Chapter 1 Summary

The novel begins as Henderson directs a question to the reader. "What made me take this trip to Africa?" he asks, and then proceeds to explain how things had become so bad for him that the journey became necessary. He describes himself as a rich man, who inherited three million dollars from his father, a well-known author. Henderson also inherited thousands of books, into he reads for guidance when he is unhappy. He is particularly moved by the phrase, "The forgiveness of sins is perpetual and righteousness is not required," although he promptly forgets which book he read it in. Often when he searches through the books, money, which his father had used as bookmarks, falls out.

Henderson describes himself as an ivy league graduate, tall and big with a huge head and nose, suspicious eyes and blustering ways. He is one of...