Summary

In Chapter 3, the collective voice of the children begins narrating the day following the events of Chapter 2, in which Woja Beki convinces the two visiting soldiers that the Pexton representatives left Kosawa, when in reality they are being held hostage in the village. The children are jubilant, proclaiming this as the “first victory that ultimately led to our vanquishing our foes” (65).

The narrator describes the village parents’ discussion of Woja Beki’s actions. While Thula, in the last chapter, had been led to believe that Woja Beki had switched from the Pexton side to the side of the village, it is revealed that he was instead pressured by the men of the village to deceive the soldiers. The villagers still cannot trust Woja Beki, and fear that if he escapes from their custody, he “would surely escape to Gardens and alert the supervisors...