Book
Allan’s Wife
First published 1889
Allan Quatermain recalls his childhood acquaintance with Stella Carson, their separation after both families move to southern Africa, and their unexpected reunion when Stella saves his life. Their marriage is shadowed by Hendrika, a young woman raised among baboons whose fierce devotion to Stella turns to jealousy and violence when Allan enters their isolated household.
The title narrative explains the marriage and bereavement that shape Quatermain’s later character. The original volume also gathers companion hunting stories from his African career, making the book both a domestic tragedy and a collection of formative frontier adventures told from the perspective of an older survivor.
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