4 WHITE KING W EAST AFRICA TOHN BOYES :^.^^ 0^ ^^^ '^ O. ^ , . -^ .A 1 .-A T^ ,1 r--. « ^ ^i^^^ fO^ ''^ '-^i c^ ^-^ ^^"^ ^- ^ . ^^b. 0^ m0. ^A v^'' ^^ .0 0^ s''^^ "•c/^ '^. .< .^^ 9^ '% ,0o^ % "^A V^ ^^ ^c^. "oO^ .0^ . .. ^ --/ > %- ^■^"\- ,.3 ^ {All rights reserved,) i H TO WILLIAM NORTHROP McMILLAN IN MEMORY OF MANY TRAMPS TOGETHER h EDITOR'S PREFACE THE following pages describe a life of adventure in the more remote parts of Africa— adventures such as the explorer and sportsmen do not generally encounter. The man to whom the episodes narrated in this book refer h^s been personally known to me for ten years. We have hunted big game and explored together many a time in the African jungle ; and as it is principally at my instigation that he has put the following account of his experi- ences into writing, I think it is due to him and to the public that I should make known my responsibility in the matter. It seemed to me that the adventures John Boyes underwent were something quite out of the common ; in these matter-of-fact days they may be said to be almost unique. In the days vii viii JOHN BOYES of exploration and discovery, when Captain Cook and such heroes lived and thrived, they were perhaps comtnon enough; but every year the opportunities of such adventure get more and more remote, and as the uttermost parts, of the earth are brought under the influence of civiliza- tion will become ever more impossible. For this reason alone a story such as told here seems to be worth recording. There is no attempt at literary style. The man tells his tale in a simple, matter-of-fact way, and, as his Editor, I have thought it better from every point of view to leave his words as he has written them. The reader will judge for himself as to the interest of the adventures here related, but I think any one will admit that no ordinary force of character was necessary to carry them through to a successful issue. The whole life of the author during the time he was a wanderer in the Kikuyu country, and later while he was practically supreme ruler of the tribe—a tribe numbering half a million of people— was one of imminent daily risk. EDITOR'S PREFACE ix Each hour he went about with his life in his hands, and if he came out scatheless from the mel^e, he has only to thank his courage, nerve, and 'resource. AH these qualities he obviously possessed in a high degree. He appears to have been harshly treated by the British East Africa authorities. Doubtless much that he did was grossly misrepresented to them by more or less interested parties. He certainly did yeoman's service to the colony in its early days by opening up an unknown and hostile country which lay right on the border- land of the Uganda Railway, at that time in course of construction. His energetic action enabled the coolies on the line to work safe from many hostile attacks. He supplied them with the food without which they would have starved— all for a very small reward, and at great personal risk to himself. But the love of adventure was in him, and such people do not work for profit alone. The life itself brings its own reward. An impartial observer will perhaps be able to understand the point of view of the British X JOHN BOYES Administration, and will appreciate their diffi- culty, indeed their ability, to allow an independent white power to rule beside their own ; but the public will judge for themselves whether they set about to do what they did with regard to John Boyes in the most tactful way, or whether they treated a brave fellow-country- man in the manner he deserved. C. W. L. B. August, 191 1. Chap: CONTENTS I HAPTER I . . . . . . . .1 Early youth — I run away to sea on a fishing-boat — Hard- ships of the life — Take service on a tugboat — Life on board a tramp — First view of tropical African coast — A collision at sea — Land at Durban, 1895 Chapter II . . . . . . .17 4 I work my way up-country to Matabeleland — Employed ^ as fireman on engine — Reach Johannesburg — Trek the rest of the way to Bulawayo on foot — Take service in the Matabeleland Mounted Police — Join the Africander Corps JL engaged in putting down the rebellion — Go into trade .11 in Bulawayo — Return to the coast — I take to the stage W — Work my way on an Arab dhow to Mombasa, February, m 1898 — Cool official reception Chapter III . . . . . . .38 1898 — Determine to organize a transport caravan on the Uganda Railway route, to carry provisions for the coolies working on the railway — Man-eating lions at railway con- struction camps — Reach the borderland of the Masai and Kikuyu tribes — Desertion of my men — Return to Railhead — Start out again with convoys for Uganda — Loss of my transport animals — Decide to enter the Kikuyu country. Chapter IV . . . . . . .76 Government official tries to prevent me going into the Kikuyu country — Give the official the slip — My first acquaintance with the Kikuyu — Meet Karuri, the Kikuyu chief — Hospitable reception — Kikuyu village attacked because of my presence in it — I help to beat off the attack — Successful trading — Build a house in the Kikuyu village xii JOHN BOYES PAGE — Native theory as to the origin of the Kikuyu race— I help defend my Kikuyu friends from hostile raids, and beat off the enemy — Benefit of my conciliatory counsels — Pigasangi and blood-brotherhood Chapter V ....... ioi Am established in the country — Native festivities and dances — Troubadours — Musical quickness of the natives — Dearth of musical instruments —My attempts at military organization — Hostile rumours — Preparations for resisting attack — Great battle and defeat of the attacking tribes — Victory due to skilful tactics of my Kikuyu force — Succeed in taking a large convoy of provisions into the starving Government stations — White men attacked and killed — Am supreme in the tribe — Native poisons — Although I am supplying the Government stations with food, I get no recognition at the hands of the officials Chapter VI . . . . . . .124 Determine to extend my operations into more remote districts of the Kikuyu country — New friends — Native taste for tea — Plague of ants — Curious superstition with regard to milking cows — The Kalyera reject my friendly overtures — Trouble at headquarters — Tragic interview with a recalcitrant chief — Gain further prestige thereby — Further plans — Take my Kikuyu followers down to Mombasa — Their impressions in contact with civilization Chapter VII . . . . . . .149 Back again in the Kikuyu country — Kalyera raid — Effect of a mule on the native nerve — Does it eat men ? — Prepare for a new expedition — Dress my men in khaki and march under the Union Jack — A hostile medicine man — Around Mount Kenia — Native drinks — Treacherous native attack on my camp — Lucky capture of the hostile chief saves the camp — Pursuit after stolen cattle — Another attack on my camp — Change of attitude of natives on account of rain — Peace again — Bury my ivory — The forest slopes of Mount Kenia — Wagombi's — A powerful chief — Precau- tions — Establish myself and erect a fort Chapter VIII . . . . . . .189 The Wanderobo — Visit from the Wanderobo chief — Native bartering — A grand meeting of surrounding tribes for blood-brotherhood under my auspices — Dancing frenzy ♦ » CONTENTS xiii PAG» — Native ideas of a future life — Again trek for the un- known — Attacked by natives — Chief's admonition — Decide to visit the Wanderobo chief Olomondo — Wanderobo gluttony — The honey bird — Wanderobo methods of hunt- ing — Massacre of a Goanese safari — My narrow escape — General uprising of hostile tribes — Rise of the Chinga tribes against me — My precarious position — Successful sally and total defeat of the enemy — My blood-brother, the Kikuyu chieftain, comes to my aid with thousands of armed men — Total extinction of the Chinga people Chapter IX ....... 233 My control over the whole country now complete — Get back with my ivory to Karuri's — Recover all the property of the murdered Goanese — My position recognized by all the chiefs — Violent death of my enemy, the Rain- maker — Peaceful rule — Try to improve the agriculture of the country — Imitators of my schemes cause trouble in the country — Troubles of a ruler — Outbreak of small- pox — Famine — My attempts at alleviating the distress misunderstood — Daily routine in a native village — " Sin vomiting " — Native customs — Native hospitality among themselves — Adventures with Hons Chapter X ...... . 279 Government send an expedition into my country to take over the administration — Go with my followers to meet the Government officials — Am asked to disarm my followers by the Government officials, who are in a state of panic— Consent to this to allay their fears, and am then put under arrest — Am charged with "dacoity" — Am sent down to Mombasa to be tried, and placed in the gaol — Am released on bail — Tried and acquitted — I am appointed intelligence officer and guide to a Govern- ment expedition into the Kalyera country Chapter XI . . . . . . .295 Origin of the Kikuyu — The family — Circumcision — Mar- riage — Land tenure — Missionaries Index . . . . . . . .317 ILLUSTRATIONS JOHN BOYES ..... Frontispiece FACING PAGE MASAI WARRIORS FROM NAIVASHA ... 48 AN ANT-HILL . . . . . • 5^ KIKUYU WARRIOR . . . . . 80 WA-KIKUYU MAIDENS . . . . . 82 ' THE RIVER MORANDAT . . . . 100 A GROUP OF MASAI WARRIORS . . . .112 A GROUP OF WA-KIKUYU PORTERS AND THE AUTHOR I92 A DEAD RHINO ..... 208 WA-KIKUYU WOMEN POUNDING SUGAR-CANE FOR MAKING NATIVE DRINK ..... 240 RIVER SCENERY ...... 264 WAKAMBA WOMEN ..... 3OO MAP OF THE WA-KIKUYU LAND .... 314 JOHN BOYES, KING OF THE WA-KIKUYU CHAPTER I Early youth — I run away to sea on a fishing-boat — Hard- ships of the life — Take service on a tugboat — Life on board a tramp — First view of tropical African coast — A collision at sea — Land at Durban, 1895 THIS book is simply an attempt to set down, in a plain and straightforward manner, some account of the various experiences and adventures of the author during a period of some fifteen years spent in hunting, trading, and exploring, principally on the eastern side of the African continent. The title has been suggested by some episodes in the narrative, the main facts of which are within the recollection of many of the white men now in British East Africa. These episodes caused somewhat of a stir at the time, and the author had to stand his trial before the local courts on a capital charge as a direct consequence of the facts here narrated . cx 2 JOHN BOYES I was born at Hull, in the East Riding of Yorkshire, on 1 1 May, 1874, so that at the time of writing this book I am still a comparatively young man. I lived there with my parents until I was six years of age, when I was sent to Germany to be educated at the little town of Engelfingen, where my parents had some relatives living, and it was here that I received all the schooling I have ever had. This early education has left its mark on me, and even at the present day I sometimes find it diffi- cult to express myself correctly in English— a fact, I hope, an indulgent public will take into consideration . At the age of thirteen my schooling in Germany ended, and I returned home to my parents, who wished me to continue my school- days in Hull, as I had received no English education whatever ; but I strongly objected to going to school again, and, evading their efforts to control me, spent most of my time about the docks, watching the vessels in and out. By this time my mind was bent on a sea- faring life, and I lost no opportunity of scraping acquaintance with sailors from the different ships, whose tales of the various countries they had visited and the strange sights they had seen fired my imagination and made me more determined than ever to follow the sea. I practically lived on the docks, and one of \\ J I i EARLY YOUTH 3 my greatest delights was to pilot a boat round them, or to get some of my many friends among the sailors to allow me to help with odd jobs about a vessel, such as cleaning up the decks or polishing the brasswork ; and I was fully deter- mined to get away to sea at the first opportunity. My keenest desire, at this time, was to enter the Navy, but my parents would not hear of my going to sea, and without their consent I could not be accepted, so that idea had to be aban- doned. I was determined to be a sailor, however, and kept my eyes open for a chance of getting away on one of the fishing -vessels sailing out of Hull, among which were still many of the old sailing -boats, which have now been almost entirely displaced by the steam -trawlers. When I had been at home about six months the longed- for chance came. I got to know that one of the trawlers was to sail at a very early hour one morning, so, stealing out of the house before any of the other members of the family were about, I made my way down to the docks. This being before the days of the large tonnage steam - trawlers, the vessels carried only about five hands, and finding that the boat on which I had set my mind was in need of a cook and cabin-boy, I offered my services, and was duly signed on. My knowledge of the work was nil, but, to my surprise and delight, the captain asked no awkward questions, and I found myself 4 JOHN BOYES enrolled as a member of the crew of my first ship, which was bound for the North Sea fishing- grounds, and was expected to be away for about three months. I was very seasick on this first voyage— the only time in my life that I have ever suffered from that complaint— and the life proved less attractive than I had expected. In those days the lads on the fishing -boats were very badly treated, and though I had not so much to com- plain of in this respect, I found it a very trying life at the best. The work itself was very hard, aaid I was liable to be called up at any hour of the day or night to prepare hot coffee or do anything that any member of the crew wanted me to do. It was on this voyage that I had a very narrow .escape of being drowned in a gale which we encountered. We had taken in the second reef of the mainsail, which hung over like a huge hammock, and I was ordered aloft to perform the operation known as reefing the lacing. As I was crawling along the sail a heavy sea struck the ship, carrying the boom over to the weather side, which caused the sail to flap over and pitch me head first into the sea. Fortunately for me, the ^accident was witnessed by the crew, one of whom seized a boathook, and, as I came within reach, managed to catch me by the belt, and so succeeded in hauling me on board again. LIFE AT SEA 5 feeling very miserable and, of course, drenched to the skin, but otherwise none the worse for my adventure. With this exception, there was little out of the ordinary in my life on the trawler, unless I mention an experience I had when we were lying off the then British island of Heligoland. It was the custom for the captains of the various boats to go ashore all together, in one boat, on Sundays, and the crew also often took advantage of the opportunity of a run ashore. One Sunday they had all gone ashore, leaving me in sole charge of the ship, my principal duties being to prepare the dinner and stoke the boiler of the donkey-engine so as to keep steam up ready for hauling up the anchor at a moment's notice. Soon after they had gone some lads came off in a shore -boat, and as I could speak German we were soon on the best of terms, and of course I had to give them biscuits and show them round the ship. So engrossed was I with my new-found friends that I forgot all about the boiler, until I noticed a strong smell of burning. We all raced to the engine-room, to find that the boiler was red hot and had set fire to the woodwork round it. Not knowing what else to do, we chopped away the wood- work and threw it overboard, and so prevented the fire spreading. Scenting trouble ahead, my friends took to their boat and cleared out, while 6 JOHN BOYES I decided that it would be wise to disappear for a time also, and so hid myself in a part of the ship where I thought I was least likely to be found. The captain made a big fuss when he discovered the damage, and I heard him calling loudly for me, but I thought it would be wise to remain out of sight until he had had time to cool down ; so I stayed where I was, turning up again next morning. He did not say much when I appeared, probably because he thought awkward questions might be asked if any bother was made as to why a youngster like myself had been left in sole charge of the vessel . I returned to Hull after six months with the fishing fleet, fairly sick of life on a trawler, and with my mind made up to try for something better in the seafaring line. My great idea was to get abroad and see something of the world, and I should, so I thought, stand a better chance of doing this if I went to Liverpool and tried to get a ship there. Having no money— my entire worldly possessions consisted, at this time, of a few spare clothes— I set out to walk the whole distance from Hull. For a lad of fifteen this was no light under- taking, but, as in other instances in my career, the very difficulties only seemed to make the idea more attractive ; so I started boldly off. Having no very clear idea of the route to be LIVERPOOL 7 followed, I made for York, and then continued my journey by way of Leeds and Manchester. I had no money, so, to procure the little food I could allow myself, I pawned my spare clothes at different places on my way, and helped out my scanty meals with an occasional raw turnip or carrot ; and though I had to go on rather short commons towards the end of my journey, I managed to get through without being reduced to begging. Of course I had nothing to spare for lodgings, and used to sleep out during the day, continuing my journey at night, and as it was early in the year— about the beginning of May — I found the cold at times bitter, but this was my greatest hardship. After a rather weary journey I eventually arrived in Liverpool, very footsore but in good spirits, and finding a lodging-house in the sea- men's quarter of the town, kept by an old sailor who was willing to take me in on trust until I got a ship, I took up my quarters there, agreeing to repay him as soon as I got a berth. I still had a strong inclination for the Navy, so I applied at the recruiting office, but, as I could not show my parents' consent, they re- fused to accept me, and I had to look elsewhere. At last I got a berth on a tugboat, called the Knight of St. John, which was going out to Rotterdam to tow a barque, the Newman Hall, into Liverpool. 8 JOHN BOYES While at Rotterdam I managed to get into another scrape, but, fortunately, it was not a very serious one, though I suffered some discom- fort. It was known on board that I could speak German well, so I was sent ashore to buy cigars and tobacco for the officers and crew. I must have been longer away than they expected, as when I got back to the quay the boat was gone. Having no money left, I was in a fix for a night's lodging, until I noticed a small wooden hut on the beach, apparently unoccupied, so, taking shelter in this, I made myself as comfort- able as possible and went to sleep. On waking the next morning I was astonished to find the shanty surrounded by water. It turned out to be a hut built for the use of bathers, and at high tide was always surrounded by the sea ; coiasequently I had to stay where I was and wait more or less patiently until the tide went down far enough to enable me to wade ashore. While I was wondering what to do next I saw the tug coming along close inshore, and shout- ing until I attracted attention, I was soon aboard again . Having got our tow-line aboard the barque, we started on our return journey to Liverpool, but had scarcely got clear of land before it com- menced to blow heavily, and the sea became so rough that we had to part company with the barque, which, fortunately, drifted back to i IN HOSPITAL AT LAGUNA 9 Rotterdam, while we found ourselves with only sufficient coal to take us into Dover. I did not stop long with the tug, as I came to the conclusion that there was little chance of getting on in my profession if I was content to simply knock about from ship to ship. If I was ever to get an officer's certificate, I must start by getting a berth as A.B. (able seaman), in an ocean-going ship, so that I could put in the four years' regular sea service which I should have to show before going up for my certificate, of which at least twelve months had to be on a sailing ship trading to foreign ports. I therefore looked out for a suitable berth, and at last shipped on a barque, the Lake Simcoe, trading to South America. I had, as usual, my share of incident during the voyage. Whilst trading in Brazil, we made a trip up the River Amazon, during which I got a touch of yellow fever, and on arriving at Lagufia, where we had to take some logwood on board, I was put ashore to go into hospital. I do not know what alterations have been made since I was there, but at that time the hospital was a gloomy enough building, with heavily barred slits in the wall for windows, and used indifferently as hos- pital, lunatic asylum, and gaol, while the strong resemblance to a prison was heightened by the fact that the place was always guarded by a detachment of soldiers. 10 JOHN BOYES The hospital arrangements were disgusting and reckless, no regard being paid either to sanita- tion or the prevention of infection. All manner of diseases were mixed indiscriminately in the same ward, while the duties of orderlies and attendants on the patients were undertaken by some of the more harmless among the lunacy cases ! One gruesome discovery which I made soon after my entry was that the establishment pos- sessed only one coffin, which had to do duty for each fatal case in turn, being made with a sliding bottom, which reduced the work of lowering the corpse into the grave to a minimum. When a case ended fatally, the corpse was placed in this coffin — which was always kept in the ward— and taken out for burial, the coffin being afterwards returned to its place in the hospital, in full view of the other patients ! As there were gene- rally three or four funerals every day, it may be easily imagined that the effect on those left behind was not the most cheering. One other custom in the hospital struck me as very peculiar. When a patient became very bad the attendant generally gave him a spoonful of a substance which, from the smell, I have since thought must have been opium. Whether or not this was merely given to relieve pain I cannot say : I only know that the patient invariably died soon after taking it. ■ 1 1 ESCAPE 11 One day the spoon was brought to me, so I asked the attendant, one of the harmless lunatics, to place it on the table by my bedside. Occu- pying the adjoining pallet was a Brazilian soldier, who, waking up in the night, asked if he might have the stuff in the spoon, as he was in terrible pain. Thinking it might relieve him, 1 made no objection, and he eagerly swallowed the lot. The next morning he was dead ! After this experience, I was anxious to get out of my present quarters as rapidly as possible, and a chance came a day or two afterwards of which I at once took advantage. It happened to be Sunday, and my bed being close to one of the slits which served for windows, I heard the voices of some of the crew of the Lake Slmcoe outside. I at once shouted to attract their attention, and begged them to get me out of this awful hole. Recognising my voice, they threw themselves on the soldiers guarding the place, and, after a struggle, managed to get in, and carried me off. I was fearfully weak, and scarcely able to stand, but they managed to get me aboard ship at last, where, with proper attention, I soon recovered. On the homeward voyage we had terribly rough weather in the Atlantic, and the ship be- came top-heavy, listing to such an extent that the fore -yard-arms were practically in the water the whole time. For days we were drenched to 12 JOHN BOYES the skin with the big seas which broke over the vessel continually, and the hull being practically under water, I wrapped myself in a blanket — having no dry clothing left — and kept my watch seated on the mast, which dipped in and out of the water with every roll of the ship. To add to our misfortune, scurvy broke out very badly among the crew, owing to the wretched quality of the food, and, altogether, we were very thankful when we at last made Falmouth harbour. Shortly after my return I joined the Royal Naval Reserve, in which I had to put in a month's drill every year, as I was still bent on getting into the Navy, if possible, and I thought that, if I could work my way up to a Lieutenancy in the Reserve, I might manage it that way. By this time I had done my twelve months in a sailing ship ; so, by shipping on steamers trad- ing to different parts, I was able to visit many interesting places. For twelve months I was on a boat trading between the various ports on the coast of India, and on another voyage was in a ship taking pilgrims from Port Said to Jedda. Our passengers on this voyage were chiefly Arabs and Turks on their way to Mecca. For another trip I shipped in one of the Royal Niger Com- pany's boats, and we went up the West Coast of Africa with trading goods, chiefly old flint-lock A COLLISION AT SEA 13 rifles and gunpowder. We also had on board two or three white men, who were going on an ex- ploring trip into the interior. I was very much impressed with this part of the world, the tropical scenery was so mag- nificent on either side of the rivers, while I was intensely interested in the natives who came down to trade with the ship. I made up my mind that I would go into the interior myself some day, and get to know more about the country and its people. As it turned out, a good many things were to happen before this intention was carried out. During this trip I contracted malarial fever, and not being able to shake it off, had to go into hospital at Rotterdam on our return. On my recovery I spent some time on coasting vessels trading out to Guernsey, and one night, when we had put into Dungeness, through stress of weather, I had another startling ex- perience. Roused out of my sleep — it was my watch below — by a shout of '* All hands on deck ! " I rushed up, just in time to see another ship coming directly towards us. We shouted, but she kept on her course, and in a few seconds crashed into us. Apparently everybody lost their heads at once, and a scene of utter confusion followed, nobody appearing to know what to do. I saw that the yards of the two vessels had become 14 JOHN BOYES entangled, and expected every minute to see them fall, and crush the boat, which was stowed aWay on deck ; so I made my way to the poop, and shouted to the crew to get the boat out at once. So great was the confusion that it is almost impossible to say what really happened. I only know that I eventually found myself in a boat with only one other man, and as we pulled off we saw the ship which had done the mischief apparently drifting away. Pulling to her, we managed to scramble aboard, and, to our great surprise, found that there was not a single soul on board, and we then remembered seeing her crew jumping on board our vessel at the time of the collision. Everything was in apple-pie order, and the lamp lit, and we could not find anything the matter with the ship, so that her crew must have been seized with a sudden fit of panic, and abandoned her in their fright . We were on board just in time to steer her clear of a steamer, and then we dropped anchor. The following morning her crew returned on board, looking rather foolish, and we were transferred to our own vessel, which was then towed to London. I put in a claim on account of salvage, and after a good deal of delay, found that the owners had settled for salvage, demurrage, and loss with the captain of the barque, who was also the owner. I had left the ship when we reached I START FOR AFRICA 15 London, but happened to meet the captain later on in Hull, when he invited me to accompany him to Guernsey, to see about my share of the salvage money. At the last minute I found that I could not go, so he promised to write me on the matter, but on the homeward voyage his boat was lost, and he went down with it, so the letter never arrived. Although very disappointed at the loss of my expected windfall, I was very glad I had not been able to go with the captain, or I should have lost my life as well. Since my last voyage I had been working up for my certificate, attending a Navigation School on Prince's Dock Side, in Hull : but I was doomed to disappointment, as, when I came to be medically examined, the doctor found that my eyesight was affected, and could not pass me. This was the result of the yellow fever from which I had suffered in Brazil. After this I had to give up all hopes of the sea as a career, unless I was willing to remain before the mast all my life, and that was by no means my idea ; so my thoughts turned to Africa, and I remembered the impression made on my mind by the little I had already seen of it, and the attraction which the idea of its huge unexplored districts had always had for me since my school- days, and I decided to see what I could do out there . Being again at the end of my money, the only 16 JOHN BOYES way I could get there was by working my passage, and as I could not get a berth in any, boat going from Hull, I went to London, and being successful, landed at Durban, in Natal, just after the Jameson Raid. CHAPTER II I work my way up-country to Matabeleland — Employed as fireman on an engine — Reach Johannesburg — Trek the rest of the way to Bulawayo — Take service in the Matabeleland Mounted Police — Join the Africander Corps engaged in putting down the rebellion — Go into trade in Bulawayo — Return to the coast— I take to the stage — Work my way on an Arab dhow to Mombasa, February, 1898 — Cool official reception LEARNING that the Matabele War had broken out, I made every effort to get up to the front ; but as I had had no previous experience, the military authorities would not take me on. However, I was determined to get to Bulawayo somehow, and with this idea made a start by taking the train for Pietermaritzburg, having just enough funds left to pay the fare. On arriving I was lucky enough to get a job to look after the engine and boiler at a steam bakery, and with the money I thus earned I was able to move on, a fortnight later, to Charles - town. I had now just enough money to pay for a night's lodging, and the next morning I crossed the boundary between Natal and the Transvaal, r. 17 18 JOHN BOYES and moved on to Volksrust, getting a glimpse of the famous Majuba Hill on my journey. Of course, I was open to take any job that offered, and it so happened that I was lucky enough to get one that very morning, as fireman on the railway. On applying at the station, I was asked if I was experienced in the work, and having just left a steam bakery, and remembering my experience with the trawler's donkey engine, I modestly said that I was, and was duly engaged and told to get on the engine of the mail train for Standerton, which was standing in the station, ready to start, and get on with the work. The driver was a Hollander who spoke very little English, which fact I looked upon as a stroke of luck, as he would be less likely to ask awkward questions. He did ask me if I had done any firing before, and I gave him the same answer as I had given to the official on the platform. He soon put me to a practical test when, looking at the gauge glass, he told me to turn on the pump to fill the boiler. I had not the slightest idea where the pump was, but, noticing that, as he gave the order he looked at a handle which was sticking out, I promptly seized that, and began working it vigorously up and down. He at once began to shout, and I found that I had made a mistake, the handle only having to be lifted to a certain point, and then FIREMAN ON AN ENGINE 19 a tap turned on. Seeing that the driver seemed to expect some explanation of my mistake, I remarked that the arrangement was different from those I had been used to, which was perfectly true, and this seemed to satisfy him, as he merely said that I should, no doubt, get used to it in time. But I was fated to exhibit my ignorance still further before we started. I was looking over the side of the engine, when the driver gave an order which I failed to under- stand, being engaged in watching the antics of an official on the platform, who was waving his arms and gesticulating wildly. He looked so funny that I burst out laughing, and the more I laughed the wilder he got. In the meantime the driver was grumbling, and came across to find out the cause of my laughter, and, seeing the man on the platform, turned on me, and asked why I had not reported the signal to start? It then suddenly dawned upon me that the order that had been given me was to watch for " Right away," but his English was so funny that I thought he wanted me to look out for some friend he expected. As Standerton was two hundred miles on my way to Bulawayo, I had thought of leaving the train there, but my clothes had got so dirty and greasy that I thought it best to stay on a little longer, until I had saved enough money to get 20 JOHN BOYES some more clothes and help me on my way to Johannesburg. This particular engine proved to be one of the hardest for firing on the whole line, and I soon found that I had got the job because no ,one else would take it, and after a fortnight on it I was so knocked up that I decided to take a few days off, but on applying for my pay I was told that I should have to go to Standerton to get it. This suited my book exactly, and the idea entered my head, " Why not get a free pass to Johannesburg?" as they had given me one to Standerton, to draw my money. So when I drew the money the officials at Standerton were somewhat startled when I demanded a free pass to Johannesburg. They seemed to think I was crazy, but I quickly assured them that I was perfectly sane and meant to have the pass before I left the office. They stormed and threatened, but seeing that I did not mean to budge, they finally gave me the pass, with the remark that the English were always so stupid and obstinate. ' Getting some fresh clothes, I boarded the train, and at last arrived in Johannesburg. Here I found that most of the men in the town fire brigade were sailors, so I soon made friends, and had hopes of getting into the brigade, but after waiting a day or two, and seeing no prospect of an opening, I was advised to walk round the JOHANNESBURG 21 mines to see if I could get anything to do there, but there were plenty of others on the same job, many of them old hands, and I found that I stood very little chance of employment. I was still studying how to get up to Bulawayo, which I was told would cost me about £50 by coach, then the regular means of making the journey. At one of the mines I was lucky enough to meet a sailor, and getting a warm invitation to spend a few days with him, I accepted, on the chance that something might turn up. Visiting the saloon which was the meeting-place for the miners in the evening, I became acquainted with a man named Adcock, and as a consequence of an argument on the strained relations between the Boers and Out- landers, a row arose, in which I got mixed up, and I was ordered to leave the camp. Outside I came across Adcock, who told me that he was going up to Bulawayo, and had his outfit — which consisted of twenty mule wagons and one hundred horses, which he was taking up for the Govern- ment — camped a little distance away. This was my chance, but at first he was inclined to refuse my request to be allowed to go up with him, but on my promising to make myself as useful as possible on the journey, he finally agreed to take me. There were six white men in the party, in addition to Adcock and myself, and about fifty natives, chiefly Cape boys and 22 JOHN BOYES Hottentots. My duties were to look after these natives and the stores. Bulawayo was about six hundred miles up-country from Johannesburg, and the order of the march was for the white men, who were all mounted, to drive the horses in front of the caravan, while the wagons, under charge of the native drivers, followed on behind. With a crack of his long whip like a pistol shot, each driver set his team in motion, and we started on our long trek up-country. The natives are very expert with these whips, being able, from their place at the front of the wagon, to single out any one of the ten or twelve mules which form the team before them. My efforts as a rider were the subject of much sarcastic and good-humoured comment from my companions, but before the end of our journey I was as good a rider as any in the outfit. The country through which we passed was for the most part open veldt, dotted with thorn- bushes, and the climate being dry and hot, the scarcity of water is a continual source of anxiety to the traveller in this part. Our animals suffered most severely, as there was no grass to be found, and after crossing the Limpopo they began to fall sick, and our progress became slower and slower with each day's march. When we arrived at a place called Maklutsi the mules were all so utterly done up that they ON TREK 23 could go'TionFarther, so the horses and some of the wagons went on to Sahsbury, and the natives returned. I had the choice of going back with the natives or continuing my journey on foot, and, choosing the latter course, I was provided with a small quantity of flour and some bully beef, and saying goodbye to my companions, I started out on my solitary trek. Food at Maklutsi was very dear in conse- quence of the transport having been entirely dis- organised by a serious outbreak of rinderpest. The price of an ordinary tin of corned beef (bully beef) had risen to 5s., and bread cost is. a loaf. There was no work to be got here, so I left the settlement at once and started on my 150 miles' tramp to Bulawayo. Having no means of carrying my food com- foirtably, I tied up the legs of a spare pair of trousers, and putting the flour in one leg and the beef in the other, I slung these improvised pro- vision-bags over my shoulder, along with my cooking-pots, and started oflf. When I had been two days on the road I was lucky enough to fall in with a travellin'g companion, in the person of an old soldier named Grant, who was also making his way to Bulawayo. We agreed to travel on together, and Grant, who saw everything in a humorous light, en- 24 JOHN BOYES livened the journey with his cheery conversa- tion and good-natured chaff. He had run out of food and would have been in a tight fix if I had not come u^) with him ; but he took every- thing very philosophically, and I imagine that his lively spirits would have kept him going to the last gasp. We shared the provisions as long as they lasted, but as I had only provided for myself, the supply gradually diminished until, stopping one day for a rest near a water-hole we had found in the bush, we found that we had not a scrap of food left. Grant had thrown himself on the ground utterly exhausted, and I went off to the pool to have a bathe. Stepping into the water, I felt something slimy under my foot, and stooping down and groping beneath my foot, I found that it was a fish of the kind known in Africa as mud- fish. They are good enough eating, and in our present famished condition promised a very appetising dish, and to my delight, on feeling round, I found that the pool was simply full of the fish, and we need have no further anxiety about food for the next few days. I learned from the experience gained later during my journeyings through Africa that the smaller rivers all dry up after the rainy season, leaving only a few pools, such as the one we had struck, and, of course, all the fish naturally MUD-FISH 25 make for the deeper spots as soon as they find the water going down. This accounted for the large quantity of fish to be found in the pool, which I proceeded to catch and throw on to the bank to dry as fast as I could. Having done this, I went back to Grant to tell him of our good luck. By way of breaking the news gently, I asked him if he would like a feed of fish, to which he replied with some comical remark to the effect that he really had no appetite, thinking that I was only chafifing. However, when he found it was really true, and saw the fish I brought up to cook for our meal, he was in no way behind me in getting to work on the best meal we had had for some days. Not wishing to waste the fish, of which we could not manage to take much with us, we stayed there for a few days and were much better for the rest. We managed to dry a little of the fish, which we took with us when we moved on again. This proved to be the turning-point of our luck, as a few days later we were overtaken by a Boer, going up to Bulawayo with a mule-wagon, and exchanged some of our dried fish with him for a little tea, flour, and a few other things, which we had now been without for several days. He seemed a good sort, so we begged him to give us a lift, which he did willingly enough, so our troubles were over for that journey. 26 JOHN BOYES I was so anxious to get into Bulawayo that I left the wagon when we were still some miles from the end of our journey, and made my way ahead on foot. This was a stupid thing to do, as we were well aware that the Matabele were already out in that district. We had found all the forts, as the police posts were called, under arms on the way up. These posts, which were placed at intervals along the road, were small positions protected by earthworks and barbed - wire entanglements, and occupied by thirty or forty men, with perhaps a Maxim gun. Many of them were the scenes of desperate fights during the rising, but their very names are un- known to people in England, who only regarded the Matabele rising as one of our many little wars, and as it did not affect their everyday life, took little or no interest in it. I was lucky enough to get safely into Bula- wayo without adventure, arriving about two o'clock in the afternoon, and was not surprised to find the town under martial law. Everybody was armed, and a big laager had been formed in the market-place, where the women and children gathered when an alarm was raised. Being directed to the office of the Matabele- land Mounted Police, I lost no time in presenting myself before the officer in charge. I found that the conditions of service were good, the pay being at the rate of los. a day and all found, so I was duly enrolled. THE MOUNTED POLICE 27 After a good bath I discarded my old clothes and reappeared in full war-paint, feeling the self-respect which accompanies the wearing of a decent suit of clothes for the first time after some months in rags. The police had no recognised uniform, but all wore a khaki suit, with a slouch hat, the different troops being known by the colour of the pugaree. A troop consisted of from thirty to fifty men. Having been supplied with a Martini-Henry rifle and fifty rounds of ammunition, I was now fully equipped, and the next day I went out, in all the glory of my new uniform, to meet the mule-wagon. My improved appearance made such an impression on Grant that he lost no time in enlisting, and was enrolled the same day. After three months in this troop of police, I joined the Africander Corps, which was a body of irregulars attached to them under Captain Van Niekerk. As they were composed of experi- enced men, well acquainted with the country and accustomed to savage warfare, I thought there would be a much better chance of seeing some of the fighting. We were scouting in the outlying district, where the Matabele had been seen, but although we got into touch with them here and there, we had no serious engagement. Later on we were sent out on the Shangani Patrol, visiting the 28 JOHN BOYES district where Major Wilson and his party were cut up during the first Matabele War. This patrol numbered from two hundred to three hundred police, with the mounted infantry of the Yorks and Lanes Regiment, a detachment of the 7th Hussars, under Colonel Paget — with whom was Prince Alexander of Teck — and a battalion of infantry. The natives were lodged in the hills, and from a position of comparative safety were able to pour in a galling fire on the troops, while we were unable to inflict any serious loss on them in return. However, we lost only a few men killed, but had several deaths from fever. The man who gave us the greatest trouble was a chief named Umwini, who was the leader of the rebellion in that district. I was present on several occasions at indabas {Indaba is the native word for a meeting to discuss any matter), when he would come out of his stronghold and stand on the rocks in full view of us ; but when asked to surrender, he replied contemptuously that we were a lot of boys and that he would never be taken by us. His kraal was high up amongst some almost inaccessible crags on the mountain side, and all efforts failed to dislodge him, until a few of the Dutch Corps, of whom I was one, managed to steal upon him unawares. We reached his cave in the early dawn, and saw him, through the 1 B.-R 29 opening, sitting, with only a few of his followers, round some lighted candles which he had prob- ably looted from one of the stores. One of our men, taking careful aim, shot him through the shoulder, and then, rushing the cave, we took him prisoner. He was tried by a court martial, and sentenced to be shot, and when the time came for the sentence to be carried out he showed himself a thoroughly brave man, refusing to be blindfolded or to stand with his back to the firing party, saying that he wished to see death coming. It was about this time that I first met B.-P. — now General Sir R. S. S. Baden-Powell, but then only Colonel — who had been sent up to take charge of the operations, and who confirmed the court martial's sentence on Umwini. I was on water guard that day, to see that the natives did not poison the stream, when a man whom I took for a trooper came up and entered into conversa- tion with me, asking about my past experiences, &c., and it was only when I got back to camp, after going off duty, that I found I had been talking to the officer in command of the expedi- tion. A general plan of attack was now organised, under the direction of Colonel Baden-Powell, and the natives were finally dislodged from the hills and the rebellion crushed. On the successful termination of the patrol a 30 JOHN BOYES fort was built at Umvunga Drift, where I re- mained for some time ; but it was a most unhealthy place, nearly every man going down, sooner or later, with fever and dysentery. There was absolutely no medicine of any sort in the place, and we consequently lost several men. I myself had a bad attack of dysentery, but managed to cure it by making a very thin mixture with my ration of flour and some water, which I drank daily until the attack was cured. In the centre of the fort stood a big tree, and after cutting away the branches at the top we erected a platform on the trunk, which, besides serving as a look-out, made a splendid platform for a Maxim gun which we mounted there, and were thus able to command the surrounding country within range. A During my stay here we had one or two brushes with the natives, but they gradually settled down ; so, on a relief force being sent up, I returned to Bulawayo, where the corps was disbanded. I then got a post as one of the guard over a number of murderers lying in Bulawayo gaol awaiting sentence, all of whom were finally hanged. In the course of the twelve months that I remained in Bulawayo I made the acquaintance of a man named Elstop, who is mentioned by Mr. F. C. Selous in one of his books. This man was one of the oldest hands in the country. F. C. SELOUS 31 and had been one of the pioneers in Rhodesia, and had also spent a good deal of time trading and storekeeping among the natives of the interior. It was my acquaintance with him that finally decided me on my future course of action. The tales he told of his experiences in the earlier days, when elephants and other game were to be met with in plenty, fired my blood, and I said that I wished I had been in the country at that time. He said that I should probably find the same state of things still existing farther north. This was quite enough for me, and I resolved to find out for myself if he was right. I was then in partnership with a man named Frielich, carrying on business as fruit and produce merchants, under the name of the Colonial Fruit and Produce Stores of Bulawayo. I had put practically all my savings into the business, but this did not alter my resolution to go north, and by mutual agreement we dissolved partnership . I have since learned that Frielich finally made over £100,000 out of the business. Before the Boer War broke out he had stored an immense amount of forage, which he was able to sell during the war at his own price, and so amassed a comfortable fortune, in which, of course, had I stayed in Bulawayo, I should have shared. Before starting out on our new venture I 32 JOHN BO YES thought I would take a short hoHday at the sea- side ; so going down to East London, in Cape Colony, I joined some men I had met during the Matabele War, and we stayed there some time, camping out on the sands. Finding that the funds were running out, I took to the sea again, and, getting a ship, worked my way round to Durban. Here I had to look round again for something to do, and finding that a Shakespearian company was playing in the town at the time, I presented myself at the stage manager's office and applied for an engagement. They happened to have a vacancy, and I was taken on for small parts. The company was at rehearsal when I was engaged, and I was told to take my place at once among the others on the stage. As far as I could judge, I was no worse than the other members of the com- pany, and for a month I appeared nightly for the edification of the aristocracy of Durban. Tiring of the stage, I again took to the sea, and worked my way, from port to port, round to Zanzibar, where I gathered all the informa- tion I could about the interior, which did not amount to much more than that the country was very wild indeed. However, my mind was made up now, and I was not to be scared off my plan ; so, as there were no boats running to Mombasa— which is the gateway of British East Africa— I bargained « ON BOARD A DHOW 33 with an Arab for a passage on a dhow which carried native passengers between the various ports along the coast. The owner of the dhow provided no accommodation for his passengers, and I suppose one could hardly expect that he •would, seeing that the fare from Zanzibar to Mombasa— a distance of about 250 miles— was only two rupees, or two shillings and eightpence 1 The boat had a single mast, and carried one huge sail. It had no compass or lights, and was navigated round the coast by keeping as close inshore as possible all the time. There was no place to make a fire or any provision for cook- ing. It had been so, the Arab told me, in the days of his father, and what was good enough for his father was good enough for him and those who chose to travel with him. This was said in Arabic, but was translated to me by a fellow - passenger who could speak a little English. With fully fifty people on board the tiny craft we started on our voyage along the coast, but had not gone very far before we were in trouble. With the huge sail set to catch the breeze, we were flying merrily along, when we were sud- denly brought up all standing, and found that we had come across some obstacle in the water. We were very quickly informed what it was by a shouting crowd of excited native fishermen who swarmed round our boat, loudly demanding to be compensated for the damage done to their 34 JOHN BOYES nets, which, it seemed, formed the obstacle that had pulled us up and which we had destroyed. The owner of the dhow did not seem to be at all disposed to give in to their demands, and they were about to seize the small boat which we were towing behind us, when I thought it was time to take a hand in the argument, as, in case of any accident to the dhow, this boat was our only hope of safety, the waters in that part being said to be infested with sharks. Pick- ing up an axe, which happened to be lying handy, I jumped into the boat and threatened to brain the first man who came within reach. Although they did not understand English, my attitude was evidently suggestive enough to make it clear that they were safer at a distance, and, realizing that they were not likely to get any satisfaction by continuing the argument, they allowed us to proceed on our way. After this we made fairly good headway, with a favourable wind, and, occupied in watching the changing scenery opening out as we made our way along the coast, I had almost forgotten the incident. L was settling down to enjoy the trip when, without any warning, ^we were sud- denly pulled up again with a jerk, and the dhow came to a fuUstop again. Every one immediately got into a wild state of excitement, shouting and gesticulating, and making a perfect pandemonium of noise. The STUCK ON A REEF 35 captain was shouting as wildly as the rest, and, thinking he was giving orders, I was surprised to see that nobody attempted to carry them out, but on asking the passenger who could speak some English what orders he was giving, and why no one obeyed them, he said, " He is not giving orders, he is praying. He is calling on Allah to help him." This was no use to me, and I thought the best thing I could do was to take charge myself ; so, getting the man to whom I had spoken to act as interpreter, I told them what to do to put things right. They then calmed down a good deal, and I went to take soundings. There was no leadline on board, so I had to make one with some old iron and some pieces of rope that were lying about. On sounding I found plenty of water on one side of the ship, while on the other it was very shallow, so that we were evidently stuck on a reef. As soon as I was certain of this I lashed some rope to the anchor, and had it taken out about twenty or thirty yards from the ship, in the small boat, and then dropped overboard. Then I made everybody lend a hand to pull hard on the rope, and after about six hours' hard work w^e managed to pull her off. In case of trouble I kept the axe handy, but they were ready enough to obey my orders, so nothing happened. When we got her off I found that the dhow was leaking pretty badly, so everybody was kept 36 JOHN BOYES busy baling out the water, while I took the helm, and, keeping her close in to the land, steered towards Mombasa. Noticing a large white building on the shore, I asked what it was, and my interpreter told me that it was the residence of a white man, and that the place was called Shimoni ; so I took the boat in as close as possible and dropped anchor. On landing I found that the house was occupied by a British official, who offered to put me up, so I stayed the night there. The next morning I found that the dhow had con- tinued her journey, and, as Mombasa was only thirty miles from Shimoni, I walked the rest of the way. Mombasa is the starting-point of the Uganda Railway, of which so much has already been written. At the time of my arrival the railway was only in the initial stages of its construction, and just beginning to stretch its track through the almost unknown interior of British East Africa. So far it had only advanced a com- paratively short distance into the Protectorate, and from the very start the engineers were faced at every step with some of the numerous diffi- culties which lie in the way of railway building in a new and savage country, from men and animals, as well as from the climate and tropical vegetation. The loss of life from wild animals, as well as from the climate, was very heavy. MOMBASA 37 In those days the European quarter of Mom- basa was only a small cluster of buildings— chiefly Government ofiices— with one hotel, which was kept by a Greek. Two or three Europeans trading in the interior had stores here, and the British Government was represented by a Sub -Commissioner. Mombasa— meaning Isle of War— is of great interest to the student of history. It is situated on an island, connected to the mainland by a bridge. There is a huge native town and an old Portuguese fort, several hundred years old, built in the days of Henry the Navigator, in whose reign the Portuguese ships visited all the ports of the known world, and many others, till then unknown. Thinking that I should be most likely to get the information I required from the Government, I called on the Sub -Commissioner, and asked him to advise me as to the best way of carrying out my plan of visiting the interior. Very much to my surprise, I was received with the scantest courtesy, and given very plainly to understand that white men, whether travellers or hunters, were by no means welcome. They were not wanted, he told me, under any circumstances, and he advised me to leave the country at once. CHAPTER 111 1898 : Determine to organize a transport caravan on the Uganda Railway route, to convey provisions for the coolies working on the railway — Man-eating lions at railway con- struction camps — Reach the borderland of the Masai and Kikuyu tribes — Desertion of my men — Return to railhead — Start out again with convoys for Uganda^Loss of my trans- port animals — Decide to enter the Kikuyu country I OWN I was a little discouraged by this reception, but it did not alter my deter- mination to remain— in spite of the veiled threat of the official to prevent my going up- country ; so I set out to make a few inquiries for myself. I found that there were a number of caravans going up to Uganda, the main road to which place was protected by a line of forts, placed about a hundred miles apart. North and south of this caravan road the country was practically unknown, being under no administration, and chiefly inhabited by hostile tribes. A mutiny had recently broken out among the troops in Uganda, on account of which the whole country was in disorder, and a lot of transport A TRANSPORT CARAVAN 39 was required in the disaffected district. Here, again, I thought I saw my opportunity. At that time everything had to be carried upon the heads of native porters, so that each load, averaging about sixty pounds in weight, was cost- ing from sixty to one hundred rupees— very often a lot more than the value of the goods carried —before it reached its destination. I was convinced that this state of things could be improved on ; and chancing to meet a man named Gibbons— a white trader— as I left the Commissioner, I talked over the question of cheapening the cost of transport with him, and we finally decided that it could be done by using donkeys and wagons in the place of porters ; so we decided to try the scheme in partnership. Having settled the bargain, we set to work to prepare the expedition. Altogether we pur- chased about thirty donkeys, which cost us about a hundred rupees each, and got as many wagons as we thought sufficient. In the mean- time I set to work to make the harness, as we could not get any in Mombasa, and by using rope and sacking I managed to turn out a sufficient number of very creditable sets. We also decided to take a hundred porters with us in case of accident, as our contract pro- vided for a heavy fine if we did not deliver the goods on time. These porters were chiefly Swahili, a name meaning '* coast dwellers." 40 JOHN BOYES These Swahili consider themselves more civilized than the people of the interior. They practise t| the Mohammedan religion and copy the Arabs in their dress. Swahili porters march under a headman of their own race, who receives his orders and repeats them to his followers. If, as sometimes happens, there are porters from other native tribes in the caravan, each tribe has its representative headman. For each ten carriers there is an askarl, or soldier, who is armed with a rifle, and whose duty it is to keep guard at night and protect the caravan on the road. These askaris also act as police and keep order generally, and bring in any deserters. As may be easily imagined, it would hardly do to trust merely to the askaris' sense of duty for the prevention of desertion, but a clearly under- stood condition of their engagement in that capacity ensures their using their best endeavours to prevent anything of the sort. It is the recog- nized rule on all safaris that, if any man of the ten in an askari's section deserts, and the askari cannot bring him back, he will himself have to carry the deserter's load for the rest of the journey. Apart from the unpleasantness of having to carry a sixty-pound load in the ranks of the porters instead of swaggering along with no other burden than his rifle, ammunition, and blanket, the blow to his self-importance involved in the degradation from askari to porter is one * THE CARAVAN IN UGANDA 41 that would be severely felt by any nigger, who is probably blessed with more self-esteem than even a circus -ring master or a newly appointed Sub -Commissioner, and the fear of such degrada- tion is a wonderful spur on the askaris' watch- fulness. A cook and a private servant completed the outfit. On this occasion we had two hundred loads of Government goods to take up to Uganda, and one hundred loads of trade goods which we were taking up on our own account, our intention being to deliver the Government goods at their destination and then start on a private trading and hunting expedition away up north, in the direction of Lake Rudolph, where we hoped to buy more donkeys, as we had heard that they were very cheap in that district. Having completed all our arrangements, we put the whole caravan— men, donkeys, wagons, and loads — on the train, and started for rail- head, which was then about 150 miles from Mombasa. This was in the year 1898. On arriving safely at the terminus of the line we left the train and went into camp. »We found that the district around us was infested with lions, whose ferocity had created such a state of panic among the Indian coolies working on the construction of the line that the work had practically stopped. No less than thirty of the coolies had been carried off by them. 42 JOHN BOYES and I found the remainder sleeping in the trees and afraid to go to work. Many stories were told of the audacity of the lions, who prowled round the camp nightly, and rarely left without one or more victims. In one case an Irishman, named O'Hara, who had charge of the coolies engaged in the construction of the line, set himself to watch for the man- eater, in the hope of getting a shot at him, and took his post with his rifle by the door of his tent, in which his wife was sleeping. The night passed without incident, and towards morning he must have dozed off, for his wife awakened to see him being dragged off into the bush by a lion. His mutilated body was eventually found by the search party within a short distance of the camp. On another occasion three men with whom I was personally well acquainted had a remarkable experience. They were watching for lions from a railway carriage— a construction wagon on the line— the door of which they left open. Two of them, Perenti and Hubner, made themselves as comfortable as they could on rugs laid on the floor of the carriage to rest till their turn for watching came, while the third, a man named Rial, took up a position near the door, where he evidently fell asleep. A prowling lion scented the party, and took a flying leap into the carriage. The impact of his landing made the carriage MAN-EATING LIONS 43 oscillate, and swung the door to, caging the whole party and their unwelcome guest. Perenti told me that he was wakened by the curious smell of the lion, and, putting out his hand, felt the animal standing over him. Directly he was touched the beast let out a terrific roar, and, seizing Rial by the throat, sprang clean through the window with him and made off. The body, partly eaten, was found in the bush next morning. Some of the dodges to kill the lions had dis- tinctly humorous results, and I remember being tnuch amused with the story of one man's ex- perience. I must explain that to provide the labourers with water, tanks were placed beside the line, which were refilled at intervals. One genius had the idea of lying in wait for lions in one of these tanks, in one side of which he made a hole in which to insert the barrel of his rifle— quite overlooking the fact that the lion might prefer to approach from the opposite side, which was what actually happened. The animal, scenting him, immediately knocked the lid off the tank and tried to fish him out with his paw. He was unable to get his rifle round, and could only shrink into the smallest possible space in the corner of the tank— fortunately beyond the reach of the lion— and remain quiet until the beast was driven off. He was lucky enough to escape with a torn blanket and a few deep scratches where the lion had just managed to reach him 44 JOHN BOYES with his claws. Of course, he had to endure a considerable amount of chaff on the result of his original attempt at lion -hunting. I myself had a narrow escape before leaving railhead, for which the lions were indirectly re- sponsible. I had been dining with one of the railway officials, and had stayed rather late, it being after ten o'clock when I set out to return to my own camp. Not expecting to be out so late, I had not brought my rifle, so, as it was of course pitch dark, I took a blazing brand from the camp fire, and started to walk the two miles to my own place. After going for some time I saw some fires in the distance, and, think- ing they were those of my own people, I made towards them. All at once I heard a terrific din of shouting and beating of empty paraffin - cans. While wondering what on earth all the row was about I heard firing, and some shots whizzed past, unpleasantly close to my head. Dropping flat, I began shouting, and the firing presently ceased. I was then able to make my way into camp, which I found was one made for some of the Indian coolies, who had mis- taken the light of my firebrand for the eye of a lion. I was persuaded to stay the remainder of the night in their bonia and return to my own camp in the morning. A boma, or zareba as it is called in the Soudan, is a rough fence of thorn -bushes or brushwood built round a EN ROUTE FOR UGANDA 46 camp to keep prowlers, whether two or four footed, at a distance. We were all very busy now, getting the wagons and harness ready and fixing up the loads for our journey to Uganda. We found that if we were to get the loads through by the time agreed upon we should want at least five hundred porters, so we tried to engage some natives from the Wakamba * to go with us. With the native disinclination to move except just as they felt inclined, they abso- lutely refused to go ; so it was arranged that I should go on ahead with the wagons, while Gibbons should come on later with the porters. I started with one hundred loads of Govern- ment stuff on five wagons, while my camp outfit, food, &c., was carried on another, and took about twenty of the men with me. Being unable to get the necessary porters, we had to leave some of the loads behind in charge of two of the men, intending to return for them later, b\it, as it happened, we never saw them again. I soon found that the donkey outfit did not work by any means as smoothly as we had hoped, the donkeys never having been in harness before and the men being new to the work. The drivers could not keep on the road, wagons capsized, and things ^ Wakamba, i.e., natives of the Kamba tribe who inhabit that region, 46 JOHN BOYES went wrong generally. None of the rivers we had to cross were bridged, and when we had got the wagons down into the hollow of the river bed it was a terrible job to get them up on the other side ; the only way being to get all the boys to push at the back, so that it took several hours' hard work at each of the rivers before we managed to get donkeys, wagons, and loads from one side to the other. The country generally was dry and bushy, being covered with thick scrub, which made our progress so slow that, after two or three days' travelling, we were overtaken by Gibbons with the remainder of the men. While we were sitting by the camp fire that night, waiting for a meal, I was very nearly shot by Gibbons, who was anxious to explain the working of the Snider rifle to me. Taking a rifle from an askari, he put in a cartridge, wishing to show me that it was absolutely impossible for it to go off at half-cock, and, pointing the rifle towards me, he said, " You see, it won't go off now." I objected, and was pushing the rifle to one side, when it actually did go off, the bullet whizzing close by my ear ! The free, gipsy-like life in the open just suited my inclination. The absolute freedom to go where one liked, and do as one liked, without any of the restrictions which meet one on every side in civilized countries, and the feeling that you NAIROBI 47 are literally " monarch of all you survey," ap- pealed very strongly to me, and I felt that I had at last found the life suited thoroughly to my disposition. We started off again and made very good pro- gress, as, by the aid of the moon, we were able to travel at night. We were now crossing the Athi Plain, which extends for about one hundred miles and teems with almost every kind of game except elephants, so we were able to keep the caravan well supplied with meat. Almost every night my boys used to rouse me up with a scare of lions, but, although I always turned out, I never saw any cause for the excitement. After travelling for some days, we finally arrived at Nairobi, since become the capital of British East Africa, and here the character of the country completely changed. From the dry scrub -covered plain we now entered a splendid grazing country, with magnificent forests and beautiful woodland scenery, making a very pleasant change from the bare landscape of the last few marches. What is now known as Nairobi was then practically a swamp, and from the nature of the surrounding country I should never have imagined that it would be chosen as the site for the future capital of British East Africa. Indeed, I still think that by going a little farther west- ward a situation far more suitable in every 48 JOHN BOYES way would have been found. The town of Nairobi takes its name from a river of the same name which rises in the neighbouring hilis, the river forming the boundary-line between the Masai and Kikuyu countries, and the plain where the town now stands was at this time an abso- lutely uninhabited district, without a village of any kind. We outspanned for the night on the edge of the swamp which borders the present town. Being thoroughly tired out with the day's work, I was resting in my tent, when about six o'clock in the afternoon I heard my boys calling me with one of the usual stories about lions being about. Finding that they seemed more excited than usual, I turned out to see if there really was any cause for alarm, and saw two lions stalking the donkeys in the gathering dusk. They came quite close up to the camp, and I then saw that one was a lioness, so, having heard that if the female were shot the male would clear off, while if the male were shot the female became savage, and would probably attack, I fired at the female and thought I hit her, though, owing to the bad light and the fact that my gun —a Martini -Metford— was a very poor one, and could not be relied on to shoot straight, I could not be certain. The animals turned and plunged into the swamp, but though we saw signs of blood and tracked them for some distance, we had to give up on account of the gathering dark- 1 THE KIKUYUS 49 ness, and the next morning we could find no signs of them. Some of the Masai tribe were in the neigh- bourhood, and visited our camp. This was the first time I had come across any of this race, of whom so much has been written, and I was naturally very much interested. They seemed very friendly, and, in spite of their warlike reputation, we had no trouble with them at all. Physically, they were very fine specimens of the African native, and certainly make very good fighting-men. We were about to enter the practically un- known country of the Kikuyu tribe, a people whose reputation was such that only the most daring of the white traders would even venture to set foot over the boundary, and then only at the greatest risk of their lives and goods. Those who only know the Kikuyu people as they are to-day may find some difBculty in credit- ing many of the statements I shall make as to their character and reputation at the time when I spent some three or four very lively years among them, but a short quotation from the late Sir Gerald Portal's book on the " British Mission to Uganda in 1893," dealing with the race as they were then— which accurately describes them as I found them five years later— may help the doubting ones to a clearer realization of the facts . Describing the British East Africa Com- 50 JOHN BOYES pany's station, Fort Smith/ in the Kikuyu country, Sir Gerald says :— " The Kikuyu tribes were practically hold- ing the Company's station in a state of siege." Later on he says: "We left the open plain and plunged into the darkness of a dense belt of forest, which forms the natural boundary of the regions inhabited by the treacherous, cunning, and usually hostile people of Kikuyu. Warned by the state of affairs which we had heard was prevailing at the Company's fort in this district, we were careful to keep all our people close together, every man within a couple of paces of his neighbour . One European marched in front, one in the rear, and one in the middle of the long line. The Wa-Kikuyu, as we knew, seldom or never show themselves, or run the risk of a fight in the open, but lie like snakes in the long grass, or in some dense bush within a few yards of the line of march, watching for a gap in the ranks, or for some incautious porter to stray away, or loiter a few yards behind ; even then not a sound is heard ; a scarcely perceptible ' twang ' of a small bow, the almost inaudible * whizz ' of a little poisoned arrow for a dozen yards through the air, a slight puncture in the arm, throat, or chest, followed, almost inevitably, by the death of a man. ^ Fort Smith was situated close to where the present town of Nairobi now stands. FORT SMITH 51 Another favourite trick of the VVa-Kikuyu is to plant poisoned skewers in the path, set at an angle of about forty-five degrees, pointing towards the direction from which the stranger is expected. If the path is much overgrown or hidden by the luxuriant growth of long grass, these stakes are of much greater length and so pointed that they would pierce the stomach of any one advancing towards them.^ Keeping a sharp look-out for these delicate attentions, our progress was inevitably slow, but at length we arrived without further adventure at the. strong stockade, ditch, brick houses, and well-guarded stores known as Fort Smith in Kikuyu, above which was floating the Company's flag. '* Outside the Fort itself the state of affairs was not so pleasant to contemplate. We were surrounded day and night by a complete ring of hostile Wa-Kikuyu, hidden in the long grass and bushes, and for any one to wander alone for more than two hundred yards from the stockade was almost certain death. On the morning of our arrival, a porter of Martin's caravan, who had strayed down to the long grass at the foot of the little hill on which the station is built, was speared through the back and killed within 250 paces of our tents. A short time ^ Sir Gerald was evidently misinformed on this point, as I ascertained during my stay in the country that it had never been the custom to use long stakes such as he describes. 62 JOHN BOYES before eight soldiers in the Company's service who were foraging for food— probably in an illicit manner — were all massacred in a neigh- bouring village ; and a day or two before our arrival the natives had even had the temerity to try and set fire to the fort itself at night. "It will, however, be a matter of time and difficulty, requiring great tact, patience, and firm- ness, to induce these Wa-Kikuyu to have con- fidence in Europeans, and to discontinue their practice of spearing or otherwise murdering any defenceless Swahili porter whom they may find straying away by himself. " Long before I went to their country myself I remember being told by an African traveller of great renown that the only way in which to deal with the Kikuyu people, whether singly or in masses, was to ' shoot at sight.' " The Martin mentioned by Sir Gerald Portal above was one of the pioneers of British East AfricaT He was a Maltese sailor, who came to this country with Joseph Thompson, and was the first white man to venture among the Masai. He now manages the Mabira forest rubber estate. Another traveller, Mr. G. F. Scott Elliott, speaking of the Kikuyu in his book, " A Naturalist in Mid Africa," says : " They are only too anxious to spear a lagging porter." ^ He also ' For further reference to the Kikuyu tribe see Professor Gregory's excellent book <