Echoes From A Distant Land Part 54

'General,' Sam said. 'I deal with all sections of the Kikuyu, not just those who support your views. On both sides of the fence I hear about groups of strangers coming in from the bush, camping for a day and then moving on. They make none of the usual courteous approaches. It's as if they are sizing up the situation. Many people are living in fear of a blood bath.'

Sam also knew that going behind the General's back would further alienate him, but he was so sure there was imminent danger, he could not afford to take chances. 'I've spoken to Governor Baring about it,' he added.

The General studied him for moment, straightened his shoulders, and sniffed.

'I'll talk to General Hinde,' he said in a measured tone. 'He may be able to send a company of the KAR up there.'

The white community of Kenya waited breathlessly for the predicted ma.s.sive uprising from the Mau Mau, but it didn't come. In October 1952, Governor Baring had gazetted a State of Emergency, banning the Mau Mau. Although Kenyatta had made a speech in Kiambu condemning the Mau Mau, police arrested him, and the military purged the city, arresting nearly two hundred men. Even Sam thought this was extreme. The outcome of this trial was foregone, as it was well known within government circles that the trial judge had recently been awarded an unusually large pension.

By the early months of 1953, many began to suspect that the Mau Mau threat was an exaggeration and the uprising would remain a series of minor skirmishes and cruel attacks on farm animals - all of which would soon be mopped up by the strong British military presence and the local Home Guard.

In March, Sam heard that the newly arrived contingent of the King's African Rifles was preparing to decamp from Lari. He rushed to Nairobi. In a heated exchange with Erskine, he asked if the General wanted to have the ma.s.sacre of defenceless farmers on his conscience.

'I'm fighting a war on a hundred different fronts, w.a.n.gira. I can't afford to tie up a company of men waiting for an attack from a dozen or so bushies that never eventuates.'

Sam took a deep breath. He knew of Erskine's record in the Second World War, and his intelligence work in Egypt and India, but he also knew it could obscure his understanding of the Mau Mau's unconventional tactics, which were more like those used during the First World War by General von Lettow-Vorbeck in Tanganyika. The experts were starting to refer to it as guerrilla warfare.

'Since talking to you last, I now believe there are significantly more Mau Mau and their supporters involved.'

'Even if there were a couple of hundred, the Home Guard and the KAR can handle it.'

'Make that thousands.'

'What?'

'There may be over two thousand men surrounding Lari right now, General. You must order the company back there.'

Erskine stiffened; and Sam cursed his choice or words as he saw the General's blood rise.

'Listen to me, w.a.n.gira,' he growled. 'I've tolerated your interference to appease Baring, but if you think I'm going to run my campaign on some ... some ... piece of jungle scuttleb.u.t.t, you're howling f.u.c.king mad!'

Sam stood, silent, before the fuming Erskine, angry at himself for handling the testy general so clumsily. He'd lost his chance to influence him and, as a result - if the rumours were true - hundreds of innocent people in the Lari area were at dire risk. He could only hope that he'd been misinformed, for there was now nothing anyone could do to prevent a ma.s.sacre.

Jelani left a union meeting early to see Beth before she left Nairobi that morning. He'd lately been troubled that he hadn't yet told her of his a.s.sociation with the Mau Mau. He'd promised himself he'd do so before their wedding, but there was now a complication. Recent events, including his fear that Chege Muthuri had been murdered by the Mau Mau, meant telling her was harder than ever - but he knew that time was running out. Today he would have to start the explanation and, if the initial discussion went as well as he'd hoped, he'd tell her of his involvement and his doubts, and hope she'd understand.

'The bus is late,' Beth said, after greeting him with a kiss. 'Maybe you should just leave me here. You're meeting your family in an hour.'

'No, I need some time to talk to you.'

'Of course. Oh, I do wish I could be there when they arrive, but I have to see Deacon James about the arrangements for the wedding.'

'It's all right,' he said. 'My ... mother will understand.'

'Now, let's sit and talk,' she said, leading him to the bus shelter, where they sat as she waited for him to begin.

The silence lengthened until it became p.r.o.nounced.

'I'm going to miss you,' he said at last.

'Oh, that's sweet. But you're coming to speak to Deacon James tomorrow, remember? Today's the twenty-sixth. We get married in exactly a month.'

'Yes.'

'And Chief Luka.'

'Chief Luka?'

'Yes. Didn't I tell you? He wants to talk to you.'

'Probably to lecture me.'

'What do you mean?'

'Everybody's heard his speeches. Babbling on the radio about loyalty and the evils of the Mau Mau.'

'Well, they are evil, aren't they?'

'No! I mean ... there's a lot of talk about attacks on innocent people. But how innocent are they? Some white farmers beat their workers. They use them like slaves. And they treat the women very badly. Well ... so I've heard.'

'What do you hear?' she asked.

'The Movement, that is, the Freedom Struggle a.s.sociation, is trying to win our land back. Kikuyu land.'

'Freedom Struggle a.s.sociation?' she said. 'They're the Mau Mau, and they're attacking innocent people. Even Chief Luka. Deacon James says he's had death threats from them. We have to keep the King's African Rifles in Lari to protect him, and us.'

'Those Lari people have been fighting for years. You can't blame the Mau Mau for that.'

'Are you defending murderers?'

He stopped short. All his carefully constructed arguments seemed to have leaked out of his head; and the doubts that had lately arisen came flooding back. Were the Mau Mau simply murderous thugs? There was no proof they'd killed Chege, but how could anything be proven in such a case?

'Can't you see we have to do something to get our land back?' he answered lamely. 'What if we want to farm our own land when we're married? My family have lost all their land - land we've had for as long as anyone can remember. And your family are the same. Until we Africans have our independence it can't change. We will never get justice until we chase the British away.'

Beth frowned, trying to choose the words. 'We may not have justice, but it's ... it's just how things are these days. Isn't it?'

She searched his eyes, hoping, he suspected, that he had the answers. But he didn't. What once had been an article of faith - that the Mau Mau were on the side of justice - was now hopelessly compromised.

A blast from the arriving Lari bus cleared people from the kerbside.

'There's my bus,' Beth said. 'I don't know what's come over you, Jelani. Yes, of course we need somewhere to live. And if you want some land when we're married, I'm sure Chief Luka will look after us.'

She stood and headed towards her bus.

'I don't want Chief Luka to look after us,' he said, following her. 'I want what is ours. We must be able to stand on our own feet.'

She turned back to him from the step.

'Your right to have your initiation. Justice. Freedom Struggle,' she said with a sigh. 'You've always fought for one cause or another, haven't you?'

He watched her move down the aisle to find a seat at the window.

She rubbed the grime from the gla.s.s and looked down at him, smiling.

I love you, she mouthed.

CHAPTER 58.

Dana stepped from the taxi and ran her eyes over the Norfolk Hotel. Everything had changed. The big gum trees that towered over the oblong turret were gone, and a macadam surface and cobblestone gutters had replaced the dusty, unmade street. A rather grand gabled edifice now ran from the stone arch above the entry steps to the edge of Government Road.

A doorman appeared, giving Dana and Emerald a snappy salute.

'Karibuni,' he said, greeting them, then helped the cab driver unload their suitcases from the trunk.

In the foyer they were met by a distinguished-looking man with wavy grey hair, safari jacket and a paisley cravat.

'Good afternoon, and welcome to the Norfolk,' he said. 'I'm Brian Durrows, the hotel manager.'

Dana did the introductions and Durrows invited them to the veranda bar for a cold drink while their baggage was delivered to their rooms.

'Thank you, Mr Durrows,' Dana said, as they took a table fronting the street. 'It's nice to see that some things don't change. The Norfolk's service has always been excellent.'

'You've been here before, Mrs Middlebridge?'

'I have. Many years ago. Emerald and I are here for a wedding.'

'Marvellous. Would I know the happy couple?'

Dana smiled. 'I don't think so. They're ... from out of town, but I'm not sure exactly where.'

'Oh, I do hope they're safe. I've heard there's a lot of Mau Mau activity in the regions - especially up around Lari. In fact, we have quite a few families from Kikuyuland staying with us because of the security problems. You're the only overseas visitors we've had in months. Terrible for business.'

'There's quite a bit of talk about it in the English press too,' she said. 'But I a.s.sume it's all newspaper talk.'

'Not at all. The government's taking it very seriously. General Erskine's called in two battalions of fusiliers. He has ten thousand troops in all. And a squadron of Lincoln bombers.'

'Surely not!'

'Indeed, madam. Families are being murdered in their beds by servants who have been with them for decades. Nannies strangling the babies in their care. I tell you, there's not a settler who'll employ a Kikuyu these days. People are demanding that every Kikuyu in Nairobi be rounded up and put in detention. Murderous beggars! I'd like to see them whipped and gaoled - the lot of them.'

Dana could see Emerald bristle, but she was quicker to respond.

'Mr Durrows -' she began, fixing him with an icy stare.

'Jelani!' Emerald cried as her brother approached from the street. She rushed to him and they embraced. Dana joined them and all three hugged. Jelani was bewildered by all the attention, but smiled in spite of his embarra.s.sment.

Dana turned back to the hotel manager, who stood, open-mouthed.

'Oh, Mr Durrows,' she said with a smile. 'May I introduce you to my son? This is Jelani Karura.'

In the Lord Delamere Room that night, Dana noticed their table received a number of curious glances. If Jelani - wearing the same navy-blue suit and clean white shirt as he'd worn in New York when they met - noticed the looks, he didn't show it, but listened attentively as Emerald chatted.

'It's an Arts degree I started during the year, but I've taken electives in photography and journalism,' she said. 'In fact, you could say I'm here on a.s.signment. My tutor gave me time off provided I submit a folio of material collected while I'm here in Kenya. So it's up to you.'

'Me? What do you mean?' he asked.

'It's your job to show me around.'

'Nairobi is a very boring city,' he countered.

'No, not the city, silly. The animals. The people. The landscape.'

'Oh.'

'Don't bully your poor brother,' Dana said. 'He's probably busy making arrangements for his wedding day.'

'Are you?' she asked.

'I'm supposed to go to Lari tomorrow to see Deacon James.'

'Lari?' Dana said. 'The hotel manager mentioned Lari as a trouble spot.'

'Everywhere is a hot spot to some people. There are plenty of soldiers and Home Guards around the place. There's nothing to worry about.'

'I knew it!' Emerald said. 'That old stuffed shirt is talking through his hat. Jelani, I'm coming with you. It's a great chance to start my folio.'

Jelani looked at Dana, pleading for help with his eyes.

Dana shrugged. She knew it was impossible to beat Emerald once she had her mind set on something.

During dinner at the Norfolk, Jelani struggled to overcome his unease about Lari. He'd also heard stories about a gathering of the Mau Mau and had tried to get word to Dedan Kimathi through his network of contacts in the hope that Kimathi would dispel the rumours, but he'd heard nothing. He decided to follow it up in the morning when he went to Lari to meet Deacon James.

After dinner, Dana and Jelani had coffee on the veranda, but Emerald excused herself to retrieve the gifts she'd brought Jelani from London. Dana took the opportunity to ask the question Jelani knew she'd been yearning to ask all evening, but wanted to do so in private.

'Have you found your father?' she asked.

'I have seen him,' he said.

'And what did he think of you? Was he happy to find you after all this time?'

'He doesn't know me. I mean, he doesn't know I'm his son.'

'But you've seen him.'