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(Book titles are subject to change)

A Royal Engineer in the Low Countries

A Cavalry Surgeon at Waterloo

With the Third Guards during the Peninsular War

The First and Last Campaigns of the Great War

Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Vincent O'Sullivan

Supernatural and Weird Fiction of Algernon Blackwood

Narratives of the Anglo-Zulu War

and many others

African Adventures: 1

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African Adventures: 1
Leonaur Original
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Author(s): H. Rider Haggard
Date Published: 2009/09
Page Count: 436
Softcover ISBN-13: 978-1-84677-793-6
Hardcover ISBN-13: 978-1-84677-794-3

The first of a four volume collection—each containing two or more adventures

Rider Haggard's affection for and affinity with the 'Dark Continent' is well known. His adventures featuring Allan Quatermain—the little white hunter, trader and explorer are justly famous and appear as a collected set in their entirety from Leonaur. For some that generous helping of African adventures simply will not be sufficient. Although Haggard was a prolific author not all of his material is familiar or available to those who would enjoy it. Leonaur has gathered together Haggard's 'other' adventures set in Africa into one collection of four books available in soft cover and hard cover with dust jacket for collectors.
In this, the first volume, readers will find 'Swallow', an exciting story of the 'Great Trek' of the pioneer Boers into the interior of southern Africa where they would meet all the dangers the natural world could contrive and the fierce native martial nation of the Zulus. The second novel in this volume, 'Benita' bears all the hallmarks of a classic Haggard tale. Readers will be pleased to discover an adventure of the supernatural, lost and hidden peoples and stupendous treasure that is a compelling 'page turner' to it's conclusion.

Now all was confusion; the horns blew and women wailed, while the captains of the Umpondwana issued their commands, and the men piled up stones upon the brink of the precipice to roll down upon the foe, and drove the herds of cattle into the great kraal upon the tableland. <br>
Marching quickly, the impi drew near and the defenders could see that it numbered about four thousand spears and was composed of two separate regiments. At a distance of a mile it halted and throwing out horns or wings surrounded the mountain, up the slopes of which it advanced in a thin circle, much as beaters do who are driving game to a certain point. As the circle drew nearer to the cliffs, it thickened, having less ground to cover, though still there was a gap here and there.<br>
Presently those who were watching saw a man dart through one of these gaps and run up hill at great speed, followed by Zulu soldiers, who tried to kill him. But he was the swifter of foot, moreover he knew the path, so that before they could come up with him he reached the great stone walls which were built about the source of the river, and was dragged over them by the defenders.<br>
A while later this man appeared upon the top of the mountain and proved to be none other than Zinti, who had returned from his errand, and, having news to tell, risked his life to pass through the impi before the stronghold was altogether surrounded. Sihamba received him at once, Suzanne standing at her side, and bade him be brief for she had little time to listen to long stories.<br>
“I will be brief,” Zinti answered. “Lady, as you bade me I crossed the mountains by the road of which you told me. It is a good road for men on foot or horseback, but wagons could not travel it. Having reached the plain on the further side I followed the bank of the river, till suddenly I came in sight of thirty wagons drawn up in a laager upon a knoll of ground, and among the wagons I saw Boers with their wives and children. I tried to go up to speak to them, but a young Boer, seeing me, shot at me with his gun, so I thought it safer to lie hid. At nightfall, however, I met the driver of one of the wagons, a Kaffir man, at some distance from the laager, where he was watching by a pit made to catch bucks, and fell into talk with him. He told me that this was a party of the Boers who had trekked from Cape Colony, and were taking possession of Natal, and that there were other such parties scattered about the country. He said that in this party there were five-and-twenty men with women and children, but he did not know the names of any of them. Also he told me that he meant to run away, as he heard that Dingaan was going to attack the white people, and was sure that if he did so they would be eaten up, for these Boers, thinking themselves quite safe, had grown very careless, and neither made their laager as strong as it should be nor set any watch at night. Having learned this I returned at once to make report to you, nor did I come too quickly, for the Zulus nearly caught me as I passed their ranks. I saw Bull-Head as I ran; he is riding a brown horse, and seems quite recovered from his wound.”<br>
“How far is the Boer laager from this place?” asked Sihamba before Suzanne could speak.<br>
“Lady, a man on a good horse could reach it in seven hours, nor is it possible to mistake the way. After crossing the plain you enter the gorge by the saw-edged rock yonder, and follow its windings across the mountains till you come out the other side, where the river runs down to the flat country. Then you can keep along the bank of the river as I did when I went, or if you wish to go more quickly you must head for a large white-topped hill, or koppie, which can be seen from the mountains, and when you come to it you will find the Boer laager upon the knoll at its foot, but near to the banks of the river, which winds round it.”<br>
“Oh! let us go; let us go quickly,” said Suzanne springing to her feet, for the thought even of seeing a white man again made her drunk with hope.