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| Norwich Cathedral the heart of the Church of England in H. Rider Haggard's home county. |
Lately, I've been reading Marie, a novel about Allan Quartermain by H. Rider Haggard. Whereas his first published Allan Quartermain novel King Soloman's Mines featured the protagonist as an old man, in this later novel Haggard reveals Allan as a young man. I found King Soloman's Mines a difficult novel to get through. It was packed with lots of interesting period detail, but I couldn't really connect with the version of Allan Quartermain that I had seen in the movie "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen." Nor did the story really deal much with the Biblical King Soloman. It also carried a heavy death toll, which made me reluctant to attempt another novel. But Haggard was a popular novelist, and Quartermain still has his fans, so I thought I should give both men another try. Thankfully, I'm glad I did.
In Marie, Allan's family have traveled from England to Africa, where he lives with his widowed father. Allan's father is a pastor, and not a rich man. Still, he agrees to split the cost of a private tutor with a wealthy neighbor. Each day Allan travels the rich man's estate, and takes lessons with the tutor, a Frenchman with a fondness for alcohol. Through the course of their studies, Allan falls in love with Marie, the rich man's daughter. One morning, after their tutor has been up all night drinking, he misinterprets the actions of a Kaffir, and shoots him dead. Enraged, the tribal chief gathers all his people together, intent on attacking the man's estate. Hearing about this, Allan rushes off to Marie's house. Still only in his teens, he's already a gifted marksman. Due to his bravery, and an ability to command others, he defends the house until help can arrive.
It is during this attack, when Allan and Marie believe that all hope is lost, that they declare their love for each other. Afterward, as he recovers from his injuries, he learns that the rich man's nephew has arrived. Unfortunately, the rich man is not so rich anymore. All his livestock were driven off during the attack. And due to recent laws, he is being forced to give up all his slaves. So he pledges that Marie shall marry his wealthy nephew, despite Marie's protestations that she will marry Allan and no one else.
Thus begin a series of adventures and misadventures, with young Allan and Marie's love constantly frustrated by her father, as well as his rich but dastardly nephew.
Published in 1912, Marie is an interesting historical novel, covering events that occur in the mid 1830s. Unfamiliar with British and South African history, many of the background elements make me want to know more about the peoples and the times in which they occur. One of the chief elements I'm intrigued about is that of the Boers.
The Boers are descendants of Dutch settlers to Africa. After Allan recovers, Marie's father takes her and the rich nephew away with a group of fellow Boers. Apparently the Boers disagree with many of the English Colony's laws, including those concerning the keeping of slaves. So they move away from the Cape Colony looking for a new place to set up their own settlement, where they can live as they see fit. Unfortunately, they squabble with the locals as they travel, and end up in a fever-ridden, unsettled region of the Transvaal. As Marie's father has forbidden the two any conduct, Marie has to sneak letters to passing trader, most of which never reach Allan. Meanwhile, even though he's young, the British soldiers prevail upon him to lend his marksmanship in border wars that threaten the British colony.
Finally, after a long period of silence, a passing trader delivers a letter from Marie. He opens it, and learns that the Boers are sick and starving. Despite his father's protestations, he gathers all his money and belongings, and rushes to aid Marie and her people, not knowing whether any of them are still alive.
The Allan Quartermain novels feature a lot of viewpoints and racial/ethnic terms that are considered politically incorrect, or downright hateful these days. But Allan always stands up for what he believes is right, helps people at great cost to himself, and repeatedly risks his life for those villains who will only betray him and try to kill him if they live. That kind of selflessness makes him a hero, and perhaps explains why the great Sean Connery agreed to play him before he retired, in the movie "The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen."
Dragon Dave
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