PARTISAN REVIEW
65
isn't fair. It should be shared out among everybody, equally, and
then that would be a democracy."
"Well obviously," said the beautiful
girl.
"Ah yes," sighed the poor tired woman, emphatically crushing
out her cigarette and lighting a new one.
"Perhaps it would be better if I just moved that palm a little,"
said the cloakroom attendant, "it does seem to be a little in your
way perhaps." But Dick did not let her show her agreement in
this
way.
"Never mind about the palm," he said. "It's not important."
And this was the point when someone asked: "Excuse me, but
where do the Natives come in?" (In those days, the Black inhabitants
of Rhodesia were referred to as the Natives.)
This was felt to be in extremely bad taste.
"I don't really think that is is applicable," said Dick hotly. "I
simply don't see the point
of
bringing it up at
all-
unless it is to
make trouble."
"They do live here," said one of the R.A.F.
"Well, I must withdraw altogether if there's any likelihood of
us getting mixed up with kaffir trouble," said the widow.
"You can be assured that there
will
be nothing of that," said
Dick, firmly in control, in the saddle, leader of all, after only half
an hour of standing up in front of his mass meeting.
"I don't see that," said the beautiful girl. "I simply don't see
that at all! We must have a policy for the Natives."
Even twelve people in one small room, whether starting a mass
Party or not, mean twelve different, defined, passionately held view–
points. The meeting at last had to be postponed for a week to allow
those who had not had a chance to air their views to have their say.
I attended this second meeting. There were fifteen people present.
The two R.A.F. were not there, but there were six white trade union–
ists
from the railways, who, hearing of the new Party, had come to
get a resolution passed. "In the opinion of this meeting, the Native
is
being advanced too fast toward civilisation and in his own in–
terests the pace should be slowed."
This
resolution was always being passed in those days, on every
possible occasion. It probably still is.
But the nine from the week before were already able to form
