Gideon is the native African cook who works for the Farquar family and has a close relationship with their son, Teddy. The author notes that Gideon, as a product of missionary conversion, is a devout Christian, and he connects with the Farquars over their beliefs. He has complicated emotions as the boy grows older and he is sensitive to how their respective social castes will change their relationship over time. Gideon has a son who plays with Teddy as a small child, and Gideon laments that racism will change their relationship as well.

Gideon is a descendant of a native healer and has a lot of knowledge about herbal healing practices. When Teddy’s eyes are swollen with snake venom, Gideon heals him by chewing up a particular root and spitting it into his eyes. Later, he refuses to show a white scientist where the root can be found. Gideon’s story represents how many native Africans withhold their knowledge of natural remedies from white colonists as a way to maintain some power over those who assert dominance over them through British imperialism.