Part of the ‘Into and out of Africa’ reading
journey
Grizzled veteran big game hunter and
adventurer Allan Quatermain (familiar these days for his resurrection in the
2003 film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen) is on a boat to Natal when he
is approached by two other Englishmen – the aristocratic Sir Henry Curtis and
ex-Royal Navy Captain John Good – who are on a mission to find Curtis’s
estranged younger brother.
It’s a small world in colonial Africa and
Quatermain has heard tell of a young hothead who set off to find the legendary
King Solomon’s Mines, fount of untold riches in gold and diamonds. A fool’s
errand in Quatermain’s view but as it happens he does have a map he was given
years ago by a dying ‘Potugee’ that purports to show the way. And while he
wouldn’t undertake such a wild goose chase for the fabled riches, he is
prepared to lead an expedition with the noble cause of helping a couple of good
chaps recue a fellow Brit. Of course if there are any diamonds available he
will take a share.
What follows is a ripping yarn that helped
to make the template for many more, with hardships endured, pitched battles
fought, and narrow squeaks negotiated; all faced with stiff upper lip and manly
camaraderie.
The story is presented as a memoir of
Quatermain, so he obviously makes it, but the fate of his comrades and success
of the mission are the driving force of the narrative. The wonder of the
African interior probably has less impact on the modern reader – we’ve seen it
all on TV courtesy of David Attenborough – but at the time of publication would
have contributed to the book’s popularity.
Published in 1885 as the European scramble
for Africa was gathering pace, Haggard sets this tale in the Southern Africa
that he knew from personal experience. As such the book is of its time and its
attitude to the native African is instructive. The white man’s supremacy is a
given but there is respect for the inferior race, many of whom have admirable,
even noble, qualities (including deference!). Indeed the attachment of one of
the party to a young native girl could have led to a rather awkward social situation
if not terminated by an unfortunate (or fortunate) incident. More distasteful
is the gleeful description of the wanton slaughter of elephants, only valued
for their ivory tusks.
In summary an instructive read with a period
charm and a strong narrative thread that carries the reader steadily through
the 300 pages of adventure and derring do.
No comments:
Post a Comment