Then the story was told, how Sarith was having an affair with that Andersma, was often even spending nights with him in his house. Everyone had been talking about it; it had been going on for some time. And he … he knew nothing. And now he had arrived after that fearful journey back, the first thing he had seen was that lad’s corpse in the passage.
Jethro was talking. He said how scared he had been, the shooting had been really bad. He had heard shooting: “… like bang bang and I was scared papa. I shouted Mini-mini at the door and then Uncle Rein ran out of the bedroom and went to the window and then bang bang and boom, there he lay on the ground and was bleeding papa, blood, and I cried and Mini-mini came and …”
“Quiet now, my boy, quiet. It’s all over; everything is safe. Don’t think about it any more. Papa is here.” Julius pressed the boy against him and then asked gently, “That Uncle Rein, was he often here?”
Jethro nodded. “Yes, lots of times, papa, and he had a gun papa, a really nice one, and if he had had it he would have shot first, and then bang bang the nasty men would be dead. But when he came out of mama’s bedroom he did not have his gun, he just had his pyjamas on. A pity, eh?”
Julius nodded, “Yes, a pity. Was he often in mama’s bedroom, then?” he enquired further.
“Oh yes. When he came he always went into mama’s bedroom. Sometimes I only saw him when he went away. But he was very nice, papa; he gave me those things from his gun. Is he dead now, papa, and who will get his gun now? Because if you’re dead you can’t shoot any more, eh?”
“That’s right: if you’re dead you can’t shoot any more,” said Julius softly, stroking his child’s head.
Hundreds of thoughts flashed through his mind. That was what Sarith had been doing, then. All that deceit. That’s why she didn’t want to come along when he went to the town. And he, the idiot, had known nothing, suspected nothing. He had even thought that Sarith was staying because she was happy at the plantation. Everyone had known everything; everyone except him.
Mini-mini came in. She came to collect Jethro. She wanted to bath him and put him to bed. So much had happened to him. Misi was quiet now. Kwasiba had brought her round with smelling salts and had given her strong sugared water to drink. She had wept at first, but had now calmed down. Julius looked at Mini-mini. Should he ask her what she knew about that Andersma and Sarith? But, oh, why put that poor girl in danger? After all, he already knew enough. He stayed a while in his office. Everything in the house was quiet. Outside he could hear the soldiers. At the house all the slaves had left except Kwasiba and Mini-mini. How many were left on the plantation as a whole he did not know. He stood up, went outside and told the soldiers that they could spend the night in the overseer’s house. The troop leader said that the bush-negroes would certainly not return. They had taken everything they wanted: tools, food. He was lucky that they had not set fire to the house. They had buried Andersma at the edge of the forest. Julius wondered how much they knew about his wife and Andersma, but he said nothing. He went inside and paced up and down on the rear veranda. It was midnight by now.
He had to speak with Sarith. His common sense dictated waiting until the morning. But he could not manage to wait that long. He had to speak to her. Upstairs, he flung the bedroom door open. Sarith was lying on the bed, but she wasn’t asleep.
“That Andersma, what was he doing here,” Julius demanded harshly.
Sarith sat up with a shock. “He was here by chance and wanted to defend us,” she said.
“In his pyjamas, of course?” Julius became angry. So, she was planning to lie to him. With a stride he came closer and yelled, “I want the truth. Don’t lie to me. I know it all already. The whole town knows about it. Why was he here?”
Now Sarith dared say nothing. She looked at the furious man and closed her eyes.
Julius grabbed her by the shoulder of her nightdress and pulled her. “Just say it, you were carrying on with him, hey? You were sleeping with him, hey? Come on, just admit it.”
When Sarith still said nothing he gave her a hard slap on the face, and then another. “Admit it, tell me, you were carrying on with him, hey?”
Sarith began wailing, “Yes, oh yes, but …”
“But what, you slut?”
He smacked her again and then pushed her, so that she landed on the ground. Sarith screamed; now she was really afraid of him.
“No, oh no Julius, stop it!”
Julius’ eyes were red with anger, foam was appearing on his lips. Trembling with rage he asked, “And how long is it now? A year, two years? How long have you been making a laughing stock of me, eh? Tell me!”