Allan Quatermain tells how he watched two half-brothers of the Zulu royal house destroy each other for a woman, and how his own advice tipped the balance. Haggard had served in Natal as a young official, knew the Zulu court at first hand, and dedicated the book to James Stuart of the Natal native affairs service, who had helped him with the history. Mameena is the finest character he ever drew, and the trial scene is the best thing in his fiction.
