THE BOOK CALLED “SHE”

Taranaki Daily News, 6 April 1927, Page 10

THE BOOK CALLED “SHE”

SIR RIDER HAGGARD'S STORIES SOME INTERESTING SIDELIGHTS. The late Sir Rider Haggard's memoirs, which he wrote in 1912, and which were sealed up to be published after his death, have now made their appearance in two volumes, “The Days of My Life.” In “King Solomon’s Mines” the author tells us that the eclipse which takes place in the story got him into trouble with astronomers, also with numbers of the reading public, who hurried to expose his ignorance. His eclipse was astronomically wrong, so in a subsequent edition he* rectified the mistake. But it only produced more trouble, since students of the work had violent arguments between themselves, quoting the version they had read, ani writing to him to settle their disputes. Over this book lie received many letters from people who wanted to know if the mines really existed and if the book was a record of . fact. Even the great dealer in precious stones, Mr. Streeter, approached him on the subject. In his memoirs Haggard says that he believes Mr. Streeter actually sent an expedition to look for King Solomon’s mines, or, at any rate, talked of doing so. Rider. Haggard's most famous book was “She." The title of this bdok( he tells us, was taken from a certain rag doll, so named, which a nurse used to bring out of some dark recess in order to frighten those of his brothers and sisters who were in her charge. In “Alan Quatermain,” the author had a character called Utnslppagaas. In the memoirs we are told that this character was drawn from a living man, a Swazi of high birth, who claimed that he had killed ten men in single combat. One day, long after Haggard had left Africa, where he had lived for some time, Umslopogaas had. a talk with a friend of his, “Is it true,” asked Umslopogaas, “that Indanla (Rider Haggard) has been using my name largely in books that he has written?” “Yes, it is true, Umslopogaas,” “So! Now r what does Indanla do with the books when he has written them?” “He sells them, Umslopogaas.” “Then—say to Inkoos Indanla when you meet him across the Black Water that, as he makes money by writing about me, it is right and just that he should send me half the money!” The writer says that he took the hint and sent him, not money, but a very fine hunting-knife with his name engraved upon it. Not long before Umslopogaas died, he was asked by the wife of the Governor of Natal if he were not proud that his name should appear in books which white men read all over the world. “No, Chieftainess,” answered Umslopogaas; “to me it is nothing. Yet I am glad that Indanla has set my name in writings that will not be forgotten, so that, when my people are no more a people, one of them at least will be remembered.”