# XII: Two Hundred and Fifty Thousand Years! explained — When the World Shook

> Chapter companion for When the World Shook by H. Rider Haggard.

## What happens

Yva reveals that she and Oro slept for 250,000 years. Bickley is skeptical, Bastin accepts it as possible, and Arbuthnot is caught between them. Oro studies ancient star charts with the help of Bickley's electric torch. The three men discuss the nature of the sleepers, with Bickley suggesting hallucinations and Bastin insisting they are evil spirits. They adapt to island life, with Bastin proving resourceful. Later, they are ambushed and captured by hostile priests while sleeping.

## Themes in this chapter

### Clash of Beliefs

Bickley's scientific skepticism clashes with Bastin's religious faith and Yva's claims of ancient knowledge.

### Reincarnation and the Soul

Yva suggests her spirit may have lived elsewhere during the 250,000-year sleep, hinting at reincarnation.

### The Search for Meaning

The characters grapple with the implications of the sleepers' existence and the nature of reality.

## Character check-ins

### Humphrey Arbuthnot

Narrates the chapter; engages with Yva about the 250,000-year sleep and defends her claims against Bickley's skepticism.

### J. R. Bickley

Expresses disbelief at the 250,000-year sleep, suggests hallucinations from gases, and uses an electric torch to astonish Oro.

### Mr. Bastin

Accepts Yva's explanation as reasonable, builds a hut and traps fish, and dismisses the sleepers as evil spirits.

### Yva

Explains the 250,000-year sleep and hints at memories from other lives; laughs at Bickley's disbelief.

### Oro

Studies the star plates using Bickley's torch; shows genuine astonishment at the modern device.

### Marama

Mentioned as a friend; the priests act without his knowledge.

## Key lines

> Twice one hundred thousand and half a hundred thousand, two hundred and fifty thousand years. That was the space of time which the lord Oro, my father, set for our sleep.

Yva states that she and Oro were meant to sleep for 250,000 years.

_Reveals the immense timescale of the sleepers' hibernation._

> I think, however, that it dwelt elsewhere, perhaps in other bodies on the earth, or some different earth.

Yva speculates that her spirit may have lived in other bodies during the sleep.

_Introduces the idea of reincarnation or soul migration._

> It is contrary to natural law.

Bickley argues that the sleepers' survival defies scientific understanding.

_Highlights the conflict between empirical science and the miraculous._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/when_the_world_shook_se/chapters/xii-two-hundred-and-fifty-thousand-years
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/when_the_world_shook_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/when_the_world_shook_se/chapters