IN AFRICAN WILDS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 716, 15 January 1910, Page 9

IN AFRICAN WILDS.

■;.;V.-A;TSAftEDY Ef;THE DESEET.^-; : '!ln. : a-review' of .'"In;, the Grip of the Nyika;'■'■, jfurthbr ■' Adventures .:iii British' East 'Africa,"- by Libutehant-Coloncl. J. '.H. 'rattorsbu,-1).5.0. ■ (London:' Jlacmil'lnn ;Kiid;.Cd.),'. : :thp '"Glasgow .Herald" .states:-'.'-''"''.';' ■'-:' ■'■■-. .'■ ■'.'.■ ■'■■•' .''■ ';•.'••: ■'- , ',/-''-' ■V.'Thoso whorhavo made Coloncl-Patter-Son's" ac<iuaintaiico;..in; "The. ilaii-Eaters ;of'.Tsavo" :\vill uatiu-ally talco> \ip; tho present volume with keen interest. ' But if. they expect that b'veii so mighty a hunter as 'ho, is. will lmve an uuliniitcd number' of equally.'.thrilling, encounters .to'.v.relate'.their;;-somewhat, unreasonable anticipations may bo slightly disappointed. Not.uut what, nis account, of .the. .trials 'and.adventur'es,which'.befell him "oh two 'tecent'expeditions through; the''nyika, or. wilderness,' in' British past Africa" is ex-, citing enough.; But though.ou more thanone,occasion: ho did.fiud a lion, .'or,'. for tho matter .of that," 1 several lions; in his, path, ha;-never found .himself. -exposed to the' samo.inimiucnt' danger .of supplring; tho .monarch of .the forest with a-meal.; Know-, 'ing, however, . that; his;, readers would •look for. lion stories from -him, Colonel Patterson .has. favoured-them with a low which, .though .not personal, aro; "creepy" enough to;satisfy. them.; ■' '; .;; ...■'■'■„' -As; a. specimen : wo niay- qudto .his.ti'ue storv of .tho". extraordinary escape of one .of tho Gamo Warden's, assistants, in South Africa, .who delivered -himself out of, tho r very.'jaws;pf; a .lion by a good knife,, a .cool, head,'and plenty of.pluck.-: ; '': This man was riding homo at dusk - 'through a gamo.reservo ■■whcn.'.'a'Jion.:;.'' '•'Buddenly i; sprang at -him' "out'of .the-;. ; bushes, kaoclcihg him off his pony and ,:, ■'.'■so'- terrifying the latter ...thai;it ga|- ' '.. loped madly oft',.pursued by, thojfierco, ■ "beast.'-.The man was picking.himself '; upwhen another lion pounced dn.liim,' -"gripping him; through'; the v .shoulder; "; ■ : -■■'iho. Game Earigof. was .dazed for ;.a ; -.-fownioments-by the'shock,- but when ;. hocame to his: senses ho 'found .him-. I .'' :self being' carried off in the,;maw, .(!).; •-'.r.of : the -lioh,; whoso long .tusks met - '.through;and through ,his:fight shoul- .;■ ";''def, renderiiig ! his right' arm'; useless. ;-.- : -As he was.being dragged, off in: this';-.. -'fashion, with.his heels trailing:on tho:' .: 'ground, ho gavo;hi-ihself up for lost, ■. ;: -but;suildenly^bethought, himself of an ::.i i ■ old: rhunting knife-ho' carried Von ..his." . -'. waist-belt at .his .right side. .' ...,.. :i:-Imagino-,his.']'oy,v/hen;ho felt. tho. : '■' vhilt iii his'desperate:grip! In a.nio-;.; -!'ment the long lceen.blade-was poised, ;. VVarid a blow'nt the lion's heart, thrice-■: •"-rapidly repeated.'made the brute wonV:.; ' ■ der;what had'.-hurt.-him. He dropped - -. ..his; wpuld-bept!).victim,-eyed, fhim,, "'".with 'astonishment for a second.as.he, :| .lay beneath him,' and thenjstaggored; - 'off into the, bush.: The moment'ho , : :,was ; out of sight;,:the.:Kanger..;strug-,,. ; .' gled to- his feet, .climbed'; a, trwy and .; before he fainted: strapped himself : on • : -"'t) a branch with his-belt; N'osooner. '■;■ •; had lie done; so than lion'number onb .; . "appeared on : the. sceno,: again, having'.; ■/■fauod.to catch the pony.Ho remained ; .':%t-tho foot of the tree, -.until the Ban-.-'-.. ; ., i'ger's ; dog v camp npi .and'by his baTking '; ;■ attracted.'tho' attontioh ; of some; pass-;.;; : ing natives, ...who drovo'^off: tho lion ' ; ;'and: rescued the,faihKng .man., from -- .!•;.'the'.'treo. ' : -''J[i-;ji , *J''*-:7£^-'X:.?7ii.,'' K '

'' :Tho: whole of ■ .ColonellkPattprsori's jour-'; riey,,:from .tor.Marsabit;./ lay through a. country,'abounding' with.gamo ami; infested witli'Vwild;: beasts.' .Rhinos, appear, to have ; been ;;particularly ■' nunitrous; '-~ Considerable.; cauticn was, re-, quired ;in sonic districts; to,.avoid .com-; ing into 'personal■ contact with; tho.fiorco but.fortunately, linwielilly beasts.-On ono "occasion, he /was /• actuafly,:.. .persistently :chased.by one.'and, only owed his safety to• tiny.speed of his;',goodtArab,'!Aladdin. But .if the -presonco'.-'of the ,'rhirios meant 'danger, it sometimes :supplic'd ; 'on.element 6f,'humour,'as well.' '.Thus.'ono';hight,; havr ing'been 'awakened :by: a jterrific'diii.coming ,from the."direction', of';.av v ; waterhole some-200 ' yards "fromii.tliejjencampmeut, ho \vent.out with an'.aska'ri 'tofascertain tho;, eaus'o. -of the ■ disturbance.;; , What'fh'e: sVjVt on ; ;rcachinK. a 'point•';of. dc'scribe'd as follows:—.".VvO^f';,;?*§ ':'.": Then tho: weirdest 'sight:',; that;>:l>.' i. could ; over' wish to ,sce. ! :'suddenly .un-; .;■. ;/folded. : itself : beneath' 1 my,, astonished';'. !.'gaze; 'No. fewer.. Avqrbr,. gathered togethericlosoVby;. »dhg at bach-other''.and strnggling.'ahd'".'';; 'fiiighting'.'in',their effpfts H ;,7Jwaterlio!o.'.:v.. ; i,'V ; :;ally. amused" mb'-^ery'mUch;/Ono,'who;,; ivwaskevidbutly l a .bully, took .up his -. ~position";.stolidly.,..at;, the. watprholo ...-!. ; and.would not,'hudgo;:an inch. ; a', second ,cahi'e and'. stood:' opposite "."to .. :';him,,, and proceeded .to give, him '.a,, ." piece', of., his mind. :... TheJ-bully .of : "■• course answered back, and; thorp they," ,*,. both stood "for i quite > ; long 'time, >.with their mouths wide open,.roaring ■!. ;.had rhino, language'at each other,ior.v .' all, ,thpy. wero . worthf; 'i-i Tho others,' ■'■' wboinyoro waiting,: foiv their, .tiirX'to',": ;; have.-..a: drinkj ! j oihed. ,ih;.thp.'.discord- i. r-;-ant";chorus•'from, timo^to; -,;:

{'{'The'"'most '.tragic V>occurrence ■"..; that .marked {Colonel 'Patterson's ..'second;, exp e-■v^ti6n:;>wM''-..6no',:{ih'.'''which'.?'Svild:l:' ..-beasts'': , played. ■ lio'.part. . Ho'; had.'{, obtained, permission ;.i'or two - friends,'•, Mr. ; ,;and, Mis.' , B.;■ -'- to -' accompany •: him. ;[. The'.; uiiavoid-' able) hardships of-the journey: appear to hnvobet'n'too.m'nchfor. Mr'.'. B.i Ho be-, came-:bo'.scri-iiisly{ill..that: his wife..had' ;toVsit uji for;two. nights running: watching at his bedside. : .On the"■-.third night;, in .order{that'sho-should have : sbmo rest, it,: was;{arranged {that;, she,{should.'.take Colohol' Patterso'n's.teht' while' he. under-; , took.; to' {look: after, ::B. ; ", In-.{the:, early, {morning :tho .{Colonel w : eht to.' see :'the Headman," who was with {'tho safari some' ■■ 10 {or, 50 yards' away,: to' givo: Mm ; direc-tions-'about, a-hammock'for {.tho; patient . and- orders.for the {journey;:;,,.{{'^VW In: the. middle of- bur:- conversation - .-' (ho says) 'one of,the boys,'named Edi,''.".' .camo:up to. me .and. complained of .{■being ill, and .'while'.'l was proscrib- '}:: ing for', him wo ■. were .. all.'. suddenly K: startled ,to.hear the sound of:a shot' ' 'coming from the. oUroctibn" of{-B's'--.tent. ■:■ I rushed-, off to; see' .what "\iia'f. .the.'matter, : iic-jimp-iniei '"' by ' the -. Headman' and a' dozen of the others ,:We'aU:rah{intothe tent, and: to our .;•...- Horror-found. B. "lying back in "bed ■;■" .{with a bullet .through: his head and a ■' revolver in;'nis.hand. : '.:. I fciind ' '': out/afterwards ■ that he had instructed ;. r his boy to put .a loaded' revolver {.under .his .piUow every". night,': and' .what possibly happened is that-this -may havo.slipped down under his .shoulder,' and .when 'B.: put out his ' i hand- to/remove "it .•'■ho i : may'"havo .';'■.'. pulled the; trigger by--'accident,'''. and. {l.sp'shot himself. < ; v ; : {; ■:''-.■..•-.- -";Nor^ : 'come" 'alone; When Colonel .Patterson 'returned• from liis -fricndV; grave,vnear which- ho had lingered a' little after .tho-.interment,'.ho :iouiid;..to, his .dismay -that tho' : wholo Safari,- .led :'by.-.. a few- -scoundrols, had mutinied,''seized, all -the", arms and' ammunition, : and.; were■ .bpasting: that : 'they ; wero now, the .masters and would do' as ;they' liked. i ; . Ho : was- fortunately able to quell;tao;.mutiny,.,to:reach'Marsabit andto.accomplish.the' object of the ex.pedition,which ;had :bceni.;entrusted to him; that is.tp say.'.tofiud a well-defined eastern,.boundary, to ■ thbltoservo' some.whero- about tho 38th degree east "longitude. Tho "plain, account," as lie modestly ;.calls it,; of {his {experiences- is ! a narrative.in .which the':interest- is .woll- . sustained.'thro nghout.; If-,the reader'is not, startled by any. sensational; incident of the Tsavp kind, he is, as the i author himself was,' kept on,-the. qui.vivo "from start to finish.,; An'd if .that should not bo {"enough to recommend' the .perusal of tho' volume, there :is as; a furthot incentive tho information to be 'gathered from it—and frequently conveyed by.means of excellont ■• photographs-veoncerning ■ ."the nature .'of ihcyrild., country traversed and', of ...the 'more "or' less s'avogo tribes that, make it. their' dwelling-place.' '.