Lakhasly

The River Between Summary Chapters 1- 26 Summary Chapter 1 A river flows between the two ridges of Kameno and Makuyu in Kenya.She tells him not to run away, calling him "Teacher." This excites him. They talk about the river, being alone in their family, and the bravery of Muthoni. Waiyaki muses that maybe Muthoni did find something true. He steps toward Nyambura and tells her he loves her. She feels joy and sorrow, and she does not resist him holding her. He asks her to marry him, but she says no--even though she wants to. Her father will not approve, she cries, and rumors are already spreading. She runs off. Waiyaki walks away slowly. Kamau emerges from his hiding place, burning with rage, jealousy, and humiliation. He had always loved Nyambura. Now Waiyaki is his rival until the death. Chapter 20 Waiyaki travels from ridge to ridge with his message of education. The elders embrace him and his passion never dims. He does wonder how to get more teachers, though, and he finally approaches some men who had just graduated from Siriana. At home, the Kiama is gaining power. Its message is to keep the tribe pure and to fight for the land that had been taken by the settler, the government, the missionary. The Kiama wanted people to take the oath, and the people were glad Waiyaki had taken it. Thus the old rivalry continues. Waiyaki sees himself in the middle and is committed to reconciliation, especially as things are worsening. Waiyaki's guilt at not having said this earlier eats at him. He must bide his time, though, and wait for the right moment. Waiyaki works hard. He often thinks of Nyambura. One day, Kinuthia comes to him nervously and says some people are saying he is one of Joshua's followers now and he was seen in the church. Others say he wants to sell the tribe out to the white men. Waiyaki laughs at this calumny. Kinuthia is still serious and finally asks if he is going to marry Nyambura. Waiyaki is shocked. Kinuthia presses on, saying he is the symbol of the tribe and is born again in its might. People take the oath in his name. He had best be careful not to let his name be his ruin. Waiyaki calms him and says she would not marry him. A few weeks later, he meets with an elder who praises his father and grandfather. Waiyaki glows with pride, but then feels a sense of foreboding as Kinuthia's words come back to him. Christmas is approaching, and it coincides with the tribal ceremonies and rituals. Many come to talk to Waiyaki, but he is losing contact with them because he does not participate in the rituals. One day, news spreads that one of Joshua's followers' huts was burnt. This makes Waiyaki think of the Kiama, and with a shock, he realizes he never should have resigned. Its power is everywhere. Chapter 21 Nyambura thinks about Waiyaki all the time and wishes she could be with him. She wonders why she said no to marrying him, but it is difficult to rebel against her father. She vacillates back and forth, but she fears her father knows something. Her mother likes Waiyaki because of Muthoni, and she prays for him to convert to Christianity. Nyambura goes to their place by the river but it no longer soothes her; she also knows Waiyaki will not come. When she goes home, Joshua sternly asks where she was and with whom. She says she was with no one, and he accuses her of lying. His voice is filled with malice, and he threatens that she must never be with Waiyaki. Nyambura's mind cannot be quieted. She has lost her man and her salvation. Chapter 22 The people sing Waiyaki's praises on every hill. He procured teachers from Siriana and is a great man. Kinuthia practically worships him, but he fears for him because he can see things his friend cannot, such as Kabonyi's hatred for him. One day the friends are walking along the river and Waiyaki is talking about how he is getting more teachers. He muses that he will build more and more schools. Kinuthia wonders if he knows that people want action now--that the awareness and enthusiasm demand more than education now. He will tell him one day, but not today. Two days later, Waiyaki is lying in bed; he feels exhausted in body and spirit. He has a feeling of foreboding but clings to his vision. The white man's education is the instrument of enlightenment and advance but has to be used well. He worries if he is really the savior. Chege certainly placed a burden on his shoulders. He plans to tell the people next year about unity, but for now, he is dreaming the dream of education. Suddenly in his vision of his plan for his people he sees Nyambura, and the people are tearing her apart. Then he sees it is actually Muthoni. She wanders away and then Nyambura is there. He tries to touch her but cannot. His mind flashes to how she told him she would not marry him. He is plagued with guilt about her and the people; darkness threatens to overtake him. He then thinks about Christmas and the initiation day coming soon. Waiyaki stands to leave the hut and his mother, now old and wizened, asks where he is going. She then, trembling, asks him if he will marry Nyambura. Waiyaki hates hearing of these rumors and decides he hates Nyambura for the path she chose. Then he realizes he hates himself. His mother tells him he must not marry her because of the Kiama--and he must fear the voice of the Kiama. Suddenly, Kamau knocks on the door and says the elders and Kiama want to see him. Waiyaki looks at his mother, who appears scared and frail, but agrees. Chapter 23 It is dark outside as Kamau and Waiyaki walk. Waiyaki feels a strange thrill move through him. At the hut, the elders do not greet him with the same warmth as they always do, and they do not call him Teacher. Kabonyi begins speaking. He mentions the upcoming ceremonies, Muthoni's death, and the fact that Joshua corrupts some people here. Kabonyi continues that it is bad when a leader is touched by the impurity of those teachings. As he talks, Waiyaki becomes annoyed, thinking of how he teaches their children. Finally, Kabonyi looks straight at Waiyaki and says he touched Muthoni, a dying woman, and was not cleaned. That is the first thing he has done to the tribe, but he has also been in Joshua's church numerous times and he went to Siriana to get teachers--is he selling the tribe to the white man? When he hears this, Waiyaki yells at him in anger but realizes he cannot speak like that to an elder. Another elder speaks up and says betrayal is a bad thing for a man of influence. He is being warned, and they must know if he is marrying Nyambura. Waiyaki tries to remain calm. He explains that Muthoni was not considered unclean before the initiation, so he is not unclean; he could not have let her die, and after she died he did not touch her. At Siriana, he never entered into any negotiations with white men. As he is speaking, he reminds himself to make his stand clear and not to come under the sway of Kabonyi. He continues to them that he is concerned with the purity of the tribe and desires unity. It is important to know what the white man knows. Kabonyi gleefully butts in and says they need a political leader. He then brings up Nyambura again, and Waiyaki refuses to say anything about her. He says the oath does not preclude him from loving people. Kamau glares at him. Waiyaki realizes that even Kamau hates him, but he is also annoyed at himself for not putting up a good fight. He leaves, the word "traitor" trailing after him.She tells him not to run away, calling him "Teacher." This excites him. They talk about the river, being alone in their family, and the bravery of Muthoni. Waiyaki muses that maybe Muthoni did find something true. He steps toward Nyambura and tells her he loves her. She feels joy and sorrow, and she does not resist him holding her. He asks her to marry him, but she says no--even though she wants to. Her father will not approve, she cries, and rumors are already spreading. She runs off. Waiyaki walks away slowly. Kamau emerges from his hiding place, burning with rage, jealousy, and humiliation. He had always loved Nyambura. Now Waiyaki is his rival until the death. Chapter 20 Waiyaki travels from ridge to ridge with his message of education. The elders embrace him and his passion never dims. He does wonder how to get more teachers, though, and he finally approaches some men who had just graduated from Siriana. At home, the Kiama is gaining power. Its message is to keep the tribe pure and to fight for the land that had been taken by the settler, the government, the missionary. The Kiama wanted people to take the oath, and the people were glad Waiyaki had taken it. Thus the old rivalry continues. Waiyaki sees himself in the middle and is committed to reconciliation, especially as things are worsening. Waiyaki's guilt at not having said this earlier eats at him. He must bide his time, though, and wait for the right moment. Waiyaki works hard. He often thinks of Nyambura. One day, Kinuthia comes to him nervously and says some people are saying he is one of Joshua's followers now and he was seen in the church. Others say he wants to sell the tribe out to the white men. Waiyaki laughs at this calumny. Kinuthia is still serious and finally asks if he is going to marry Nyambura. Waiyaki is shocked. Kinuthia presses on, saying he is the symbol of the tribe and is born again in its might. People take the oath in his name. He had best be careful not to let his name be his ruin. Waiyaki calms him and says she would not marry him. A few weeks later, he meets with an elder who praises his father and grandfather. Waiyaki glows with pride, but then feels a sense of foreboding as Kinuthia's words come back to him. Christmas is approaching, and it coincides with the tribal ceremonies and rituals. Many come to talk to Waiyaki, but he is losing contact with them because he does not participate in the rituals. One day, news spreads that one of Joshua's followers' huts was burnt. This makes Waiyaki think of the Kiama, and with a shock, he realizes he never should have resigned. Its power is everywhere. Waiyaki is superstitious and the Mission has not changed this. He thinks about how the white man came here and found no resistance. Ever since Muthoni's death, things are only getting worse, and Waiyaki wonders if he is able to create order and bring light to dark. A mist clouds his thoughts and he can see the shape of a woman coming toward him. She vanishes and he gets out of bed. Outside, the bright moon illuminates everything, making it unearthly and alluring. Waiyaki listens for voices but there are none. Oppression steals over him, and he wants someone to talk to. He thinks life might be all yearning. Suddenly he realizes he wants freedom and wants to run anywhere, or maybe just hover like a spirit. He moves down to the river and goes to the next ridge, thinking he might go see Kamau. He stops abruptly and sees Nyambura in front of him. He hadn't seen her for a long time, but now he recognizes the shape in his mind. Nyambura fears her father and is often lonely. She likes to go to the river by herself and cry; pain fills her every day. The river is her only companion. She grows colder towards her father. She knows what Muthoni did is a sin, but she is still hard-pressed to think Muthoni herself sinned. She often thinks of Waiyaki and how she barely understood him--how could he be educated at Siriana and then lead the elements that broke away? She wishes he were on their side. They awkwardly say hello and walk together. Waiyaki realizes he does not really want to see Kamau. The moon lights their path and he knows that something passed between the two of them as human beings, untainted by religion or culture. The moon seems to root them to the spot. Waiyaki wishes he could touch her but controls himself. She says she would like to see his school and they agree she can come tomorrow. She says goodbye and Waiyaki goes home. Chapter 16 Four o'clock arrives and Nyambura does not show up. Waiyaki is upset and puzzled, and he goes home. It is the season of the long rains, a favorite with the people. A good harvest is likely. However, the last few years have been tough. The pattern of seasons seems broken: it rains less and the soil does not respond to the people. Perhaps it is due to the white men and the blaspheming of Makuyu. Waiyaki often thinks about the prophecy and wonders if Chege really thought it was him. He wishes he understood better. He also thinks of Kabonyi and wonders if the man thinks of himself as the savior. Kabonyi is much older and he challenges everything Waiyaki says at the meetings of the school-governing committee. Waiyaki is back in his hut ruing the fact that everyone watches him. He knows people would not have liked to have seen him with Nyambura. His thoughts turn to his father and he admires him greatly. He decides he must be like him and serve the tribe. He will open more and more schools and even a college, and maybe he will get teachers from Nairobi. He watches a small flame in his hut and tries to touch it. A knock sounds and Kinuthia enters. He is nervous and asks if Waiyaki is in the Kiama. He'd heard Kabonyi saying Waiyaki was too young to be let in on the secrets of the tribe, and he warns Waiyaki about him. Waiyaki asks why Kabonyi would not like him, and Kinuthia replies "jealousy."Miriamu asks where she is. She is a peace-loving woman who wants her children to obey their father, but "one could still tell by her eyes that [Christianity] was a religion learnt and accepted; inside the true Gikuyu woman was sleeping" (34). Nyambura is quiet. Her father calls out for Muthoni. Nyambura steps outside but returns. Joshua glares at his wife to find their daughter. Night is coming. Miriamu knows that her duty as a mother is to bear on her shoulders her children's sins and misdeeds, and so she goes to look for Muthoni. Inside, Nyambura and Joshua are silent. Joshua rages at his wife and Nyambura is torn. Finally, she timidly ventures that maybe Muthoni has gone to visit their aunt. Joshua turns on her and asks why she would do that. Nyambura says she wants to be circumcised. Joshua grabs her, so infuriated he has spittle coming out of his mouth. Nyambura is terrified that he will hit her. He releases her, though, and she feels a sense of pity at his defeated and pained form. Joshua sits, looking like a defeated beast of prey. He tells Nyambura she has permission to go to Kameno and to tell Muthoni that if she comes back then everything will be forgiven--but if she does not, then she is no longer his daughter. Silence falls. Miriamu cries. Nyambura goes and returns the next day, saying Muthoni refuses to return. Joshua is ashamed and thinks of the suffering of Job. From this day inward she is dead to him; she is a disgrace to him and his house. Chapter 9 The harvests are good that year, and the elders offer burnt sacrifices to Murungu. Chege can remember harvests and famines, and how he'd always warned of the Christians. Things seem okay right now, as his daughters are circumcised and Waiyaki has been in Siriana for a few years, but he still does wonder if Waiyaki will fail the tribe or the prophecy. Chege knows he is growing old and cannot help pinning all his hopes on his son. He knows it seems like a contradiction that he, the embodiment of the tribe, sent his son to Siriana. However, he knows this is the way to beat the white man. He watches and waits, then, and knows that this season Waiyaki will be initiated into manhood. He will better be able to absorb the white man's wisdom and help the tribe. The time has come. People undergoing the rituals are preparing. Waiyaki is a candidate. He is grown tall and strong. He has been in Siriana for awhile, though, and has trouble always remembering the dream from years ago. He is somewhat out of touch with the things that matter most to the tribe and is not very interested in the dances and celebrations attached to the ritual; however, it means a lot to his father. He looks forward to testing his courage at the ceremony. It is the eve of initiation day and the hills ring with the sounds of drums and jingles. Waiyaki's mind is unsettled and he is unsure why. He thinks of Muthoni and how someone had pointed her out to him that day. He wonders if she ran away and how she could be here. Kinuthia confirms what she did and Waiyaki is stunned; he knows he could never disobey Chege like that. Everyone begins to get into the frenzy of the celebratory dance--old and young, men and women. They feel free, lost in the motion. They sing of sexual things, though no one participates in the act itself. Waiyaki is uneasy and wonders what Livingstone would say. He is slightly embarrassed by the words. Muthoni appears, dances, sings, and speaks of forbidden things in the most startling way. Something stirs in Waiyaki and he thinks her beautiful. Someone pulls him into the dance and, finally, he feels free and madly intoxicated. He blows a horn. It seems like Muthoni holds him with something inside her. Moments later, though, Muthoni is gone and Waiyaki finds himself alone. He is annoyed he let himself go like that. He finds Muthoni and confronts her. He asks why she ran away; she explains that she is a Christian but still wants to be initiated into the ways of the tribe. She wants to be a woman and cannot be outside the tribe. She adds that she wants to be made beautiful in the tribe, to have a husband and children. She moves away dreamily. Waiyaki remains where he is, feeling dumbstruck and troubled. He goes back to the tribe but still feels apart. He cannot sleep that night. Chapter 10 It is misty and cold in the morning, but Waiyaki is glad for the coldness of the Honia so he can numb his body. He thinks of how he'd waited for this day all his life, but now he is afraid. He does not show it, though, even when the surgeon cuts him. Now a religious bond links him to the earth, as if his blood were an offering. Pain shakes Waiyaki to his core and his mind races with thoughts. He is confused by the pain, but he keeps still and people laud his courage. The new generation thus proves itself. In the hospital, the initiates recover. Waiyaki's wound swells after two days, and he wonders if he will ever feel normal. The attendants tell all the men secrets and stories, and the initiates delight in them. Chege receives many compliments for how his son handled the rite and "how the white man's education had not softened him" (47).He is worried about it and wants to concentrate on education; perhaps Livingstone's words that "education was of value and his boys should not concern themselves with what the government was doing or politics, had found a lace in Waiyaki's heart" (65). Maybe the sleeping lions are stirring; the people know the earth is important to the tribe and the white man threatens that. People fear what is happening. Waiyaki grows angry with the rain and wishes he could fight it. He then realizes this is silly, knowing rain can be a blessing and a curse. The rain stops, and it is time to fix its damage. Chapter 14 Waiyaki's school is Marioshoni, the first to be built since the break with Siriana. It bore fruit so quickly that even Waiyaki was surprised. His father's death had numbed him and he had realized he was now a grown man. This vision took hold and he traveled from ridge to ridge, finding willing people. Schools popped up like mushrooms and were symbols of the people's thirst for knowledge--for the white man's knowledge. Few wanted to live like the white man, but they did want his magic. The tribe still adhered to circumcision, though, as the core of the social structure, as something that gave meaning to man. It could not be ended or the tribe would not cohere. Children crammed into the schools and parents were proud when they came home full of learning. Waiyaki is the headmaster at Marioshoni. He loves the walk there and back, using it as a time for thinking. There are splits in the land, and the ancient rivalry continues. He is sometimes confusing to the people because he has the white man's education, which is part of the other faith, yet he is also of the tribe. He feels isolated, but still proud of his efforts. There is more he wants to do, though, and his eyes blaze with yearning. He is young and passionate, and people wonder about his quiet courage. He is becoming the pride of the hills. Chapter 15 Waiyaki yearns for someone to talk to, someone to share his desires with. He wonders about even knowing what those desires are, especially as he thought he loved the hills and their people now believes that they are not enough for him. Waiyaki is superstitious and the Mission has not changed this. He thinks about how the white man came here and found no resistance. Ever since Muthoni's death, things are only getting worse, and Waiyaki wonders if he is able to create order and bring light to dark. A mist clouds his thoughts and he can see the shape of a woman coming toward him. She vanishes and he gets out of bed. Outside, the bright moon illuminates everything, making it unearthly and alluring. Waiyaki listens for voices but there are none. Oppression steals over him, and he wants someone to talk to. He thinks life might be all yearning. Suddenly he realizes he wants freedom and wants to run anywhere, or maybe just hover like a spirit. He moves down to the river and goes to the next ridge, thinking he might go see Kamau. He stops abruptly and sees Nyambura in front of him. He hadn't seen her for a long time, but now he recognizes the shape in his mind. Nyambura fears her father and is often lonely. She likes to go to the river by herself and cry; pain fills her every day. The river is her only companion. She grows colder towards her father. She knows what Muthoni did is a sin, but she is still hard-pressed to think Muthoni herself sinned. She often thinks of Waiyaki and how she barely understood him--how could he be educated at Siriana and then lead the elements that broke away? She wishes he were on their side. They awkwardly say hello and walk together. Waiyaki realizes he does not really want to see Kamau. The moon lights their path and he knows that something passed between the two of them as human beings, untainted by religion or culture. The moon seems to root them to the spot. Waiyaki wishes he could touch her but controls himself. She says she would like to see his school and they agree she can come tomorrow. She says goodbye and Waiyaki goes home. Chapter 16 Four o'clock arrives and Nyambura does not show up. Waiyaki is upset and puzzled, and he goes home. It is the season of the long rains, a favorite with the people. A good harvest is likely. However, the last few years have been tough. The pattern of seasons seems broken: it rains less and the soil does not respond to the people. Perhaps it is due to the white men and the blaspheming of Makuyu. Waiyaki often thinks about the prophecy and wonders if Chege really thought it was him. He wishes he understood better. He also thinks of Kabonyi and wonders if the man thinks of himself as the savior. Kabonyi is much older and he challenges everything Waiyaki says at the meetings of the school-governing committee. Waiyaki is back in his hut ruing the fact that everyone watches him. He knows people would not have liked to have seen him with Nyambura. His thoughts turn to his father and he admires him greatly. He decides he must be like him and serve the tribe. He will open more and more schools and even a college, and maybe he will get teachers from Nairobi. He watches a small flame in his hut and tries to touch it. A knock sounds and Kinuthia enters. He is nervous and asks if Waiyaki is in the Kiama. He'd heard Kabonyi saying Waiyaki was too young to be let in on the secrets of the tribe, and he warns Waiyaki about him. Waiyaki asks why Kabonyi would not like him, and Kinuthia replies "jealousy."Preparation for the birth of the Christian savior, as well as the initiation rituals, proceeds.He hates Waiyaki with his entire being and he identifies it with "the wrath of the tribe against impurity and betrayal" (144). He thinks he is the savior who will unite the ridges. The sun is going down and people are becoming impatient. Some of Joshua's followers, including Miriamu, watch on the hill. It seems like the sun is setting in a blaze of flames; Kinuthia sees a vision of Nyambura and Waiyaki within them. Finally, Waiyaki strides in, looking strong and beautiful. The crowd quiets. Chapter 26 The words of Chege's prophecy come back to Waiyaki as he surveys his tribe. He knows they need him; he knows Nyambura needs him. He begins to speak. He thanks the people, outlines their struggles, speaks of the waking of the sleeping lions, and says that, if some want to accuse them, then they ought to do it publicly. Kabonyi stands. He speaks of Muthoni being unclean, and the tribe needing to take action against the menace of Waiyaki. Waiyaki is in league with the white man and his taxation. He speaks of Waiyaki's journeys to Siriana. Waiyaki is confused as to why he says nothing of Joshua and Nyambura yet. Waiyaki speaks next. He reminds the people in strong words that Kabonyi was one of the first to go to the white man. He then reminds them of their glorious past and the united hills that made the victories of old possible. He speaks of Mugo's prophecy and says that they must not choose violence: they must unite or the white man will always be on their back. At this, the people cheer and seem very moved. The people begin to move toward Kabonyi angrily, but Waiyaki calls out that they must not touch him. It is almost as if he realizes at that moment what Kabonyi and the Kiama mean for the tribe. Kinuthia watches, a sense of terror pervading him. Something is wrong. Kabonyi speaks again. Everyone is listening to his broken, grief-stricken voice. He is reminding them of the oath Waiyaki took to never tell the tribe's secrets. Waiyaki is getting nervous. Kabonyi blurts out that he can prove Waiyaki is in league with Joshua, and he brings forth Nyambura. Kabonyi tells Waiyaki to deny her. The call for the denial bounces around the ridges but the river thrums on. The people shout "the oath!The valley is called the valley of life and the river is called Honia, or "cure." It never dries and is the soul of the two ridges. All men, beasts, and trees are united by it. However, if you stand in the valley the ridges look like antagonists because of the way the face each other; there is a sense in which this is a struggle of life and death. Long ago, a man rose in Makuyu. He claimed that Gikuyu and Mumbi sojourned there, so it meant leadership belongs in Makuyu. Not everyone believed this, thinking they had stopped in Kameno. In Kameno they said Murungu gave them the land and that a sacred spring sprang where they stood. People still paid homage to it. The great Gikuyu seer, Mugo, was also born there, grew up there, and warned everyone that someday the people with clothes like butterflies would come. And come they did--they were the white men. The ridges were isolated and people lived their lives undisturbed by what went on elsewhere. The hills and ridges were "the heart and soul of the land.They kept the tribes' magic and rituals, pure and intact" (3). Most people never left the ridges but some went out. Leaders of the land arose there, having the courage to look beyond. They became strangers to the hills. Chapter 2 Two boys, Kamau and Kinuthia, emerge in the plain. They are wrestling, but it soon becomes violent. Another boy emerges and orders them to stop. It is Waiyaki, and he asks why they are fighting. Kamau says the other boy called his father a convert to the white man, and Kinuthia says Kamau made fun of him for his father dying poor. They begin struggling again. Waiyaki says Kamau's name; humiliated, Kamau stops and slinks away. Kinuthia is grateful. Waiyaki is the son of Chege. He has not yet been circumcised but is tall and well-built. He has a small scar from a wild goat near his left eye. Chege is an elder of Kameno who knows "the meaning of every ritual and every sign" (7) and all the ways of everything in the tribe.People call him "Our Teacher" and believe he will help the tribe. Waiyaki cares more for the teaching, but sometimes feels a surge of idealism and patriotism. It is the day for the parents to gather from all over the ridges. Waiyaki is convinced that he must press for unity between Kameno and Makuyu; it is the time. It had been a temptation, an echo, a possibility--and now it is a need. Everyone is there, many to see the Teacher. They think he will help the tribe regain its purity and power. The school seems to be a symbol of their defiance of the foreign ways. The parents walk around and admire it, and they admire Waiyaki as well. Kabonyi does not like this. He thinks Waiyaki is an upstart and just a boy with silly ideas. His own son, Kamau, is older and just as good of a teacher. He thinks of the prophecy and worries that Waiyaki might be the one. The meeting finally starts. Children come and sing songs, which Waiyaki had taught them from his own days at Siriana. The last line of the song is "I want the shield and spear of learning," (93) and some parents shed tears.People call him "Our Teacher" and believe he will help the tribe. Waiyaki cares more for the teaching, but sometimes feels a surge of idealism and patriotism. It is the day for the parents to gather from all over the ridges. Waiyaki is convinced that he must press for unity between Kameno and Makuyu; it is the time. It had been a temptation, an echo, a possibility--and now it is a need. Everyone is there, many to see the Teacher. They think he will help the tribe regain its purity and power. The school seems to be a symbol of their defiance of the foreign ways. The parents walk around and admire it, and they admire Waiyaki as well. Kabonyi does not like this. He thinks Waiyaki is an upstart and just a boy with silly ideas. His own son, Kamau, is older and just as good of a teacher. He thinks of the prophecy and worries that Waiyaki might be the one. The meeting finally starts. Children come and sing songs, which Waiyaki had taught them from his own days at Siriana. The last line of the song is "I want the shield and spear of learning," (93) and some parents shed tears.Chapter 3 The Demi na Mathathi were the giants of the tribe who long ago cut down trees, cleared the forests, and held communion with ancestral spirits.The next day, Waiyaki follows Chege through the labyrinthine plants and thorns.In Siriana, Muthoni's death only confirms how barbaric the Gikuyu customs are.Chege warns his son that it is dangerous in the darkness, but Waiyaki boasts that he knows the way of all the ridges.Chege adds that he and Waiyaki are descended from Mugo.Waiyaki, Kinuthia, and Kamau go to Siriana to live and learn together under the Reverend Livingstone of the Siriana Mission.On the way, Muthoni accidentally drops her watermelon and Nyambura thinks privately that this is a bad omen.Waiyaki is dumbstruck.

The River Between Summary Chapters 1- 26
Summary
Chapter 1
A river flows between the two ridges of Kameno and Makuyu in Kenya. The valley is called the valley of life and the river is called Honia, or “cure.” It never dries and is the soul of the two ridges. All men, beasts, and trees are united by it. However, if you stand in the valley the ridges look like antagonists because of the way the face each other; there is a sense in which this is a struggle of life and death.

Long ago, a man rose in Makuyu. He claimed that Gikuyu and Mumbi sojourned there, so it meant leadership belongs in Makuyu. Not everyone believed this, thinking they had stopped in Kameno. In Kameno they said Murungu gave them the land and that a sacred spring sprang where they stood. People still paid homage to it. The great Gikuyu seer, Mugo, was also born there, grew up there, and warned everyone that someday the people with clothes like butterflies would come. And come they did—they were the white men.
The ridges were isolated and people lived their lives undisturbed by what went on elsewhere. The hills and ridges were “the heart and soul of the land. They kept the tribes’ magic and rituals, pure and intact” (3).
Most people never left the ridges but some went out. Leaders of the land arose there, having the courage to look beyond. They became strangers to the hills.
Chapter 2
Two boys, Kamau and Kinuthia, emerge in the plain. They are wrestling, but it soon becomes violent. Another boy emerges and orders them to stop. It is Waiyaki, and he asks why they are fighting. Kamau says the other boy called his father a convert to the white man, and Kinuthia says Kamau made fun of him for his father dying poor. They begin struggling again.
Waiyaki says Kamau’s name; humiliated, Kamau stops and slinks away. Kinuthia is grateful.
Waiyaki is the son of Chege. He has not yet been circumcised but is tall and well-built. He has a small scar from a wild goat near his left eye. Chege is an elder of Kameno who knows “the meaning of every ritual and every sign” (7) and all the ways of everything in the tribe. There are plenty of stories about him. Some say he is related to Mugo; some say he is a seer. He often warns his people of the white men. People respond that the white man does not speak the language of the hills or know the ways of the land, but the white men still come. Now, Joshua and Kabonyi have been converted and abandoned the ways of the tribe.
The boys come home in the darkness and Waiyaki goes to Chege. Chege warns his son that it is dangerous in the darkness, but Waiyaki boasts that he knows the way of all the ridges. He realizes his father was worried about him, and his heart warms. Chege tells his son that he must remember tomorrow is the day of his second birth. Waiyaki trembles with excitement.
Chapter 3
The Demi na Mathathi were the giants of the tribe who long ago cut down trees, cleared the forests, and held communion with ancestral spirits. Sometimes the boys played as them, and even though one boy told Waiyaki he could not be one because he was not circumcised, everyone knew there was something about Waiyaki’s eyes, gaze, and the burning words within him.
The day for the second birth is here and Waiyaki wonders why he does not feel happier to learn the ways of the tribe and be like his father. He wants his initiation and manly spirit.
The elders are beginning to arrive near the river, and people are feeling festive. Waiyaki sits between his mother’s legs, a ceremonial umbilical cord is cut, and he follows his mother into the river. He is filled with strange fear, though, and this disturbs some.
Waiyaki goes to bed early after this strange experience. Even though he feels a little hollow, he is ready for the future.
Chapter 4
Waiyaki gets back into the rhythm of the village. Some say his eyes have a glitter in them; some say it is evil.
One evening Chege calls him into his hut and asks if he has been to the hills deep south of Kameno. Waiyaki says no. Chege then asks if he has heard of the sacred grove, and Waiyaki says he has. Chege tells his son they will go there tomorrow. Waiyaki feels a thrill course through him and wonders what manly secret they will see.
The next day, Waiyaki follows Chege through the labyrinthine plants and thorns. It is quiet, but Chege often stops to comment on something he knows about a bush or plant. Waiyaki feels close to his father and thinks that the hidden things of the hills are being revealed to him.
They leave the valley and climb up the slopes. Once, an antelope runs away from them, and Chege explains that they only run away from men, not women, because women used to rule this land and the men—until they became too harsh and the men overthrew them.
At the top of the path, there is a small hill; this is the sacred place. A big Mugumo tree looms on the edge of the tree, huge and strange. It looks holy, and Waiyaki knows it is the tree of Murungu. He can see across the whole land; he can that the ridges are not antagonistic, but rather have merged into one.

Chapter 5
Chege is moved by what he sees and tells his son this land is beautiful to the eye, that it is all their land, and that the Father and Mother of the tribe were made by Murungu. Murungu showed them the land and brought them here.
Chege seems like he is in a vision and Waiyaki, while a little frightened, senses something great in his father. Chege continues to speak of this blessed and sacred place. Kameno is where the father and mother started and were supported; their children spread throughout all the land.
After a moment, Chege looks at his son and tells him he descends from those who came to the hills. He then tells his son of Mugo the seer and how he warned the people of the men with clothes like butterflies. The people thought he was crazy and scorned him, so he became bitter and hid himself away. He went beyond the hills but finally came back, disguised, to live. Chege adds that he and Waiyaki are descended from Mugo.
Waiyaki is dumbstruck. Chege tells him not to fear and that he is the last in their line. Waiyaki feels a weight on his soul and a presentiment stirring within him. His father tells him to sit and, staring off into space and trembling a bit, explains that this is the ancient prophecy of Mugo: the only way to stop the butterfly men was to learn their ways, trap them, and fight them back; salvation will come from the hills and a son shall rise.
Chege stops. He says only he and maybe Kabonyi know the prophecy. He looks at Waiyaki and tells him he must heed this, go to the Mission, and learn the wisdom and secrets of the white man; he must be true to his people and his ancient rites.
Waiyaki is weak with shock but Chege presses on, telling him there must be a man to rise and save the people. They will cry for a savior.
Late in the day father and son return home, exhausted. Waiyaki thinks their trip was like a dream and wonders if his father is sane. However, deep within he feels a heaviness. His soul feels like a man’s, though his body is a boy’s.
Waiyaki, Kinuthia, and Kamau go to Siriana to live and learn together under the Reverend Livingstone of the Siriana Mission. Many boys from the hills go there. They work hard and Waiyaki impresses everyone. Some think he will be a great Christian leader.
Chapter 6
Nyambura sits by the Honia river, feeling it call to her. This is the place where boys and girls come for their circumcision ritual, but she knows that it is sinful and a pagan rite that she and her sister are saved from. Her father, Joshua, is a man of God and helped them realize this.
Muthoni, Nyambura’s younger sister, seems moody and restless. The two are inseparable and even look similar. Nyambura is normally quiet, though, whereas Muthoni is vivacious. Muthoni tells her sister that she must say something, but that it is a secret. Nyambura promises to keep it secret and tries to calm her sister.
Finally, Muthoni admits that she wants to be circumcised. Nyambura is stupefied and sits in silence. She reminds Muthoni that their father will never allow this and that they are now wise in the ways of the white people. Father teaches them what he knows, and missionaries do not like this rite.
Muthoni will not yield. Nyambura knows their father will never allow this, and she begs her sister to explain why. She grows passionate and Muthoni is upset and rushes to her. She says she wants to be a woman: a real girl who knows the ways of the hills and the ridges. She reminds Nyambura that their parents are circumcised and this did not prevent them from being Christians.
Muthoni tells her sister that she does not simply want the white man’s Christianity and needs something more. Nyambura is stunned silent. She has never thought deeply about this, usually listening to her father.
Muthoni states that she will go to their aunt in Kameno for this. Both girls start to weep. Nyambura knows she cannot change her sister’s mind. The river flows on.
The sisters begin their walk home. On the way, Muthoni accidentally drops her watermelon and Nyambura thinks privately that this is a bad omen.
Chapter 7
The people of Makuyu are performing their chores and duties that morning as the girls walk home. The houses here are uniform, but Joshua’s is distinct because of its tin roof. It makes it clear that the isolation of Makuyu is perhaps ending. Siriana is the nearest missionary center, though, and Nairobi is far. Disciples come to these hills, but they did not live here yet. The people are loyal to the ways of the land. Livingstone rarely comes here, but Joshua does his work.
Joshua was converted when he was a young man. He found a sanctuary and power in Siriana, and now the faith possesses him wholly. He renounced his tribe’s magic, power, and rituals for the one God. He thinks his people ignorant and living in darkness. He is happy he has escaped Hell, been washed anew, and been freed from fear. He does not fear Chege, nor the hills and its people; he preaches with fury and vehemence and converts many. However, some fall back into their old ways, and Joshua sometimes feels wrathful and condemnatory. Thankfully, his own home is a model of rigidity and religious uniformity.
When Joshua sees his daughters walking home, he is proud of his upstanding family and their strong faith.
It is an unusual year with rich seasons. The elders of Kameno offer sacrifices to Murungu. All are preparing for rites and rituals—Kameno for the initiations and Joshua for Christmas. Joshua is adamantly against circumcision and even feels chagrin that his own wife, Miriamu, is circumcised. Miriamu does not agree but says nothing; Joshua is so devoted to the Old Testament that he’d even beat his wife.
That year is not a good one for Joshua. Some in Kameno are restless and blame him for the white men. They hear of a Government Post being built at Makuyu and that they will be taxed by a government in Nairobi. Joshua does not mind these changes and sees the white men as his brothers in Christ. They are not responsible for the ills of the land; the people, in their blindness, are. He often feels great anger and tries to be patient even though he wishes he could punish them.
Preparation for the birth of the Christian savior, as well as the initiation rituals, proceeds.
Chapter 8
Sundays are usually busy for Joshua. Sometimes he has Kabonyi preach, but Kabonyi is not as compelling. Joshua is exhausted one Sunday and goes home with his wife. Nyambura is home but Muthoni is not. Nyambura starts to worry, especially for the moment when Joshua, who does not allow his children to stay out late, will ask for Muthoni.
Miriamu asks where she is. She is a peace-loving woman who wants her children to obey their father, but “one could still tell by her eyes that [Christianity] was a religion learnt and accepted; inside the true Gikuyu woman was sleeping” (34).
Nyambura is quiet. Her father calls out for Muthoni. Nyambura steps outside but returns. Joshua glares at his wife to find their daughter. Night is coming.
Miriamu knows that her duty as a mother is to bear on her shoulders her children’s sins and misdeeds, and so she goes to look for Muthoni.
Inside, Nyambura and Joshua are silent. Joshua rages at his wife and Nyambura is torn. Finally, she timidly ventures that maybe Muthoni has gone to visit their aunt. Joshua turns on her and asks why she would do that. Nyambura says she wants to be circumcised.
Joshua grabs her, so infuriated he has spittle coming out of his mouth. Nyambura is terrified that he will hit her. He releases her, though, and she feels a sense of pity at his defeated and pained form.
Joshua sits, looking like a defeated beast of prey. He tells Nyambura she has permission to go to Kameno and to tell Muthoni that if she comes back then everything will be forgiven—but if she does not, then she is no longer his daughter.
Silence falls. Miriamu cries.
Nyambura goes and returns the next day, saying Muthoni refuses to return. Joshua is ashamed and thinks of the suffering of Job. From this day inward she is dead to him; she is a disgrace to him and his house.
Chapter 9
The harvests are good that year, and the elders offer burnt sacrifices to Murungu.
Chege can remember harvests and famines, and how he’d always warned of the Christians. Things seem okay right now, as his daughters are circumcised and Waiyaki has been in Siriana for a few years, but he still does wonder if Waiyaki will fail the tribe or the prophecy. Chege knows he is growing old and cannot help pinning all his hopes on his son.
He knows it seems like a contradiction that he, the embodiment of the tribe, sent his son to Siriana. However, he knows this is the way to beat the white man. He watches and waits, then, and knows that this season Waiyaki will be initiated into manhood. He will better be able to absorb the white man’s wisdom and help the tribe.
The time has come. People undergoing the rituals are preparing. Waiyaki is a candidate. He is grown tall and strong. He has been in Siriana for awhile, though, and has trouble always remembering the dream from years ago. He is somewhat out of touch with the things that matter most to the tribe and is not very interested in the dances and celebrations attached to the ritual; however, it means a lot to his father. He looks forward to testing his courage at the ceremony.
It is the eve of initiation day and the hills ring with the sounds of drums and jingles. Waiyaki’s mind is unsettled and he is unsure why. He thinks of Muthoni and how someone had pointed her out to him that day. He wonders if she ran away and how she could be here. Kinuthia confirms what she did and Waiyaki is stunned; he knows he could never disobey Chege like that.
Everyone begins to get into the frenzy of the celebratory dance—old and young, men and women. They feel free, lost in the motion. They sing of sexual things, though no one participates in the act itself. Waiyaki is uneasy and wonders what Livingstone would say. He is slightly embarrassed by the words.
Muthoni appears, dances, sings, and speaks of forbidden things in the most startling way. Something stirs in Waiyaki and he thinks her beautiful. Someone pulls him into the dance and, finally, he feels free and madly intoxicated. He blows a horn. It seems like Muthoni holds him with something inside her.
Moments later, though, Muthoni is gone and Waiyaki finds himself alone. He is annoyed he let himself go like that. He finds Muthoni and confronts her. He asks why she ran away; she explains that she is a Christian but still wants to be initiated into the ways of the tribe. She wants to be a woman and cannot be outside the tribe. She adds that she wants to be made beautiful in the tribe, to have a husband and children. She moves away dreamily.
Waiyaki remains where he is, feeling dumbstruck and troubled. He goes back to the tribe but still feels apart. He cannot sleep that night.

Chapter 10
It is misty and cold in the morning, but Waiyaki is glad for the coldness of the Honia so he can numb his body.
He thinks of how he’d waited for this day all his life, but now he is afraid. He does not show it, though, even when the surgeon cuts him. Now a religious bond links him to the earth, as if his blood were an offering.
Pain shakes Waiyaki to his core and his mind races with thoughts. He is confused by the pain, but he keeps still and people laud his courage. The new generation thus proves itself.
In the hospital, the initiates recover. Waiyaki’s wound swells after two days, and he wonders if he will ever feel normal. The attendants tell all the men secrets and stories, and the initiates delight in them.
Chege receives many compliments for how his son handled the rite and “how the white man’s education had not softened him” (47). An elder tells him, though, that Muthoni is not healing as she should. Her wound is getting larger and worse. They talk of how stubborn Joshua is and how this might be a curse.
Alone later, Chege looks out to the opposite ridge. He can see Joshua’s hut and shudders; he fears for his country.
Waiyaki talks to Muthoni. He can see how she is suffering. She wishes for Nyambura. Waiyaki wonders if she is paying for her disobedience, but he decides he must go see her sister.
The next day he travels to Makuyu. He finds Nyambura by the river, greets her, and tells her of her sister’s condition. She is shocked and weeps, but she immediately goes to her sister’s side. She continues to visit and often asks her sister amid her tears why she did it; Muthoni tells her she must make her own choice someday.
Muthoni gets worse and worse. Waiyaki also visits her often and realizes the herbs are not helping her; she ought to go to the Siriana Mission Hospital. Muthoni’s aunt resists but Nyambura urges her. Waiyaki volunteers to take her.
Nyambura tells her mother what is happening, and Miriamu breaks down in tears.
Chapter 11
Muthoni dies. Waiyaki walks around as in a stupor after the death. He tells Nyambura and her mother, and they leave Kameno. Waiyaki cannot go straight home. Muthoni’s face is in his mind always. He remembers her bright eyes and rambling words. As she died, she told him she saw Jesus and was a woman made beautiful in the tribe.
Joshua hears of the death and shows no emotion. To him, she was an outcast and a curse.
Chege is silent with all this; he had foreseen this drama. This is a punishment to Joshua and to the hills. It is a warning. He thinks Muthoni’s death does not augur well for the future. He admires his son but wonders if he will be corrupted by Siriana.
In Siriana, Muthoni’s death only confirms how barbaric the Gikuyu customs are. Livingstone, an old, heavy man now, had been full of vigor when he first came here but soon realized he was not making much progress. He’d been fired up by heroism and the vision of new souls for Christ, but these Kenyans only seemed interested in education and slipped back to their blind customs. He thought circumcision was particularly barbaric, though he considered himself an enlightened man who did not want to get rid of all the tribal customs. He had even gone to some of the dances but was disgusted; he realized how immoral these people were. He had kept his preaching against this quiet for a time, but then he took it up with new zeal. He was worried that Muthoni’s death would cause a backlash for him, but he feels Christ filling him with youth and power.
One of the Siriana women knocks on his door. She tells him triumphantly (she is a critic of his policies) that Muthoni was the daughter of Joshua. Livingstone groans; it seems the war is on.
Chapter 12
Muthoni’s name became a legend. The elders of Makuyu looked at each other, knowing that the new faith had contaminated the hills and Murungu was angry. They do not know what to do, as Chege is aging and now confined to his home. Joshua’s followers are gathering.
Waiyaki does not return to Siriana because his father is ailing. He worries about what is happening to him, what their dream portends, and what the ridges will do. Will they fight? He sees greater splits coming, and cannot help but think of Muthoni.
Kabonyi breaks from Joshua and is followed by others. Joshua remains loyal, though, and gathers more followers. Waiyaki feels like a stranger.
One day Waiyaki is walking home, thinking about how Siriana said no child of a pagan can attend the school anymore and how he must renounce circumcision. Waiyaki knows this is his end there, but he is sad because he loves learning.
At home he sees his mother standing outside, crying. He rushes inside the hut, hoping to see his father one more time before he dies.
Chapter 13
The rain drips and then pours. Waiyaki is in his school—the office plus the buildings. He worries about the furious rain destroying the places where children come to learn. Kamau and Kinuthia, his fellow teachers, are sitting near him and arguing.
In the last few years, the conquest of the hills has accelerated. The white man is here, taxes are being paid, and the country is no longer isolated. Many people feel that this is the time to do something. The break with Siriana has made things worse, and they feel a sense of injustice. People remember Chege’s warnings and have come to see Waiyaki as a leader.
Waiyaki hears Kinuthia complaining about the white man and his heart warms to him. He does not feel the same way about Kamau, however, who is the son of Kabonyi. Kamau has a strange look in his eyes. Kamau does not like Waiyaki either, and is always jealous of him.
Waiyaki tries to mediate the argument. Kinuthia maintains that he will push back against intolerable conditions and that it is his right to rebel against the white men who have made conditions intolerable and anything that is unjust. Waiyaki wonders if he is correct, but then he thinks about his new drive for education and thinks that is what will give the people hope.
The other men ask Waiyaki about the new Kiama, which will be a way to preserve the purity of the tribe. Waiyaki had already heard of it, knowing it came from Kabonyi. He is worried about it and wants to concentrate on education; perhaps Livingstone’s words that “education was of value and his boys should not concern themselves with what the government was doing or politics, had found a lace in Waiyaki’s heart” (65).
Maybe the sleeping lions are stirring; the people know the earth is important to the tribe and the white man threatens that. People fear what is happening.
Waiyaki grows angry with the rain and wishes he could fight it. He then realizes this is silly, knowing rain can be a blessing and a curse. The rain stops, and it is time to fix its damage.
Chapter 14
Waiyaki’s school is Marioshoni, the first to be built since the break with Siriana. It bore fruit so quickly that even Waiyaki was surprised. His father’s death had numbed him and he had realized he was now a grown man. This vision took hold and he traveled from ridge to ridge, finding willing people. Schools popped up like mushrooms and were symbols of the people’s thirst for knowledge—for the white man’s knowledge. Few wanted to live like the white man, but they did want his magic.
The tribe still adhered to circumcision, though, as the core of the social structure, as something that gave meaning to man. It could not be ended or the tribe would not cohere.
Children crammed into the schools and parents were proud when they came home full of learning.
Waiyaki is the headmaster at Marioshoni. He loves the walk there and back, using it as a time for thinking. There are splits in the land, and the ancient rivalry continues. He is sometimes confusing to the people because he has the white man’s education, which is part of the other faith, yet he is also of the tribe. He feels isolated, but still proud of his efforts. There is more he wants to do, though, and his eyes blaze with yearning. He is young and passionate, and people wonder about his quiet courage. He is becoming the pride of the hills.

Chapter 15
Waiyaki yearns for someone to talk to, someone to share his desires with. He wonders about even knowing what those desires are, especially as he thought he loved the hills and their people now believes that they are not enough for him.
Waiyaki is superstitious and the Mission has not changed this. He thinks about how the white man came here and found no resistance. Ever since Muthoni’s death, things are only getting worse, and Waiyaki wonders if he is able to create order and bring light to dark.
A mist clouds his thoughts and he can see the shape of a woman coming toward him. She vanishes and he gets out of bed. Outside, the bright moon illuminates everything, making it unearthly and alluring. Waiyaki listens for voices but there are none. Oppression steals over him, and he wants someone to talk to. He thinks life might be all yearning.
Suddenly he realizes he wants freedom and wants to run anywhere, or maybe just hover like a spirit. He moves down to the river and goes to the next ridge, thinking he might go see Kamau.
He stops abruptly and sees Nyambura in front of him. He hadn’t seen her for a long time, but now he recognizes the shape in his mind.
Nyambura fears her father and is often lonely. She likes to go to the river by herself and cry; pain fills her every day. The river is her only companion. She grows colder towards her father. She knows what Muthoni did is a sin, but she is still hard-pressed to think Muthoni herself sinned. She often thinks of Waiyaki and how she barely understood him—how could he be educated at Siriana and then lead the elements that broke away? She wishes he were on their side.
They awkwardly say hello and walk together. Waiyaki realizes he does not really want to see Kamau. The moon lights their path and he knows that something passed between the two of them as human beings, untainted by religion or culture.
The moon seems to root them to the spot. Waiyaki wishes he could touch her but controls himself. She says she would like to see his school and they agree she can come tomorrow. She says goodbye and Waiyaki goes home.
Chapter 16
Four o’clock arrives and Nyambura does not show up. Waiyaki is upset and puzzled, and he goes home.
It is the season of the long rains, a favorite with the people. A good harvest is likely. However, the last few years have been tough. The pattern of seasons seems broken: it rains less and the soil does not respond to the people. Perhaps it is due to the white men and the blaspheming of Makuyu.
Waiyaki often thinks about the prophecy and wonders if Chege really thought it was him. He wishes he understood better. He also thinks of Kabonyi and wonders if the man thinks of himself as the savior. Kabonyi is much older and he challenges everything Waiyaki says at the meetings of the school-governing committee.
Waiyaki is back in his hut ruing the fact that everyone watches him. He knows people would not have liked to have seen him with Nyambura. His thoughts turn to his father and he admires him greatly. He decides he must be like him and serve the tribe. He will open more and more schools and even a college, and maybe he will get teachers from Nairobi.
He watches a small flame in his hut and tries to touch it. A knock sounds and Kinuthia enters. He is nervous and asks if Waiyaki is in the Kiama. He’d heard Kabonyi saying Waiyaki was too young to be let in on the secrets of the tribe, and he warns Waiyaki about him. Waiyaki asks why Kabonyi would not like him, and Kinuthia replies “jealousy.”
Chapter 17
Joshua usually has a full church and people find his preaching rousing. They admire his fidelity; he will never compromise on the tribe’s practices being sinful.
Waiyaki occasionally goes to his church and does not quite know why he does so. Today he is thinking of Kabonyi and the Kiama.
Waiyaki marvels at how Joshua knows the Bible so well and mixes his own words with scripture. Waiyaki’s thoughts go back to himself and how it might be difficult to unite the ridges. Does he even know himself?
Joshua is at the pulpit, condemning, coaxing, and warning. Waiyaki feels guilty but does not know why. Perhaps he is an intruder or a spy. As the hymns swell in the church, he realizes that he was disappointed not to see Nyambura there today.
Waiyaki is in the Kiama; an elder came to tell him. He knew they might not like him in this church, but he believed they’d always stick by him. His knowledge can uplift the tribe and make it strong enough to push away the settlers and the missionaries.
On the way out, Kamau finds him and says hello. Nyambura is passing at a distance, and both look at her. Waiyaki remembers that Kinuthia told him Kamau thought he saw him in Makuyu that night. Kamau asks him pensively what he thinks of that girl; Waiyaki lies and says he didn’t see her. Kamau muses that she is beautiful and Waiyaki fills with jealousy.
Nyambura is waiting for Waiyaki in the next valley. She felt guilty for not going to Marioshoni that day but did not want to disobey her father. Regardless, she has a strange longing for Waiyaki and wishes she could see him.
Now they are face-to-face and Waiyaki realizes she came to see him. He wants to tell her he loves her, but he does not.
Nyambura returns home with a glow inside. Her mother notices but does not know why.
Chapter 18
Waiyaki is constantly busy with his schools and the Kiama. People call him “Our Teacher” and believe he will help the tribe. Waiyaki cares more for the teaching, but sometimes feels a surge of idealism and patriotism.
It is the day for the parents to gather from all over the ridges. Waiyaki is convinced that he must press for unity between Kameno and Makuyu; it is the time. It had been a temptation, an echo, a possibility—and now it is a need.
Everyone is there, many to see the Teacher. They think he will help the tribe regain its purity and power. The school seems to be a symbol of their defiance of the foreign ways. The parents walk around and admire it, and they admire Waiyaki as well.
Kabonyi does not like this. He thinks Waiyaki is an upstart and just a boy with silly ideas. His own son, Kamau, is older and just as good of a teacher. He thinks of the prophecy and worries that Waiyaki might be the one.
The meeting finally starts. Children come and sing songs, which Waiyaki had taught them from his own days at Siriana. The last line of the song is “I want the shield and spear of learning,” (93) and some parents shed tears. Waiyaki must be their savior; he opened their eyes and woke the sleeping lions.
Kabonyi writhes with anger as he sees the good impression the young man is making.
Once the songs are over, Waiyaki stands and speaks of his plans for Marioshoni.
Kabonyi stands next and reminds people of the poverty of the land and how there are more pressing needs than school buildings. It is better to drive the white men away altogether. The people must be warriors and restore purity and wisdom to the tribe.
Kabonyi’s words stir something in the people. Many feel that Waiyaki is too young and they're not cowards. However, most people are on Waiyaki’s side. Waiyaki, hurt by the elder’s words, stands. His eyes and voice brim with defiance and he sounds like Chege of old. He tells them all he knows he is young and that the elders must guide the youth. He only wants to serve the ridges, and learning is very important. People shout and cheer. An inter-ridge committee is formed afterward, and Kabonyi is not on it.
Kamau leads his father home. Kabonyi is almost crippled with rage and spits out that his son should have supplanted him. Kamau broods.
More schools are put up in the next few months. Everyone talks of Waiyaki, and his fame is cemented. Waiyaki seems a match for the white men; the faith in him is strong.
Eventually, the Kiama forces him to take an oath of purity and togetherness in the tribe, but he does not stop the think if there is any danger in it. He only sees schools everywhere. Education is life. Only fleetingly does he remember that he did not preach for unity.
Chapter 19
Joshua has been working toward winning people to Christ for a long time now, but it seems like maybe fate is going against him. He listens to what the Mission says even when it sounds puzzling. The problem right now is not that some people return to the old rites, like circumcision, but rather that the young Waiyaki is rising. In response, he has Siriana open up two more schools.
Joshua decides to hold a meeting in Kameno and it goes rather well; a few people are converted. This is a good challenge to the elders.
Waiyaki knew of this meeting but is indifferent about it. After all, he’d had some Christian teaching. The thing he wonders about now is if his moment to preach on unity had passed. He had been intoxicated with wonder and said nothing. Now he just tells himself it will be next time, or another time. Education is his mission and his passion. He even resigns from the Kiama so he can focus on it.
Waiyaki knows he loves Nyambura. They meet very rarely, but there is still a gulf between them. On the day of another Christian meeting, Waiyaki sees her and his heart skips a beat.
Nyambura is rarely happy anymore. She hates living in her father’s home and thinks incessantly of Waiyaki. She is weary of Joshua’s religion. She knows she cannot be a rebel like Muthoni, but she wants a God who can give her the fullness of life and still her restless soul. She clings to the idea of Christ and his love. It seems like Waiyaki is a Christ of sorts, and she begins to think she can only be saved through him, her black Messiah. She often doubts, of course, and she prays for forgiveness. Nevertheless, church wearies her and she skips it sometimes to go to the Honia.
Today she walks into the river. Waiyaki watches her and it seems like a holy light emanates from her body; he thinks the place will forever be sacred to him. He is a little frightened, though, for it seems like she is a sacrifice. He thinks he must run away but she raises her head.
Her intensity thrills him. She tells him not to run away, calling him “Teacher.” This excites him. They talk about the river, being alone in their family, and the bravery of Muthoni. Waiyaki muses that maybe Muthoni did find something true.
He steps toward Nyambura and tells her he loves her. She feels joy and sorrow, and she does not resist him holding her. He asks her to marry him, but she says no—even though she wants to. Her father will not approve, she cries, and rumors are already spreading. She runs off. Waiyaki walks away slowly.
Kamau emerges from his hiding place, burning with rage, jealousy, and humiliation. He had always loved Nyambura. Now Waiyaki is his rival until the death.
Chapter 20
Waiyaki travels from ridge to ridge with his message of education. The elders embrace him and his passion never dims. He does wonder how to get more teachers, though, and he finally approaches some men who had just graduated from Siriana.
At home, the Kiama is gaining power. Its message is to keep the tribe pure and to fight for the land that had been taken by the settler, the government, the missionary. The Kiama wanted people to take the oath, and the people were glad Waiyaki had taken it.
Thus the old rivalry continues. Waiyaki sees himself in the middle and is committed to reconciliation, especially as things are worsening. Waiyaki’s guilt at not having said this earlier eats at him. He must bide his time, though, and wait for the right moment.
Waiyaki works hard. He often thinks of Nyambura. One day, Kinuthia comes to him nervously and says some people are saying he is one of Joshua’s followers now and he was seen in the church. Others say he wants to sell the tribe out to the white men. Waiyaki laughs at this calumny.
Kinuthia is still serious and finally asks if he is going to marry Nyambura. Waiyaki is shocked. Kinuthia presses on, saying he is the symbol of the tribe and is born again in its might. People take the oath in his name. He had best be careful not to let his name be his ruin. Waiyaki calms him and says she would not marry him.
A few weeks later, he meets with an elder who praises his father and grandfather. Waiyaki glows with pride, but then feels a sense of foreboding as Kinuthia’s words come back to him.
Christmas is approaching, and it coincides with the tribal ceremonies and rituals. Many come to talk to Waiyaki, but he is losing contact with them because he does not participate in the rituals.
One day, news spreads that one of Joshua’s followers’ huts was burnt. This makes Waiyaki think of the Kiama, and with a shock, he realizes he never should have resigned. Its power is everywhere.
Waiyaki is superstitious and the Mission has not changed this. He thinks about how the white man came here and found no resistance. Ever since Muthoni’s death, things are only getting worse, and Waiyaki wonders if he is able to create order and bring light to dark.
A mist clouds his thoughts and he can see the shape of a woman coming toward him. She vanishes and he gets out of bed. Outside, the bright moon illuminates everything, making it unearthly and alluring. Waiyaki listens for voices but there are none. Oppression steals over him, and he wants someone to talk to. He thinks life might be all yearning.
Suddenly he realizes he wants freedom and wants to run anywhere, or maybe just hover like a spirit. He moves down to the river and goes to the next ridge, thinking he might go see Kamau.
He stops abruptly and sees Nyambura in front of him. He hadn’t seen her for a long time, but now he recognizes the shape in his mind.
Nyambura fears her father and is often lonely. She likes to go to the river by herself and cry; pain fills her every day. The river is her only companion. She grows colder towards her father. She knows what Muthoni did is a sin, but she is still hard-pressed to think Muthoni herself sinned. She often thinks of Waiyaki and how she barely understood him—how could he be educated at Siriana and then lead the elements that broke away? She wishes he were on their side.
They awkwardly say hello and walk together. Waiyaki realizes he does not really want to see Kamau. The moon lights their path and he knows that something passed between the two of them as human beings, untainted by religion or culture.
The moon seems to root them to the spot. Waiyaki wishes he could touch her but controls himself. She says she would like to see his school and they agree she can come tomorrow. She says goodbye and Waiyaki goes home.
Chapter 16
Four o’clock arrives and Nyambura does not show up. Waiyaki is upset and puzzled, and he goes home.
It is the season of the long rains, a favorite with the people. A good harvest is likely. However, the last few years have been tough. The pattern of seasons seems broken: it rains less and the soil does not respond to the people. Perhaps it is due to the white men and the blaspheming of Makuyu.
Waiyaki often thinks about the prophecy and wonders if Chege really thought it was him. He wishes he understood better. He also thinks of Kabonyi and wonders if the man thinks of himself as the savior. Kabonyi is much older and he challenges everything Waiyaki says at the meetings of the school-governing committee.
Waiyaki is back in his hut ruing the fact that everyone watches him. He knows people would not have liked to have seen him with Nyambura. His thoughts turn to his father and he admires him greatly. He decides he must be like him and serve the tribe. He will open more and more schools and even a college, and maybe he will get teachers from Nairobi.
He watches a small flame in his hut and tries to touch it. A knock sounds and Kinuthia enters. He is nervous and asks if Waiyaki is in the Kiama. He’d heard Kabonyi saying Waiyaki was too young to be let in on the secrets of the tribe, and he warns Waiyaki about him. Waiyaki asks why Kabonyi would not like him, and Kinuthia replies “jealousy.”
Chapter 17
Joshua usually has a full church and people find his preaching rousing. They admire his fidelity; he will never compromise on the tribe’s practices being sinful.
Waiyaki occasionally goes to his church and does not quite know why he does so. Today he is thinking of Kabonyi and the Kiama.
Waiyaki marvels at how Joshua knows the Bible so well and mixes his own words with scripture. Waiyaki’s thoughts go back to himself and how it might be difficult to unite the ridges. Does he even know himself?
Joshua is at the pulpit, condemning, coaxing, and warning. Waiyaki feels guilty but does not know why. Perhaps he is an intruder or a spy. As the hymns swell in the church, he realizes that he was disappointed not to see Nyambura there today.
Waiyaki is in the Kiama; an elder came to tell him. He knew they might not like him in this church, but he believed they’d always stick by him. His knowledge can uplift the tribe and make it strong enough to push away the settlers and the missionaries.
On the way out, Kamau finds him and says hello. Nyambura is passing at a distance, and both look at her. Waiyaki remembers that Kinuthia told him Kamau thought he saw him in Makuyu that night. Kamau asks him pensively what he thinks of that girl; Waiyaki lies and says he didn’t see her. Kamau muses that she is beautiful and Waiyaki fills with jealousy.
Nyambura is waiting for Waiyaki in the next valley. She felt guilty for not going to Marioshoni that day but did not want to disobey her father. Regardless, she has a strange longing for Waiyaki and wishes she could see him.
Now they are face-to-face and Waiyaki realizes she came to see him. He wants to tell her he loves her, but he does not.
Nyambura returns home with a glow inside. Her mother notices but does not know why.
Chapter 18
Waiyaki is constantly busy with his schools and the Kiama. People call him “Our Teacher” and believe he will help the tribe. Waiyaki cares more for the teaching, but sometimes feels a surge of idealism and patriotism.
It is the day for the parents to gather from all over the ridges. Waiyaki is convinced that he must press for unity between Kameno and Makuyu; it is the time. It had been a temptation, an echo, a possibility—and now it is a need.
Everyone is there, many to see the Teacher. They think he will help the tribe regain its purity and power. The school seems to be a symbol of their defiance of the foreign ways. The parents walk around and admire it, and they admire Waiyaki as well.
Kabonyi does not like this. He thinks Waiyaki is an upstart and just a boy with silly ideas. His own son, Kamau, is older and just as good of a teacher. He thinks of the prophecy and worries that Waiyaki might be the one.
The meeting finally starts. Children come and sing songs, which Waiyaki had taught them from his own days at Siriana. The last line of the song is “I want the shield and spear of learning,” (93) and some parents shed tears. Waiyaki must be their savior; he opened their eyes and woke the sleeping lions.
Kabonyi writhes with anger as he sees the good impression the young man is making.
Once the songs are over, Waiyaki stands and speaks of his plans for Marioshoni.
Kabonyi stands next and reminds people of the poverty of the land and how there are more pressing needs than school buildings. It is better to drive the white men away altogether. The people must be warriors and restore purity and wisdom to the tribe.
Kabonyi’s words stir something in the people. Many feel that Waiyaki is too young and they're not cowards. However, most people are on Waiyaki’s side. Waiyaki, hurt by the elder’s words, stands. His eyes and voice brim with defiance and he sounds like Chege of old. He tells them all he knows he is young and that the elders must guide the youth. He only wants to serve the ridges, and learning is very important. People shout and cheer. An inter-ridge committee is formed afterward, and Kabonyi is not on it.
Kamau leads his father home. Kabonyi is almost crippled with rage and spits out that his son should have supplanted him. Kamau broods.
More schools are put up in the next few months. Everyone talks of Waiyaki, and his fame is cemented. Waiyaki seems a match for the white men; the faith in him is strong.
Eventually, the Kiama forces him to take an oath of purity and togetherness in the tribe, but he does not stop the think if there is any danger in it. He only sees schools everywhere. Education is life. Only fleetingly does he remember that he did not preach for unity.
Chapter 19
Joshua has been working toward winning people to Christ for a long time now, but it seems like maybe fate is going against him. He listens to what the Mission says even when it sounds puzzling. The problem right now is not that some people return to the old rites, like circumcision, but rather that the young Waiyaki is rising. In response, he has Siriana open up two more schools.
Joshua decides to hold a meeting in Kameno and it goes rather well; a few people are converted. This is a good challenge to the elders.
Waiyaki knew of this meeting but is indifferent about it. After all, he’d had some Christian teaching. The thing he wonders about now is if his moment to preach on unity had passed. He had been intoxicated with wonder and said nothing. Now he just tells himself it will be next time, or another time. Education is his mission and his passion. He even resigns from the Kiama so he can focus on it.
Waiyaki knows he loves Nyambura. They meet very rarely, but there is still a gulf between them. On the day of another Christian meeting, Waiyaki sees her and his heart skips a beat.
Nyambura is rarely happy anymore. She hates living in her father’s home and thinks incessantly of Waiyaki. She is weary of Joshua’s religion. She knows she cannot be a rebel like Muthoni, but she wants a God who can give her the fullness of life and still her restless soul. She clings to the idea of Christ and his love. It seems like Waiyaki is a Christ of sorts, and she begins to think she can only be saved through him, her black Messiah. She often doubts, of course, and she prays for forgiveness. Nevertheless, church wearies her and she skips it sometimes to go to the Honia.
Today she walks into the river. Waiyaki watches her and it seems like a holy light emanates from her body; he thinks the place will forever be sacred to him. He is a little frightened, though, for it seems like she is a sacrifice. He thinks he must run away but she raises her head.
Her intensity thrills him. She tells him not to run away, calling him “Teacher.” This excites him. They talk about the river, being alone in their family, and the bravery of Muthoni. Waiyaki muses that maybe Muthoni did find something true.
He steps toward Nyambura and tells her he loves her. She feels joy and sorrow, and she does not resist him holding her. He asks her to marry him, but she says no—even though she wants to. Her father will not approve, she cries, and rumors are already spreading. She runs off. Waiyaki walks away slowly.
Kamau emerges from his hiding place, burning with rage, jealousy, and humiliation. He had always loved Nyambura. Now Waiyaki is his rival until the death.
Chapter 20
Waiyaki travels from ridge to ridge with his message of education. The elders embrace him and his passion never dims. He does wonder how to get more teachers, though, and he finally approaches some men who had just graduated from Siriana.
At home, the Kiama is gaining power. Its message is to keep the tribe pure and to fight for the land that had been taken by the settler, the government, the missionary. The Kiama wanted people to take the oath, and the people were glad Waiyaki had taken it.
Thus the old rivalry continues. Waiyaki sees himself in the middle and is committed to reconciliation, especially as things are worsening. Waiyaki’s guilt at not having said this earlier eats at him. He must bide his time, though, and wait for the right moment.
Waiyaki works hard. He often thinks of Nyambura. One day, Kinuthia comes to him nervously and says some people are saying he is one of Joshua’s followers now and he was seen in the church. Others say he wants to sell the tribe out to the white men. Waiyaki laughs at this calumny.
Kinuthia is still serious and finally asks if he is going to marry Nyambura. Waiyaki is shocked. Kinuthia presses on, saying he is the symbol of the tribe and is born again in its might. People take the oath in his name. He had best be careful not to let his name be his ruin. Waiyaki calms him and says she would not marry him.
A few weeks later, he meets with an elder who praises his father and grandfather. Waiyaki glows with pride, but then feels a sense of foreboding as Kinuthia’s words come back to him.
Christmas is approaching, and it coincides with the tribal ceremonies and rituals. Many come to talk to Waiyaki, but he is losing contact with them because he does not participate in the rituals.
One day, news spreads that one of Joshua’s followers’ huts was burnt. This makes Waiyaki think of the Kiama, and with a shock, he realizes he never should have resigned. Its power is everywhere.
Chapter 21
Nyambura thinks about Waiyaki all the time and wishes she could be with him. She wonders why she said no to marrying him, but it is difficult to rebel against her father. She vacillates back and forth, but she fears her father knows something. Her mother likes Waiyaki because of Muthoni, and she prays for him to convert to Christianity.
Nyambura goes to their place by the river but it no longer soothes her; she also knows Waiyaki will not come.
When she goes home, Joshua sternly asks where she was and with whom. She says she was with no one, and he accuses her of lying. His voice is filled with malice, and he threatens that she must never be with Waiyaki. Nyambura’s mind cannot be quieted. She has lost her man and her salvation.
Chapter 22
The people sing Waiyaki’s praises on every hill. He procured teachers from Siriana and is a great man. Kinuthia practically worships him, but he fears for him because he can see things his friend cannot, such as Kabonyi’s hatred for him.
One day the friends are walking along the river and Waiyaki is talking about how he is getting more teachers. He muses that he will build more and more schools. Kinuthia wonders if he knows that people want action now—that the awareness and enthusiasm demand more than education now. He will tell him one day, but not today.
Two days later, Waiyaki is lying in bed; he feels exhausted in body and spirit. He has a feeling of foreboding but clings to his vision. The white man’s education is the instrument of enlightenment and advance but has to be used well. He worries if he is really the savior. Chege certainly placed a burden on his shoulders. He plans to tell the people next year about unity, but for now, he is dreaming the dream of education.
Suddenly in his vision of his plan for his people he sees Nyambura, and the people are tearing her apart. Then he sees it is actually Muthoni. She wanders away and then Nyambura is there. He tries to touch her but cannot.
His mind flashes to how she told him she would not marry him. He is plagued with guilt about her and the people; darkness threatens to overtake him. He then thinks about Christmas and the initiation day coming soon.
Waiyaki stands to leave the hut and his mother, now old and wizened, asks where he is going. She then, trembling, asks him if he will marry Nyambura. Waiyaki hates hearing of these rumors and decides he hates Nyambura for the path she chose. Then he realizes he hates himself. His mother tells him he must not marry her because of the Kiama—and he must fear the voice of the Kiama.
Suddenly, Kamau knocks on the door and says the elders and Kiama want to see him. Waiyaki looks at his mother, who appears scared and frail, but agrees.
Chapter 23
It is dark outside as Kamau and Waiyaki walk. Waiyaki feels a strange thrill move through him. At the hut, the elders do not greet him with the same warmth as they always do, and they do not call him Teacher.
Kabonyi begins speaking. He mentions the upcoming ceremonies, Muthoni’s death, and the fact that Joshua corrupts some people here. Kabonyi continues that it is bad when a leader is touched by the impurity of those teachings. As he talks, Waiyaki becomes annoyed, thinking of how he teaches their children.
Finally, Kabonyi looks straight at Waiyaki and says he touched Muthoni, a dying woman, and was not cleaned. That is the first thing he has done to the tribe, but he has also been in Joshua’s church numerous times and he went to Siriana to get teachers—is he selling the tribe to the white man? When he hears this, Waiyaki yells at him in anger but realizes he cannot speak like that to an elder. Another elder speaks up and says betrayal is a bad thing for a man of influence. He is being warned, and they must know if he is marrying Nyambura.
Waiyaki tries to remain calm. He explains that Muthoni was not considered unclean before the initiation, so he is not unclean; he could not have let her die, and after she died he did not touch her. At Siriana, he never entered into any negotiations with white men.
As he is speaking, he reminds himself to make his stand clear and not to come under the sway of Kabonyi. He continues to them that he is concerned with the purity of the tribe and desires unity. It is important to know what the white man knows.
Kabonyi gleefully butts in and says they need a political leader. He then brings up Nyambura again, and Waiyaki refuses to say anything about her. He says the oath does not preclude him from loving people. Kamau glares at him.
Waiyaki realizes that even Kamau hates him, but he is also annoyed at himself for not putting up a good fight. He leaves, the word “traitor” trailing after him.
Kabonyi triumphantly faces the elders and tells them that Waiyaki should not continue to be a teacher and they should not follow him. An elder sadly says Waiyaki has always been like that.
Chapter 24
A few days later, Kinuthia rushes up to Waiyaki and says the Kiama is saying that Waiyaki is no longer a teacher. Waiyaki sighs, and bitterness fills him. He replies that only the school committee can do that, but he tells Kinuthia what happened with the elders. Kinuthia says that it is all Kabonyi, and everyone thinks Nyambura corrupted him. They will not stop at this, and they say he has broken the oath. Kinuthia suggests that he flee, especially from Kabonyi.
Waiyaki thanks him sadly but says he will not leave. He will go to Makuyu to warn Joshua. Kinuthia groans, but Waiyaki cannot be stopped. He has both agitation and steely determination in his eyes.
Waiyaki walks over to the church, and when he enters, everyone looks at him. He politely apologizes for the interruption and tells them he thinks they are in danger. Joshua rages at him to get out, and Waiyaki is stung by rejection and humiliation. He sees Nyambura in the church.
Kamau and his four men, who were lurking and spying, see Waiyaki at the church and are stunned at how far his treason has gone. They must do something.
When Waiyaki enters, Nyambura’s heart skips a beat. She sees her man; she sees the Teacher. She’d been thinking of him and preparing for him for some time now. She knows she wants a religion that would give life, love, and peace to all, and no longer wants Joshua’s type. So, when Waiyaki is in the church, she stands up and calls him Teacher in front of everyone. She states that he is not lying; she tells everyone that Kamau wanted her to marry him and that when she refused he said he would do something bad.
Joshua fumes as he hears this, but Waiyaki is only sad. The people don’t want him, and maybe Kabonyi is actually the savior. Joshua orders him out of the church. Nyambura walks up to Waiyaki, takes his hand, and tells him he is brave and she loves him. Joshua is stunned at his daughter’s behavior and renounces her in thunderous tones.
Both Waiyaki and Nyambura leave. Nyambura shivers with the weight of her rebellion. Waiyaki tells her to go back, but she will not. Part of Waiyaki wants to flee with her, but he cannot help but remember his father’s words. Nyambura presses his hand and says she will go where he goes. The two come to their sacred area and sit together, feeling a throb spread through their bodies. Waiyaki feels his soul calmed by the girl, even though he knows he will soon have to choose between her and the tribe.
Back at his hut, Kinuthia is waiting. Waiyaki decides to go to the sacred grove tomorrow and says that he will speak to the people tomorrow after sunset at the Honia river. There he will fight in the open with Kabonyi because he cannot run away. Kinuthia promises he will never leave his friend.
Chapter 25
At the tree the next day, which still appears stronMg and firm, Waiyaki is weary. Its mystery envelops him and he struggles with strange forces. He is afraid, and he blames himself. Maybe he shouldn’t have resigned from the Kiama; maybe he betrayed the tribe he meant to unite. However, not everything of the white man’s was bad, and even his religion wasn’t inherently bad. The white men just didn’t understand they couldn’t get rid of people’s traditions overnight. Their religion has to take into account the people’s way of life; it has to be a living experience. Joshua simply smeared himself with everything white and renounced all the ways of the tribe. Muthoni tried to bring the two sides together; she had courage, but it did not work.
Waiyaki sits for a while in the sacred grove but does not feel comforted. He has a vision of the other ridges uniting together against the white man and suddenly is aware of what the people want. He feels their shame of the land being taken and the humiliation of paying taxes to the white man’s government. People want action now; they are awakened. But what action do they need? He decides it must be political action, education, and unity.
Before he leaves the grove, he worries if the elders will ask him to give up Nyambura; he cannot bear for this to happen.
Many people have gathered, bewildered by the call they received from Kinuthia and his messengers. Most still love their Teacher and cannot believe he would betray them. He awakened them and gave them a unity. He’d also taken the oath, so how could he go against that? They sit and wait, looking forward to his arrival and thinking about initiation day tomorrow.
Kabonyi and the elders wait, too. Kabonyi trembles with what he knows. He hates Waiyaki with his entire being and he identifies it with “the wrath of the tribe against impurity and betrayal” (144). He thinks he is the savior who will unite the ridges.
The sun is going down and people are becoming impatient. Some of Joshua’s followers, including Miriamu, watch on the hill. It seems like the sun is setting in a blaze of flames; Kinuthia sees a vision of Nyambura and Waiyaki within them.
Finally, Waiyaki strides in, looking strong and beautiful. The crowd quiets.
Chapter 26
The words of Chege’s prophecy come back to Waiyaki as he surveys his tribe. He knows they need him; he knows Nyambura needs him.
He begins to speak. He thanks the people, outlines their struggles, speaks of the waking of the sleeping lions, and says that, if some want to accuse them, then they ought to do it publicly.
Kabonyi stands. He speaks of Muthoni being unclean, and the tribe needing to take action against the menace of Waiyaki. Waiyaki is in league with the white man and his taxation. He speaks of Waiyaki’s journeys to Siriana. Waiyaki is confused as to why he says nothing of Joshua and Nyambura yet.
Waiyaki speaks next. He reminds the people in strong words that Kabonyi was one of the first to go to the white man. He then reminds them of their glorious past and the united hills that made the victories of old possible. He speaks of Mugo’s prophecy and says that they must not choose violence: they must unite or the white man will always be on their back. At this, the people cheer and seem very moved.
The people begin to move toward Kabonyi angrily, but Waiyaki calls out that they must not touch him. It is almost as if he realizes at that moment what Kabonyi and the Kiama mean for the tribe. Kinuthia watches, a sense of terror pervading him. Something is wrong.
Kabonyi speaks again. Everyone is listening to his broken, grief-stricken voice. He is reminding them of the oath Waiyaki took to never tell the tribe’s secrets. Waiyaki is getting nervous. Kabonyi blurts out that he can prove Waiyaki is in league with Joshua, and he brings forth Nyambura. Kabonyi tells Waiyaki to deny her.
The call for the denial bounces around the ridges but the river thrums on. The people shout “the oath! The oath!” Waiyaki looks at his love and knows he cannot deny her, nor can he go back on his love. Everyone is silent. He walks up to her and takes her in his arms. The oath does not preclude love, and he wants to say that. A woman yells out “the oath!” before he can, though, and a ripple of rage spreads through the people. How could their Teacher betray them?
No one will listen as Waiyaki tries to calm them. An elder stands and proclaims that Waiyaki and Nyambura will be put in the hands of the Kiama, which will judge them and decide what to do with them. It is the best thing. The crowd roars back agreement and they quickly move away into darkness.
The land is silent. The ridges lie side by side and the river flows between them through the valley of life.