Chapters 25 and 26 Summary and Analysis

In Chapter 25, L'Amour relished his studies about Africa, especially North Africa, the Sahara Desert, Libya and Morocco which was largely inhabited by Arabs and white people known as Berbers. He learned about the influence of the Greek and Roman cultures on the settlement of the African coast. He read about the black empires of the Niger region. He read "Travels in Ethiopia" by David Buxton and "The Ancient Kinds of the Nile" by Brian Fagan among many others.

During the time he worked the mines, he encountered several old miners who had worked the mines in Virginia City, Nevada. During its heyday, Virginia City was an exciting boom town. L'Amour wrote about the Comstock lode that was found there. It was one of the richest mineral finds ever made and made several men millionaires. L'Amour himself participated in the...