40. A Violent Storm

Gandhiji stayed in India for a few days and then got on a ship to return to South Africa. This was his second trip to that country. He had Kasturba and the children with him this time. After some days a violent storm started in the ocean. The passengers suffered from severe nausea. They could not eat at all. They were frightened yet happy because Gandhiji was with them. Gandhiji took care of all of them and assured them too that every thing will be all right. But a real storm was awaiting them at Durban.

The Britishers at Durban had received the news that Gandhiji was returning to South Africa. They thought, "He is coming here again? He has defamed us in India and in rest of the world. No! He should be sent back!"

Some said, "This Gandhi fellow won't let us live peacefully. He encourages those 'labourers' to rebel against us. We won't allow him to step down on this land."

Another said, "I heard that this time he is bringing his family along with him. He wants to stay here. Let us see how dare he come here!"

One of them shouted, "Do you know he is not coming alone. He is bringing two ship loads of labourers with him."

"It's enough! Don't let him come here!"

"Ask the government to refuse him permission to enter."

"If the government won't listen to us, we will throw him into the ocean."

The White people had heard a lot of rumors about Gandhiji and were very much excited.

Gandhiji had no idea at all about all this when the boat reached Durban.

The officers on the dock said, "Go, go away! You cannot get down here. Plague has broken out in your country. You will have to stay in quarantine."

"But no one is ill on this boat!"

"Don't argue! You will have to stay in quarantine."

"For how many days?"

"For twenty three days."

Gandhiji was astounded. He could not understand the officers' behaviour. As the time passed he came to know what was happening. Those stories unfolded the mystery of the officers' behaviour.

Someone would shout at the passengers, "Go, go back or you will be drowned in the sea."

Someone would threaten the owner of the ship, "Take your ship back to India or you will have to die."

But none of them paid heed to those threats and stayed where they were.

They spent twenty-three days on the ship quite comfortably. The quarantine was over. All of them got down courageously. The Britishers kept staring at them.

Just then an officer sent a message asking Gandhiji not to get down during daytime or else his life would be in danger.

A friend asked, "Gandhi! Are you afraid?"

"No! I am not afraid of anything."

"It's better then. We will get down during the daytime only. I will accompany you. We are not thieves to move out in the night!"

Gandhiji sent away his family in a vehicle and he himself walked to the town with that friend.

No one noticed them for some time. Then someone recognised him. Some British children passing from there also noticed him. Gandhiji was the only person in that country to wear a turban. So he was recognised easily.

As soon as the children saw him they started shouting," Gandhi! Gandhi!"

"Thrash him! Beat him!"

"Catch him!"

At first they kept shouting only. Then they started throwing stones at him.

His friend said, "Now we must get away from here. Come, we will catch a rickshaw and go!"

Gandhiji said, "Catch a rickshaw? I hate going in a rickshaw pulled by a human being!"

The friend said, "There is no time to think about your likes and dislikes! We must get away before they catch us."

Unwillingly, Gandhiji was about to get on the rickshaw when the crowd caught the rickshaw driver.

Beware! Dare you get him in your rickshaw! We will break it down and beat you as well!"

The poor Blackman was helpless.

He shouted "No" in his native language and ran away.

Gandhiji kept going ahead. A big crowd kept following him.

A strong, hefty boy from the crowd took the lead and separated Gandhiji from his friend.

Then they started calling names and throwing stones at him. One of them snatched his turban and threw it, another one slapped and kicked him. Now Gandhiji was helpless. He was about to faint when he caught the iron rod of the neighboring house. He got the support to stand. Then he went ahead.

A courageous White woman was passing by from there at this critical time. She was the wife of a British Officer. She knew Gandhiji. She ran towards him and holding her umbrella on his head kept walking along with him. Seeing this woman the crowd set back, still someone would come and slap him once in a while.

The police arrived there in the mean time. They scattered the violent crowd. Then they escorted Gandhiji to his friend and the famous businessman of Durban, Rustomji's home.

Although the crowd dispersed at that time, they again gathered there in the night and started shouting.

They shouted, "Hand him over to us or we will burn down the house."

But Rustomji was not afraid of them.

This time the Durban Police officer acted wisely. He sent one of his faithful subordinates inside the house to ask Gandhiji to disguise and get away secretly. Then he went to the crowd and kept them engaged.

The officer kept a table in front of Parsi Rustomji's door. He climbed on the table and kept the people busy with his talk. He started singing a song…

Come let us hang Gandhi,
On a mango tree!
Come let us hang Gandhi!

Thus the crowd got busy singing the song. The officer thought to himself, "Keep shouting, kids! But I am holding the door! During all this confusion, the policeman inside the house was helping Gandhiji wear the uniform of a policeman. Gandhiji disliked doing so, yet he had to do it. Then both of them went to the neighboring warehouse and mixed with the crowd. No one noticed them!

The people were busy singing the song!

Come, let us hang Gandhi,
Come, let us hang Gandhi,
On a mango tree!
Come let us hang Gandhi!

When he learned that Gandhiji had escaped safely, the officer stopped singing. Then he said, "It's enough now! Go home!"

The people said, "No, bring Gandhi, bring Gandhi here!"

The officer smiled and said, "What if your prey has escaped?"

"How can he escape? Aren't all of us watching the door?"

"But I am telling you that he has escaped!"

"No, it's not true! We don't believe this!"

"If you can't believe this old officer you may check the house! If you form a committee of a few people, I will allow you to do so."

The crowd sent a few people to check it. They confirmed that Gandhiji had escaped from there. Then the officer told the crowd, "You did not listen to your police officers so they played a trick with you. We are public servants and we have to do our duty. You may please leave now. The police have won over you."

The angry crowd now started laughing and then left. So many days passed by. Gandhiji got well. The rioting White men calmed down and got busy with their work.

The White men thought that the labourer barrister won't forget the beating and would file a case against them. Then they would be punished.

The government was also waiting for Gandhiji to file a case. But Gandhiji's way of thinking was quite different. He had pardoned those strange men.

One day, a senior officer sent for Gandhiji and said, "We are very sorry that you were hurt. We will catch the guilty and punish them even if they are the White people. The government wants you to identify them."

Gandhiji replied calmly, "I am obliged for your concern but I don't have ill feelings for anybody."

"But won't you be able to identify them?"

"I may identify one or two of them but I don't think that they should be blamed.

"Why, Gandhiji? Those cruel people hurt you!"

Gandhiji told him straight away, "People like you encourage them to do so. You are the real culprits. Why should I wish them to be punished?"