Maiwa's Revenge; Or, The War of the Little Hand

Chapter 3: PREFACE

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About This Book

The narrator, an experienced hunter, chronicles an African campaign in which a grieving woman seeks to avenge the murder of her child. Through hunting interludes and tense planning, the party prepares and executes raids, encounters ambushes, and deploys a feared contrivance that changes the course of the fighting. The account follows the tactical maneuvers, personal loyalties, and moral ambiguities tied to revenge, while concluding with the woman’s vindication and the narrator’s reflection on violence, justice, and the costs of retribution.

PREFACE

It may be well to state that the incident of the “Thing that bites” recorded in this tale is not an effort of the imagination. On the contrary, it is “plagiarized.” Mandara, a well-known chief on the east coast of Africa, has such an article, and uses it. In the same way the wicked conduct attributed to Wambe is not without a precedent. T’Chaka, the Zulu Napoleon, never allowed a child of his to live. Indeed he went further, for on discovering that his mother, Unandi, was bringing up one of his sons in secret, like Nero he killed her, and with his own hand.