King Solomon's Mines (34 page)
Read King Solomon's Mines Online
Authors: H. Rider Haggard
“By Jove!” he said, when I showed him some of the diamonds; “well, at least you have got something for your pains, besides my worthless self.”
Sir Henry laughed. “They belong to Quatermain and Good. It was part of the bargain that they should share any spoils there might be.”
This remark set me thinking, and having spoken to Good I told Sir Henry that it was our unanimous wish that he should take a third share of the diamonds, or if he would not, that his share should be handed to his brother, who had suffered even more than ourselves on the chance of getting them. Finally, we prevailed upon him to consent to this arrangement, but George Curtis did not know of it till some time afterwards.
And here, at this point, I think I shall end this history. Our journey across the desert back to Sitanda’s Kraal was most arduous, especially as we had to support George Curtis, whose right leg was very weak indeed, and continually throwing out splinters of bone; but we did accomplish it somehow, and to give its details would only be to reproduce much of what happened to us on the former occasion.
Six months from the date of our re-arrival at Sitanda’s, where we found our guns and other goods quite safe, though the old scoundrel in charge was much disgusted at our surviving to claim them, saw us all once more safe and sound at my little place on the Berea, near Durban, where I am now writing, and whence I bid farewell to all who have accompanied me throughout the strangest trip I ever made in the course of a long and varied experience.
Just as I had written the last word, a Kafir came up my avenue of orange trees, with a letter in a cleft stick, which he had brought from the post. It turned out to be from Sir Henry, and as it speaks for itself I give it in full.
“Brayley Hall, Yorkshire
“MY DEAR QUATERMAIN,—
“I sent you a line a few mails back to say that the three of us, George, Good, and myself, fetched up all right in England. We got off the boat at Southampton, and went up to town You should have seen what a swell Good turned out the very next day, beautifully shaved, frock coat fitting like a glove, brand new eye-glass, &c &c. I went and walked in the park with him, where I met some people I know, and at once told them the story of his ‘beautiful white legs.’
“He is furious, especially as some ill-natured person has printed it in a society paper.
“To come to business, Good and I took the diamonds to Streeter’s to be valued, as we arranged, and I am really afraid to tell you what they put them at, it seems so enormous. They say that of course it is more or less guess-work, as such stones have never to their knowledge been put on the market in anything like such quantities It appears that they are (with the exception of one or two of the largest) of the finest water, and equal in every way to the best Brazilian stones. I asked them if they would buy them, but they said that it was beyond their power to do so, and recommended us to sell by degrees, for fear we should flood the market. They offer, however, a hundred and eighty thousand for a small portion of them.
“You must come home, Quatermain, and see about these things, especially if you insist upon making the magnificent present of the third share, which does
not
belong to me, to my brother George. As for Good, he is no good. His time is too much occupied in shaving, and other matters connected with the vain adorning of the body. But I think he is still down on his luck about Foulata. He told me that since he had been home he hadn’t seen a woman to touch her, either as regards her figure or the sweetness of her expression.
not
belong to me, to my brother George. As for Good, he is no good. His time is too much occupied in shaving, and other matters connected with the vain adorning of the body. But I think he is still down on his luck about Foulata. He told me that since he had been home he hadn’t seen a woman to touch her, either as regards her figure or the sweetness of her expression.
“I want you to come home, my dear old comrade, and buy a place near here. You have done your day’s work, and have lots of money now, and there is a place for sale quite close which would suit you admirably. Do come; the sooner the better; you can finish writing the story of our adventures on board ship. We have refused to tell the story till it is written by you, for fear that we shall not be believed If you start on receipt of this, you will reach here by Christmas, and I book you to stay with me for that. Good is coming, and George, and so, by the way, is your boy Harry (there’s a bribe for you). I have had him down for a week’s shooting, and like him. He is a cool young hand; he shot me in the leg, cut out the pellets, and then remarked upon the advantage of having a medical student in every shooting party.
“Good-bye, old boy; I can’t say any more, but I know that you will come, if it is only to oblige
“Your sincere friend,
“HENRY CURTIS.
“P.S.
—
The tusks of the great bull that killed poor Khiva have now been put up in the hall here, over the pair of buffalo horns you gave me, and look magnificent; and the axe with which I chopped off Twala’s head is stuck up over my writing table. I wish we could have managed to bring away the coats of chain armour.
—
The tusks of the great bull that killed poor Khiva have now been put up in the hall here, over the pair of buffalo horns you gave me, and look magnificent; and the axe with which I chopped off Twala’s head is stuck up over my writing table. I wish we could have managed to bring away the coats of chain armour.
“H.C.”
To-day is Tuesday. There is a steamer going on Friday, and I really think I must take Curtis at his word, and sail by her for England, if it is only to see my boy Harry and see about the printing of this history, which is a task I do not like to trust to anybody else.
THE END.
Endnotes
Introduction1
(p. 7)
Kukuanaland:
In his 1905 New Illustrated Edition of
King Solomon’s Mines,
Haggard revealed that the fictitious Kukuanaland is based on Matabeleland, the southwestern part of today’s Zimbabwe between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, inhabited by the Ndebele people.
(p. 7)
Kukuanaland:
In his 1905 New Illustrated Edition of
King Solomon’s Mines,
Haggard revealed that the fictitious Kukuanaland is based on Matabeleland, the southwestern part of today’s Zimbabwe between the Zambezi and Limpopo Rivers, inhabited by the Ndebele people.
2
(p. 7)
Chaka:
Known as “Great Zulu Warrior” and “The Black Napoleon,” the warrior king Chaka (1786-1828)—also known as Shaka Zulu built the Zulu tribe (of modern-day KwaZulu/Natal province) into a powerful nation skilled at hand-to-hand combat and united southern Africa’s tribes against colonial rule. For more information, see Carolyn Hamilton,
Terrific Majesty: The Powers of Shaka Zulu and the Limits of Historical Invention
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998).
Chapter 1(p. 7)
Chaka:
Known as “Great Zulu Warrior” and “The Black Napoleon,” the warrior king Chaka (1786-1828)—also known as Shaka Zulu built the Zulu tribe (of modern-day KwaZulu/Natal province) into a powerful nation skilled at hand-to-hand combat and united southern Africa’s tribes against colonial rule. For more information, see Carolyn Hamilton,
Terrific Majesty: The Powers of Shaka Zulu and the Limits of Historical Invention
(Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 1998).
1
(p. 9)
the old Colony:
The Cape Colony was part of South Africa during the nineteenth-century British occupation. Originally founded in 1652 by the Dutch, the Cape Colony was taken over in 1806 by Britain, who ruled until it became known as the Cape Province after the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910.
(p. 9)
the old Colony:
The Cape Colony was part of South Africa during the nineteenth-century British occupation. Originally founded in 1652 by the Dutch, the Cape Colony was taken over in 1806 by Britain, who ruled until it became known as the Cape Province after the Union of South Africa was formed in 1910.
2
(p. 9)
“Ingoldsby Legends”:
Stories in prose and verse, many of them grotesque and humorous, by Canon Richard Harris Barham (1788-1845) were collected as
The Ingoldsby Legends
in 1840. Highly popular in Victorian times and after, The
Ingoldsby Legends
is now sadly out of print.
(p. 9)
“Ingoldsby Legends”:
Stories in prose and verse, many of them grotesque and humorous, by Canon Richard Harris Barham (1788-1845) were collected as
The Ingoldsby Legends
in 1840. Highly popular in Victorian times and after, The
Ingoldsby Legends
is now sadly out of print.
3
(p.10)
Khiva’s and ventvögel’s sad deaths:
Haggard named Khiva and Ventvögel in his novel in tribute to two of his real-life servants who were murdered in 1877.
(p.10)
Khiva’s and ventvögel’s sad deaths:
Haggard named Khiva and Ventvögel in his novel in tribute to two of his real-life servants who were murdered in 1877.
4
(p. 11)
Bamangwato:
This region in present-day Botswana just north of South Africa (formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland) was established in 1780 by the Bamangwato tribe, which now calls itself the Bangwato.
(p. 11)
Bamangwato:
This region in present-day Botswana just north of South Africa (formerly the British protectorate of Bechuanaland) was established in 1780 by the Bamangwato tribe, which now calls itself the Bangwato.
5
(p. 11)
the Diamond Fields:
In 1869 diamonds were discovered in Barkley West, on the Vaal River in South Africa, a region that came to be known as the Diamond Fields. The city of Kimberly, which became the diamond capital, quickly grew up. As recently as 1964, a new mine opened in the region.
(p. 11)
the Diamond Fields:
In 1869 diamonds were discovered in Barkley West, on the Vaal River in South Africa, a region that came to be known as the Diamond Fields. The city of Kimberly, which became the diamond capital, quickly grew up. As recently as 1964, a new mine opened in the region.
6
(p. 13)
the tenth commandment:
Haggard mentions the biblical commandment (Exodus 20:17) against envy: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour‘s” (King James Version; henceforth, KJV).
(p. 13)
the tenth commandment:
Haggard mentions the biblical commandment (Exodus 20:17) against envy: “Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s house, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour‘s” (King James Version; henceforth, KJV).
7
(p. 14)
Sir Garnet:
Viscount Garnet Joseph Wolseley (1833-1913) was the most renowned and successful soldier of the Victorian era. The librettist W. S. Gilbert is said to have used Wolseley as “the very model of a modern major-general” in Gilbert and Sullivan’s
The Pirates of Penzance
(1879). See Halik Kochanski,
Sir Garnet Wolseley: Victorian Hero
(London: Hambledon Press, 1999).
(p. 14)
Sir Garnet:
Viscount Garnet Joseph Wolseley (1833-1913) was the most renowned and successful soldier of the Victorian era. The librettist W. S. Gilbert is said to have used Wolseley as “the very model of a modern major-general” in Gilbert and Sullivan’s
The Pirates of Penzance
(1879). See Halik Kochanski,
Sir Garnet Wolseley: Victorian Hero
(London: Hambledon Press, 1999).
8
(p. 14)
Madeira chair:
Wickerwork chair originally made on the island of Madeira, which lies some 350 miles from the African coast and was discovered by the Portuguese in 1418. Madeira wickerwork is made from a local willow-like bush, the
vime,
whose flexible branches are used in making chairs, tables, and baskets. Madeira wicker was widely exported beginning around 1850.
(p. 14)
Madeira chair:
Wickerwork chair originally made on the island of Madeira, which lies some 350 miles from the African coast and was discovered by the Portuguese in 1418. Madeira wickerwork is made from a local willow-like bush, the
vime,
whose flexible branches are used in making chairs, tables, and baskets. Madeira wicker was widely exported beginning around 1850.
9
(p. 15)
Inyati:
This remote site in what today is Zimbabwe was in Haggard’s time a station of the London Missionary Society, which attempted to convert the local peoples.
Chapter 2(p. 15)
Inyati:
This remote site in what today is Zimbabwe was in Haggard’s time a station of the London Missionary Society, which attempted to convert the local peoples.
1
(p. 18)
The Legend of Solomon’s Mines:
Haggard here refers to the longstanding legend that the biblical King Solomon’s gold was brought to him by the Queen of Sheba from the land of Ophir. In 2002 London-based Afghan travel writer Tahir Shah published
In Search of King Solomon’s Mines
(London: John Murray), which suggests that Ophir was present-day Ethiopia. Shah’s quixotic travel narrative is an entertaining, although quite different, elaboration on some of the same myths that preoccupied Haggard a century earlier.
(p. 18)
The Legend of Solomon’s Mines:
Haggard here refers to the longstanding legend that the biblical King Solomon’s gold was brought to him by the Queen of Sheba from the land of Ophir. In 2002 London-based Afghan travel writer Tahir Shah published
In Search of King Solomon’s Mines
(London: John Murray), which suggests that Ophir was present-day Ethiopia. Shah’s quixotic travel narrative is an entertaining, although quite different, elaboration on some of the same myths that preoccupied Haggard a century earlier.
2
(p. 18)
the Zambesi Falls:
The Zambesi (more often spelled Zambezi) River divides Zambia from Zimbabwe. Along the river are a series of waterfalls, including the majestic Victoria Falls, a tourist attraction long before 1904, when the Victoria Falls Hotel and Victoria Falls Railway Station, both still extant, were built to accommodate visitors. Haggard may have intended to refer to these powerful falls, whose waters descend from a maximum height of 355 feet, at an average rate of 33,000 cubic feet per second.
(p. 18)
the Zambesi Falls:
The Zambesi (more often spelled Zambezi) River divides Zambia from Zimbabwe. Along the river are a series of waterfalls, including the majestic Victoria Falls, a tourist attraction long before 1904, when the Victoria Falls Hotel and Victoria Falls Railway Station, both still extant, were built to accommodate visitors. Haggard may have intended to refer to these powerful falls, whose waters descend from a maximum height of 355 feet, at an average rate of 33,000 cubic feet per second.
3
(p.19)
the Ophir of the Bible:
In the Bible’s first book of Kings ( Kings 9:28; 1 Kings 22:48; etc.), Ophir is the destination for which King Solomon’s ships set out from the Gulf of Aqabah, to return with gold, gems, and other riches. Writers have claimed at various times that Ophir was really located in India, the Far East, Africa, and Arabia, and the debate continues.
(p.19)
the Ophir of the Bible:
In the Bible’s first book of Kings ( Kings 9:28; 1 Kings 22:48; etc.), Ophir is the destination for which King Solomon’s ships set out from the Gulf of Aqabah, to return with gold, gems, and other riches. Writers have claimed at various times that Ophir was really located in India, the Far East, Africa, and Arabia, and the debate continues.
4
(p. 19)
Mashukulumbwe country:
To the west of present-day Zimbabwe, the Mashukulumbwe tribe acquired their name, which means “underdogs,” after a defeat in battle, according to Robert Baden-Powell’s
African Adventures
(London: C. A. Pearson, 1937, chapter 11). The Suliman Mountains that Haggard mentions are fictitious.
(p. 19)
Mashukulumbwe country:
To the west of present-day Zimbabwe, the Mashukulumbwe tribe acquired their name, which means “underdogs,” after a defeat in battle, according to Robert Baden-Powell’s
African Adventures
(London: C. A. Pearson, 1937, chapter 11). The Suliman Mountains that Haggard mentions are fictitious.
5
(p. 19)
Manica country:
Manica is in the middle of present-day Mozambique, between the Zambezi and Luenha Rivers in the north and the Save River in the south. Near Manica, in the mountains near Zimbabwe, a gold rush attracted Europeans around 1900. Panning for gold continues today in local rivers.
(p. 19)
Manica country:
Manica is in the middle of present-day Mozambique, between the Zambezi and Luenha Rivers in the north and the Save River in the south. Near Manica, in the mountains near Zimbabwe, a gold rush attracted Europeans around 1900. Panning for gold continues today in local rivers.
6
(p. 20)
Delagoa Portugee:
This phrase refers to a member of the Portuguese community in Delagoa Bay, an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the east coast of southern Africa, at the northern limit of a series of lagoons lining the coast from Saint Lucia Bay in present-day Mozambique.
(p. 20)
Delagoa Portugee:
This phrase refers to a member of the Portuguese community in Delagoa Bay, an inlet of the Indian Ocean on the east coast of southern Africa, at the northern limit of a series of lagoons lining the coast from Saint Lucia Bay in present-day Mozambique.
7
(p. 21)
Boer tobacco pouch:
The Western Australian Museum Archaeology Collection owns a Boer tobacco pouch made of woven fabric, originating from the Transvaal, South Africa (see
http://museum.wa.gov
.au/w099/10633.HTM). Pouches of more exotic material are also mentioned in other sources: In chapter 1 of Haggard’s novel
Finished
(London: Ward, Lock, 1917), Allan Quatermain is offered a pouch for Boer tobacco “made of lion skin of unusually dark colour.” Haggard offers his own translations for the local words
Swart-vet-pens and rimpi.
(p. 21)
Boer tobacco pouch:
The Western Australian Museum Archaeology Collection owns a Boer tobacco pouch made of woven fabric, originating from the Transvaal, South Africa (see
http://museum.wa.gov
.au/w099/10633.HTM). Pouches of more exotic material are also mentioned in other sources: In chapter 1 of Haggard’s novel
Finished
(London: Ward, Lock, 1917), Allan Quatermain is offered a pouch for Boer tobacco “made of lion skin of unusually dark colour.” Haggard offers his own translations for the local words
Swart-vet-pens and rimpi.
8
(p. 24) a
Bechuana:
The Bechuana are a southern African Bantu people who in Haggard’s time lived in Bechuanaland (present-day Botswana), as well as Basutoland (present-day Lesotho), the Orange River Colony, and the western and northern districts of the Transvaal. Today they are also known by other names, including Tswana, Batswana, and Botswana.
Chapter 3(p. 24) a
Bechuana:
The Bechuana are a southern African Bantu people who in Haggard’s time lived in Bechuanaland (present-day Botswana), as well as Basutoland (present-day Lesotho), the Orange River Colony, and the western and northern districts of the Transvaal. Today they are also known by other names, including Tswana, Batswana, and Botswana.
1
(p. 27)
East London:
Located in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, East London is a scenic coastal city on the Indian Ocean with easy access to beaches where dolphins and whales still abound. Nearby Eastern Beach has developed a tourist industry attracting surfers to sites like the Nahoon Reef.
(p. 27)
East London:
Located in South Africa’s Eastern Cape province, East London is a scenic coastal city on the Indian Ocean with easy access to beaches where dolphins and whales still abound. Nearby Eastern Beach has developed a tourist industry attracting surfers to sites like the Nahoon Reef.
2
(p. 28)
the English Mail:
Ships from Great Britain carrying mail were given the ship prefix RMS (Royal Mail Ship) and were operated by such firms as the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (RMSP). Tourism to South Africa developed by the turn of the century.
(p. 28)
the English Mail:
Ships from Great Britain carrying mail were given the ship prefix RMS (Royal Mail Ship) and were operated by such firms as the Royal Mail Steam Packet Company (RMSP). Tourism to South Africa developed by the turn of the century.
3
(p. 28)
Berea:
The old historical area of Durban, known as Berea, is a large and bustling port. Durban, whose Zulu name is Tekweni, lies in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the ancestral home of the Nguni people. Durban is named after Sir Benjamin D’Urban, the first colonial governor in the early nineteenth century.
(p. 28)
Berea:
The old historical area of Durban, known as Berea, is a large and bustling port. Durban, whose Zulu name is Tekweni, lies in the province of KwaZulu-Natal, the ancestral home of the Nguni people. Durban is named after Sir Benjamin D’Urban, the first colonial governor in the early nineteenth century.
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