Paradise

The trade caravan leaves Tayari after a short while, which no one minds, as their rented house has cockroaches and rats. After a few days, they know they are close to the lake, which buoys their spirits. In the evenings, after stockade building, the men sit around the fire telling stories or singing. Yusuf feels stronger each day and, though Mohammed Abdalla warns that the men will teach him evil, he enjoys their company as they have grown friendlier toward him. Sometimes one tries to stroke Yusuf’s thigh, but he knows to avoid sitting next to those people. Abdalla joins in one night and dances with his cane. Yusuf and others see him wince, though he tries to hide his pain with a smile. After he leaves the circle, a man named Nyundo does a mocking impression of his dance, which Abdalla observes from just beyond the edge of light.

They arrive at a lakeside town, which Yusuf learns was where the two injured men were left to recover. Mohammed Abdalla hints that they were, instead, abandoned there. The caravan waits outside by a shrine to snakes and other animals while Nyundo goes to speak with the sultan in his language. They’re welcome, though the sultan’s wife just died four days earlier, which provokes speculations about how different people treat their dead, and some men wonder if the wife’s corpse is in the grove nearby. Only Nyundo, Uncle Aziz, Abdalla, and Yusuf are allowed to see the sultan, who offers the merchant beer, which he refuses. The sultan claims he hasn’t been able to bury his wife because he doesn’t have a shroud. A young man with a swollen leg, the sultan’s son, steps forward to speak with Uncle Aziz, who offers five rolls of white bafta cotton for use as a shroud. The young man and the sultan’s advisors find this amount insulting. An elder spits in the merchant’s direction. They settle on 120 rolls of cloth. Finally, the sultan gives permission for them to negotiate with the boatmen for passage. Uncle Aziz asks about the two men he left, but the sultan says that they left. They find a reasonable price with a boatman who tells them that the two injured men did leave, but not because they had gotten better. Villagers believed they brought disease to the village, and then fish, other animals, and a boy Yusuf’s age died. Simba Mwene informs them that they do magic there, so they had better be careful and keep watch on Yusuf. Abdalla rants about how the villagers are “savages” with childish beliefs. Uncle Aziz admits leaving the men was his mistake. 

A fight breaks out between two porters because one stole a hoe from the supply to pay for services from a woman, and the other man reported him. Mohammed Abdalla humiliates the porter and says he’ll deduct the cost of two hoes from the man’s share. Then the two porters fight it out. The whole crew then leaves in dugout canoes with Uncle Aziz and Yusuf in the canoe of Kakanyaga, the lead boatman. After a while, the wind picks up and conditions become dangerous. The passengers start praying or crying to god for more time to reform their ways, believing that they will drown. Kakanyaga spies an island with a shrine ahead, and they make it there safely. He tells Uncle Aziz and Yusuf what kind of offering to give the spirit Pembe, who inhabits the shrine, so that they may have safe passage. He says that Yusuf must go in, too, as Pembe likes youth. When they emerge, the waters are calm again. Simba Mwene calls it magic, but Abdalla says they are just lucky they weren’t asked to do anything disgusting. When they reach the far shore, the boatmen pull the boats out of the water but don’t allow anyone to sleep on the land for fear of its dangers. 

They arrive in a town, and Yusuf and Simba Mwene seek out an elder named Marimbo who finds a guide to take them to Chatu. They are glad to leave that town, as the mosquitoes are terrible. However, the guide leads them through a forest that also has unrelenting mosquitos, which cause many men to fall ill. Uncle Aziz speaks to Abdalla and calls for Yusuf to arrange the burial of the dead men. When they arrive at Chatu’s town, they are met by a group of elders led by a man named Mfipo, who is grim and unfriendly. He says that Yusuf, not the merchant, should go to Chatu with the tribute. Simba accompanies Yusuf, along with Nyundo as translator and five porters to carry the tribute. Where Mfipo was cold, Chatu is friendly. He asks the men to sit and talk, but Simba just wants to do business. That night, Yusuf has a prophetic-seeming dream with a shadowy figure and a gate of flames. He wakes when Chatu’s men kill the guards and attack the encampment. Four men are killed and several injured. They are kept huddled and kneeling until morning when Mfipo comes to announce that Chatu will see the merchant, Abdalla, Simba, and Yusuf with Nyundo. Chatu tells them that caravans like theirs were initially welcomed but then the traders enslaved their people and brought disease and hunger to them. They will take all the goods and Uncle Aziz’s money as recompense, leaving them their lives. Guards brutally beat Abdalla. Chatu says it is only because of Yusuf that he can believe they aren’t all evil doers. Uncle Aziz tells Nyundo to say, “Mercy belongs to God only,” which angers Chatu. Uncle Aziz says that the sultan can have their lives because they’re worthless without the trade, so they won’t leave without their goods.

Uncle Aziz reports back to the men. Mohammed Abdalla recovers slightly from his beating. Uncle Aziz asks Yusuf if he had any dream that would help, but he hadn’t. He asks Simba Mwene what to do, and he suggests they leave, then come back and wage war on Chatu. Uncle Aziz points out that they don’t have any weapons. Some basic food is brought, but they must all sit out in the sun all day. Chatu sends for Uncle Aziz, Yusuf, and Nyundo. He explains that someone pale-skinned like the merchant came with a caravan and took their gold, ivory, and leather, and then left without paying. He offers to give them enough goods to trade so they can leave. Uncle Aziz says Chatu is wise but not just. Chatu tells Aziz he can find justice by finding his “brother” that stole from him. They meet again the next day, and Uncle Aziz asks if his men could be free to move around town and do work for food. Chatu agrees to this if Yusuf stays with him as a hostage. Yusuf is treated well in Chatu’s house. The next day, Uncle Aziz greets him with the words Yusuf heard in his dream: “You’ve come through very well” (166). Yusuf tries to speak to the lovely young woman who brings him food but is not successful. Nyundo jokes that he’s married to Bati now (the young woman) and they’ll have to add this to their debt. On the fourth night, she sits by his mat and strokes his hair and face. He caresses her, too, and then she leaves suddenly. Uncle Aziz tells Yusuf to keep himself ready because there’s danger, and they’re planning to escape some night. Bati comes that night, and they lay on the mat caressing each other, but again she runs off. When he sees her go to the farms in the morning, the other women laugh about when the wedding will be.

A column of askari soldiers arrives, led by a European man. His askaris translate as he hears Uncle Aziz’s complaint against Chatu. The man orders Chatu to return the stolen goods, lest he be punished by the government. The guns, however, stay with Chatu. Yusuf hopes to see Bati again, but they leave before he does, and end up back in Marimbo’s town. Simba Mwene contracts with the boatmen to be a day-laborer, but the other men are bored and some cause trouble in the town. Mohammed Abdalla is too defeated to keep them in order. He tells Yusuf he should tell Uncle Aziz they should go. Uncle Aziz seems weary. Yusuf calls him “uncle” instead of “seyyid” as he makes the suggestion. Then he sits with him and quietly reviews his life, realizing that he is bound and will end up like Khalil. 

The caravan decides that the only way to break even is to go back by a different route through more populated areas. However, their remaining goods aren’t of great value, nor is what they get in return. One night some baboons come in and take what they can. They hear stories of the Germans who have outlawed asking for tribute and who hang people for random reasons. Simba Mwene, now more in charge after Mohammed Abdalla’s beating, leads them away from all German stations. It takes the caravan five months to return home because many are ill or injured, and they often must work for the sultans and elders before they can trade with them. At Kigongo, Uncle Aziz falls sick, but after three days, he insists they leave. When they finally march into town, the horn player’s music sounds more sorrowful than joyful.