Great Romances of the British EmpireSamantha Samson’s Sensual Saharan Sojourn
Part OneChapter One In Which We Meet Samantha
Towards the end of what had been fairly tedious Spring, Samantha Samson became increasingly relieved that this was to be her last within the confines of her finishing school. Although Samantha was aware that her freedom would be merely ephemeral and that her quest to find a suitable husband would soon begin, she could not bring herself to think of anything other than her family’s upcoming summer vacation.
Her darling father had decided to take her and her mother on a trip to the dark continent to celebrate a successful end to his daughter’s formal education. A forward thinker, her father believed that even girls should learn as much as possible about the world around them. To this end, he had booked tickets on a steamer to Alexandria, whence the family would proceed to the newly civilised Sudan.
Chapter Two
In Which Samantha Becomes Sea-Sick and Has Some of Her Romantic Ideals Shattered
Samantha had not travelled by sea before, and, in the event, did not prove a very good sailor. Rough seas early on left Samantha unable to eat properly for much of the voyage as to do so spelt certain disaster for her clothes and for her dignity. Her suffering was exacerbated by a group of cavalry officers who were also aboard the ship on their way back to their units in Egypt. Far from the dashing, brave heroes Samantha had imagined such men to be, they were self-important, flatulent loud mouths. Though Samantha did not understand their numerous suggestions and invitations, she was sure they were inappropriate and made her feel unclean. One in particular, Gustav (a large, brutish looking Captain, whose thin wiry moustache sat feebly above thick lips, which flapped menacingly when he talked or when caught by a stiff breeze), had spoken to her at length of the lands and wealth he was to inherit upon the death of his father (who was, he assured her, at death’s door) and became most discourteous when she rebuffed his conjugal advances.
Chapter Three
In Which Samantha Is Horrified by Poverty, Suffering, and Poor Elocution, but Is Nevertheless Awed by the Splendour of Ancient Egypt
Her relief at finally disembarking at Alexandria was short-lived. The ancient city was a bustling morass of people who neither looked, nor smelled as civilised people should. On the streets, people spoke in a rough, ugly tongue (Arabic) more suited to the backsides of corpulent demons than the mouths of honest men. From Alexandria, the family accompanied a trade caravan to Cairo. Though the road was long and uncomfortable, the golden, shifting sands whispered to Samantha in a language she instinctively understood.
The Spartan beauty of the desert was in stark contrast to the squalor of the city: Samantha was appalled at the poverty of the inhabitants; everywhere dirty children and toothless old men begged for scraps while those who could laboured endlessly in the ferocious heat.
Samantha was glad to leave Cairo, and was happier still to discover that travelling on the Nile entailed little of the discomfort that she experienced on the sea. As the vessel wound its way south, the wonders of ancient Egypt rolled by, each more awe-inspiring than the next. Great pyramids and the ruins of magnificent temples rose majestically out of the otherwise vast and barren expanse.
Chapter Four
In Which Our Heroine Is Separated from Her Party and in Which Dialogue Is Used for the First Time
Samantha was almost sad when it came time to disembark: she had grown accustomed to the leisurely pace of life on the river. Days rolled by in Khartoum as Mr Samson met the newly installed British officials, and the family attended dinners and functions. Though she could think of little else to do, these activities held little appeal for Samantha, who began to long for a return to the unforgiving yet magical wilderness lying just beyond the confines of the city.
Back in the desert, her family having joined a party of fellow British, Samantha felt the same inexplicable sense of belonging that she had on the road to Cairo. The uncomfortable ride afforded by the camels did not trouble her as it did the other white-skinned folk; Samantha’s mother in particular complained loudly of the camels’ awkward gait. Night eventually came upon them, and the party settled down. Samantha lay awake for what seemed like hours transfixed by the multitude of stars. The second day proceeded much as the first, the group delving deeper into the desert, now climbing, now descending the undulating dunes. Samantha, entranced by the gentle rhythm, spoke ne’er a word for hours. The Arabs chatted incessantly amongst themselves and her fellow British complained of the heat, the camels or the Arabs, apparently to pass the time.
Samantha passed into sleep more easily the second night, but her slumber was short-lived. Well before dawn she was woken by shouting and panicked camels. "Samantha", her father shouted, "take cover!" Samantha arose: around her people wrapping themselves in blankets to shield their bodies from a fast-approaching wall of swirling sand, which Samantha could see would be upon them in moments. Her heart racing, Samantha ran towards her father, seeking shelter in his embrace. Alas, before she could reach him, she collided with a she-camel broken loose from her master’s control. Unprepared, Samantha could not prevent the heavy impact with which her head met the sand.
Chapter 5
In Which Samantha Wanders the Desert for a Bit and Then Has a Fateful Encounter
It was still dark when Samantha awoke; dark, and quiet. Whereas before the air had been filled with shouting voices and barked instructions, she could now hear nothing but the gentle whine of a light breeze blowing across the dunes. She stood in the dim light; it was now, now that she looked for some sign of where her parents and party might be, now that she longed for some landmark, that she realised how featureless was the sandy expanse.
"Is anyone there?", she called. "Can anyone hear me? Where have you gone?" Samantha’s cries were met with a deafening silence. A wave of fear swelled within her and broke. She sunk to her knees and wept. As the cold sand soaked her warm tears, Samantha realised to her horror that the desert would consume all trace of her: her footsteps would be covered over by the winds, her flesh would be picked by the scavengers and her bleached white bones swallowed by the shifting sands.
Not knowing what else to do, Samantha waited for dawn, then began walking in the direction she believed the city to lie. At first, she kept her mind occupied by focusing on the squeaky noise made by the sand under her feet. As the sun rose in the sky, however, she could think of nothing but her parched throat and baking skin. As if to torment her, the desert from time to time would show her vast shimmering pools of water just ahead, only to whisk them away again as she neared. Utterly without hope, she collapsed to the sand once more as the sun reached its zenith. With no tears left to cry, she could only hope that the vultures would wait for her to die.
As she lay, her breathing shallow, her consciousness having departed seeking greener pastures, a robed figure ordered his mount to a halt and jumped to the ground metres from where she had fallen. Striding manfully toward her, he rolled her onto her back and gazed upon her milk-white skin and delicate features. Never in his life had he seen such a beautiful, hairless face. He kneeled at her side, struck dumb by her beauty as though by the barbed arrow of a camel thief. Coming to his senses, he drew a skin from his robes and sprinkled her lips with water. As he did so, the bright sunlight caught the beads of water, and pinpricks of light concatenated around her full, rich lips, making them more radiant than he had thought possible. Transfixed once again, the mysterious stranger caught himself dreaming of the touch of her skin, and could almost feel her soft lips pressed against his. His reverie was broken once again, however, as an eyelid flickered open and an azure-blue eye flecked grey stared up at him with what he assessed as a mixture of relief and fear.
End of Part One
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