Prester John

The 1910 adventure book Prester John was written by Scottish novelist John Buchan. It narrates the tale of a young Scotsman named David Crawfurd and his exploits in South Africa where a Zulu insurrection led by the ebullient black pastor John Laputa is connected to the medieval legend of Prester John. The year of publishing (1900) serves as the period for the setting. Laputa the enemy is first encountered by Crawfurd while conducting a ceremony on the beach at Kirkcaple a seaside town. As a result of his interactions with Laputa and a Portuguese guy named Henriques Crawfurd progressively learns of illicit diamond smuggling as well as a planned uprising of the local natives including the Zulu and Swazi people under the leadership of Laputa. Crawfurd is taken prisoner but after relaying information to Captain Arcoll he escapes during an ambush and takes the necklet from Henriques who is attempting to take it for himself. While everything is going on Crawfurd goes back to the cave and discovers the cunning Henriques dead outside strangled by Laputa.