King Solomon’s Mines · Chapter
XVII: Solomon’s Treasure Chamber explained
The expedition, guided by Gagool, enters the Place of Death and witnesses her eerie rituals.
What happens
The expedition, guided by Gagool, enters the Place of Death and witnesses her eerie rituals. Gagool reveals the secret door to Solomon's treasure chamber, which opens via a counterweight mechanism. Inside, they find a goatskin bag of diamonds left by a previous white explorer, vast stores of ivory, boxes of gold coins, and a recess containing three stone chests of uncut diamonds, making them the richest men in the world.
Themes in this chapter
Greed and Wealth
The discovery of vast ivory, gold, and diamonds in the treasure chamber highlights the allure of immense wealth, with Quatermain declaring 'We are the richest men in the whole world.'
Superstition and Magic
Gagool's ritualistic prayers, the curse that those who enter will die within a moon, and her cryptic knowledge of the chamber underscore the supernatural and superstitious elements.
Fate and Destiny
The prophecy of death for those who enter the chamber and the foreboding atmosphere suggest an inescapable fate tied to the treasure.
Characters to notice
- Allan Quatermain
Narrates the chapter; trembles with excitement as the treasure chamber is opened; picks up diamonds and declares them the richest men in the world.
- Sir Henry Curtis
Takes the lamp from Gagool and leads the way into the treasure chamber; discovers the recess with stone chests of diamonds.
- Captain John Good
First to follow Gagool into the passage; lifts the goatskin bag and whispers it is full of diamonds; comments on flooding the market.
- Gagool
Leads the expedition through the Place of Death; performs a dark ritual; reveals the secret door and the history of the treasure; mocks the explorers with cryptic knowledge.
- Foulata
Accompanies the group but feels faint and waits by the unfinished wall in the passage.
Key passages
“We are the richest men in the whole world.”
Quatermain declares that they have become the wealthiest people on earth.
Spoken upon seeing the chest of uncut diamonds.
“Monte Cristo was a fool to us.”
Their wealth surpasses even the fictional fortune of the Count of Monte Cristo.
Quatermain compares their newfound riches to the famous literary treasure.