The Interlopers

Saki (1870-1916) was a British writer born Hector Hugh Munro in Burma (now Myanmar), which was under British control. (The origin of his pen name is not known, but it may be an allusion to a character in Edward Fitzgerald’s translation of the Rubáiyat of Omar Khayyám, which was very popular at the time.) When he was two, his mother was killed when she was charged by a cow. His father, an inspector general for the Indian Imperial Police, sent young Munro and his two siblings to live with a grandmother and aunts in England. His upbringing there was not only strict but occasionally cruel. Saki frequently drew upon these memories in his stories, either featuring children (or childlike adults) having a clearer view of situations or besting superior-seeming adults and nature, specifically animals, posing a threat to humans. Both of those tropes are present, to varying degrees, in “The Interlopers.”

Saki began his writing career as a journalist, and he traveled around Europe as a foreign correspondent. His travels included Eastern Europe, where this story is set. He also wrote a book on Russian history and political satire, the latter being the more successful venture.