Les enfants des bois

by Mayne Reid

"Les enfants des bois" by Mayne Reid is a novel likely written in the mid-19th century. The story, set in the English colony of the Cape of Good Hope, follows the life of Hendrik Von Bloom, a former officer turned farmer, and his family as they navigate the challenges of their harsh environment, including conflicts with indigenous peoples and the struggles posed by nature. The themes of survival, resilience, and the relationship between settlers and indigenous cultures appear to be central to the narrative. The opening of the novel introduces us to Hendrik Von Bloom, a boor (farmer) who has a rich backstory, including his previous life as an officer in a Dutch regiment. Now living beyond the Orange River with his three sons and his daughter Gertrude, the family faces the difficulties of farming in a harsh landscape made more challenging by the loss of much of their livestock due to the changing political climate and natural disasters. As they work to rebuild their lives, the arrival of a devastating migration of locusts threatens their meager harvest, prompting a desperate search for sustenance while weaving in elements of family dynamics and the looming threat of wild animals in their isolated world.