A Secret of the Lebombo

In Short

Set against the rugged brush and borderlands of South Africa and Zululand, this colonial adventure follows Wyvern, a down-on-his-luck farmer facing financial ruin and the loss of his beloved estate, Seven Kloofs. Desperate to prove himself worthy to marry Lalante Le Sage—despite the bitter opposition of her pragmatic father—Wyvern joins forces with his trusted comrade, Joe Fleetwood. Together, they trek into hazardous native territories to unearth a hidden fortune in gems and gold, braving ruthless desperadoes, snake-tormentors, and tribal rivalries. It endures as a vivid, suspenseful tale of frontier grit, romance, and moral endurance.

The Story

The story opens in a heat-soaked valley where Wyvern, owner of the Seven Kloofs farm, catches two men butchering one of his sheep red-handed. The incident underscores Wyvern's desperate situation: he is tottering on the brink of complete financial ruin. Though deeply in love with Lalante Le Sage, he feels it is unfair to bind her to a broken man. Lalante's wealthy and practical father, Vincent Le Sage, strongly disapproves of the engagement, viewing Wyvern as an incurable failure who will never succeed. Adding to Wyvern's troubles is Warren, the smooth, popular attorney in Gydisdorp who secretly covets Lalante and works behind the scenes to buy up Wyvern's debts and foreclose on his land.

Determined to change his fortunes, Wyvern answers a call from his loyal friend, Joe Fleetwood. Fleetwood reveals a secret: a buried fortune of gems and bar gold hidden in the remote, perilous borderlands of Northern Zululand. Wyvern bids a tearful farewell to Lalante at their favorite shaded rock-face, promising to return whether he finds riches or deeper misfortune.

The quest is fraught with peril from the outset. Wyvern and Fleetwood are shadowed and harassed by "Bully Rawson" (alias Jonathan Baldock or Jim Bexley), a murderous border desperado secretly manipulated by Warren. Deep in the wilderness, the travelers contend with deadly snakes, tropical fevers, and the complex political unrest between Zulu factions led by royal figures like Dabulamanzi. Wyvern narrowly escapes death multiple times—first when a heavy tree trunk is dropped in his path, then from a hidden explosive trap, and later when he is captured and subjected to psychological torture by a mysterious "Snake-Doctor" who unleashes venomous reptiles to glide over his body. Facing a giant black mamba face-to-face, Wyvern reaches a point of sheer indifference to fear, displaying the quiet fortitude that sees him through every ordeal.

Guided by the Zulu warrior Hlabulana, Wyvern and Fleetwood finally locate the cache. Digging into the damp earth, they unearth rotting leather bags filled with raw gold bars and a staggering array of sparkling gems—rubies, emeralds, opals, and top-tier diamonds. Rawson attempts to intervene, but his past catches up with him; Warren double-crosses the desperado, ultimately setting a trap that leads to Rawson's arrest and execution for previous barbaric murders.

With their newfound fortune secured, Wyvern returns to claim Seven Kloofs and marry Lalante. News arrives that Warren has met a sudden, tragic end, though his heroic act of saving Lalante's young brother from a roaring flood is remembered alongside his demise. Discarding past hardships, Wyvern and Lalante step out into a divine evening together, their union anchored by proven devotion and lasting security.

How It Unfolds

The shadow of ruin Wyvern catches sheep-stealers on his property and confronts the reality that he is facing total bankruptcy. He offers to release his devoted fiancée, Lalante Le Sage, from their engagement, but she passionately refuses to abandon him.

A father's cold disdain Vincent Le Sage marks the horse tracks on the road and resolves to put an end to his daughter's courtship with a man he considers a chronic failure. Meanwhile, the scheming attorney Warren plots to seize Wyvern's land while harboring his own secret obsession with Lalante.

The promise of fortune In Durban, Wyvern meets his comrade Joe Fleetwood, who reveals a secret plan to search for a hidden cache of buried gold and precious gems in the remote Lebombo region. Wyvern bids Lalante an emotional farewell in a shaded kloof, promising to return.

Peril in the wilderness Trekking into Zululand amid tense tribal rivalries, the expedition faces constant sabotage from Bully Rawson, a ruthless border outlaw. Wyvern narrowly survives a falling tree, a explosive trap, and a terrifying trial by poisonous snakes orchestrated by a native Snake-Doctor.

The treasure unburied Guided by Hlabulana, Wyvern and Fleetwood dig beneath the earth and uncover rotting leather bags filled with gold bars, rubies, emeralds, and diamonds. The discovery guarantees them wealth enough to rebuild their lives and save Seven Kloofs.

Retribution and return Bully Rawson is captured and hanged for past crimes after being betrayed by Warren, while Warren himself meets an unexpected, fatal end. His debts cleared and his fortune secured, Wyvern returns to Lalante to begin their life together.

The People

• Wyvern: A mature, principled farmer whose lack of business acumen brings him to the brink of bankruptcy. Driven by an intense devotion to Lalante, he endures extreme physical hardship, dangerous wildlife, and psychological terror in Zululand to secure a future worthy of her.
• Lalante Le Sage: A passionate, fiercely loyal young woman who refuses to give up on Wyvern despite his financial ruin. She stands up to her pragmatic father, rejects alternative suitors, and remains a constant source of emotional strength for her fiancé throughout his absence.
• Vincent Le Sage: Lalante’s wealthy, hard-headed father. Practical to a fault, he holds a strong contempt for chronic failures and actively attempts to break off the engagement between his daughter and Wyvern, preferring a secure match.
• Warren: The prominent, popular attorney of Gydisdorp who hides a manipulative nature behind a genial facade. He secretly collects Wyvern's debts to force him off his farm while pining for Lalante, ultimately meeting a tragic end after engineering the downfall of his ruthless accomplice.
• Joe Fleetwood: Wyvern’s cool-headed, intensely loyal friend who credits Wyvern with saving his life during past campaigning. He initiates the quest for the Lebombo treasure and provides practical, steady support throughout their dangerous expedition.
• Bully Rawson (Jonathan Baldock): A dangerous, violent border desperado with multiple aliases. He acts as the main physical threat on the trail, attempting murder and sabotage before his past crimes catch up with him on the gallows.

In Its Own Voice

"Two Kafirs were engaged in the congenial, to them, occupation of butchering a sheep. Not a pleasant sight we have said, but to this man doubly unpleasant, for this was one of his own sheep--not the first by several, as he suspected."

— The opening discovery that highlights Wyvern's compounding losses at Seven Kloofs.

"I am ruined," he said. "Is it fair to bind you to a broken and ruined man, one who, short of a miracle, will never be anything else?"

— Wyvern confronting Lalante with the grim reality of his financial collapse.

"Until this was reached Wyvern underwent the tensest of its torments. Instinctively he turned from side to side with every movement of the horrible reptiles, then, when he found himself staring into the countenance of a great black mamba within a yard of his own the point of indifference was reached."

— The intense climax of Wyvern's psychological trial at the hands of the Snake-Doctor.

What It's Really About

At its core, A Secret of the Lebombo examines the tension between economic worth and personal integrity. Vincent Le Sage and Attorney Warren represent a late-nineteenth-century colonial mindset that measures a man’s value strictly by his balance sheet and worldly success. Wyvern, by contrast, embodies a quieter moral strength: he is a poor businessman, but his loyalty, physical courage, and unyielding code of honor make him truly wealthy in the eyes of Lalante. The narrative explores how true fortune is earned not merely by unearthing physical gems, but by enduring trials of character with patience and stoicism. It asks whether a man can maintain his humanity and principles when squeezed between ruthless modern creditors and the raw, unforgiving wilderness of the frontier.

Why Read It Today

Readers who appreciate classic Victorian adventure and colonial frontier fiction will find much to admire in Bertram Mitford’s tale. The novel offers a vivid, atmospheric portrait of the late 19th-century South African landscape, filled with rich descriptions of sun-drenched valleys, high-banked rivers, and the wild terrain of Zululand. Mitford writes with a keen ear for suspense, orchestrating genuinely tense set-pieces—most notably the harrowing trial-by-snakes that tests the hero's psychological limits.

The book does reflect the era in which it was written, carrying the period attitudes, racial terminology, and colonial perspectives typical of 1800s popular adventure fiction. Modern readers should expect dated depictions of native South Africans and regional slang. However, beneath its period tropes lies an engaging, fast-paced romance and survival narrative. What stays with you is the unpretentious dignity of its protagonist and the sheer thrill of a classic treasure hunt conducted against heavy odds. It is an honest, gripping read for anyone who enjoys old-school tales of wilderness endurance and romantic devotion.