Editing King Solomon's Mines (section)

==Plot==
{{Plot too long|date=December 2024}}
[[File:Kukuanaland.jpg|thumb|right|The way to Kukuanaland]]
[[File:Walter Paget - H. Rider Haggard - King Solomon's Mines - To those who enter the hall of dead.jpg|thumb|"To those who enter the hall of the dead, evil comes"; [[Walter Paget (illustrator)|Walter Paget]]]]
[[Allan Quatermain]], an adventurer and [[white hunter]] based in the African city of [[Durban]],{{efn|Located in what is now South Africa.}} is approached by aristocrat [[Sir Henry Curtis]] and his friend Captain Good, seeking his help finding Sir Henry's brother, who was last seen travelling north into the unexplored interior on a quest for the fabled King Solomon's Mines. Quatermain has a map purporting to lead to the mines, but had never taken it seriously. He agrees to lead an expedition in return for a share of the treasure, or a stipend for his son if he is killed along the way. He has little hope they will return alive, but reasons that he has already outlived most people in his profession, so dying in this manner at least ensures his son will be provided for. They also take along a native, Umbopa, who seems more regal and well-spoken than most porters of his class, but who is anxious to join the party.

Travelling by oxcart, they reach the edge of a desert, but not before a hunt in which a wounded elephant claims the life of a servant. They continue on foot across the desert, almost dying of thirst before finding the oasis shown halfway across on the map. Reaching a mountain range called Suliman Berg, they climb a peak (one of "[[Queen of Sheba|Sheba]]'s Breasts"), enter a cave and find the frozen corpse of José Silvestre,{{efn|Also spelt Silvestra.}} the 16th-century Portuguese explorer who drew the map in his own blood. That night, another servant dies from the cold, and they leave his body next to Silvestra's.
They cross the mountains into Kukuanaland, a raised valley, lush and green. The inhabitants have a well-organised army and society and speak an ancient dialect of [[IsiZulu]]. Kukuanaland's capital is Loo, the destination of a road from ancient times. The city is dominated by a central royal [[kraal]].

A party of Kukuana warriors are about to kill them when Captain Good nervously fidgets with his false teeth, making the Kukuanas recoil in fear. Thereafter, to protect themselves, they style themselves "white men from the stars"—sorcerer-gods—and are required to give regular proof of their divinity, considerably straining both their nerves and their ingenuity.

They are brought before King Twala, a ruthless and violent leader. He came to power years before by murdering his brother, the previous king, and driving his brother's wife and infant son, Ignosi, out into the desert to die. Twala's rule is unchallenged. Gagool, an impossibly ancient hag, is his chief advisor. She roots out any potential opposition by ordering regular [[witch hunt]]s and murdering without trial all those identified as traitors. When she singles out Umbopa for this fate, it takes all of Quatermain's skill to save his life.

Gagool, it appears, has already sensed what Umbopa later reveals: he is Ignosi, the rightful king of the Kukuanas. A rebellion breaks out, the Englishmen gaining support for Ignosi by taking advantage of their foreknowledge of a [[lunar eclipse]] to claim that they will black out the moon as proof of Ignosi's claim.{{efn|In early editions, this was a solar eclipse; Haggard changed it after realising that his description of a solar eclipse was not realistic.<ref name="owc" />}} The Englishmen join Ignosi's army in a furious battle. Although outnumbered, the rebels overthrow Twala, and Sir Henry lops off his head in a duel.

The Englishmen also capture Gagool, who reluctantly leads them to King Solomon's Mines. She shows them a treasure room carved inside a mountain, full of gold, diamonds, and ivory. She then sneaks out while they are admiring the hoard and triggers a secret mechanism that closes the mine's stone door. However, a scuffle with Foulata— a Kukuana woman who became attached to Good after nursing him through his injuries sustained in the battle—causes Gagool to be crushed under the door, though not before fatally stabbing Foulata. Their scant store of food and water dwindling, the trapped men prepare to die also. After some despairing days sealed in the dark chamber, they find an escape route, bringing with them a few pocketfuls of diamonds from the trove, enough to make them rich.

The Englishmen bid farewell to a sorrowful Ignosi and return to the desert, assuring him that they value his friendship but must return to be with their own people, Ignosi in return promising them that they will be venerated and honoured among his people forever. Taking a different route, they find Sir Henry's brother stranded in an oasis by a broken leg, unable to go forward or back. They all return to Durban and, eventually, back to England, wealthy enough to live out their lives in comfort.