I knew the story (TV series 1970) and I was not disappointed the novel as written better than I thought. A fascinating story, an easy writing but technically and geographically relevant, necessarily a favorable context (beginning of the century, the Ottoman emire, the Red Sea, colonization, trafficking of all kinds). I invite to read the other stories because it Monfreid, although sympathetic, has its dark side: close to his sailors, Ethiopians and "Djibouti" for most, it is able to expound on the "races" without malice no, but man its time, can not help to classify: Arabs, Jews, Creole, Italian, ... with their qualities and defects. Ah, slavery practiced by the Arabs and Muslims will shock right thinking, but the story is true, as is the colonization practiced forced labor ... ... Read so carefully, as if he can sometimes appear in other novels rather fascist (Mussolini love) even racist (Creoles), it is hated white people in Djibouti because he lives with the natives and as the natives. An ambiguous and paradoxical man. Take it as a testimony of a man at a time. The adventure is present, the Jules Verne, review or Kessel Loti ... And thank you to Pratt for his call coverage.
