1885 KING SOLOMON'S MINES H. Rider Haggard - Pink Monkey

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Table Of Contents INTRODUCTION . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3 CHAPTER 1 1. I Meet Sir Henry Curtis . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 CHAPTER 2 2. The Legend of Solomon’s Mines . . . . . . . . . . 10 CHAPTER 3 3. Umbopa Enters Our Service . . . . . . . . . . . 16 CHAPTER 4 4. An Elephant Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23 5. CHAPTER 5 5. Our March into the Desert . . . . . . . . . . . . 30 CHAPTER 6 6. Water! Water! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39 CHAPTER 7 7. Solomon’s Road . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46 CHAPTER 8 8. We Enter Kukuanaland . . . . . . . . . . . . . 57 CHAPTER 9 9. Twala, the King . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63 CHAPTER 10 10. The Witch Hunt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72 CHAPTER 11 11. We Give a Sign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 81 CHAPTER 12 12. Before the Battle . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89 CHAPTER 13 13. The Attack . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96 CHAPTER 14 14. The Last Stand of the Grays . . . . . . . . . . . 102 CHAPTER 15 15. Good Falls Sick . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 114 CHAPTER 16 16. The Place of Death . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 121 CHAPTER 17 17. Solomon’s Treasure Chamber . . . . . . . . . . 128 CHAPTER 18 18. We Abandon Hope . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136 CHAPTER 19 19. Ignosi’s Farewell . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 143 CHAPTER 20 20. Found . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 149
INTRODUCTION NOW THAT this book is printed, and about to be given to the world, the sense of its shortcomings, both in style and contents, weighs very heavily upon me. As regards the latter, I can only say that it does not pretend to be a full account of everything we did and saw. There are many things connected with our journey into Kukuanaland which I should have liked to dwell upon at length, and which have, as it is, been scarcely alluded to. Among these are the curious legends which I collected about the chain armor that saved us from destruction in the great battle of Loo, and also about the “silent ones” or colossi at the mouth of the stalactite cave. Again, if I had given way to my own impulses I should have liked to go into the differences, some of which are to my mind very suggestive, between the Zulu and Kukuana dialects. Also, a few pages might profitably have been given up to the consideration of the indigenous flora and fauna of Kukuanaland. 1 Then there remains the most interesting subject- which, as it is, has been only incidentally alluded to- of the magnificent system of military organization in force in that country, which is, in my opinion, much superior to that 1 I discovered eight varieties of antelope with which I was previously totally unacquainted, and many new species of plants, for the most part of the bulbous tribe. inaugurated by Chaka in Zululand, inasmuch as it permits of even more rapid mobilization, and does not necessitate the employment of the pernicious system of forced celibacy. And, lastly, I have scarcely touched on the domestic and family customs of the Kukuanas, many of which are exceedingly quaint, or on their proficiency in the art of smelting and welding metals. This last they carry to considerable perfection, of which a good example is to be seen in their “tollas,” or heavy throwing knives, the backs of these knives being made of hammered iron, and the edges of beautiful steel welded with great skill onto the iron backs. The fact of the matter is that I thought (and so did Sir Henry Curtis and Captain Good) that the best plan would be to tell the story in a plain, straightforward manner, and leave these matters to be dealt with subsequently in whatever way may ultimately appear to be desirable. In the meanwhile I shall, of course, be delighted to give any information in my power to anybody interested in such things. And now it only remains for me to offer my apologies for my blunt way of writing. I can only say in excuse for it that I am more accustomed to handle a rifle than a pen, and cannot make any pretense to the grand literary flights and flourishes which I see in novels- for I sometimes like to read a novel. I suppose theythe flights and flourishesare desirable, and I regret not being able to supply them; but at the same time I cannot help thinking that simple things are always the most impressive, and books are easier to understand when they are written in plain language, though I have perhaps no right to set up an opinion on such a matter. “A sharp spear,” runs the Kukuana saying, “needs no polish,” and on the same principle I venture to hope that a true story, however strange it may be, does not require to be decked out in fine words. ALLAN QUATERMAIN
Page 1: 1885 KING SOLOMON’S MINES H. Ride
Page 5 and 6: softly does it. A strong team will
Page 7 and 8: pendulum, which was fixed opposite
Page 9 and 10: “As I dare say you know,” went
Page 11 and 12: ‘that was where Solomon really ha
Page 13 and 14: “Yes, the document; what was in i
Page 15 and 16: promise not to give it to him until
Page 17 and 18: about it. But we had miscalculated
Page 19 and 20: kitchen in it, and it is built of g
Page 21 and 22: for every experienced hunter will k
Page 23 and 24: CHAPTER 4 4. An Elephant Hunt NOW I
Page 25 and 26: our simple meal, pausing at times t
Page 27 and 28: Presently we caught sight of the he
Page 29 and 30: “Ah, well,” he said presently,
Page 31 and 32: “Is it to that land that thou wou
Page 33 and 34: We are in for a curious trip, and a
Page 35 and 36: to work on. Still, such as it was,
Page 37 and 38: “My word,” said Sir Henry. “I
Page 39 and 40: CHAPTER 6 6. Water! Water! IN TWO H
Page 41 and 42: For a while the morning lights play
Page 43 and 44: Then I saw what he had got. It was
Page 45 and 46: “If we don’t find it before dar
Page 47 and 48: point, “here is the ‘cleft bone
Page 49 and 50: fairly shot high up in the shoulder
Page 51 and 52: Nobody objected to this, so leaving
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snap. It was a most fortunate move,
Page 55 and 56:
“Let not good magic be wasted on
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CHAPTER 8 8. We Enter Kukuanaland A
Page 59 and 60:
country grew more and more lovely.
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two, and a few sheep; not much, my
Page 63 and 64:
CHAPTER 9 9. Twala, the King IT WIL
Page 65 and 66:
Presently we came to a moat with a
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aised in answer, and from eight tho
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came a pause, till presently we cau
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The king rose up, trembling, and wa
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him who can wait for it, and he met
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them. They are magic coats through
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[Witch Doctresses], ye seers in dar
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“Which is it to be?” asked Sir
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CHAPTER 11 11. We Give a Sign FOR A
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old chief with a smile, which was r
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“He may well be bold in whose lip
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hour, and I never saw it look healt
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CHAPTER 12 12. Before the Battle LU
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shall die save he who offendeth aga
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Ignosi and one of the chiefs, desce
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As soon as we had equipped ourselve
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with a Winchester repeater, and I a
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the gash made by the entry of the e
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The arrangements for the attack thu
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that moment, help contrasting their
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the clashing music of meeting spear
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headdress, hair, and skull, till at
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there, on the farther side, in fron
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with interest, and, such was his st
Page 113 and 114:
“Now shall Evil cover up her face
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From every direction came the sound
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features emaciated, his eyes shinin
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“There is but one who can show it
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CHAPTER 16 16. The Place of Death I
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Moabites, and Milcom the god of the
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Sometimes the stalactites took stra
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pearance yet more appalling, and fo
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the ground. Very slowly and gently
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Perhaps, I thought, it was from thi
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old body against the rock below. Sh
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has brought many to a bad end; we s
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call, on the faint chance of somebo
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entailed upon us; but, thought I, I
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“We may as well take it,” said
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CHAPTER 19 19. Ignosi’s Farewell
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“My heart is sore,” he said at
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Good’s legs will, I fear, never b
Page 149 and 150:
CHAPTER 20 20. Found AND NOW I come
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This remark set me thinking, and, h
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1885 KING SOLOMON'S MINES H. Rider Haggard - Pink Monkey

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