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Exact textual stateDraft

Guns of Khartum

Part of Guns of Khartum

StateDraft 2Surviving witnesses1TSS catalogue units21
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

Emmett CorcoranEmmett Corcoran — American ivory hunter and defender of Khartum in Guns of KhartumOn Pagefirst: Opening sentence.Gerard LatourGerard Latour — French renegade and Mahdist agent in Guns of KhartumOn Pagefirst: Ruth names him while explaining her situation; he later appears during the sack of Khartum.GordonGordon — Gordon, defender/leader at Khartum, reported dead in Guns of KhartumMentionedfirst: Zelda tells Corcoran that Gordon is dead.Ruth BrentonRuth Brenton — English woman trapped in Khartum and later Omdurman in Guns of KhartumOn Pagefirst: Introduces herself to Corcoran.The MahdiThe Mahdi — Mahdist leader called Muhammad in Guns of KhartumOn Pagefirst: Referenced throughout and physically confronted by Corcoran in the palace.ZeldaZelda — Somali servant/half-caste in Guns of KhartumOn Pagefirst: Ruth identifies her after Corcoran interrupts the attack.

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 2-CC — surviving yellow-paper copyHoward typescript
Extent19 pagesCompletenessComplete

Physical extent: Complete 19-page untitled yellow-paper copy; apparently final draft; TSS run includes additional attempts

TSS: 10479–10499

Untitled complete 19-page copy on yellow paper, editorially labelled Draft 2-CC and apparently representing the final draft.

Additional documentary notes

  • Untitled Witness: First Cuts describes Draft 2-CC as untitled. (witness level)
  • Copy Characteristic: The witness is a complete 19-page copy on yellow paper, editorially labelled Draft 2-CC and apparently representing the final draft. (whole witness)
  • Alternate Attempt: TSS 10484 appears to be a second attempt at TSS 10483. (TSS 10483 / 10484) · Possible
  • False Start: TSS 10490, page 10, appears to have been begun and abandoned; the sheet was then turned over and page 10 restarted. (page 10 / TSS 10490) · Possible
  • External Alternate Leaf: A separate originally typed page 5 survives at TSS 65882 and appears to be an abandoned/alternate attempt related to Draft 2-CC. (page 5 / TSS 65882)
  • External False Start Leaf: A separate originally typed page 10 survives at TSS 45067 and may be regarded as a false start related to Draft 2-CC. (page 10 / TSS 45067)

Source: First Cuts: The Veiled Manuscripts v1.4, Guns of Khartum, Editorial Notes p. 301; Draft 2 pp. 321–337

Published in

The Veiled Manuscripts - First Cuts: The Drafts and FragmentsREH Foundation PressJune 2026 (paperback) est. July 27, 2026 (hardcover)↗