The Man-Eaters of Tsavo | Page 3

six inches from tip of nose to
tip of tail, and stood three feet eleven and a half inches high"103 "The

bridge over the Tsavo rapidly neared completion" 108 "The heavy
stones were swung into position" 109 "The girder was run over its
exact place" 110 "And finally lowered gently into position" 111 "Very
soon I had the satisfaction of seeing the first train cross the finished
work" 112 The completed Tsavo bridge 113 One of the Trolley Lines
after the Flood 114 Swahili Caravan Porters 120 "Such was my cook,
Mabruki" 122 The women . . . wear a long, brightly-coloured cloth"
123 "The women attire themselves only in a short kilt" 125 "We arrived
at M'Gogo's capital" 126 "Making pombe in the hollowed-out stump of
a tree" 127 Wa Taita Men 129 M'Kamba Woman 131 "Until it joins the
Athi River" 136 "The banks of the Sabaki are lined with trees" 138 "I
caught sight of a fine waterbuck and successfully bowled him over"
146 "A young one was lying down in the grass quite close to me" 147
A crocodile on the Sabaki 153 "Beyond all doubt, the man-eaters' den!"
158 "Watch the animals come down to drink" 161 "The antelope
swinging by his feet" 165 Hippo Head 167 "Slaves chained neck to
neck as was the custom" 174 Hospital Tent at Voi where Mrs. O'Hara
rested 178 In the Bazaar at Kampala 181 "The great Athi Plains" 182
"First the earth surface has to be prepared" 184 "Cuttings have to be
made and hollows banked up" 185 "Another gang drops the rails in
their places" 187 "It never moved again" 190 "The trophy was well
worth the pains I had taken to add it to my collection" 191 Jackson's
Hartebeeste, and Zebra 194 Waterbuck 195 "Fortunately the brute fell
dead after this final effort" 201 "We managed to bring them in triumph
to the camp" 214 "I got near enough for a safe shot, which bowled the
antelope over stone-dead" 218 Wart-hog 220 "A successful snapshot of
an impala just after it had been shot" 228 A Masai Chief 232 Masai
Warriors 233 Masai Woman 234 Masai Girls 235 Masai Women 237
N'derobbo Boy 239 N'derobbo Boy, with Collabus Monkey 240
N'derobbo Girl 241 Wa Kikuyu 244 "The women of the Wa Kikuyu
carry the heavy loads" 245 "Spooner's plucky servant, Imam Din" 281
A Collection of Trophies 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