The Martyr

The Martyr Summary | Detailed Summary

Mr. and Mrs. Garstone were murdered in their home, and everyone is talking about it. There is an increase in politically motivated violence around the country, and the Garstones are the first European settlers to be killed.

Mrs. Hill is a white settler, a widow, with a large house far from any neighbors. Her husband died of malaria while visiting Uganda. Her son and daughter are at school in England, which the settlers simply call "Home." Mrs. Hill owns a large and sprawling tea plantation, and though everyone respects her, they do not all like her because of her attitude to the "natives." She is too liberal.

Mrs. Smiles and Mrs. Hardy come to Mrs. Hill's house to talk about the murder. They are sad because two Europeans were killed and triumphant because this event has proven them right. The natives can't possibly be civilized! Mrs. Hill, though, persists in her liberal views that the natives will be obedient and well-mannered if you are kind to them, as she has been. She has built her "boys" brick houses, and she has built a school for their children, although they don't have enough teachers and can only study for half a day. They work the rest of the day on the plantation.

The three women talk about how terrible the murders are. After all, the Europeans brought civilization and peace to the African natives. How could they be so ungrateful? Mrs. Hill suggests that they should be more tolerant, but Mrs. Smiles discounts that idea. Mrs. Hardy suggests that all the squatters should be hanged.

Mr. and Mrs. Garstone's houseboy woke them up, and when they came to see what was wrong, a group of men killed them. The houseboy led the murderers to the unsuspecting couple. Mrs. Hill's own houseboy, Njoroge, gets the women tea. He has been a faithful servant for ten years.

After Mrs. Smiles and Mrs. Hardy are gone, Mrs. Hill becomes worried about the rising violence, especially since she lives alone so far from anyone else. She is comforted by the fact that she has a pistol.

After supper is over, Njoroge walks back to his quarters. As he walks through the darkness, he hears the cry of a bird in the night. He thinks of how demeaned he is by his employer. The bird, he believes, is a warning of death, and he is filled with anger against the white settlers that have come and taken his land.

Njoroge's father died in the 1923 Nairobi Massacre, when police shot at peaceful demonstrators. Since his father's death, Njoroge has had to make a living working for the European settlers. When he came to work for Mrs. Hill, Njoroge recognized the land. It was his family's land. During a famine, the family had moved temporarily, and when they returned, the white men had taken the land.

Njoroge hates and resents Mrs. Hill. She thinks that she is being kind to her workers, but she only patronizes them. He shouts out, "I hate them! I hate them!" He hates all white settlers. He comforts himself with the thought that tonight, Mrs. Hill will die.

When Njoroge gets to his room, all is quiet. There is no smoke from the other rooms, and some of the lights are out. He lights his lantern and sits on his bed. The room is tiny. From his place on the bed, he could almost touch all the corners of the room. He has lived in this room with his two wives and his children for five years. This cramped quarters is the brick housing that Mrs. Hill is so proud of. Whenever visitors come, Mrs. Hill proudly shows off the houses she has built.

Njoroge is expecting the Ihii, or Freedom Boys, to come. He will lead them to the house to kill Mrs. Hill. Njoroge thinks about her and her love for her husband and children. Then, suddenly, Njoroge realizes that he cannot kill her. He has been thinking of Mrs. Hill, not as a white settler, but as a woman and a mother. He hates all white settlers and has no compunction against killing them. However, he cannot kill a woman and a mother. He tries to change his frame of mind, to think of Mrs. Hill as merely a white settler, but hecannot. He knows, though, that she will continue to be the same patronizing, complacent woman. She will continue to treat the natives as she always has, perpetuating injustice and the division between black and white.

Njoroge is divided. He cannot kill Mrs. Hill, and yet he is filled with hatred of her and her kind. He has a choice. He could save Mrs. Hill but only by betraying the Freedom Boys. He leaves his room and walks back to Mrs. Hill's house. He has decided to save her. Then, he will run away to fight against the whites.

As he walks toward the house, Njoroge hears the sound of the Freedom Boys approaching. He hurries toward the house. When he gets to the door, he knocks and calls out, "Memsahib! Memsahib!"

Mrs. Hill is sitting up, full of fear. Once Njoroge left for the night, she got out her gun, which she is holding. She sighs and remembers how she and her husband came to this country and tamed the wilderness. They created plantations where there was only unoccupied land. Natives now don't need to worry about wars between their tribes. They are contented. They have much to thank the settlers for.

She thinks that perhaps she should move to Nairobi or Kinangop to stay with friends because of the recent violence. What could she do with her boys, though? Suddenly, Mrs. Hill thinks about Njoroge. How many wives and children does he have? She realizes that she has never thought about his family life, and she is startled. She has never thought of him before as a father with a family. She resolves to change her way of thinking in the future.

Then, Mrs. Hill hears the knock on the door and Njoroge's voice calling to her. She breaks out in a sweat as she remembers how the Garstones were lured into a trap by their houseboy. She realizes that this is a trap for her. Suddenly, she gains her strength and graps her pistol. She opens the door and fires, killing Njoroge. She never realizes that he was trying to save her.

Her brave act is in all the papers the next day, and Mrs. Smiles and Mrs. Hardy congratulate her. They impress upon her again that all the natives are bad. Mrs. Hill, though, is puzzled by Njoroge's death. "I don't know," she says. Mrs. Smiles and Mrs. Hardy twist the words to mean that the natives are "inscrutable." They both agree: "All of them should be whipped."