Maiwa’s Revenge · Chapter
III: The First Round explained
Quatermain is awakened by Gobo to meet a headman from one of Wambe's kraals, who begs him to kill three bull elephants that have been destroying their crops.
What happens
Quatermain is awakened by Gobo to meet a headman from one of Wambe's kraals, who begs him to kill three bull elephants that have been destroying their crops. Quatermain agrees, sends a message to Wambe, and moves to the kraal. He devises a plan to shoot the elephants from a baobab tree at night. During the hunt, the elephants attack the hut of the headman's estranged wife, and Quatermain shoots one elephant, which dies near the hut. The other two escape. The headman is punished by Quatermain for providing a rotten log, but the wife survives.
Themes in this chapter
Adventure and Survival
Quatermain's daring night hunt for the bull elephants highlights the thrill and danger of big game hunting.
Colonialism and Racial Hierarchy
Quatermain's condescending treatment of the headman and his assumption of superiority reflect colonial attitudes.
Characters to notice
- Old Quatermain
The narrator and hunter who devises the plan to shoot the elephants from a baobab tree.
- Gobo
Quatermain's companion who wakes him and assists in the hunt, though reluctantly.
- Wambe
The chief whose kraal is affected by the elephants; Quatermain sends him a message.
- The Matuku
The headman of Wambe's kraal who requests Quatermain's help and later receives punishment.
Key passages
“‘What did he mean,’ I asked, ‘by disturbing me in this rude way? How did he dare to cause a person of my quality and evident importance to be awakened in order to interview his entirely contemptible self?’”
Quatermain scolds the headman for waking him, using harsh language to assert his authority.
Quatermain uses intimidation to establish dominance over the headman.
“‘Now,’ he said, ‘his people might sleep in peace, for while the mighty white hunter sat aloft like a spirit watching over the welfare of his kraal what was there to fear?’”
The headman expresses relief that Quatermain will protect them from the elephants.
The headman's flattery underscores the perceived power of the white hunter.
“‘Mercy, great white man! I thought the log was sound. But what says the unequalled chief—is the old woman, my wife, indeed dead? Ah, if she is dead all may yet prove to have been for the very best;’”
The headman begs for mercy and suggests his wife's death might be a blessing.
The headman's callousness toward his wife highlights the strained marital relationship.