Recently found amongst some obscure papers of (surprisingly) H.P. Lovecraft, this new manuscript chronicles a complex and mysterious quest deep into the deserts of Ethiopia in 1872 accompanied by his man-servant Hans and a host of the nineteenth century's most prodigious luminaries-among them explorer and linguist Sir Richard Burton, astronomer Maria Mitchell, and volcanologist Axel Lindenbrock. In the midst of all the danger faced, close calls, magnificent landscapes, wry humor, stern and practical questioning, and even a lost city, Quatermain documents several thrilling incidents, including his finding, no less than the very essence of the meaning of life, which he then-as he frequently did-discounts as a wizard's trick! And, and of course, along the way, Quatermain crosses paths with-not one but two of the greatest detectives of his era!