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As I put down the receiver I felt dazed, like a man reprieved 

 on the very scaffold, like somebody suddenly jerked from the 

 hollows of hell to a high hill-top in heaven. A Prime Minister, 

 and one whose educational culture was very far from, some said 

 fundamentally antagonistic to, biological science, and he had 

 roused himself, on a brief holiday, late at night, on his own 

 initiative, to speak to a scientist named Smith from a notoriously 

 English centre like Grahamstown. He had listened patiently, 

 and though not a scientist had been able to grasp, weigh, and 

 assess the importance of the matter straight away. He had not 

 needed to ask any questions, and had come to an immediate 

 decision. Had my name been Van der Westhuizen, and had I 

 come from, say, Potchefstroom, there would have been those who 

 could sneer, but I knew, politics or no politics, that from then on 

 nobody would speak ill of this man with impunity in niy presence. 

 My dazed mind flashed back to Smuts, and then I found myself 

 in the dining-room again, where I was unable to utter a word in 

 response to the silent question that was plain on the faces which 

 for some seconds were all I could see. 'My word, you can speak 

 Afrikaans,' someone said; then, as I slowly regained my equili- 

 brium and full comprehension of what had just happened, they 

 questioned me minutely about what Malan had said, which 

 produced such an air of relief all round it hardly seemed like the 

 same place. Even the faces had changed. 



I arranged to return at 8.30 next morning, and Mrs. Shearer 

 told me a room would be at my disposal to work while I waited. 

 We went back to Frank Evans's house, and when I saw my wife's 

 anxious questioning gaze, something choked me and I could not 

 speak, but nodded. Frank Evans made good my verbal deficiency, 

 and soon gave them an animated account of the events of the evening. 



It was only much later that I heard the outlines of the story of 

 what had happened in the Malan household that night. When 

 Shearer's call was put through. Dr. Malan was abed and as far as 

 they knew asleep. Mrs. Malan answered. She listened to Shearer, 

 but judged the matter should wait at least till the morning; but 

 as she put down the receiver Dr. Malan called out to ask what it 

 was and would not be put off. She gave him a brief outline of the 

 matter. Dr. Malan nodded his head. *This man Smith is well 

 known. Bring me that fish book.' 



