# III: The First Round explained — Maiwa’s Revenge > Chapter companion for Maiwa’s Revenge by H. Rider Haggard. ## 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. ## Character check-ins ### 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 lines > ‘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._ ## Links - HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/maiwa_s_revenge_se/chapters/iii-the-first-round - Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/maiwa_s_revenge_se - All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/maiwa_s_revenge_se/chapters