Grand tours: Follow Rider Haggard's footsteps through South Africa

Sir Henry Rider Haggard (1856-1925) was born in Norfolk, and went on to more or less invent the Ripping Yarn. At the age of 19, Haggard went to South Africa to take up the post of secretary to Sir Henry Bulwer, then governor of Natal. He fell in love with Africa and Zulu culture and on his return to Norfolk in 1881 began to write. 'King Solomon's Mines' was published in 1885 and was an immediate success. Its hero, Allan Quatermain, is killed off in the sequel but features in subsequent stories by Haggard; an early example of the use of a prequel device to bring back a favourite character.

"What was it that you heard about my brother's journey at Bamangwato?" asked Sir Henry, as I paused to fill my pipe before replying to Captain Good.

"I heard this," I answered, "and I have never mentioned it to a soul till today. I heard he was starting for Solomon's Mines."

"Solomon's Mines?" ejaculated both my hearers at once. "Where are they?"

"I don't know," I said. "I know where they are said to be. Once I saw the peaks of the mountains that border them, but there were 130 miles of desert between me and them, and I am not aware that any white man ever got across it save one. But perhaps the best thing I can do is to tell you the legend of Solomon's Mines as I know it, you passing your word not to reveal anything I tell you without my permission. Do you agree to that?"

Sir Henry nodded, and Captain Good replied, "Certainly, certainly."

"Well," I began, "as you may guess, generally speaking, elephant hunters are a rough set of men. But here and there you meet a man who takes the trouble to collect traditions from the natives. It was such a man as this who first told me the legend of Solomon's Mines, now a matter of nearly 30 years ago. His name was Evans, and he was killed the following year, poor fellow, by a wounded buffalo, and lies buried near the Zambesi Falls. I was telling Evans one night, I remember, of some wonderful workings I had found while hunting koodoo and eland in what is now the Lydenburg district of the Transvaal. There is a great wide wagon road cut out of the solid rock, and leading to the mouth of the working or gallery. Inside the mouth of this gallery are stacks of gold quartz piled up ready for roasting, which shows that the workers, whoever they were, must have left in a hurry.

"'Ay,' said Evans, 'but I will spin you a queerer yarn than that'; and he went on to tell me how he had found in the far interior a ruined city, which he believed to be the Ophir of the Bible. I was, I remember, listening open-eared to all these wonders, when suddenly he said to me, 'Lad, did you ever hear of the Suliman Mountains up to the north-west of the Mushakulumbwe country? ... That is where Solomon really had his mines, his diamond mines, I mean. What is "Suliman" but a corruption of Solomon? Besides, an old Isanusi or witch doctoress up in the Manica country told me all about it. She said that the people who lived across those mountains were a "branch" of the Zulus, speaking a dialect of Zulu, but finer and bigger men even; that there lived among them great wizards, who had learnt their art from white men when all the world was dark, and who had the secret of a wonderful mine of bright stones.'"

The facts

Distant Ophir

The Bible places King Solomon's mines in the city of Ophir. Sir Henry Rider Haggard's inspiration for the novel came from the ruins of the ancient city of Great Zimbabwe in present-day Zimbabwe.

Diamond mines

The discovery of diamonds near the Orange River in 1866 laid the foundation for South Africa's industrial economy. De Beers still operates mines in Kimberley (www.kimberley.co.za). Contact the South Africa Tourism Board (020-8944 8080; www.tourism.org. za/sa).

Where to stay

Hilldrop House (00 27 34 315 2098; www.solomonsys.com/hilldrop) costs from £20 per night for a double room.

Getting there

British Airways flies to Johannesburg for £560 return (0845 773 3377). Virgin Atlantic offers return flights for £528 through Trailfinders (020-7938 3939).