A REVIEW.

Waikato Times, Volume XXXIX, Issue 3151, 3 September 1892, Page 2 (Supplement)

A REVIEW.

Nada, the Lily—By H. Rider Haggard. Longman's Colouial Library. Longman, Green, and Co., Loudon. This book, by a well-known and popular author, issued 'in July is the first of a series to be published monthly by the Messrs Loug* man for circulation in the colonies and India; to bo followed in August bj " Mieah Clarke " ; September, " Snap " October, "Darkness and Dawn"; No veniber, "She"; and December, "Sea and Lauds." In the book under reviev Mr Haggard, in the form of a romance places on record the traditions and cus toms of the Zulus—that wonderful mili tary organisation whose power, after in Aiding terrible disasters on the Britisl flag, was broken for ever on the field o CJlundi. To Chaka, a savage military genius, who combined the qualities of < Napoleon and a Tiberius, must be as cribed the feat of building up this won derful organisation from the very smalles beginnings, and at the time of his deatl at the hands of his brother and his ser vaat (Mopo) he had conquered the wholi of South-Eastern Africa, and had accom plished the slaughter of over a milliot human beings in about twenty-five years The story purports to be told by Mopo and despite the somewhat sombre effeel of the continual slaughtering, is mos' entertaining. Chaka is a gaudy old ruf fian with a keen, though rather uu polished, sense of humour, and with ; decided taste for " sloshing " round in other people's gore. The way he plpys it down to the witch doctors, thoug! doubtless not much relished by them, is extremely diverling, and mighl be read with advantage by quacks among more civilised communities. Mopo, who tells the story, is a chatty ole savage, and withal, somewhat long suffering. Chaka behaves very badly tc him. Among other things, during Mopo'f temporary absence upon his master's affairs, he takes the opportunity to slaj and burn the whole of poor Mopo'a wives and promising family, for no other reasor than that he suspects Mopo of being concsrned in saving his son from slaughtel at the time of his birth. Mopo, on his return, hears the pleasant news while having to undergo the operation of having his left hand off in the presence of the King, in order to save his own life by lying. It is rather gruesome, it must bt confessed, to read how Mopo goes out in the night with his charred hand and bunks down in the ashes of his krall with the charred remains of his family. The reader is not surprised to hear that Mopo

takes a bit of a prejudice against the King, and it will please him to know that eventually Mopo comes out " top of the heap " Our old friend Umslopogaas and his axe appears early on the sceue. He with his fz-iend, Galazi, have a high old time while it lasts. The heroine, Nada, does not take a very prominent part in the story, though her end is sufficiently tragic to please most of the admirers of Mr Rider Haggard. Of course, there is the usual amount of the supernatural. Galazi, for instance, carries on an animated conversation, extending over several pages, with an animated skeleton who had taken up his abode in the inevitable cave in the " Ghost Mountain," aud from whom he gets sound advice. Altogether, the book is a most diverting one, and, in the words of professional criticism, will well repay perusal. The work is profusely illustrated by Mr Charles H. M Kerr.