285
He Was Kept On View For Several Days, And Then Shot 291
Impala 292
"I Took A Photograph Of
Him standing reside his fine trophy" 295
"Succeeded in finishing him off without further trouble" 297
Steamer unloading at Kisumu,
On Lake Victoria Nyanza 299
The Grand Falls, Tana River 300
Shimone, "The Place of Falling Water" (Eldama Ravine) 301
Oryx 302
Roan Antelope 303
"An excellent, cheery fellow . . . named Landaalu" 304
Crossing a Stream on the Cook's Box 305
Crossing the Angarua River 307
Reedbuck 309
The New Eland - T. oryx pattersonianus 316
Thomson's Gazelle 321
War Canoe on Lake Victoria Nyanza, near the Ripon Falls 325
Preparing Breakfast in Camp 326
View in the Kenya Province 331
"A flying visit in a rickshaw to Kampala" 332
"Clad in long flowing cotton garments" 333
Jinja 334
"Rushing over the Ripon Falls" 335
"The mighty river stretching away to the north amid
enchanting scenery" 337
Wa Kikuyu Warriors 346
Map of British East Africa 347
Facsimile of address presented to the author on his departure
from East Africa in 1899 348-351
THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO
CHAPTER I
MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO
It was towards noon on March 1, 1898, that I
first found myself entering the narrow and
somewhat dangerous harbour of Mombasa, on the east
coast of Africa. The town lies on an island of the
same name, separated from the mainland only by
a very narrow channel, which forms the harbour;
and as our vessel steamed slowly in, close under
the quaint old Portuguese fortress built over
three hundred years ago, I was much struck
with the strange beauty of the view which
gradually opened out before me. Contrary to
my anticipation, everything looked fresh and
green, and an oriental glamour of enchantment
seemed to hang over the island. The old
town was bathed in brilliant sunshine and
reflected itself lazily on the motionless sea; its flat
roofs and dazzlingly white walls peeped out
dreamily between waving palms and lofty
cocoanuts, huge baobabs and spreading mango trees;
and the darker background of well-wooded hills
and slopes on the mainland formed a very effective
setting to a beautiful and, to me, unexpected
picture.
The harbour was plentifully sprinkled with Arab
dhows, in some of which, I believe, even at the
present day, a few slaves are occasionally smuggled
off to Persia and Arabia. It has always been a
matter of great wonder to me how the navigators of
little vessels find their way from port to port,
as they do, without the aid of either compass or
sextant, and how they manage to weather the
terrible storms that at certain seasons of the year
suddenly visit eastern seas. I remember once
coming across a dhow becalmed in the middle of
the Indian Ocean, and its crew making signals of
distress, our captain slowed down to investigate.
There were four men on board, all nearly dead
from thirst; they had been without drink of any
kind for several days and had completely lost their
bearings.
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