""The Fourth Century tells of the quest by young Mathieu Be;luse to discover the lost history of his country, Martinique. Aware that the officially recorded version he learned in school omits and distorts, he turns to a quimboiseur named Papa Longoue;. This old man of the forest, a healer, seer, and storyteller, knows the oral tradition and its relation to the powers of the land and the forces of nature. He tells of the love-hate relationship between the Longoue; and Be;luse families, whose ancestors were brought as slaves to Martinique. Upon arrival, Longoue; immediately escaped and went to live in the hills as a maroon. Be;luse remained in slavery. The intense relationship that had formed between the two men in Africa continued and came to encompass the relations between their masters, or, in the case of Longoue;, his would-be master, and their descendants. The Fourth Century closes the gap between the families as Papa Longoue;, last of his line, conveys the history to Mathieu Be;luse, who becomes his heir.""--Publisher's description."