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= Prester_John_(novel) =
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Introduction
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'Prester John' is a 1910 adventure novel by the Scottish author John
Buchan. It tells the story of the young Scotsman David Crawfurd and
his adventures in South Africa, where a native uprising under the
charismatic black minister John Laputa is tied to the medieval legend
of Prester John.
Plot
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The novel's narrator, David Crawfurd, grows up in the Scottish seaside
town of Kirkcaple where, as a boy, he first encounters the Reverend
John Laputa, a powerfully eloquent black minister of the kirk. One
Sunday, Crawfurd and his friends disturb Laputa performing some sort
of ritual around a fire on a deserted beach. Angered, Laputa chases
the boys but they escape.
When Crawfurd is nineteen, his father dies and he is forced to break
off his studies in Edinburgh to earn a living. His uncle finds a post
for him as assistant storekeeper in the remote South African village
of Blaauwildebeestefontein. On the passage to South Africa he meets
Wardlaw, a fellow Scot who is travelling to the same place to take up
a position as schoolmaster. The Reverend Laputa is also on board, and
is seen in covert conversation with a villainous-looking Portuguese
man called Henriques. Suspicious, Crawfurd does not identify himself.
The storekeeper at Blaauwildebeestefontein to whom Crawfurd is to act
as assistant, Peter Japp, is a drunkard who is involved in illegal
diamond trading. Laputa and Henriques visit the store, and Crawfurd
tries to overhear their conversation.
Wardlaw warns Crawfurd of what he believes to be a planned rising of
the native tribes of the region, including the Zulu and Swazi peoples,
led by Laputa. Captain James Arcoll, intelligence agent and local head
of the colonial forces, provides more details. Laputa's skill as a
preacher has inspired many tribes across the region and, funded by
extensive illegal diamond trading, he has invoked the legend of
Prester John to position himself as the man who will lead the
forthcoming rising against colonial rule.
Using information from the overheard conversation, Crawfurd
infiltrates the cave where the tribal leaders are gathering and
witnesses Laputa wearing the 'Great Snake' - the priceless and sacred
ruby necklet of Prester John which legitimises his leadership. Laputa
makes a powerful speech to launch the uprising. Crawfurd is captured,
but escapes during an ambush and seizes the necklet from the hands of
Henriques who is trying to steal it for himself. After an all-night
chase, Laputa's men eventually recapture Crawfurd, but not before he
hides the necklet in a ravine.
Arriving at Laputa's headquarters, Crawfurd appears to be facing
imminent death, but saves himself by offering Laputa his knowledge of
the necklet's location in exchange for his life. Laputa, who needs the
Great Snake in order to convince his followers, goes alone with
Crawfurd to search for it. In the ravine, Crawfurd narrowly escapes
once more, and steals Laputa's horse to take him to Arcoll's
headquarters.
With Laputa now on foot and separated from his people, Arcoll's forces
are easily able to quell the leaderless uprising. Meanwhile, Crawfurd
returns to the cave and finds the treacherous Henriques dead outside,
having been strangled by Laputa. Entering, Crawfurd finds Laputa, who
by now knows that all his plans have failed. Laputa destroys a rock
bridge that serves as the cave's only entrance, and then commits
suicide by jumping into an underground river chasm. Crawfurd makes a
daring escape by climbing a dangerous cascade.
Crawfurd rejoins Arcoll, and is instrumental in bringing about the
disarmament of the local tribes and the subsequent peace. With
Arcoll's help he is rewarded with a large portion of Laputa's treasure
that had been hidden in the cave, and he returns to Scotland to resume
his studies a rich man.
Principal characters
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* David ('Davie') Crawfurd: narrator
* Reverend John Laputa: Minister of the kirk and African tribal leader
* Henriques: Portuguese fortune hunter in league with Laputa
* Peter Japp: South African storekeeper at Blaauwildebeestefontein
* Wardlaw: Scottish schoolmaster at Blaauwildebeestefontein
* Captain James Arcoll: intelligence agent and leader of the colonial
forces
Background
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Prester John was Buchan's sixth published novel, and the first to
reach a wide readership, establishing him as a writer of fast-paced
adventures in exotic locales. He drew the background from his
two-year stint in South Africa (1901-1903) as political private
secretary to Lord Milner, High Commissioner for Southern Africa, in
what came to be known as Milner's Young Men or Milner's Kindergarten.
It was there that he gained a feeling for the man of action and the
sense of adventure, as well as practical, political training.
Film adaptation
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A 1920 silent film 'Prester John', based on the novel, was shot and
produced in South Africa by African Film Productions.
External links
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*
* [
http://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/611 'Prester John'] at Project
Gutenberg
*
License
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License URL:
http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0/
Original Article:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Prester_John_(novel)
