The Man Eaters of Tsavo and Other East African Adventures

J >> J.H. Patterson >> The Man Eaters of Tsavo and Other East African Adventures

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Produced by Charles Hall

THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO AND Other East African Adventures

BY Lieut.-Col. J. H. Patterson, D.S.O.

WITH A FOREWORD BY FREDERICK COURTENEY SELOUS

WITH ILLUSTRATIONS

PREFACE

It is with feelings of the greatest diffidence
that I place the following pages before the public;
but those of my friends who happen to have
heard of my rather unique experiences in the
wilds have so often urged me to write an account
of my adventures, that after much hesitation I at
last determined to do so.

I have no doubt that many of my readers,
who have perhaps never been very far away from
civilisation, will be inclined to think that some
of the incidents are exaggerated. I can only
assure them that I have toned down the facts
rather than otherwise, and have endeavoured to
write a perfectly plain and straightforward
account of things as they actually happened.

It must be remembered that at the time these
events occurred, the conditions prevailing in
British East Africa were very different from what
they are to-day. The railway, which has
modernised the aspect of the place and brought
civilisation in its train, was then only in process of
construction, and the country through which it
was being built was still in its primitive savage
state, as indeed, away from the railway, it still is.

If this simple account of two years' work and
play in the wilds should prove of any interest,
or help even in a small way to call attention to
the beautiful and valuable country which we
possess on the Equator, I shall feel more than
compensated for the trouble I have taken in
writing it.

I am much indebted to the Hon. Mrs. Cyril
Ward, Sir Guilford Molesworth, K.C.I.E.,
Mr. T.J. Spooner and Mr C. Rawson for their
kindness in allowing me to reproduce photographs
taken by them. My warmest thanks are also due
to that veteran pioneer of Africa, Mr. F.C. Selous,
for giving my little book so kindly an
introduction to the public as is provided by the
"Foreword" which he has been good enough
to write.

J.H.P.
August, 1907.

FOREWORD

It was some seven or eight years ago that I
first read, in the pages of The Field newspaper,
a brief account written by Col. J.H. Patterson,
then an engineer engaged on the construction of
the Uganda Railway, of the Tsavo man-eating
lions.

My own long experience of African hunting
told me at once that every word in this thrilling
narrative was absolutely true. Nay more: I
knew that the author had told his story in a most
modest manner, laying but little stress on the
dangers he had run when sitting up at nights
to try and compass the death of the terrible
man-eaters, especially on that one occasion when
whilst watching from a very light scaffolding,
supported only by four rickety poles, he was
himself stalked by one of the dread beasts.
Fortunately he did not lose his nerve, and succeeded
in shooting the lion, just when it was on
the point of springing upon him. But had this
lion approached him from behind, I think it
would probably have added Col. Patterson to its
long list of victims, for in my own experience I
have known of three instances of men having
been pulled from trees or huts built on platforms
at a greater height from the ground than the
crazy structure on which Col. Patterson was
watching on that night of terrors.

From the time of Herodotus until to-day,
lion stories innumerable have been told and
written. I have put some on record myself.
But no lion story I have ever heard or read
equals in its long-sustained and dramatic interest
the story of the Tsavo man-eaters as told by
Col. Patterson. A lion story is usually a tale
of adventures, often very terrible and pathetic,
which occupied but a few hours of one night;
but the tale of the Tsavo man-eaters is an epic
of terrible tragedies spread out over several
months, and only at last brought to an end by
the resource and determination of one man.

It was some years after I read the first
account published of the Tsavo man-eaters that I
made the acquaintance of President Roosevelt.
I told him all I remembered about it, and he
was so deeply interested in the story -- as he is
in all true stories of the nature and
characteristics of wild animals -- that he begged me to
send him the short printed account as published
in The Field. This I did; and it was only in
the last letter I received from him that, referring
to this story, President Roosevelt wrote: "I
think that the incident of the Uganda
man-eating lions, described in those two articles you
sent me, is the most remarkable account of which
we have any record. It is a great pity that it
should not be preserved in permanent form."
Well, I am now glad to think that it will be
preserved in permanent form; and I venture to
assure Col. Patterson that President Roosevelt
will be amongst the most interested readers of
his book.

It is probable that the chapters recounting
the story of the Tsavo man-eating lions will be
found more absorbing than the other portions
of Col. Patterson's book; but I think that most
of his readers will agree with me that the whole
volume is full of interest and information. The
account given by Col. Patterson of how he
overcame all the difficulties which confronted him in
building a strong and permanent railway bridge
across the Tsavo river makes excellent reading;
whilst the courage he displayed in attacking,
single-handed, lions, rhinoceroses and other
dangerous animals was surpassed by the pluck,
tact and determination he showed in quelling
the formidable mutiny which once broke out
amongst his native Indian workers.

Finally, let me say that I have spent the best
part of two nights reading the proof-sheets of
Col. Patterson's book, and I can assure him
that the time passed like magic. My interest
was held from the first page to the last, for I felt
that every word I read was true.

F. C. SELOUS.
WORPLESDON, SURREY.
September 18, 1907.

CONTENTS

CHAPTER I MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO 1
CHAPTER II THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE MAN-EATERS 20
CHAPTER III THE ATTACK ON THE GOODS-WAGON 29
CHAPTER IV THE BUILDING OF THE TSAVO BRIDGE 41
CHAPTER V TROUBLES WITH THE WORKMEN 50
CHAPTER VI THE REIGN OF TERROR 61
CHAPTER VII THE DISTRICT OFFICER'S NARROW ESCAPE 75
CHAPTER VIII THE DEATH OF THE FIRST MAN-EATER 84
CHAPTER IX THE DEATH OF THE SECOND MAN-EATER 95
CHAPTER X THE COMPLETION OF THE TSAVO BRIDGE 108
CHAPTER XI THE SWAHILI AND OTHER NATIVE TRIBES 119
CHAPTER XII A NIGHT AFTER HIPPO 133
CHAPTER XIII A DAY ON THE N'DUNGU ESCARPMENT 145
CHAPTER XIV THE FINDING OF THE MAN-EATERS' DEN 155
CHAPTER XV UNSUCCESSFUL RHINO HUNTS 168
CHAPTER XVI A WIDOW'S STORY 176
CHAPTER XVII AN INFURIATED RHINO 182
CHAPTER XVIII LIONS ON THE ATHI PLAINS 193
CHAPTER XIX THE STRICKEN CARAVAN 210
CHAPTER XX A DAY ON THE ATHI RIVER 221
CHAPTER XXI THE MASAI AND OTHER TRIBES 231
CHAPTER XXII HOW ROSHAN KHAN SAVED MY LIFE 247
CHAPTER XXIII A SUCCESSFUL LION HUNT 264
CHAPTER XXIV BHOOTA'S LAST SHIKAR 273
CHAPTER XXV A MAN-EATER IN A RAILWAY CARRIAGE 286
CHAPTER XXVI WORK AT NAIROBI 293
CHAPTER XXVII THE FINDING OF THE NEW ELAND 300
APPENDIX 323

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS

Heads of Eight Lions shot by the Author in British East Africa Frontispiece
Mombasa, from the Harbour 1
The Native Quarter, Mombasa 2
"Well-wooded hills and slopes on the mainland" 3
Vasco da Gama Street and Pillar 5
"The best way to get three . . . was by gharri 6
"I pitched my tent under some shady palms" 7
"Kilindini is on the opposite side of the island" 10
"The Place of Deep Waters" 11
"A lucky shot brought down the huge bird" 14
"I slept that night in a little palm hut" 15
"This interminable nyika" 17
"The river crossed by means of a temporary bridge" 18
Women of Uganda 19
The tent from which jemadar Ungan Singh was carried off 23
"My own tent was pitched in an open clearing" 29
"We shared a hut of palm leaves and boughs" 30
"The camps of the workmen had also been surrounded by thorn fences" 31
"Railhead Camp, with its two or three thousand workmen" 33
"The two wounded coolies were left where they lay, a piece of
torn tent having fallen over them" 35
"A luncheon served in the wilds, with occasionally a friend
to share it" 43
"It very soon became a great pet" 46
"Heera Singh made a wild spring into the water to get clear
of the falling stone" 47
"The door which was to admit the lion" 62
"When the trap was ready, I pitched a tent over it" 64
"They found him stuck fast in the bushes of the boma" 70
"Perched on the top of water-tanks" 73
"I took up my position in a crib made of sleepers" 77
Whitehead on a Trolley at the exact spot where the Lion
jumped upon him 79
Abdullah and his two Wives 80
A party of Wa Jamousi 83
"His length from tip of nose to tip of tail was nine feet
eight inches" 92
Head of the first Man-Eater 93
"The following evening I took up my position in this same tree" 100
"He measured nine feet 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 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. After giving them some casks of water,
we directed them to Muscat (the port they wished
to make), and our vessel resumed its journey,
leaving them still becalmed in the midst of that
glassy sea. Whether they managed to reach their
destination I never knew.

As our steamer made its way to its anchorage,
the romantic surroundings of the harbour of
Mombasa conjured up, visions of stirring
adventures of the past, and recalled to my mind the
many tales of reckless doings of pirates and
slavers, which as a boy it had been my delight to
read. I remembered that it was at this very place
that in 1498 the great Vasco da Gama nearly lost
his ship and life through the treachery of his Arab
pilot, who plotted to wreck the vessel on the reef
which bars more than half the entrance to the
harbour. Luckily, this nefarious design was
discovered in time, and the bold navigator promptly
hanged the pilot, and would also have sacked
the town but for the timely submission and
apologies of the Sultan. In the principal street
of Mombasa -- appropriately called Vasco da
Gama Street -- there still stands a curiously
shaped pillar which is said to have been erected
by this great seaman in commemoration of his
visit.

Scarcely had the anchor been dropped, when, as
if by magic, our vessel was surrounded by a fleet
of small boats and "dug-outs" manned by crowds
of shouting and gesticulating natives. After a short
fight between some rival Swahili boatmen for my
baggage and person, I found myself being
vigorously rowed to the foot of the landing steps by the
bahareen (sailors) who had been successful in the
encounter. Now, my object in coming out to East
Africa at this time was to take up a position to
which I had been appointed by the Foreign Office
on the construction staff of the Uganda Railway.
As soon as I landed, therefore, I enquired from
one of the Customs officials where the
headquarters of the railway were to be found, and
was told that they were at a place called Kilindini,
some three miles away, on the other side of the
island. The best way to get there, I was further
informed, was by gharri, which I found to be a
small trolley, having two seats placed back to back
under a little canopy and running on narrow rails
which are laid through the principal street of the
town. Accordingly, I secured one of these
vehicles, which are pushed by two strapping
Swahili boys, and was soon flying down the track,
which once outside the town lay for the most part
through dense groves of mango, baobab, banana
and palm trees, with here and there brilliantly
coloured creepers hanging in luxuriant festoons
from the branches.

On arrival at Kilindini, I made my way to the
railway Offices and was informed that I should be
stationed inland and should receive further
instructions in the course of a day or two. Meanwhile I
pitched my tent under some shady palms near the
gharri line, and busied myself in exploring the
island and in procuring the stores and the outfit
necessary for a lengthy sojourn up-country. The
town of Mombasa itself naturally occupied most
of my attention. It is supposed to have been
founded about A.D. 1000, but the discovery of
ancient Egyptian idols, and of coins of the early
Persian and Chinese dynasties, goes to show that
it must at different ages have been settled by
people of the very earliest civilisations. Coming
to more modern times, it was held on and off from
1505 to 1729 by the Portuguese, a permanent
memorial of whose occupation remains in the shape
of the grim old fortress, built about 1593 -- on the
site, it is believed, of a still older stronghold. These
enterprising sea-rovers piously named it "Jesus
Fort," and an inscription recording this is still to
be seen over the main entrance. The Portuguese
occupation of Mombasa was, however, not without
its vicissitudes. From March 15, 1696, for
example, the town was besieged for thirty-three
consecutive months by a large fleet of Arab dhows,
which completely surrounded the island. In spite
of plague, treachery and famine, the little garrison
held out valiantly in Jesus Fort, to which they had
been forced to retire, until December 12, 1698,
when the Arabs made a last determined attack and
captured the citadel, putting the remnant of the
defenders, both men and women, to the sword. It
is pathetic to read that only two days later a large
Portuguese fleet appeared off the harbour, bringing
the long-looked-for reinforcements. After this the
Portuguese made several attempts to reconquer
Mombasa, but were unsuccessful until 1728, when
the town was stormed and captured by General
Sampayo. The Arabs, however, returned the next
year in overwhelming numbers, and again drove
the Portuguese out; and although the latter
made one more attempt in 1769 to regain their
supremacy, they did not succeed.

The Arabs, as represented by the Sultan of
Zanzibar, remain in nominal possession of
Mombasa to the present day; but in 1887 Seyid
Bargash, the then Sultan of Zanzibar, gave for an
annual rental a concession of his mainland
territories to the British East Africa Association, which
in 1888 was formed into the Imperial British East
Africa Company. In 1895 the Foreign Office took
over control of the Company's possessions, and a
Protectorate was proclaimed; and ten years later
the administration of the country was transferred
to the Colonial Office.

The last serious fighting on the island took place
so recently as 1895-6, when a Swahili chief named
M'baruk bin Rashed, who had three times
previously risen in rebellion against the Sultan of
Zanzibar, attempted to defy the British and to
throw off their yoke. He was defeated on several
occasions, however, and was finally forced to flee
southwards into German territory. Altogether,
Mombasa has in the past well deserved its native
name of Kisiwa M'vitaa, or " Isle of War"; but
under the settled rule now obtaining, it is rapidly
becoming a thriving and prosperous town, and as
the port of entry for Uganda, it does a large
forwarding trade with the interior and has several
excellent stores where almost anything, from a
needle to an anchor, may readily be obtained.

Kilindini is, as I have said, on the opposite side
of the island, and as its name -- "the place of deep
waters" -- implies, has a much finer harbour than
that possessed by Mombasa. The channel between
the island and the mainland is here capable of
giving commodious and safe anchorage to the
very largest vessels, and as the jetty is directly
connected with the Uganda Railway, Kilindini
has now really become the principal port, being
always used by the liners and heavier vessels.

I had spent nearly a week in Mombasa, and was
becoming very anxious to get my marching orders,
when one morning I was delighted to receive an
official letter instructing me to proceed to Tsavo,
about one hundred and thirty-two miles from the
coast, and to take charge of the construction of the
section of the line at that place, which had just then
been reached by railhead. I accordingly started
at daylight next morning in a special train with
Mr. Anderson, the Superintendent of Works, and
Dr. McCulloch, the principal Medical Officer;
and as the country was in every way new to me,
I found the journey a most interesting one.

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