# II: The Black Hand explained — Allan Quatermain

> Chapter companion for Allan Quatermain by H. Rider Haggard.

## What happens

The adventurers depart from Lamu and travel to Charra on the Tana River, encountering ruined ancient cities and a quarrel with their bearers, who steal their goods and flee. They purchase canoes and continue upstream, facing the dangers of the river and the threat of the Masai. A tense night on the river brings a presentiment of evil.

## Themes in this chapter

### Death and Mortality

Quatermain reflects on the inevitable decay of cities and civilizations, and the universal destiny of all things toward death.

### Adventure and Exploration

The journey up the Tana River by canoe, hunting for food, and encountering wild animals and hostile tribes.

### Civilization vs. Wilderness

The contrast between the once-great ruined cities and the present wilderness where lions and hippos roam.

## Character check-ins

### Allan Quatermain

Narrator and leader of the expedition; reflects on the ruins and the transitory nature of all things.

### Captain Good

Proposes the canoe journey and takes command of the boats, displaying his nautical expertise.

### Sir Henry Curtis

Travels in the first canoe with Good; participates in hunting for food.

### Umslopogaas

Travels in the second canoe with Quatermain; kills an eland with a borrowed rifle.

### Wakwafi Askari

The loyal Wakwafi followers who guard the rifles and assist in rowing and building camp.

### The Masai

Masai warriors threaten the party; one is sighted on the bank, and they are feared by the Wakwafi.

## Key lines

> Nothing may endure. That is the inexorable law. Men and women, empires and cities, thrones, principalities, and powers, mountains, rivers, and unfathomed seas, worlds, spaces, and universes, all have their day, and all must go.

Everything is temporary; all things, from people to empires to the universe itself, eventually come to an end.

_Quatermain's philosophical reflection on the ruins of an ancient city._

> On shore Good is a gentle, mild-mannered man, and given to jocosity; but, as we found to our cost, Good in a boat was a perfect demon.

Good is easygoing on land, but becomes a strict and demanding taskmaster when in charge of a boat.

_Quatermain describes the transformation in Good's behavior once they are on the water._

> I do not think that I have ever before seen anything quite so ferocious or awe-inspiring.

The sight of the Masai warrior was the most terrifying I had ever encountered.

_Quatermain's reaction to the appearance of a Masai Elmoran._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/allan_quatermain_se/chapters/ii-the-black-hand
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/allan_quatermain_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/allan_quatermain_se/chapters