Project Gutenberg 2007-11-08 Public domain in the USA. 221 Hichens, Robert 1864 1950 Hichens, Robert Smythe Hichens, Robert S. (Robert Smythe) The Desert Drum 1905 Produced by David Widger "The Desert Drum" by Robert Hichens is a novel written in the early 20th century. The story takes place in the Sahara Desert, revolving around themes of superstition, fate, and the clash between civilization and primal instincts. It explores the profoundly impactful and mystical nature of the desert, particularly focusing on the local belief in the foreboding "desert drum," which signals impending death. The narrative follows a European traveler as he journeys through the harsh landscape of the Sahara, encountering a Spahi (a French soldier) and a prisoner, M'hammed Bouaziz, who was convicted of murder. After a suspenseful evening marked by the haunting sound of a drum that foreshadows death, the traveler wakes to find the Spahi murdered. M'hammed Bouaziz, the prisoner, has escaped, leaving behind chilling evidence of a crime felt throughout the desert. The story emphasizes the inescapability of fate as Bouaziz's journey ultimately leads him back to the consequences of his actions while intertwining themes of love, desire, and the cultural weight of both the Sahara and its people. (This is an automatically generated summary.) Reading ease score: 81.8 (6th grade). Easy to read. en Short stories Sahara -- Fiction PR Text Category: Adventure Category: Novels 56032 2025-08-10T03:34:07.902999 text/html 53427 2021-02-24T22:34:26 text/html 83745 2025-08-10T03:34:11.562030 application/epub+zip 82455 2025-08-10T03:34:09.511020 application/epub+zip 82455 2025-08-10T03:34:08.467011 application/epub+zip 163141 2025-08-10T03:34:13.137992 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 154918 2025-08-10T03:34:10.964000 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 135685 2022-09-11T05:25:24.055214 application/x-mobipocket-ebook 45520 2025-08-10T03:34:07.641015 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 45490 2016-12-17T13:11:26 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 45079 2007-11-08T09:05:44 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 45070 2007-11-08T09:05:44 text/plain; charset=us-ascii 21954 2025-08-10T03:34:13.293008 application/rdf+xml 11348 2025-08-10T03:34:08.955995 image/jpeg 3141 2025-08-10T03:34:08.707041 image/jpeg 17676 2016-12-17T13:16:48 application/octet-stream application/zip 17581 2007-11-08T09:05:44 application/octet-stream application/zip 19313 2021-02-24T22:34:29 application/octet-stream application/zip 17560 2007-11-08T09:05:44 application/octet-stream application/zip 81345 2025-08-10T03:34:07.908016 application/octet-stream application/zip Archives containing the RDF files for *all* our books can be downloaded at https://book.klll.cc/wiki/Gutenberg:Feeds#The_Complete_Project_Gutenberg_Catalog en.wikipedia