Chapter 33 Chapter 6 Arrival in Natal

When I set out for South Africa, I did not feel the pain of parting that I experienced when I went to England.My mother has passed away.I already had some knowledge of the world, and I already had the knowledge of traveling abroad, and from Rajkot to Bombay, it was commonplace. This time I just feel sad about leaving my wife.After I came back from England, I raised another child.Our love can’t be said to have gotten rid of carnality, but it has become more and more pure.Since my return from Europe, I have lived with her seldom; and now that I have become her teacher, and am helping her to carry out certain reforms, we feel that we need more time together, however much we care for her. Together, if these reforms are to go ahead.South Africa's appeal, however, made the separation bearable. "We'll be together again in less than a year," I reassured her, and I left Rajkot for Bombay.

After I arrived in Mumbai, I bought the ferry ticket through the agent of Dada Abdullah Company, but the space was sold out, and if I didn't go this trip, I would be stranded in Mumbai.The agent of the company said to me: "We have tried our best to get you a first-class ticket, but we can't get it. Unless you plan to take the steerage, this trip will not be possible. But if you take the steerage It is still possible to arrange to eat in the dining room.” At that time, I was going out on a first-class ship, and as a lawyer, how could I be a steerage passenger?So I declined his offer, suspecting he was playing tricks, because I couldn't believe I couldn't even get a first-class ticket.After the agent agreed, I personally explained to buy the boat ticket.I boarded the steamer and met the first mate on board.He told me frankly: "Usually we are not so crowded. This time, because the governor of Mozambique is going to take this boat, all the seats have been booked."

"Can you squeeze me in?" I asked.He looked at me from head to toe, smiled and said to me: "There is only one way: I still have a bed in my room, which is usually not sold to guests, but I plan to give it to you." He thanked the agent and told the agent to buy the ticket. In April, 1893, I set out with great eagerness to try my luck in South Africa. After sailing for about thirteen days, we anchored for the first time in the port of Lamu.By this time the captain and I had become good friends. He likes to play chess, but since he is a complete novice, he wants to be his opponent who knows less than himself, so he invites me.I have heard a lot about how to play chess, but I have never tried it myself.People who play chess often say that the chessboard has a vast world where a person's intelligence can be displayed.The captain offered to teach me, and he found me a good apprentice because I had infinite patience.Every time I lost, it made him more eager to teach me.I liked chess, but never took my taste beyond the board, nor extended my knowledge beyond the limits of moving pieces.

The ship lay at Rams for three or four hours, and I went ashore to have a look at the port.The captain also went ashore, but he warned me that the harbor was very rough and asked me to return early. It's a small place.I went to the post office, and was glad to see and talk to some Indian clerks there.I also met a few Africans and I was intrigued by their way of life and wanted to learn more. This delayed some time.I also met a few steerage passengers on the ship who also went ashore and wanted to cook their own food on the shore and eat it well.Then I saw that they were going back to the ship, and I joined them in a sampan.The tide in the harbor was rising, and our sampan was above its normal weight.The tide was so violent that not even the sampan could hold up the ship's ladder.As soon as it touched the hanging ladder, it was immediately washed away by the tide.The first whistle for sailing had already been blown, and I was in a hurry.Seeing this from the bridge, the captain ordered the sailing to be delayed for five minutes.There was another sampan beside the boat, which a friend had hired for me for ten rupees.This sampan took me from the overweight sampan.By this time the ladder was up, so I was obliged to go up by a rope, and the steamer was immediately anchored.None of the other passengers boarded yet.Only then did I realize that the captain's warning was justified.

After Rammu, the second port is Mombasa, then Zanjiba.It took a long time to berth here, eight or nine days in total, so we changed another boat. The captain liked me very much, but this liking developed into an unflattering bias.He invited an English friend and I to accompany him ashore, and we went ashore in his dinghy.What it means to take a stroll, I have no idea.And the captain didn't know that I was still an ignorant person in such an act.A tout took us to a place where certain black women lived, and everyone was ushered into a room.I just stood in the room, dazed with shame. God only knows what that unfortunate woman thought of me.When the captain called me, I came out, just as I had gone in.He saw that I was an innocent man.At first I felt very shy, but because I couldn't think of anything else but fear, the shame finally subsided, and thank God: the way the woman looked didn't impress me at all.I loathed my cowardice and felt sorry for not having the courage to even go into a room.

This is the third time in my life that something like this has happened.There are many youths who are otherwise innocent, and I am afraid that because of the false feeling of shame, they have fallen into the abyss of crime.I don't feel glamorous about being an invulnerable person.If I don't go into that room, I can be considered glorious.I owe all my thanks to the merciful God for saving me.The incident strengthened my faith in God and partly taught me to cast aside the shame of hypocrisy. Because we were going to stay in this port for a week, I lived in the city and walked around the place where I lived all day, gaining a lot of knowledge.Zanjiba is full of trees, and only Malabar in India can compare with it. I am amazed by the huge trees and tall fruits.

After crossing Zanjiba, we arrived in Mozambique.From there we reached Natal at the end of May.