, Andy ; but you know how i mportant t he trial is ." 

And that ni ght, too, John Stanhope came home after a long time 

away. 

Martha Lee finally tracked down Max Johnson i n t he early 

hours of the following morning . He was maudlin dr unk . He told her he 

was leaving because he wasn ' t wanted. The next day J oel Sterning , bitter 

with disgus~ himself 

en all that/_happebed in 

and the Isaacs family , brought her up to date 

her absence. 

A week l ater, earl y one September morning , j us t under a year 

since old Moses Joshua died and Albert Josiah t ook over the Pal ace, 

Maxwell Johns on lef t the i sland f or good. He had come as a young man, 

mor e than thirty years earlier. For the best part of t wenty year s he 

had edited its only dail y paper. Hi s roots had gone deeper her e t han 

i n the land of his birth. He knew he would never again be abl e to give 

UWI L
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291 

of himself as he had done here , to the job and to those he had come to 

love and to the land; he would never again experience the quality of 

hurt he had kno,m when he los t those he loved , and that he was experiencing 

now as the moment of departure approached. 

He had been $hoc~ed and embittered by the ease with which his 

u 
directors had accepted Josiah ' s will. They .aa-d' been ~ sorry but 

i f that was how the President really felt • • . Well , he was the elect of 

t he people . And so they had taken over his house and beach cottage at 

a reasonable price ' 

and his accumulated 

for the rest of his 

c;l.. 

and given him~severance se ttlement in lieu of notice 

pension right / that ensured his financial security 

life . He had , in sht t, been generously paid off . 

And .al s t immediately a f ter that Board meeting the chairman had sought 

anl interview with the President . This had been followed by the dropping 

of t wo of the old Board members and the election of Solomon Isaacs and 

Joel Sterning to membership of the Board. An able , veteran black journalist, 

news editor of the state- controlled radio station , and hit herto regarded as 

too radical, had been selected to succeed Max Johnson . 

It was a bleak morning , cloudy and overcast , wit h periodic 

drizzles , and the airport was a miserable place . He had come in by this 

same airport a long time ago,6,oung and f ull of high hopes and the spirit of adven­

ture , planning to spend a year or two. No more . Same airport but not these 

massive new buildings and miles of runway; not this streamlined place where 

the great giants of the air left with clocklike regularity every s o many 

minures. It had had a pioneering air then; the pioneering airport of a 

pioneering colonial t own , hustling and bustling and on the make, and funf 

to arrive at for a young man i n search of adventure • 

•.• But I overstayed my time because the warmth of their welcome 

deceived me . I assumed they would look into my heart and see what I really 

am , how I fee l and what I was willi ng to give . 

UWI L
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292 

And yet he ' s right. Everything he sai d is true . Then why did you expect 

your directors to tell you not tdleave and that they would stand behind 

you in any showdown? I t is they who are dishonest , not he ; and you were 

prepared to play along with them. He is the man of principle : they the 

opportunists . How aptly he described them! The margi1gatherers . So 

what does that make you? What have you to be bitter about? You know 

you wouldn ' t have dore as well if you ' d stayed home . Youfre hurt because 

t his happened to you. Had it been someone else you would unezrstand and 

be on his side . You ive had a better time than you would have at home, and 

you ' re going back well- heeled. So what do you feel so bitter and upset 

about • • . 

He saw his baggage through the weighing , paid the excess and 

hea~ r the departure lounge where the bar would be open even this early 

in t he morning . 

.• I arrived alone, with n~ ne to welcome me : I leave alone, 

<"'."\ 
with not one to say godspeed. And it took nearly forty years to make this -
circle . Aging is growing lonely. That is why i t is sad ... 

But he was wrong . With a full five minutes to departure time 

s till left Martha Lee came striding into the l ounge . For a terribl e blind~ 

ing moment the great, hulking Engl ~shman though he woul d breakdown and 

weeo . Then he regained control . 

.. Not qu~ the same circle ; not alone . There is one to say god­

s peed. Not much of an upward spiral in a f orty- year circle - just one 
<:., 

hundred percent. Aging is al so ldeepening of \ perception , which is what 

gives its brand of sadness that tinge of distaled purity . We see and 
·r 

understand a little more clearly but we are too tired to invest with the ,_ 
conquering hope of youth ... 

UWI L
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293 

Mart ha climbed on t o t he hi gh stool beside hi m. He 

stared steadily into h i s gl ass and sai d : "I ' m gl ad you came . I 

was feeling bloodfJ sor ry for mysel f . " Then he t urned his head and 

looked at her. 

"Bl ack coffee , " she sai d t o t he bar man , then t o J~ on 

"You coul d have deci f d t o s t ay". 

"And do what?" 

"Of course ," she sai d evenly . "With t he job gone t here is 

nothing to s t ay for . " 

"Except t o be a spectat or of the unfo l ding of a not pretty 

picture . He paid me t he compliment of not offering t o buy me . I 

was too angry t o appr eci at e i t at the time . " 

"What will you do1 11 

"Probably blossom into the l at est expert on t he Caribbean . " 

He looked away from her and sai d , thought fully : "You know of course 

t hat I hat e t o go . " 

" I know." 

"I ' m goi ng among s t rangers ; t o what ' s become an ali en place . 

It~ like going int o exi le. " 

A voi ce over t he l oudspeaker announced t he depart ure of hi s 

fli ght. They got off the bar s t ools . 

"The r eal r eason why I ' m goi ng." Max Johnson sai d , ' is because 

I fee l guilt y . Jos i ah made me see i t . I am part of that whit e cr owd 

t hat was in cont il for so l ong that i t could have made the necessar y 

changes gr adually . Think what we coul d have done with t hi s isl and 

over t he past fift y year s . Then t hink what we did do. And if my 

Boar d had said stay and defy hi m, I t hink I woul d have ; t hey di dn ' t 

and for t he mos t di s r eput abl e r easons . " 

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"Some may envy you your ' exile'," she said coldly. "We cannot 

all pack up and go." 

.•. She has a right to judge harshl y , cruelly; the right of those 

in battle who are there because of our failures .•. 

"Yes ," he said lightly . "The compensations will be great . There ' ll 

be theatres and concerts and books . 
µ-i~ 

And one always makes new friends . And 

t he leisure t o writ e that ." 

The loudspeaker ~A)°ed Max by name . 

" And cold winters ," she sai d , allowing hi m now to look into her eyes 
u.Jv 

and that she , too
1
was sad. 

L 
"Yes, and cold winters ," he said softly . 

"And later others will come and judge us for our fai lures as we now 

judge you. " 

usual. 

"But a-~east you are making more 

still not with him, Max. " 

of an effort than we did." 

"I ' m 

" And not agains t him. You won ' t run and you won ' t sabotage ." 

" I love my land and my peopleJ . 11 

"It may not be enough . " 

"Goodbye , Max." she was remote now. 

He shrugged slight ly, a small gesture of irritation. 

"Goodbye ; and thanks ." 

He walked briskly through the door and to t he plane . 
1 {n......J,~, 

... Only the native sons and daughters g ear the full ~ . 

As the plane rose the sun broke through and the island was warm as 

h 
7 0m the viewing gallery Martha Lee watched as the plane climbed 

into the blue sky , grew smaller, silvery, tiny, t hen merge into the mi stiness 

of s pace . 

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~ 
She wanted the parting to be on a warmer note for she knew 

l 
that Max had just gone i nto a lonely exile for which not hing '\ifH-1 • _ _,---f...k:. 
compensate . She knew t hat at bedrock, when stri pped of all the jingoistic 

rubbish of race and class and colour and nat ionality, all humans were 

plain people; made richer and more beautiful by y ir variety, but still 

only people; the same under the skin. And yet t he history of the skin 

thing and what lay behind it had made for an invisible wall that had 

made impossible a parting on a warmer, more personal, more ijuman note . 

He had, she knew now, always been the stranger within the gat e for her 

and many others like her: and it was not a thing of her wanting or his 

wanting . It was so because of what had happened long before they were 

born. And so what ~ give your heart and mind to, what you would 

do as an act of will, what you would do as a man using the blessed gift 

of conscious intelligence, is denied you because of a past over which 

you had no control/ for which you have no responsibility. 

Awareness of this was no new experience for Martha Lee; but it 

was personal now, and sharp and clearcut . It brought the anguish and the 

despair known only to the creature that kt w it was trapped in a hopeless 

situation. Perhaps for others , coming lab r ; a point in time would be 

reached when there are no strangers within t he gate anywhere on this earth 

of ours . 

She left the airport and made for the paper and her first 

conference with the new editor. 

The trial of Freeways was postponed for a week because of the 

s acking of Mr Justice Wright . During the week the President summoned 

three judges of the Supreme Court, individually and in order of seniority. 

The conference with each started cordially and ended foully . For the 

f irst one , the most senior judge after Me Douglas Wright , the President 

had a small intimate but formal dinner party . 

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291b 

Then he and the j udge r etired to his private quarters . They r~ned 

there for two hours while t he guest~- old Nat han Isaacs escorting hi s 

daughter Clara Sterning , the judge ' s wife, K. E. Powers ' wife / acting 

as hostess for the Presi dent, Andrew Simpson and t he dar k beauty he 

had called in to substitute for Mona Wright as his dinner partner -

ran out of topics to discuss and grew restive. Then the judge emerged 

alone f rom the President' s quarters, shaking and in the grip of such 

s trong emotion t hat he was unable to speak . His wife of forty year s 

had looked into his face then left he~eaY,' t aken his arm and l ed hi m 
L,..._..e( •~ i ~ , 

out of t he drawing room 111-ithoUL another wore-. 

The President had returned to t he remainder of his guest ten 

minutes later, calm but distant and pr eoccu~ Andrew Simpson had 

taken ove quietl and another ten minutes J!e!o,e all the guests had 

gone . 

For \ bis meeting with the second judge the President arranged 

a simple informal dinner for t wo. This, too, ended prematurely and 

disastrously. 

The next day the Presideht ordered that all the f iles and 

submissions and memoranda that had been used in the drafting of the 

Constitution be brought t o him. He al so ordered that the opening 

dat -e for the tria l be put off for yet another week . He t el ephoned the 

new editor of the Voice of the Island and said he did not want any 

mention made of these post ponementt:/or anything connected with the judges , 

other than what the Palace itself put out officially. The new editor 

was a fflaPl eommitted to the iaeas aae t3FiP1eiples Josiah was working to 

~sle:te into pracb .ce : there was real undel'S Landing and respect 

,bot·,,een them, c!Q assured the Pr esi dent of t he paper's co- operation as 

long as he occupied the edi t or ' s chair. 

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Josiah summoned t he third j udge to lunch . Again the meeting 

was very brief and explosive. 

Aft er that a day passed then, l ate in the afternoon of the 

following day )t he car of the chief of the security forces stopped 

outside the house of Mr Justice Dougl as Wri ght and the security chief 

and t wo of hi s men went i nto the house . 

Still l at er that eveni ng the President appeared personally on 

radio and tel evison and explained to the nat i on that t he former President 

of the Supr eme Court had been t aken into custody because he had tried to 

use his hi gh off ice to give comfort and protection to t he politica l 

~ . 
ent mi es 

against 

of t he nation . 

hi m; we do not 

we do not want to take 

Josiah ended with t ear s in his eyes : " We ar e not 

even say he has committed uncot riscious treason: 

any of his great honours from him and we Jo not 

want to smirch his hi gh reputation; he is one of us and his great honour 

is ours; s o we do not love him any less . I t i s only t hat we love t he 

nation and its children more . We cannot allow even t hi s gr eat and honourable 

man to s t and in the way of the nation. And so , with great heart ache I 

have used the special powers reserved to t he President t o detain M~ --Justice 

Douglas Wright . I hope it will be a short det ention and t hat it will be 

possible for hi m t o r e turn to his gr eat work after. " 

The next day a Palace announcement gave the date when t he t r i als 

would begin and the name of t he presiding judge . He turned out to be 

t he second of the three judges the President had interviewed. 

A week l ater this particular judge was appointed to act as Pr esi dent 

of the island ' s Supreme Court . 
? 

The new editor of The Voice of the Island t ook his time to f inish 

r eading Martha Lee ' s piece on the det ention of Mr Justice Wright . He had 

read it t wice before, each time with a glow of admiration for the f irst- rate 

pi ece it was; this was the kind of writing the island had been so short of 

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when it was most needed, when the nation had to be agitated to demand 

it independence . It was brilliant but it was the wrong t ime . 

At last he shuffled t he sheet s together and looked up to 

meet Mfartha Lee's impersonal gaze. 

"The only reason for m' y killing your story ," he said softly 

almost tenderly , "is t hat it is inappropriate at this t ime . We ' re at 

war , Miss Lee, the war of the underprivileged and t he hungry and the 

homeless against those who have and wh<yill not give up what theyf ave 

without a fight ." 

, 

"A journalist ' s first duty is to present the truth, no matter 

how inappropriate the time," Martha Lee said evenly , suppressing all 

hint of feeling . She pointed at the manuscript of t he desk . "And that 

is the truth ." 

"Not the truth, Miss Lee : a version of the truth . The President 

gave a version too. We sometimes forget that even Christ held his peace 

when Pi late asked him ' What is truth '." 

"And so ... " 

"It is my responsibility to decide which version is i n the public 

interest , and this piece, now, is not. I know you don ' t agree but I ' m 

the editor and the decision is mi ne ." 

The face and the voice are different , she told herself , but the 

words could have been spoken by Max. In spite of herself, of her anger, 

she felt respect for this new man who sat in what had been for so long 

Max ' s chair. How Max lingered! But then, t he paper, an i ndispensible part 

of the life and thought of the island had al so been the reflection of Max: 

sober , balanced, s lightly aloof in its detachment; above t he battle and 
&L 

making .r.lof virtue of seeing as many sides of a question as possible . 

Now , with this new man the paper, she knew, was going to become involved, 

engaged, partisan , an instrument of the changes J osiah desired. 

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... 
.,......,~ 

And that is why the memory of Max ' s regime was so linger-1: she knew 

it was dead . 

What now? she asked herself. 

Her editor said, a world of understanding in his voice: "I 

know what this means to someone like youAso don ' t make any snap decision . 
) 

Think it over before you decide whether you want to carry on or whether 

you want to quit . I don ' t want you to quit . You are much too valuable 1 

But I a lso want you to understand frankly that as long as I sit here 

this paper is committed to the President and his policies . I don ' t have 

to tell you what is involved. I f you decide t o stay, which I hope you 

will, I cannot promise not t o kill another of your stories . What I can 

promise is that my decisions will be based solel y on what I regard as 

t he public interest ." 

"And truth is relative ..... " she sai d softly , musinf ly . 

"Yes, " he said. "Relative and with a point of departure ." 

She left her new editor then , wit hout anot her word ; attempting 

t o r esist admitting the knowledge that she would stay on because t her e 

r.' 
was nothing else to do, no other papj_;r to go t o , and , unlike Ma:4, no other 

pl ace to go t o . Exile for her would not be to the land where she was 

born . This was the land where she was born; this was t he only job she 

could do ; these were her people; and they had chosen Josiah , f ree l y , to 

change their s ociety. 

The thought of the cost f rightened her; and she knew, as she 

had known from the very f irst time oosiah made his bid that the people 

would have to pay t he price of his dreams if he succeeded. He had succeeded ; 

he was doing the t hings he said he would do , changing the power structure 

of the society . And a few people had s tarted paying t he price already . 

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... And I can ' t turn against him. I ' m not for him but I can ' t 

be against him either for he is the elect of the people •.. 

Bhe phoned John Stanhope, ex- Presidential Secretary, who, late 

in life was for the first time setting up a law practice . He had been 

trained for the law as a young man but the government service had claimed 

him until the emergence of Josiah . His first case was to be the defence 

of F. F. Freeways . 

She said: "John, my story on Douglas Wright has been killed. " 

"What did you expect~ 11 The bitterness in Stanhope ' s voice 

distressed her. "Come over for lunch. " 

Over the telephone she recognised one of the voices in the back­

ground behind John. The reactionaries, those Josiah called t he margin 

gatherers , those who had used old Freeways and pompous little Richard 

Young , were now pushing John St anhope into the posture of opposition . She 

had tried to warn him but he had come home blind with anger ever t he arrest 

of Freeways . And they had used his anger. 

She said "No , thank you , John," unhappily and hung up quickly . 

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- THREE -

Albert Josiah could not sleep. He got out of bed, groped his 

way across the darkened room, and pulled back the heavy curtains . 

Instantly the room was lit up with soft, subdued moonlight. He 

opened the window wide and brought his favourite armchair to the window . 

There was the thud of running feet on soft eart h then a voice 

called 
I.I... . "Mr President, s ir! You alf i ght , sir?" w, , anxiously : 

"Yes, guard. I ' m alr i ght ." 

"Ri ght , s ir." 

The light footfal ls went away. Josiah settled down in the chair. 

The hills were the darker shadows on the light land. He wished he had 

developed the distract i j habits other men had : smoking , drinking , women , 
,r 

deep personal att ach~ ent s . Trouble is t hese things diffuse your energies 

and you end up trapped. Changing things is no paf t - time job . The real 

truth is that he ' d never needed or desired any of t hese things . He ' d 

tried a couple of times with women and it~ had left him cola . The onl y 
~ 

really important thing was the commitment ¢ to free the land its peopl e . 
/ ... 

He couldxi pin down quite when it had begun , or how . Looking back now , 

trying to think it out , it seemed always to have been there , born with 

him, but lyi ng dormant until that moment . 

A small moment , nothing ugly or dramatic. Some unnamed , unknown 

unimportant, white per son had called out kindly : "Hey ! you ! Boy ! Black 

Boy ! You ' ve dropped a book ." Ther e had been kindness and no malice and 

t he quiet , subtle understanding of difference . A thing of t he mi nd and 

I 

~ 
of f eiH ing. And t he gr eat restlessness , l as the commitment, had sprung 1.J,..,.,..t..,, 

instantl y and forever . 

But where had it gone wrong ? 

Not with the trial. 

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~ 302.. 

That had been the mast er political spectacle he had planned. The nation 

d.. had been behi nd him. The ar dent al ocacy of Stanhope had added t o the 

whole t hing . No ; not the tria l . That had been a smashing national 

s uccess . 

And t here had been the great psychological thi ng when he had 

commut ed 01'_ Freeways ' sentence and order ed the expulsion of the expa­

triates and t he people ' s ar med militia had f i.tllk appear ed on the str eets . 

In t hose days hi s rule had shown all t he hal~ ar ks of a people ' s 

government and you could sense t he pride and the confidence and the new­

found self- assurance of the nation. 

It was o~ this hi gh note of a peopl e who were masters in t heir 

own home t hat the next phase had been l aunched . And the nasty press t he 

island had r eceived f r om the outside world had had i t s useful aspect t oo 
.I,..~ 

i n making honest fence- s itters like that Mart ha Lee closer to t he govern-
/\. 

ment . 

And then t he next phase , t he assaul t on t he economi c problems/; 

had begun . As expected , t hey had run into trouble here . A hi s t ory of 

corrupt ion i s not undone overnight, and it was a lnost ~ ossible to 

persuade the wor king people t o give some of t heir l abour to the nation, 

for t he good of the nation , wit hout being paid . And so an element of 

force had to be introduced t o get t he unemployed into the labour battali~ 

for t he great national t erracing and irrigation . drives. There had been 

t hat unhappy week of r ioting and over two hundred people had t o be killed 

before the situation was brought under control . There had been no more 

troubl e after that . Perhaps that had been the beginni ng of i t all . Onl y 

thing is that was over two years ago , and these peopl e are not known f or 

nurs ing long angers . One of their mairi faults has always been that they 

hat e too lightly , for give too easily . 

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And still there had gr own up this sense of things gone 

sour between him and them . 

• •• And I have dome more for them in five years than old Moses 

Joshua did in twent - five,~~ 

five 

Today all t he children go to school from the age of 

onwar~ 

/2And the labour battalions have wiped out f nemployment . 

.. ~-:---:-:-:---:-:----:--~:-------...--~---:-
We have el iminated most of the margin gat erers and 

t hose who remain work for us . 1 

We have started on the road to economic self- sufficiency 

and if food is short it is the fault of the farmers who withold their 

crop . The other t hings , the luxury items , the foreign clothes and cars 

and wines and spirits we will keep out unt il we can afford them . . . 

All this had been made plain to thet so they know it; they 

know why they make the sacrifices , and they knmw what the rewards will 

be . And each one from the President down, makes the same sacrifices . 

No one is exempt . 

Perhaps they had been promised for too long that there were 

easy ways out of situation$rike this . There is no way out except 

through hard work . 

• • • No way except through hard work , I had told them. If I 

had permitted elections after my four year term expired they would 

have been fooled by those who promised easy ways out ani_ I would have 

los t the election • .. 

So, at the beginning of the fourth and final year of Josiah's 

first term of office there had been a referemdum and the people 

had voted - under pressure of a massive and vigorous part y campaign - to 

suspend all further elections until the economic revolution was 

completed. 

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By then Josiah was already aware that things tabJi soured between 

himself and the people; by then thay had longed ceaseJf alling him names 

like ' The Liberat or ' , "The Dark Crusader ' , ' The Guardi an of the Peoole ' . 

And he had increasingl y come to depend on the military , the police and the 

security forces as well as the very much smaller but also very much more 

dedicated ' people ' s militia ' to see that his will was carried out . The 

a.k 
controlled press and radio were~ useful . 

But this was not how he had wanted it . To use force i n order 

to crush the enemies of t he peoole , yes . That he had dome without 

compunction. To use force against the people themselves because t hey do 

not know t heir own interests, that hurts in a way nobody understood. It 

was not t he sort of t hing others could be made to understand. Not even 

young Si mpson , for all his sensibi lity and commitment, could understand that . 

So t here had been a s ouring of things between them too. Nothing had been 

~ • >i J. r a id, no\ ing done; he had j ust felt the souring process , as with{ the people . 

Onl y once , fleetingl y , had he felt that someone understood his hurt . 

It was at the big political rally IJ.a L somcoac audet s toed His J;i1.u;rt aft er 

the riots and the shooting. In the midst of trying to make the silent mass 

of people understand what it was all about ~ he had turned his head 

and there was t he Lee woman . 
/..J 

SheL4ooked at him as his mother had looked 

at him , seeing and understandi ng the hurt and suffering he dared not ~ 

admit to himself. It had made him yearn for comfort as he could not remember 

ever yearning before , with a heavy ache at hi s heart . But after t he rally , 
(.. 

when he tried to talk to her, to make bontact with that flash of understanding 

and sympathy , she had withdrawn with the frightened touchiness of a whole person in 

the presence of a leper. He had dismissed her, and the experience , then , as 

an illusion. Hee air of understanding sadness , that look in her eyes , did 

not s t em from seeing and understanding his hurt but from the fact that her 

lover, t hat fellow Sterning , had taken his wife and gone to Europe , leaving her 

behind. 

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29-3- J o5 

The look was s i mpl y that of a woman acquainted with grief . 

Or was it? 

One of the pr oblems about controlling press and r adi o is that 

it is difficult to know what peopl e think . Yet, with a free pres s he 

would not have been able to do a fraction of what he had done . 

And t he more he did, 

the hi gher the i nvisible wall 

through he were the enemy • 

the mor e withdrawn his people became , 
J. .. D~A ~ 

of coldnesr""them~ him. As 

• •• I was prepared for everything except t his ... 

Sitting by t he open window in his unlit bedroom:·, Josiah took 

c.Per~i stock of the situation . He had conquered all his ~nemies,all 

t hose who ~=- in the way of t he great revolution, and then his people 
w ~r:l.i-..J. to rt.a-. J.,J, ~ ~- ~, 

had turned sour on him. How? Why? He ~wl@ Jert c14 laiR ~~ to them, 
\.J-

he had written it down for them , the party/..conducted political classes 

throughout the country . But still the sourness was there . And he knew 

it would not be long before this sourness would express itself as opposition . 

~ 
And so, he knew, it was i nustiable , only a matter of time, before he would 

have to be as harsh with the people as he had been with their enemies . For 

the job of creating a proud and independent island people , standing on 

t heir own feet, had only begun. The great battle was s±ill ahead. It 

would have been gl orious fighting it with his people solidly behind him. 

It would be hard and it would hurt to have to use the party and the police 

and the military and the security to drive them . 

.. . It will be hard. It will be done ... 
A.-

And forLm~ment, there in the moonlight , feeling as lonely as 

he had ever felt, doubt came to Al bert Josiah . And fear touched him. 

And the thought that this way might be{-wrong ; that this was not the r , ad 

~ 
~ freedom for his people. 

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But i f t his was not the way t hen t here was no way . The lion does not 

lie down peacefully with t he lamb. The expl oiters do not suffer 

a chauge of heart and cease to expl oit . The gr eat powers do not suddenly 

dis~over a mor ality that t ells them it is wrong to manipul ate small 

countries and use t heir lands as bases and l:iattlefi el ds and their people 

as living t ar gets in the power game of showing muscl e . I f this way is 
~ 

wrong t hen t here is no way out for t he peol es of t he so- call ed under-

deve l oped world. The people of t hat other worl d were lucky; t hey had 

had centuries in whi ch to wor k out their institut ions and to grow rich 

and strong and stable : and of course they had t he resources of the under­

developed world , human and material , at their r eady disposal. And in 

spit e of their lip service t oday they are still bent on expl oitation : 

subtler and more sophi sticated it is true , but no less r eal for that . 

And thin"king al ong these lines , t he moment of doubt passed 

and Al bert Josiah knew that t his was t he way i t had to be. Many things 

he would not have chosen to do this way . Freaways spendi ng t he rest 

of his life in jail he did not mind : keeping pr oud and stubborn old 

Dougl as Wright in det ention hur t deeply . The old man could have been 

a rally i ng point for popular support ; and his detenti on has meant the 

f r ustration of young Simpson ' s love for his daughter, and t his had gone 

deeper than he t hought it would. It it had been up to him this would 

not have happened. 

And the two nundred killed in t he riots . But he doubted if 

theri could ever have been any way of avoiding that wit hout giving i n . 

Now there ~ t he hard decis io, that lie ahead, the harsh actions 

that would have t o be t aken when the wall of coldness f r om them to him 

bec! me\ thought-out, active opposit ion . 

Not things he would have chosen to do ; things for ced on nim 

if he is to carry through the great work of hi s life, the liberat ing of 

t he land and its people . 

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He sighed and got up . He took his light dressing- gown from 

the foot of the bed , pushed his feet into his sli ppers, and walked quickly 

out of his quarters , dmm the l ong and silent 

Simpson ' s private quart ers . The boy had gone 

corridor to young 
--t.; 

off [ he other end of the 

island on a two- day job. He ' d been expected back t his evening but he 

hadn ' t reported. Perhaps he had come in ~ late and did not want to 

disturb_ Josiah till morning . 

The Presi dential Secretary ' s quarters were deserted. He 

had not come back . On an impulse J osiah pi cked up the telephone by 

Simpson ' s bed. The sleepy switchboard operator was startled by the 

President ' s voice at t his hour of the morning . 

"Any word from Mr Simpson?" Josiah snapped. 

"No, sir! I mean yes , sir." 

"Which it is,man !" 

"Mr Simpson call ed earlier sir, Your Excellency ." 

"Well?" 

"Said to tell the s ecretary to tell you he won ' t be back till 

tomorrow evening , sir. 11 

"Then why wasn ' t I told?" 

"It was late - after midnignt - when he phone, sir." 

'tThat all he said? Nothing else?" 

"No, sir. Just that everything was unde r control and he would 

be back tomorrow evening." 

"Alr i ght . Thank you ." 

Josiah replaced the r eceiver on its cradle, looked about the 

room then left it , careful ly turning out the lights he had put on 

when entering. 

Pity young Simpson would not be back on time. He hated 

travelling alone. 

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And the trip up to t he hi l ls t omorrow evening was important. The 

man in charge of the champion labour battalion had thought it a good 

i dea for his people to stage a\nassive country feed . Having the 

President taking part in such an aff air might just spark off a revival 

of the t ype of emotional interest that had been there when he first 

took over. He did not r eally think it would happen , but t here was always 

the off- chance and he dared not let it pass . So he would go up into 
()... 

the hills t omorrow because of the faint, desperate hope forl miracle 

t hat would make it possible for him to do what had to be done without 

having to drive his people as savagely as he had been for ced t o drive 

their enemi es . But deep\ \ inside him he k~ ew the gesture would be 
. ., 

fut tile . There are no easy ways , no shortcuts , no way of doing what 

had to be done without drinking deepl y of this bitter cup of loneliness 

and harshness . 

He l eft Simpson ' s rooms and r eturned t o his own , sure now of 

what had been done and of all that was involved . In the year s that 
l,,. 
kif ahead , long and bleak and l onely years possibly , this moment 

of doubt, of weakness, would not return again . 

... Once you start on t his road t here is no way back ... 

Back in his bedroom he drew t he curtai ns to shut out the light, 

got into bed and fell as leep almost immediately . 

The man on night duty returned to his partner and s ai d : 
ro 

" President restless tonight , but him gone s l eep now." 
i.. 

"Perhaps he had a dream ," the partner suggested. 

"Yes ; perhaps he had a rlraam." 

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The l i mousine came easily round t he bend i n t he road and 
/' 

through the sf i ghts he could see how worri ed and preoccupied Josiah 

was . 

Now! Pull the trigger! Now! 

"There are no interest- free shortcuts . If you skip a stage 

in one way , you pay for it in another." Martha Lee had s aid that 

t o hi m a lonu , lonp t ime apo and he had been angry with her. 

"So if things ever change , don ' t let the change change you 

and what you are and what you believe and hol d dear." 

Now or he ' ll disappear! 

"You are fine the way you are , and what you ' re aft er is 

right both for yourself and our people." 

You ar e losing hi m! Pull now ! 

Thou shalt not kill . 

Now ! 

And t hough I have the gi ft of pr ophecy,,. 

Josiah ' s limousine passed out of sight along the winding road , 

The man l owered hi s head over t he beautiful precision instrument with 

which he could have ended so much . 

He bur s t out crying ; he wept with the desperate abandon of a 

lost child for whom there was no comf ort , A lost child a l one on an 

island over which the l ong shadows were creeping. 

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	AbrahamsPeter_Manuscripts_ThisIslandNowManuscriptFrom201-313.pdf
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