The Four Feathers · Chapter
XXIX: Colonel Trench Assumes a Knowledge of Chemistry explained
Trench falls ill with typhus fever just as escape seems possible, and Feversham nurses him through the crisis.
What happens
Trench falls ill with typhus fever just as escape seems possible, and Feversham nurses him through the crisis. The opportunity to flee with Abou Fatma is lost, and a wall is built around the prison, sealing them in. After months of despair, they are summoned to the Khalifa and assigned to work in a gunpowder factory, where Trench falsely claims knowledge of chemistry to gain a chance at escape.
Themes in this chapter
Friendship and Loyalty
Feversham's unwavering devotion to Trench, nursing him through illness and refusing to leave without him.
Suffering and Endurance
The prolonged imprisonment, illness, and the building of the wall that seals their fate.
Hope and Despair
The oscillation between hope of escape and despair as the wall rises and months pass.
Characters to notice
- Harry Feversham
Nurses Trench through typhus, sacrifices his escape opportunity, and remains steadfast in hope.
- Colonel Trench
Falls gravely ill, recovers, and boldly claims expertise in gunpowder to secure a new chance.
- Ibrahim
Assists in nursing Trench, provides remedies, and offers grim prognosis.
- Abou Fatma
Waits with camels but is forced to leave without the prisoners; later returns with supplies.
- Idris es-Saier
Prison keeper who reports to the Khalifa and oversees the prisoners.
Key passages
“The thousand nights of the House of Stone had done their work.”
Years of harsh imprisonment had taken a toll on Trench's health.
Highlights the cumulative physical and mental strain of captivity.
“We have been building our own coffin, that's the truth of it.”
Trench realizes that the wall they built themselves has sealed their doom.
Symbolizes the irony of prisoners constructing their own prison.
“Will they never come up the Nile, the gunboats and the soldiers? Have they forgotten us in England?”
Trench cries out in despair, wondering if rescue will ever arrive.
Reflects the isolation and abandonment felt by the prisoners.