SOME RECENT FICTION.

Dominion, Volume 6, Issue 1704, 22 March 1913, Page 9

SOME RECENT FICTION.

ALLAN aUATEnWAIN REDIVIVUS. .!, It, is 'a good twenty years or' , so-since I j'first''jnade , acquaintance with'that simp-le-;hcar.tctl, but shrewd'and doughty, , South jAfricau hunter, ■ Allan Quatoman, and : '.Still my iavourites amongst'.Sir' Eider 'Haggard's'stories nro those "irivwhich fig-'-.'ires'tho famous Mncainazahu qr"Watchcr '.by Night,": ; to give Quatermaiu his-'Zulu Dani«.'. Uf late years Sir Eider Haggard ■his busied 'himself' with rural and'agr'i■'cultural problems',, and his contributions to .the 'literature qi these' subjects has ;beenl»th voluminous and valuable; Fortunately, however, so I, at least, think, the novelist has found leisure, ■ from 'time to time, to. return to his old love, "and has recently, so I am specially pleased to see, resurrected his most, famous and popular character. ■ -The-first- of ai cycle of three stories of .further adventures of Allan Ouatermain appeared last year under the title of "Mane, ,, and is'now followed by "Child of Storm" (Cassell and Co., per'S. and W. .Jfackay). In' his latest story, which has for its subject the rivalry between Cetewayo and Umbelnzi, Itali'-brothers, and sons of the.' famous Kin? Panda, and the bloodthirsty struggle between.themselves and their adherents on tlie banks of tho Tugela Biver, Sir Rider Haggard has written a romance which in "its wealth of picturesque and drtir matic incident, the vigour of its descrip- , tive-'passages, and its clever utilisation of tho supernatural, is onp of, thp bsst things he has yet done. Tlio.plot centres rotund the- plots and' schemes—and crimes r-o'f'a>beautiful Zulu,girl, Mameena.tas wicked as she is fascinating, who appears in the , rolo of a South ' African Helen. -Dreaming-ever of .attaining.,6Upremo power over, the -.Zulu, race, she. beguiles and betrays in. turn' three men, playing an important part in &■■ blood- . native drama. Such parts of the stpfy in "which the' interest: turns' upon, the rivalry of King Panda's two sons, whom the much-worried monarch compared' to "two young bulls," who had best "fight it.out," ere, the novelist assures \iis,' founded-upon strict fact. ; But Sir Eider, has not written a history, but a' noyel, and. he treats his readers to a rich repast of adventure. An. old Zulu witch doctor, Zikali, plays an important I part .in the 6tory, which makes capital I reading/ The etory is dedicated to . the author's old friend, Mr. James, 'late Assistant Secretary for Native Affairs, in Natal. Referring to the old days when tho Zulus were a race of warriors, the author says:— ' ....

Wo may wonder what arc the thoughts that pass through the mind, of some ancient warrior of Chaka'a ■ or Dingaan's time, as he suns himself, crouched on, the ground, for ex-, ample—where once stood tho royal .kraal, Duguza, and watches men and women: of tho Zulu blood passing homeward from tho cities or tho mines, bemused, some of them, with tho whito man's smuggled liquor, grotesque with the whito man's castoff. garments, hiding perhaps, in their . blankets, examples , of the white 1 man's doubtful photographs—and then shuts his sunken eyes and remembers tho plumed and kilted regiments making that 6ame ground shake, as, with a thunder of salute, line upon lino, company upon : company, they rushed '' out to oatfle. It is the old-timo" Zulu, the Zulu war-rior,-whom/Sir Rider Haggard has'onco aijain decsribed in "Cliild of Storm," and his pictures, so highly coloured though they be, aro fascinating enough to make t|ie reader await with interest tho third and final act in the drama of which "Mario" was, os.it were, the first, and "Child of Storm" the sccorid act, albeit each story can be read quite independently of its companion.

. THE HAPPY WARRIQR. On-your next order list, let Mr. A. S iU. Hutchinson's capital story, "Tho Happy Warrior" • (Alston Rivers; per George Robertson nnd< Co.) be treble starred ,for assuredly it is to bo counted ia the very front rank of the novel* of

1912. Mr. Hutchinson, whoso "Once Aboard tho Lugger" mado cjuito a modest hit, has now given us a far more cleverly imagined, , and infinitely more artistic piece ofwork. p Quito a young writer, it is not surprising that i tho influences of certain-great novelists of 1 tho past fju liQ perceived in his work. Alike to .Dickens, Meredith, .and to Georgo Boi row—particularly tho lastnamed—does "The. Happy. Warrior" owe not a little. "Maddox's Monster Menagerie and floral Circus" is distinctly reminiscent of Mr. Sleary's famous circus in."Hard Times"; and tho Cockney hoy, Egbert the romantic, and humorously unhappy,' is" also quite in the Dickensian vein. Lord Burdon is Moredithian all through, and as for Japhra and Ima, tho gipsies and .travelling show folk, tlw author of "Lavengro" would liavo been at home \dth them. at once. Tho fight, too, of tho hero,'as "Japhra's Gentleman, with "Foxy". Pynsent is quite Borron'an, recalling' the • famoiis mill with "The Flaming Tinman" —no better fight is there in modern fiction, not even in Conai) Doylo's -"Rodney Stone/'- or in that recently published apology for pugilism, Mr. Georgo Edgar's" "Tho Blue Birds Eye." But Mr. Hutchinson's plot " his own, his story—which grips one firm and fast directiy its leading motif is disclosed—has which are bot.i original • and . fascinating, and tho love interest is delightfully fresh and woll handled.' It would take too much iroace to give a condensation of the plot, but. my renders will, I trust, take my word for "The Happy Warrior" being in many ways a fresh and charming -story. T will risk their, displeasure if they , are disappointed.

GUINEA GOLD. Those' who read "When tho Red Gods Call" know ' how well " Miss •" Beatrice Grimshaw can handle a story of adven; hire. Her new story, "Guinea Gold (Mills and Boon, per Geo. Robertson) is even a stronger and better piece of work, the scene is laid in Papua, the hero a young Scots engineer who has become possessed of a chart, showing the whereabouts of a marvellously rich gold reef. Joined in his adventure are two other men, ono of whoni is tho hero's rival" for the;'; love of a girl from Australia who has sought refuge in.. New Guinea from a. dreadful past. The three adventurers pass through some very exciting experiences before they discover the reef," and thero is a fine dramatic quality in the sceno in which the unsuccessful rival sacrifices his life to save the woman his comrade has won. Miss Grimshaw evidently knows. ' Now Guinea-at first hand, and the descriptive passages, especially those of tho forest life, aro often qui to eloquently beautiful. Tho curious fascination which this strange and as yet but half explored land exercises upon all who make any-lengthy 6tay therein is cleverly suggested. The character drawing is deeper and more psychological than is usual iu.the average story of adventure. Miss .Grimshaw has written what will, I think,-be voted by alt who read it one of tho very best stories of adventures in the wild places of the earth that has appeared for.spme time past. Tho strength, tho viyidity of-the local colour is quite fascinating. The heroine.. Charmian Ducane, is. perhaps .iust.a trifle .stagey, but the stalwart,,bellicose, but warm-hearted Mrs. Garter, the "Quean..- of tho - North-west Island," tho miners' friend, bind- the terror to all Papuan evil-doers.'whether or natives, is a most humorous study of a §trong-mindpd woman. I can cordially commend "Guinea Gold" ns a very readable and enjoyable, story. ' .. . .

THE HUSSY. • There -is a certain flavour : of Hardy's "Tsss of the D'Urbervillos" in Mr. Lancaster's clever story,,-'.' The Ilussy" Sell and Sons: per ,Whitcoinbe), but SuSaii' Murficld's elul is, happier than that of the famous Wcssox heroine. \ 11lage born, sho is suspected of misbehaviour with- a visiting artist, quarrels witn her'mother, and goes to London, wUera she takes a place as a barmaid and becomes the victim 'of a worthless rascal. The artist is believed by the vicar of the parish to be. the',culprit, and is urged to marry, the -.girl. Having- a real -regard for the unhappy, Susan, to tins the artist 'agrees, "but tho girl, believing thd offer, when conveycd to her by' the clergyman, to: have been made by the Loiir don scamp wlio • had so basely betrayed" '. her, indignantly -refuses '■In tlie : long run," • however, tho - arb st s sympathy, np\r developed Into deep affection, evokes love on tlio girl's side, and the story ends with their marriage. The .'gradual development of. d better nature in both. the, woman, and the man—for the latter when wo first meet .him is a flippant and selfish decadent, who maunders about Verlaino and ■ Bcarsdley—is the strong point in a story which has, to mv mind, an , excellent moral, although it contains ono incident which may be considered by some readers to havo justified the ban placwl upon the nov»l by. certain London libraries. •