Charles Beadle – författare

Excerpt: In a bayou in the south-eastern corner of the Victoria Nyanza was the station of Ingonya, a brown scab on the face of the green earth. The round mud huts of the askaris were like two columns of khaki troops marching rigidly on each side of the parade ground. To the north, upon a slight rise of ground, were the white men''s quarters; the non-commissioned officers had four bungalows to the south of the orderly room and Court House; and beyond a green plot flanked by a store house and an ordnance building, was a bigger bungalow, florid in the amplitude and colour of the red pillared verandah, the residence of the Kommandant, Herr Ober-Lieutenant Hermann von Schnitzler und zu Pfeiffer. On the northern side, overlooking the swamp and the distant lake, was a flagpole, before which paced an ebon sentry in a uniform of white knickers, tunic and lancer cap, red faced. The glow of sunrise stained the green of the moon with crimson. A trumpet blared. From the rear of the Residence marched with stiff-legged precision a squad of askaris and the stocky figure of a non-commissioned officer in a white helmet. Simultaneously appeared on the verandah of the large bungalow the tall form of a white man in pink silk pyjamas. The sergeant barked. The squad presented arms. A coloured ball slid up the flagpole.

"Witch-Doctors" by Charles Beadle is set against the backdrop of colonial Africa, exploring power dynamics, superstition, and conflict. The story begins in a colonial outpost near Victoria Nyanza, where tensions between white settlers and native inhabitants are at their peak. The narrative centers on tribal customs and the influential role of witch-doctors in shaping both spiritual and political life. As the plot unfolds, we encounter the stark contrast between the arrogance of the colonial officers and the deeply rooted traditions of indigenous communities. The colonizers seek to control the native population through manipulation of their beliefs, while tribal leaders struggle to maintain power in a world where magic and politics are deeply intertwined. Through its exploration of tribal rivalries and alliances, the story delves into the complex web of manipulation, faith, and colonial power, setting the stage for conflict and intrigue. The opening establishes a world where the supernatural influences everyday life, and characters must navigate the dangerous balance between tradition and foreign domination. This tale promises to reveal how superstition and colonialism collide in the struggle for control and survival.