One little, two little, three little Indians,
Four little, five little, six little Indians,
Seven little, eight little, nine little Indians,
Ten little Indian boys,
Ten little, nine little, eight little Indians,
Seven little, six little, five little Indians,
Four little, three little, two little Indians,
One little Indian boy.
So went the popular children's song "Ten Little Indians," which, despite its seemingly innocent lyrics, has its origins in a more sinister context. The song is a lullaby that was adapted from an old American slave song, which in turn was based on the cumulative tale "Ten Little Injuns" by author Lydia Maria Child, published in 1844. The song tells the story of ten Native American boys who die one by one, with the last line often being changed to "And then there were none," which is also the title of a famous mystery novel by Agatha Christie.
The novel "And Then There Were None," published in 1939, is one of Christie's most renowned works and is considered a masterpiece of the detective genre. It tells the story of ten people who are lured to an isolated island and proceed to die, each killed in a manner corresponding to the nursery rhyme "Ten Little Indians." The book has been adapted into numerous films, plays, and television series, maintaining its popularity and influence over time.
