Les Drames de l'Afrique australe
The French writer Louis Boussenard (1847-1910) published the novel trilogy Les voleurs de diamants in 1883 , which consists of the parts Les voleurs de diamants, Le Trésor des Rois Cafres and Les Drames de l'Afrique australe and also under the title Aventures Périlleuses de Trois Français au Pays des Diamonds; Le Trésor des Rois Cafres was published. In Les Drames de l'Afrique australe , the search of various people for a legendary royal treasure is told in 18 chapters.
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The novel begins with an argument between the Dutch bandits Pieter and Cornélis Boer and a Reverend, who are on a treasure hunt and are stuck on an island because of a storm. A man appears who overpowers the two brothers and forces them to serve him. As a reward, they should receive diamonds from a treasure from former kings. The stranger is the boxer Sam Smith, who recognizes his old pirate comrade James Willis in the Reverend and now ties him up in revenge for his betrayal and wants to let him die.
In an English court a judge is supposed to hand over two prisoners to the policeman M. Will. Alexandre Chauny and Albert de Villeroge are said to have killed a man and then fled. The illegally convicted men want to endure their sentence if they can first look for Albert's kidnapped wife Anna. Although they are not granted this, they survive anyway, as the executioner is bitten by a snake and dies. Everyone present flees the courtroom for fear of the snakes. The two defendants are freed by Bushman, an African friend of the French. Two other men (Zouga and Joseph, Albert's brother) are waiting for the three in a boat, which they then take to rescue Albert's wife Anna. You take a canoe to the place where Anna is being held captive by Klaas, the Boers' brother.
James Willis is floating along the river after ants eaten his body and cut the rope to which he was tied. He can escape to a cave where he finds weapons, food and gems and realizes that this camp belongs to Sam Smith and that the grotto on the treasure map must be. After Smith and the Boers have pitched their camp on a plateau near the cave, Smith goes into exactly this cave, because he found an indication on the treasure map. He penetrates to the end of the tunnel and finds the treasures of the kings and Willis, whom he immediately ties up.
The French, dejected by Anna Villeroge's disappearance, come to Klaas' car and find an indication of Anna, whereupon they convert the car into a boat. After crossing the river, they come to a clearing where they discover the remains of a camp and footprints. When Albert tries to pursue the Boers troop, he hears a scream from Esther, who defends herself against Klaas when he tries to kill her for her disobedience. Albert comes to her aid, the two men fight - Albert wins. Bushman kills Klaas, Esther's father's murderer.
When they meet again, the former prisoners tell each other their misfortunes. Esther's father was the man whose murder Albert and Alexandre were wrongly charged. Everyone renounces the treasure they found, as its search resulted in too many victims. Alexandre notices a group of black men led by Pieter on the river. Men on both sides prepare to fight when Bushman appears, accompanied by Magopos, the chief of the Batokas tribe. When the Boers see the Batokas approaching their camp, they set a fire. Then a detonation sounds and the hill everyone is on slides into the river. Smith cannot escape as the explosion has washed treasure and robbers into the river. Magopo is happy that the discovery of the cave and its treasures was prevented.
The happy troop accompanies the French to the next village and prepares a burial place for the miners from Inselberg Victoria. Alexandre and Esther get married on Inselberg Nelson. Albert receives a rich inheritance that enables all French to return to Villeroge and live there without financial worries.
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- Louis Boussenard: Les Drames de l'Afrique Australe. Paris: Bibliothèque des Grandes Aventures, Editions Jules Tallandier, 1883.