At College Long Walk Original Manuscript (Image #26)

area who was a Thembu at heart. He told me that Reverend Harris would bring up Sabata as a Christian king and prepare him for his future role as the traditional head of Thembuland. He stressed again what he had said many times before, that I would be Sabata's Counsellor and appealed to me never to do anything that might compromise Sabata's and my position. He bought me a new suit and my first pair of boots and ended the talk by giving me a pound for pocket money, the largest amount of money I had ever possessed. Now I was convinced that I was about to meet a great man. I was introduced to Reverend Harris, the first white man with whom I shook hands. He received us warmly and gave me advice along similar lines to that of the Regent. During those days students were given manual work after school hours and, fortunately, I was assigned to work in Reverend Harris' garden and remain there for two years. It was during this period that I learnt to know him and his family well. He had a severe expression, rarely joked or laughed with us and ran Clarkebury with an iron hand, more like a field commander than a school head. When he appeared students, members of the staff, including white principals of the training, secondary and industrial schools, rose to their feet. But behind the mask of severity was gentle and broad minded individual who was conscious of the importance of his pioneering work, who regarded himself as part and parcel of a powerful religious organisation which for many years had shouldered dthe burden of educating Africans. His wife was kind and simple and, unlike Reverend Harris, frequently conversed with me. The reception I got from Reverend Harris, and more particularly his remarks, made me assume that I would be similarly treated by members of the staff and students. After all, Clarkebury was a Thembu College and I was a descendent of Ngubengcuka. In fact, the secondary school was called the Dalindyebo Secondary School. At home the youth knew my position even