Sard Harker
Sard Harker (1924) by John Masefield (1878 - 1967). It is an adventure novel first published in October 1924. It is earlier of two novels by Masefield set in the ficitional South American nation of Santa Barabra. (The other novel is called "ODTAA".)
Plot summary
The novel commences with establishing narrative describing the fictional Santa Barbara as being geographically situated "far to leeward, with a coast facing to the north and east." The novel is set after the events described in "ODTAA" (published in February 1926) which is often incorrectly supposed to be the sequal to Sard Harker. However this is not the case. The opening pages refer in cursory fashion to characters and events that form the backdrop of ODTAA. The two novels should be considered to be distinct works of fiction in that the only identical figures in both novels are Santa Barbara and political events.
Masefield then moves onto describe the background of the protagonist after whom the novel is named - Chisholm Harker. Chisholm is called "Sard" Harker because the character is "sardonic". The character is described as being the son of Chisholm Harker, rector of Windlesham, in Berkshire. His father died when he was 13 years old. The character's mother is described as re-marrying after having been widowed two years. Reference is made to the fact that this caused an estrangement. It also encourages the character to go to sea aged 15.
The story opens on 18th March 1897. Sard Harker is Mate on a merchant vessel called the Pathfinder under the command of Captain Carey and is probably aged around 30. The ship is in the fictional port of Las Palomas. Exactly ten years previous Sard was serving on another ship (called the Venturer) in exactly the same harbour when he had a strange dream. This dream consists of a message that he would meet a girl that he felt for on his second of three visits to a house called Los Xicales. This white house features extensively in the opening portion of the book with a first visit being undertaken.
On the Pathfinder’s final day in Las Palomas, Captain Carey and Sard Harker watch a boxing match. During the match Sard overhears talk between two other spectators that suggest that a Mr Hilary Kingsborough and his sister would come to some harm. After the boxing match Sard goes off to warn the Kingsboroughs of what he has heard. By co-incidence they are renting Los Xicales. The Kingsboroughs do not heed the warning given to them. However, Sard leaves wondering if he has seen the girl that his dream warned him that he would meet at that house.
The major malevolent character of the novel is called Sagrado B. He is a practitioner of black magic and wants Miss Kingsborough to complete one of his satanic rituals. A minor malevolent character and associate of Sagrado B is called Abner Brown.
Unfortunately Sard has little more than minutes to keep his passage on the Pathfinder. The adventure commences proper when Sard takes a wrong turning into a swamp and then having survived that sustains a stingray injury. He has by this time missed his passage and resolves to make his way to Santa Barbara. His endeavours result in his being assaulted and mugged and put onto a freight train that takes him far inland. The majority of the novel is concerned with the protagonist’s ever more arduous struggle to travel across Santa Barbara. This journey involves scenes where minor characters or natural hazards endanger the protagonist’s life. Supernatural or starvation induced hallucinations also feature on three occasions. He is ultimately successful in reaching Santa Barbara where he learns the fate of the Pathfinder.
The novel concludes with a confrontation with Sagrado B. This portion of the novel includes some description of the Satanic rituals that Sagardo B uses and resolves the exact fate of Hilary Kingsborough and his sister.
The Harker Surname
The use of the surname of Harker should not be interpreted as meaning that there is a link between Sard Harker and the Kay Harker of "The Midnight Folk" and "The Box of Delights". The character of Kay Harker is described as being resident in ficitional Condicote (pen name given to Ledbury, Herefordshire) near the fictional county town of Tatchester (the pen name given to Hereford). In contrast Sard Harker is from much further south - Berkshire. It is also noteworthy that in the details of Kay Harker's ancestry in The Midnight Folk it does not refer to a Chisholm Harker.
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