Between Snow and Fire

"Tween Snow and Fire" by Bertram Mitford is an adventure novel set in South Africa. The narrative opens with a hunting scene in which a white settler, Tom Carhayes, witnesses Kafir workers illegally hunting a steinbok antelope using dogs and kerries. When Carhayes attempts to stop them and shoot the offending hound, the lead Kafir—identified as Hlangani, a man of Chief Sarili's house—defies him. After Carhayes kills the white dog, Hlangani attacks, sparking violent confrontation. The narrative, structured in forty-seven chapters, develops through themes of colonial conflict, romantic entanglement, and supernatural elements: chapters address love ("Love Setting Unawares"), warfare ("The War-Dance"), witchcraft ("The Witch-Doctress"), and military tension ("The Last Cartridge"), culminating in mysterious revelations and searches. The serial combines action, romantic drama, and period colonial setting conventions typical of Victorian adventure fiction.