”In Desert and Wilderness” Henryk Sienkiewicz „W pustyni i w puszczy”

The Novel teenagers from The adaptations of the book: were in 1973 and 2001.

The action of novel sets in 1885 in Egypt and Sudan.

The main characters are the children Staś Tarkowski (14) and Nel Rawlison (8). Their father are engineers, who build Suez Canal.

Mea – black servant from one of African tribes. She was Nel’s nanny after the death of Dinah ( her previous nanny) Kali – black servant and children’s companion, the leader of Wa- Him EA tribe.

In the period in which we get to know about heroes, there are fights in Sudan again Englishmen and the local land owners, reins of tribes. Mohammed mahdi led them ( he was the leader in Nubia).

Children received some presents for Christmas: Staś longed – for gun and Nel the dog – Saba. Saddenly their fathers had to go to El- Fajum, in order to examine their workers.

The engineer's servant Chamis, coaxed by Fatma decided to kidnap the children. Fatma’s husband wanted to exchange the children for his family.

Chamis informed Staś, that father sended a telegram and asked him to bring the boy immediately. The Camels waited. Chamis with Gebhr and Idrys would be their companions.

T hey were travelling very long and Staś quessed that it was a kidnapping.

After a rest the caravan went to Khartoum. On the road they met a different squad of Mahdi’s fanatics, and found out that Smain (Fatima’s husband) ”was hunting” in Faszoda. He wanted to sell hunted people to slaves’ traders.

The Beduins with children left Khartoum. They sailed by boat to Omdurman, where Mahdi was during the way, the children met a Greek man, who promised them his help and and gave them some pills of quinine.

Mahdi promised his kindness to children, if they will becomethe confessors of his science. - Staś thought that, if he would accept the offer he could do it only for fear and he would be a coward.

Offended Mahdi ordered to take back the children to Faszoda. He knew, that road lead through wild areas and it meant the children’s death. During the wander Gebhr bullied two slaves – kali and Mea.

One day the caravan was in a ravine. First animals felt danger. Soon the men saw huge lion, lying onthe rock.

Gebhr decided to devote a slave (Kali). Stas had disagreed, grabbed the gun and shot. Lion roared and died. Kali was rescued.

The next day, children and their new friend’s Kali and Mea mored on their journey.

A violent storm intersunted their rest.. In vicinity they could hear roaring lions. They ran away cinbed, on tree and were safe.

After a terrible night,, they moved in road. The lions tore to pieces a part of their belongings. They lost almost everything. Two horses, dog called Saba, olonkey were rescued.

Wandering children saw the tree with a huge hollow in the trunk. - It was very old baobab. They named it "Cracow", they waited in it for the end of.

Someday Kali noticed in the ravine an imprisoned elephant, dying with hunger. He wanted to kill him, but Nel asked him not to do it.

They fed the animal. Nel asked Staś to make the elephant free.

Nel had a fever and Staś decided to find some quinine. He saw a smoke and thougut that it could be a caravan.

The boy discovered a camp. In the camp was a swiss geographer who had an enjured leg. He was very in. His leg had gangrene. The geographer asked Staś for looking afer his friend a little boy Nasibu. What is more he gave needed medicine and some tea.

Nel was almost healthy. Staś promised her to make freethe elephant.

The next day Nel disappeared. Staś found her in the ravine. She sat on elephant”s trunk and talked with him. The boy couldn’t say anything, the elephant seemed to be domesticated.

They wandered several days, before they found the place where they could stop on longer and rest. They wanted to find a tribe Wa-hima. The king of this tribe was Kali’s father.

Children made from their bliststers some kites. Stas and nel wrote on them their request for rescue.

The areas through they arried seemed to be safe. Staś permitted Nel to walk away from the camp, but he went after her. He arrived in time. He managed to kill a leopard, who wanted to attack the girl.

After several days they reached to black. Kali found out there, that his tribe leads the war with another tribe. Samburu.

The Wa-hima tribe won (Staś had helped them) and Kali after his father’s death became a king.

Caravan moved further. The lack of water stopped the caravan on a desert.

When the research for Nel and Staś seemed to be hopeless, the capitan Glen and doctor Clary found one of the kites sent by the children and found the boy and and the girl.

After a long period of parting the fathers met the children. Father was proud of his son. Mr. Rawlison thanked Staś for heroic rescue of his daughter.

THE END Basia Zespół Szkól nr 20 in Gorzów Wlkp - POLAND