His Unconquerable Enemy

by W.C. Morrow

His Unconquerable Enemy is a dark and compelling short story by W.C. Morrow, first published in The Argonaut on March 11, 1889. It is widely regarded as Morrow's most notable work and remains a classic in the genre of horror and suspense.

Unknown Binding

About the author

William Chambers Morrow (7 July 1854, Selma, Alabama – 1923) was an American writer, now noted mainly for his short stories of horror and suspense.

Reviews

[Tom · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story is told by a doctor (presumably British) who is summoned to the heart of India to perform a difficult surgical operation on one of the women of a great rajah's household. Upon successful completion of the operation the grateful nobleman asks him to remain as a guest. The doctor then is witnesses to a strange drama.

The rajah has a servant named Neranya who is "extremely alert, nervous and sensitive." Neranya also has a hot temper and when he stabs a dwarf to death in some quarrel, the rajah orders the punishment of having his offending right arm cut off. This upsets Neranya, and with his temper erupting he attempts to stab his master, so the rajah orders his other arm amputated. Allowed to remain on the palace staff, the armless Neranya trains himself to use his legs, feet and toes with amazing dexterity, as others in such circumstances have done. But he has not been humbled and seeks revenge on the rajah.

Sure enough, one morning the rajah's young son is found dead in bed, horribly mutilated and with both arms severed. The shock nearly kills the old rajah, but he retaliates and orders Neranya's legs amputated at the torso. So now the killer is just a torso and head, fed and bathed and kept alive in a small cage of ironwork ten feet above the floor of the palace and with astonishing ingenuity and perseverance, Neranya is still plotting his vengeance upon the rajah.

[Amelia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wow. The ethics of a story like this (disability as a punishment/spectacle) nag at the back of my mind but I also understand the historical context that comes into play (pub. 1889). Riveting! This is the first piece my dad chose that I actually liked. His picks tend to have endings that I think are obvious or not well-earned. This one shares the same cheesy full-circle irony but it ultimately comes together for me. Gaudy, gory, and haunting.


Buddy read with my dad. Piece #7, his choice.

[Matthew Gleason · Rating 5 out of 5]

A truly excellent little nightmare.