Textual identity is not textual authority. “Catalogue primary/default” selects the default catalogue representation; it does not mean that this wording is automatically Howard’s most authoritative text.
Characters in this exact text
Ahmed ibn SuleymanAhmed ibn Suleiman — Shaykh Ali's agent/spy used in the trap for Clanton in Desert BloodOn Pagefirst: Zouza names him as the supposed lion-hunting guide.AyishaAyisha — Bedouin woman who aids and becomes involved with Clanton in Desert BloodOn Pagefirst: Introduced in the tent scene.HassanHassan — father of Yussef in Desert BloodMentionedfirst: Ayisha calls Yussef the son of Hassan.Miss Augusta EvansMiss Augusta Evans — New England schoolteacher travelling in North Africa in Desert BloodOn Pagefirst: Clanton encounters her in Tebessa.Muhammad PashaMuhammad Pasha — Turkish adventurer in Tripoli; brother of Zulaykha in Desert BloodMentionedfirst: Ayisha identifies Zulaykha as his sister.Shaykh Ali ibn ZahirShaykh Ali ibn Zahir — Bedouin chief in Desert BloodOn Pagefirst: Named before Clanton reaches his camp.Wild Bill ClantonWild Bill ClantonOn Pagefirst: Opening paragraph.YussefYussef — guide/boy associated with Miss Augusta Evans; son of Hassan in Desert BloodMentionedfirst: Ayisha recounts meeting him.ZouzaZouza — Tebessa woman who lures Clanton into the lion-hunting trap in Desert BloodOn Pagefirst: Opening scene.ZulakhaZulaykha — wife of Shaykh Ali and sister of Muhammad Pasha in Desert BloodOn Pagefirst: Ayisha first names her before Clanton reaches the camp.
Surviving manuscript evidence
The records below describe surviving physical typescripts, carbons, manuscript material and documentary catalogue evidence for this exact textual state. TSS numbers identify physical catalogue units; they are not story or draft IDs.
Draft 1 — surviving Howard typescriptHoward typescript
Extent9 pagesCompletenessComplete
Physical extent: Complete 9-page untitled typescript; dwindles almost into synopsis form near the end
TSS: 61955–61963
Complete untitled Howard typescript.
Additional documentary notes
- Untitled Witness: First Cuts describes Draft 1 as untitled. (witness level)
- Textual Mode Shift: The complete draft dwindles almost into synopsis form near the end. (near end of witness)
Source: First Cuts: The Veiled Manuscripts v1.4, Desert Blood, Editorial Notes p. 129; Draft 1 pp. 133–141
