Book 1, Chapter 4 Summary

The next day, Salim takes the book back to the school. A Belgian clerk tells him Father Huisman (who runs the school) is on a trip to the bush. He complains to Salim about how hard it is for him in Africa. He can't eat after watching the students eat caterpillars or seeing the kitchen. He says he's leaving. A week later, Salim returns to the school, and the priest is back with a mask and carving he got on his trip. He shows Salim his collection of African pieces that were made for religious purposes. Salim sees that the priest cares about the African pieces, but doesn't seem to care about Africans or Africa itself. For Father Huisman, Africa is a wonderful place full of new things for his collection. He also thinks that civilization is coming, and the true...