After dealing with his mom, Lord John Grey heads out to find Malcolm Stubbs in Besieged Section 5. It’s time to break down this part of the story.
John heads out to La Punta, one of the areas where Malcolm stays. Sure enough, that’s where the man is, and it’s time for a quick catchup and the real reason for John’s visit. What Malcolm has to say shocks John.
Breaking down Besieged Section 5
We start with John making it to La Punta, to find that the security a little lax for an island that is close to war. That’s because Malcolm had no idea that England and Spain were at war. He has been traveling, but he doesn’t say why. This is sure to come out at a later point.
John is quick to note that Malcolm looks 20 years older than he last saw him, just a couple of years ago in Quebec. It’s also clear that Malcolm’s stump is bruised and bloody from the walking. However, Malcolm seems to just get on with life. He does thank John for saving his life back in The Custom of the Army.
When John shares that he is there to get Malcolm, Olivia, the children, and Benedicta out of Havana, Malcolm shares that he is going to stay behind. That slave rebellion that has risen? That’s his slave rebellion.
What?
John isn’t able to talk freely, though. A slave girl comes in with food and drink and she quickly tends to Malcolm’s leg. John notes how Inocencia speaks to Malcolm similarly to the way Tom speaks to John when John is hurt. However, there is something more. It’s clear that Malcolm and Inocencia have some sort of affair going on.
Malcolm isn’t interested in talking about this, but he does talk about John Cinnamon when John brings him up. Malcolm has heard that the baby died. However, John pays a priest yearly for John Cinnamon’s upkeep in return for a lock of hair being sent to him. It means the priest is stealing money—or is he, as we know in Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone that Cinnamon is definitely still alive.
It’s time to move the conversation back onto the slave revolt. This is a good spot to end this section.
Could this chapter be used in a TV adaptation?
There is a lot to break down in this section, so could it all be used if there was a TV series? Well, I think this would depend on what was used from previous novellas. Presuming John Cinnamon is brought into the story, then yes, we would need some sort of mention about John Cinnamon here. However, I’m curious about how we’d get John’s reminders of paying the priest. I’m assuming that would be in the “previously on” section at the start of the episode.
This covers a lot that will become important in the rest of the novella. With that in mind, the discussion of Inocencia would need to come up. So would the slave revolt! So yes, I expect to see at least the majority of the section if there was an adaptation.
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