Shades

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Walter is packing to leave Mbokothwe on his way to England when he receives a telegram announcing the disappearance of Crispin and asking him to help them at St Matthias.

Victor too has returned to St Matthias, and he and Benedict have an argument about the primary cause of the Pumani brothers' deaths.

In 1857 the Governor of the Cape — Sir George Grey — decided to bring missionaries into the Eastern Cape as a means of turning the amaXhosa into Black Englishmen. He used the Anglican Church for this purpose.

During the 1850s, the church in the Eastern Cape was ruled from its cathedral in Grahamstown. Indeed, Grahamstown was the cultural heart of the region, and would remain so until after the 1st World War.

Keiskamma Hoek did not receive a missionary immediately. It would have to wait until about 1858 for that to happen.

In 1857 the Anglican pastor for the White community at East London — Reverend Joseph Willson — was murdered. His place was taken by Reverend William Greenstock who had a special calling to serve the amaXhosa. Greenstock, however, fell foul of the military authorities and of his Bishop.

While ministering to some Xhosa prisoners at the East London prison, he came across the three men who had supposedly murdered Reverend Willson. He converted them to Christianity, heard their confessions and baptised them.

In doing so, he prevented the authorities from extracting a confession from them, because it was still not certain that all three had in fact committed the murder.

As a result, Greenstock was transferred to Keiskamma Hoek in disgrace, and there he founded the mission station of St Matthews.

St Matthias Mission in Shades is based upon St Matthews Mission at Keiskamma Hoek — and a picture of Reverend Greenstock hangs in the Farborough house.

Have you looked at the questions
in the right column?

Read the notes in the left column before answering the questions below:

In this chapter Victor reveals himself as no longer fully in control.

• Can you find instances of this? (5)

[Need help?]

Remember that Victor is under stress from several sources: Crispin has disappeared and the probability is that he is dead. Victor is worried about his engagement to Frances. Indeed, he has avoided Grahamstown on route to St Matthias because he could not face seeing her. Victor also knows that his forthcoming marriage will be a loveless one, a sham. Victor therefore has several troubles on his mind, and a troubled conscience to boot. Added to this comes Helmina's prophecy that Crispin is indeed dead, together with Benedict's direct accusations of Victor's misconduct, and of course the presence of his "rival", Walter. All of this serves to destabilize Victor even further. Find instances of where this happens.

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"Blame him?" Benedict gazed back steadily. "No, I do not blame Crispin . . . only God has the power to lay blame. Perhaps He might blame you."

• Explain what Benedict means by this comment to Victor. (5)

[Need help?]

Benedict has just finished explaining how Crispin blamed himself for the deaths of the Pumani brothers. When Victor asks Benedict whether he blamed Crispin for their deaths, Benedict replies that perhaps God would blame Victor. Benedict supplies only one reason for this accusation, i.e. Victor's role in recruiting the Pumanis to the gold mines. Essentially, it was this recruitment that killed them, and it was Victor who was therefore responsible. This one reason does, however, get to the heart of the matter: it was the capitalist in Victor that was responsible for the deaths of the Pumani brothers.

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"It is not what you do, it is what you fail to do, that has always made you different from Crispin."

• Comment on the accuracy of Benedict's words to Victor. (30)

[Need help?]

Victor was an empire builder who did everything for himself and never considered the consequence of how his actions would impact on the other person. In answering this question, consider how Victor failed the following people: Frances — by forcing sex upon her; Sonwabo — when he locked him in the cupboard and for recruiting him to the mines; Walter — there are several instances here; Benedict — by treating him as a servant rather than as a civilized being, if not as a brother; The Pumani brothers — by recruiting them to the mines. Anything else?

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