When starting for South Africa I did not feel the wrench of separation
which I had experienced when leaving for England. My mother was now
no more. I had gained some knowledge of the world and of travel
abroad, and going from Rajkot to Bombay was no unusual affair.
This time I only felt the pang of parting with my wife. Another baby
had been born to us since my return from England. Our love could not
yet be called free from lust, but it was getting gradually purer.
Since my return from Europe, we had lived very little together; and
as I had now become her teacher, however indifferent, and helped her
to make certain reforms, we both felt the necessity of being more
together, if only to continue the reforms. But the attraction of
South Africa rendered the separation bearable. 'We are bound to meet
again in a year,' I said to her, by way of consolation, and left Rajkot for Bombay.
Here I was to get my passage through the agent of Dada Abdulla and
Co. But no berth was available on the boat, and if I did not
sail then, I should be stranded in Bombay. 'We have tried our best,'
said the agent, 'to secure a first-class passage, but in vain – unless
you are prepared to go on deck. Your meals can be arranged for in
the saloon.' Those were the days of my first class traveling, and
how could a barrister travel as a deck passenger? So I refused the
offer. I suspected the agent's veracity, for I could not believe
that a first class passage was not available. With the agent's
consent I set about securing it myself. I went on board the boat and
met the chief officer. He said to me quite frankly, 'We do not
usually have such a rush. But as the Governor-General of Mozambique
is going by this boat, all the berths are engaged.'
'Could you not possibly squeeze me in?' I asked.
He surveyed me from top to toe and smiled. 'There is just one way', he said. 'There is an
extra berth in my cabin, which is usually not available for
passengers. But I am prepared to give it to you.' I thanked him and
got the agent to purchase the passage. In April 1893 I set forth
full of zest to try my luck in South Africa.
The first port of call was Lamu which we reached in about thirteen
days. The Captain and I had become great friends by this time. He
was fond of playing chess, but as he was quite a novice, he wanted
one still more of a beginner for his partner, and so he invited me.
I had heard a lot about the game but had never tried my hand at it.
Players used to say that this was a game in which there was plenty
of scope for the exercise of one's intelligence. The Captain offered
to give me lessons, and he found me a good pupil as I had unlimited
patience. Every time I was the loser, and that made him all the more
eager to teach me. I liked the game, but never carried my liking
beyond the boat or my knowledge beyond the moves of the pieces.
At Lamu the ship remained at anchor for some three to four hours,
and I landed to see the port. The Captain had also gone ashore, but
he had warned me that the harbour was treacherous and that I should
return in good time.
It was a very small place. I went to the Post Office and was
delighted to see the Indian clerks there, and had a talk with them.
I also saw the Africans and tried to acquaint myself with their ways
of life which interested me very much. This took up some time.
There were some deck passengers with whom I had made acquaintance,
and who had landed with a view to cooking their food on shore and
having a quiet meal. I now found them preparing to return to the
steamer, so we all got into the same boat. The tide was high in the
harbour and our boat had more than its proper load. The high current was
so strong that it was impossible to hold the boat to the ladder of
the steamer. It would just touch the ladder and be drawn away again
by the current. The first whistle to start had already gone. I was
worried. The Captain was witnessing our plight from the bridge. He
ordered the steamer to wait an extra five minutes. There was another
boat near the ship which a friend hired for me for ten rupees. This
boat picked me up from the overloaded one. The ladder had already
been raised. I had therefore to be drawn up by means of a rope and
the steamer started immediately. The other passengers were left
behind. I now appreciated the Captain's warning.
After Lamu the next port was Mombassa and then Zanzibar. The halt
here was a long one – eight or ten days – and we then changed to another
boat.
The Captain liked me much, but the liking took an undesirable turn.
He invited an English friend and me to accompany him on an outing,
and we all went ashore in his boat. I had not the least notion
of what the outing meant. And little did the Captain know
what an ignoramus I was in such matters. We were taken to some Negro
women's quarters by a tout. We were each shown into a room. I simply
stood there dumb with shame. Heaven only knows what the poor woman
must have thought of me. When the Captain called me I came out just
as I had gone in. He saw my innocence. At first I felt very
much ashamed, but as I could not think of the thing except with
horror, the sense of shame wore away, and I thanked God that the
sight of the woman had not moved me in the least. I was disgusted at
my weakness and pitied myself for not having had the courage to
refuse to go into the room.
This in my life was the third trial of
its kind. Many a youth, innocent at first, must have been drawn into
sin by a false sense of shame. I could claim no credit for having
come out unscathed. I could have credit if I had refused
to enter that room. I must entirely thank the All-merciful for
having saved me. The incident increased my faith in God and taught
me, to a certain extent, to cast off false shame.
As we had to remain in this port for a week, I took rooms in the
town and saw good deal by wandering about the neighbourhood. Only
Malabar can give any idea of the luxuriant vegetation of Zanzibar. I
was amazed at the gigantic trees and the size of the fruits.
The next call was at Mozambique and thence we reached Natal towards
the close of May.