PATER’S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

Otago Witness, Issue 3101, 20 August 1913, Page 73

PATER’S CHATS WITH THE BOYS.

EMPIRE-BUILDING. I did think that 1 might give a few more extracts from the Illustrated New Zealand Herald published 45 years ago, but, instead. I’ll refer to two books which seniors may read and one of which juniors may read too. At present I am reading “The Law-Bringers,” a story of Canadian life written by G. B. Lancaster and published at 3s 6d, a capital book for district libraries; and 1 have just finished what many boys will revel in, “ T he ManEaters of Tsavo, and other East African Adventures,” by Lieutenant-colonel J. H. Patterson, D. 5.0., with an introduction by Frederick Courteney Selous, the Nimrod of South Africa, —a volume now in Macmillan’s New Shilling Library, and a marvel for the money, seeing that it contains a map and about 12(1 illustrations from photographs. “ The Law-Bringers gives a picture of a Canadian fur-trading town in the Hudson Bay Company’s domain. The initials H.8.C., partly, no doubt, on account of the merciless severity by which the company suppressed all attempts to break down its monopoly, have been irreverently taken to read “ Here Before Christ,” the company’s' claims, or enforcement of them, being so strong as to indicate it has always been in existence. This is shown in “The Silent Places” and other books dealing with the fur trade and the early days of modern settlement on civilised lines. But I am digressing. Reading such books as “The LawBringers ” shows what a hold frontier life lias upon Britishers; and not only that; it shows the British genius for colonisation and for winning and retaining the confidence of subject races. Unconsciously, these men on the outposts of Empire, sometimes hard drinkers and reckless livers, are building well, and it is for us who live under easier conditions to admire them and by our conduct to show that what they do shall be strengthened and not weakened by us. Let me quote a few words to show Miss “ Lancaster’s ” appreciation of the work these men do :

“ The men who loved Canada haunt her silent places still; a ghostly, unforgotten company, grey with the thickening dust of time. Alexander Mackenzie, who broke out the white man’s flag where only the Indian smoke-flag had blown; Franklin, thrusting his pincer-points down from the naked Pole; Bishop Bompass, that widehearted, dauntless ‘Apostle of the North’ ; James Robertson ; George Munro Grant, and the men of later day; Strathcona and Mount Stephen, who smote with steel and paved with iron and buckled up coast to coast. And a thousand untold, and yet another thousand ; men who died with shut teeth and fierce eyes on the Long Traverse; trappers whose sleeping places the grey wolf know’s; freighters, Indians, Hudson Bay runners, men of the Mounted Police —Canada’s lovers all, sowing their bones down the trails they blazed that other men might follow after. ” Other appreciative paragraphs may be picked out on any page. “THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO.” But who are the man-eaters? Where is Tsavo? The man-eaters are lions, and Tsavo is a stopping place on the Mom-basa-Uganda railway, just where the Sabaki crosses the line about a fouilh of the way up. Here it would appear that lions, -rhinos, and hippos are almost as plentiful as rabbits in Otago. “ The La w-Bringers ” deals with the snows and furs of Canada; “ The Man-Eaters of 'Tsavo ” wntli tropical conditions, where a figleaf may he thought an unnecessary article of clothing, and a few yards of calico, in the shape of a night-shirt, an evening dress suit.

In the first chapter we find ourselves at Mombasa, where Vasco de Gama landed in 1498, and where there is a Vasco do Gama street to this day ; and there, too, is “Jesus Fort,” erected by the pious Poriugu.se pirates who were eventually crushed by the Arabs. But no time is wasted here, for the author, a railway engineer, has to go forward^Jo Tsavo to undertake railway construction, and it is here we first make the acquaintance of the man-eating lions who relished white men as well as coloured.

Lieutenant-colonel Patterson had hardly arrived when he was told of two of these brutes, who for nine months added victim to victim, and had the cunning and wisdom of a human. “ At first they were not always successful in their efforts to carry off their victims, but as time went on they stopped at nothing, and, indeed, braved any danger in order to obtain their favourite food. Their methods then became so uncanny, and their man-stalk-ing so well-timed and so certain of success, that the workmen firmly believed that they were not real animals at all, but devils in lions’ shape. Many a time the coolies solemnly assured me that it was absolutely useless to attempt to shoot them. They were quite convinced that the angiy spirits of two departed chiefs had taken this form an order to protest against a railway being made through their country, and by stopping its progress to avenge the insult thus shown to them.” How these two man-eaters instituted a reign of terror and actually put

a stop to railway construction for three weeks, and how after stalking and being stalked the two fell to the rifle of the lieutenant-colonel, I must refer you to the book for details. Here let it suffice that “ these two had devoured between them no fewer than 28 Indian coolies, in addition to scores of unfortunate African natives of whom no official record was kept.” One chapter tells of another man-eater which snatched a husband from beside a wife when in their bed, and killed him instantly, the lion’s tusks crunching through the temples and meeting in the brain. Another instance is given of another official who was stalked and who just escaped, but not without having his back clawed down horribly. Numerous similar instances are given. In one instance three Englishmen in a railway carriage at a station determined to watch for one which had been prowling about. Unfortunately, the three fell asleep; another lion getting in snatched rqi one, and sprang through the window' with him. His remains, or what remained of his remains, were found next morning a quarter of a mile away. In two other cases lions took possession of railway stations in broad daylight! But read the book. Lieutenant-colonel Patterson was engaged on constructing a strategical railway, but the book gives another illustration of Empire-building. He had not been in one of his camps long before “ a great caravan of some 4000 men arrived from the interior with luggage and loads of food for a Sikh regiment, which was on its way down to the coast, after having been engaged in suppressing the mutiny of the Sudanese in Uganda.” And with these he had some fun. They had not seen a locomotive, ‘’consequently they displayed the liveliest curiosity in regard to it, crowding round one of the engines and hazarding the wildest guesses as to its origin and use in a babel of curious native languages. I thought I would provide a little entertainment for them, so I stepped on to the footplate and blew off the steam, at the same time sounding the whistle. The effect was simply magical. ’The whole crowd first threw themselves flat on the ground, howling with fear, and then —-with heads well dow n and arms well spread out —they fled wildly in all directions; nor did the stampede cease” until steam was shut off and the whistle stopped. Hy degrees curiosity again got U»o better of them, and eventually two of their chiefs summoned up courage, after encouragement, and were sent into ecstasies of delight with a ride.

Shortly afterwards tills caravan returned from the coast, but not the 4000. All their gaiety had gone, for they (or the remnants) had fallen on evil times, and presented a pitiable appearance. Change of diet and manner of living and an insufficiency of food had brought on dysentery, and their homeward march could be traced by the line of dead and dying. But here, again, I must refer you to the book.. Much of it is taken up with grimly fascinating and gruesome facts about man-eating lions, but every here and there the reason is seen why Britishers are such successful Empire-builders. At the same time, one gets a most interesting account of the animal life and of the social customs of the peoples of the area traversed hv the railway.

After reading “The Man-Eaters of Tsavo,” perhaps you will be tempted to read “ The Relief of Cbitral ” (Colonel G. J. Vounghusband and Sir F. Y. Younghusband, and illustrated), “ Battles, Bivouacs, and Battles ” (Archibald Forbes, the famous war correspondent—he lectured in Dunedin), “Reminiscences of the Great Mutiny ” (William Forbes-Mitchcll, sergeant in tlie 95id Sutherland Highlanders), “ Cawnpore ” (Sir G. O. Trevelyan, Bart.), and “The Story of the Guides” (Colonel G. J. Youtighusband). All those are on Empire-building, consolidation, and maintaining. There are others in the series I also recommend, but these fall under my heading, and that is why they alone arc referred to.