Haggard had lived for years among primitive people in Africa, and his knowledge of the Dark Continent was matched by few men. Yet beyond his personal knowledge of Africa, his experience of savage life and wild lands, and his faculty for making us believe impossible tales-lies a feeling for the supernatural. Adventure alone was not enough for Haggard. As he said, "The thing must have a heart; mere adventures are not enough-I can turn them out by the peck." About "She," one of the great mythical creations of the late 19th century, he said "The only clear notion that I had was that of an immortal woman inspired by immortal love . . . and it came-it came faster than my poor aching hand could set it down."

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