Hunting in British East Africa

Front matter

Book T^-gMZ

Coipglit}^!*

CCFXRIGHT DEPOSm

Foreword

It was about a year ago that I received a visit from Mr. Percy C. Madeira of Philadelphia and heard from his own lips an account of his hunting experiences in British East Africa, from which country, he and his wife who had accompanied him throughout his travels, had only recently returned. Mr. Madeira has now sent me for perusal the written account of his East African hunting expedition with a request that I would try and find time to read it, and that if I found it interesting I would write a few sentences by way of a ** Foreword.'* All that I can say is that I have found Mr. Madeira's notes of his journey through the most richly stocked game country to be found in the world to-day, of very great interest. I have myself only just returned from a hunting trip in East Africa, during which I travelled over a portion of the same ground over which Mr. Madeira hunted and had for a companion Mr. Williams, who also accompanied Mr. and Mrs. Madeira on their hunting expedition two years ago, so that I can vouch for the accuracy of Mr. Madeira's descriptions of that part of the country and the abundance of game he met with. Mr. Madeira's narrative is a plain, unvarnished tale, modestly yet interestingly told, and I trust that it will have a wide circulation, and it should certainly prove of great interest to all American sportsmen who contemplate a trip to the wonder-

FOREWORD

ful hunting grounds of East Africa, where I am sure they will meet with every assistance at the hands of the British authorities and settlers in that country and find a happy hunting ground stocked with an abundance and variety of game beyond their highest hopes. I cannot conclude these few words of appreciative comment on Mr. Madeira's book without recording my admiration for his wife, a lady whose personal acquaintance I have not yet made, but of whom I have heard a great deal. I think the grit and powers of endurance shown by Mrs. Madeira when lost and wandering for so long a time without food or water in the rough, broken country between the Tana and Thika Rivers, little short of marvellous.

Frederick Courteney Selous

Preface

Big game hunting in British East Africa is undoubtedly unequalled in any part of the world, and for the sportsman who is fond of a rifle it is a paradise. There is more game to be secured, much greater variety, and, in the way of excitement, far more danger than in any other country for the man who hunts as a " lone gun," for he does not know from one instant to another what the next bush, shadow, or tree may hide. The innocent-looking rock lying in the grass twenty or thirty yards from you may become a pugnacious rhinoceros; the silently stalking buffalo that has watched your approach, unseen by you, may suddenly charge out from the shadow of a tree ; a lion may start up from the cover of a bunch of grass or a bush just ahead of you — all of which render it a matter of keyed-up attention that is not, I imagine, approached in any other country.

The sensation and glamour which one commences to feel as soon as Africa is reached sweeps over one on the first visit, and impresses itself very strongly. Whether ever overcome, I do not know. Nearly every one who has hunted there plans to return. Whether it is the East, as Kiphng describes it, with its mys'tery, its excitement and dangers; the queer and barbarous

PREFACE

savages that carry one's thoughts always back into the primitive past; the blinding blaze of the sun, or the monotonous brown of the entire landscape, I cannot tell; but they bring a fascination that is indescribable.

To the hunter pure and simple, the man who loves to shoot and kill and who would make a good bag, undoubtedly Africa, with all its charms, luxuries, and possibilities of success, is unparalleled. Around the camp-fires we had many discussions as to which is the most attractive of all the different countries which we knew.

When one is sitting in Africa, it is difficult to explain the beauty, silence, and charm of the North Canadian woods, with the hardships and disappointments which the hunter encounters in this latter country. Day after day, and week after week, he works just as hard to secure a single specimen of moose, caribou, bear, sheep, or goat, as for a dozen different ones in Africa; and the physical labor gone through is almost unparalleled and would not be possible in the latter country, owing to climatic conditions. Yet it is a question whether the pleasure of getting this one moose or one sheep that has been tracked and watched for day after day, is not a greater satisfaction than the quick and sure return that a fraction of the amount of work in Africa will bring one.

To the man who really loves the outdoor life, the enjoyment is not of necessity in the number of animals he kills, for I really think that the fun of the hunt is over

PREFACE

the minute the rifle comes up to the shoulder and the bead is on the animal. I do not believe any man likes to see animals die. I am sure I do not. The charm lies in the fascination and excitement of the chase, with the killing alone to be regretted.

To him who loves nature and the wild, free life of the camp, each different country has its attraction, and it would be impossible to describe one as greater than the other. The wild, rugged mountains, with their sheep and goats, and the free air of the peaks, are missing in Africa, just as is the smell of the balsam, the whispering of the spruce and the fir, the crunching of snow-shoes, and the tap of the paddle on the edge of the canoe, which one finds in the North Canadian woods. Yet the excitement and danger, the glare and mystery, of Africa are things unknown to the hunters of the mountains and woods of the western continent.

So each has its charm, each its own particular place in the heart of the man who loves the wilds, and whether the hunt brings success and a fine trophy, or whether it does not, the pleasure and the freedom are still there, and I believe its attractions stay until the end. When once this fever of the wild gets into a man's blood, I believe it is never lost, and, whether the call is from the cold and snows of the mountains, the dense forests of the North, the plains of Africa, or the jungles of India, it is always the same, and undying.

P. C. M.

November, 1909

Contents

CHAPTER PAQS

I. Arrangements for the Hunt 17

II. Mombasa, the Uganda Railroad and Nairobi 26

Chapter I

The preparations for an African hunt seem rather comphcated to those unfamihar with such an undertaking, but in reahty so much of this hunting is done by Europeans, that matters have become systematized, and to-day all arrangements can be made with little or no difficulty.

When, in the spring of 1907, I saw the possibility of making this hunting trip — a long-desired wish — I wrote to Rowland Ward, the naturalist-taxidermist, in London, inquiring where the best bag of African game had been secured that year. Being advised that it was from British East Africa, I made further inquiries from friends who had been there, and, following their advice, wrote to the Army & Navy Stores, in London, asking them to submit an estimate for the outfit for a threemonths' trip for myself and wife. The outfit was to include everything that we should require, except our clothes, guns, ammunition, and heavy supplies, such as flour, sugar, salt, potatoes, etc., which could be procured in Africa. In reply, I received a hst that covered every

2 17 necessity that could be anticipated on such a trip. The entire outfit was to be put up in boxes or packages, and the price quoted included delivery at Nairobi.

iThe outfit was packed in twenty-five packages or boxes, and I have carefully prepared a list of the numerous articles they contained.*

At the same time that I wrote to the Stores, I also communicated with Newland, Tarleton & Company, safari outfitters at Nairobi, and a month before I sailed I sent three cablegrams which started all the equipment moving, so that upon my arrival at Nairobi I was ready to leave within forty-eight hours.

For weapons, I took from America an 8- and a 9- millimeter Mannlicher and a 12-bore, double-barrelled shotgun; and in London procured a double-barrelled .450 cordite express, and an 8-millimeter Mannlicher as an extra gun. The ammunition consisted of 250 cartridges for the .450, of which 125 had solid steel and 125 had soft-nose bullets; 500 soft-nose bullets for each of the 8- and 9-millimeter Mannlichers, and 500 No. 6 shotgun cartridges, all in brass shells, to prevent swelling from dampness. This supply I found more than I needed, and I disposed of the surplus in Nairobi when I left.

I tried very hard to get Mrs. Madeira to shoot either birds or some of the small antelope, and for that purpose had taken a shotgun and a light rifle. She, how-

* See Appendix, 1^ ever, resolutely declined, saying that she hated to see animals killed, except the dangerous ones, and throughout the entire trip she neither fired a shot nor carried a weapon of any kind, not even a small revolver. She made the entire journey armed with nothing but a riding whip, and as she almost invariably accompanied us on our hunting expeditions, hardly ever remaining in camp, she saw all the animals we encountered, and was in at the death of at least one of each variety, except the buffalo. Her experience the night she was lost gave her all the acquaintance with these that was desirable. She had nq fear of any of them, and accompanied us in eveiy one of our stalks until the last short distance, when she would sit quietly and watch the proceedings. Her experience in this way was most unique and interesting.

At the present time outfitting firms in Africa will arrange to supply sportsmen with camp equipment, porters, food, etc., for one hundred pounds per month per man, the outfit comprising everything needful except ammunition, clothes, riding animals, and luxuries, such as champagne, etc.

Our safari was directed by a Somali headman, with a native head porter under him. The wages of the headman were seventy-five rupees per month, a rupee being about thirty-three cents in American currency. We started with two gun-bearers, a Somah at seventy-five and a second gun-bearer — a Swahili — at forty rupees per month; two tent boys, or personal attendants, one for Mrs. Madeira and one for me, at fifty rupees; a Somali cook at fifty rupees; and two syces for our riding animals at twenty rupees. All the Somalis spoke English more or less, some of them quite well.

The wages of a good Swahili porter, who carries sixty pounds, are ten rupees per month, while men of inferior tribes, such as the Kikuyu, who are not so strong and can carry but forty pounds, receive but four rupees. To these wages is added their food, which in the case of a Somali consists of rice, tea, sugar, and *' ghee," the latter a sort of butter of which he is very fond, while the Swahili and other tribes receive as rations native beans or flour, whichever may be available in the country through which you are passing. The ordinary ration, or " posho," is two pounds of rice daily for a Somali, and one and a half pounds of flour for a Swahili, all of which is measured out in a " kibaba," or cup, holding about this quantity. This "posho " is usually issued every other day or so, under the direction of the headman, assisted by the askaris to keep order. We had three of these latter, their duties being practically those of policemen and soldiers of the caravan. On the march one is usually at the front, one at the middle, and one at the rear of the safari, their duty here being to help the porters lift the loads on their heads, to take care of stragglers, and to see that none of the men desert. The askaris are armed with rifles of ancient model and are supposed to protect the porters from attacks by wild beasts or other enemies, but I cannot

DlSKMbAUklNG AT MOMIIASA

AN ADEN WATER CART believe that either as marksmen or in any other way they would be dangerous to anything or any one outside the caravan. Personally, I should rather be in front of their guns than behind them. In camp they keep order and administer to unruly porters any punishment that may be necessary; and also keep watch at night and tend the fires, taking turn-about from dark until daylight. They are usually Swahilis or Sudanese, and often have seen service in the King's African Rifles. As they are supposedly more intelligent than the porters, they receive a few rupees per month higher wages.

When we left Nairobi our safari consisted of about forty porters, which number was gradually increased as we proceeded on our march, until at the end it numbered seventy-five, and these had boys, or " totos," as they are called, under them as sub-porters to the number of about twenty-five. These Httle " totos " arouse one's sympathy keenly. They are usually boys that loaf about Nairobi or Mombasa without any kith, kin, or anyone to look after them or take an interest in their welfare. When they are offered the opportunity to go on a safari, where they are certain of being fed, they are glad to accept, in spite of the hardships and small pay — about one rupee a month. They are about the size of white boys of the age of ten or twelve, and each is supposed to wait upon from three to five porters, carrying their odds and ends on the march and cooking their food. They are often dreadfully imposed upon by their employers, and are, in fact, practically slaves.

Our porters represented a variety of tribes, Swahili, Kikuyu, Wakamba, Uganda, Masai, etc., and the representatives of each tribe had their own particular tent and their own mess, so that they kept much to themselves. It is well to have a variety of tribes represented in one's safari, for it tends to prevent desertion. One tribe keeps watch upon the other, for each desertion adds to the load of the remaining porters; therefore, they constantly act as police upon each other. We had very few desertions on our expedition.

Our outfit, which was shipped from London, was taken charge of by Messrs. Newland, Tarleton & Company from the time it was taken off the ship until it arrived at their storehouse at Nairobi.

When w^e started the safari on the first march all the packages were in the original form in which they left London, complete in eveiy detail. The outfit was spread out in a long line, and the porters were then marshalled in single file, each being allotted to his load. The most careful and intelligent were entrusted with the more valuable packages, such as our personal equipment, guns, etc. Each stood alongside his package until the headman blew a whistle, when, with great shouts and much laughter and merriment, each put his load on top of his head, and the whole safari started off at a pace that was almost a run. Gradually they settled down in single file to a good, fast walk.

I should say here that over fair country the caravan usually travelled at from two and three-quarters to three miles an hour. We kept an account of the time required to go from one point to another, and though of course progress was dependent upon the condition of the road a fairly accurate estimate of the distances travelled can thus be computed. The various points we came to, the dates of arrival, and the time required to get there, will all be found in the Appendix.

Mrs. Madeira and I each had a riding mule which we used when on the march and sometimes in hunting. They are small animals, but strong and sturdy, and are easier to take care of in the way of feeding than ponies. They are also more immune from the tsetse fly, which in some districts prevents the use of horses. The latter, however, are preferable to mules in lion hunting. Had we been mounted on ponies, we should probably have secured six or seven lions that escaped us, for with mules we were unable to ride them down as we could have done had we been better mounted.

The price of live stock varies considerably in this part of Africa, mules costing from four hundred to five hundred rupees each, and ponies from six hundred to nine hundred. Both mules and ponies are brought down from Abyssinia, and although quite small, they have wonderful endurance.

Our clothing consisted of khaki for daytime, with warmer clothes for night, when sitting around the camp, for after the sun disappears a great chill settles down, making \^dnter clothing and a good fire most essential.

During the daytime we wore pith helmets, although sometimes in the early morning and in the late afternoon, when the sun was not at its maximum, a double terai felt hat was substituted. The latter is far more comfortable than a helmet, and some men wear them altogether, but the helmet is generally considered safer.

As an additional precaution, we wore sun-pads, heavy quilted strips, which covered the spine from the coUar to a little below the shoulders, for we were advised that the effect of the sun upon this point was just as deadly as upon the head. I do not know what maximum the thermometer might have reached in the sun, for I was afraid to leave it exposed when it rose above 150°, as beyond that point there was danger of breaking. In the shade the thermometer would usually be from 85° to 100°, but there was always a breeze blowing, and the dryness of the air cooled one off quite rapidly as soon as one got out of the sun.

It was always cold in the morning when we started out before daylight, and we were usually shivering for a few minutes, prior to the sun's appearance. Day does not dawn in equatorial Africa; it bursts! It is dark one minute and full sunlight the next, and the reverse occurs in the evening, for the sun goes down and night comes on as if a curtain had suddenly been pulled down over the west, and the chill of night begins instantly.

I was surprised to find that bathing in the middle of the day in some of the delightful rivers that we saw was absolutely tabooed by all authorities on African travel, and our baths were taken late in the evening, and

.24 always with hot and not cold water. We were warned about tliis by everybody, and followed the custom with remarkable success, so far as our health was concerned. All drinking water was filtered and boiled, regardless of how clear and attractive the stream looked, or how unattractive the puddle from which we were sometimes forced to secure the very dreadful fluid that we drank. This precaution, no doubt, had much to do with the fact that during the entire time we were in Africa neither Mrs. Madeira nor I had to take quinine or any other kind of medicine, and we were free from any touch of fever until we were on the Indian Ocean, on our way home, when we both suffered from quite an acute attack.

Chapter II Mombasa, The Uganda Railroad And Nairobi

We left Naples on the steamship Burgomeister, of the German East Africa Line, on Monday, November 18, 1907, late in the afternoon, and arrived at Port Said on the 22d. We spent several hours at this interesting town, then late at night entered the canal, when the ship put out its great search-light, which they all carry. During the night we were constantly passing vessels, and each time one of the ships tied up to the shore. Speed in going through the canal is limited to four miles an hour, and about twenty-four hours after leaving Port Said we reached Suez, and had our first taste of tropical heat.

We spent four days on the Red Sea, getting a view of Mount Ararat, and finally reached Aden, one of the most unattractive places, and certainly the hottest, on earth. It is devoid of vegetation, for there is practically no rainfall except once a year, and when this occurs the water is collected and stored by great dams in rocky gorges back of the town. From these reservoirs it is supplied to the public in barrels, hauled by donkeys, camels, and big, Indian humped oxen, as well as in goatskins carried on the backs of men.

We here encountered representatives of almost all the Oriental races, as well as great numbers of Somalis,

«@6 most of the latter presenting " chits," or letters with alleged recommendations from former employers, mostly British officers. Some of them had been engaged beforehand as gun-bearers by fellow passengers.

We approached the island on which Mombasa is situated at sunrise on December 4, and encountered a most beautiful view. Our ship was too large to go into the Mombasa Harbor proper, so we entered that of Kilindini, which is the deep-water port and hes at the back of the island. As we drew near, one of the first things which attracted our attention was an old fort built some three hundred years ago, and which had been the scene of conflict from that time until the British took possession of it, by treaty with the Sultan of Zanzibar, about ten years ago. The fort is still in good condition, and is used as a prison. One sees adjacent to it modern English country buildings and bungalows, and old Portuguese and Arabian houses, the gleaming colors of the latter standing out in high relief against the dark, tropical vegetation of palms and banana trees, and all the feathery vegetation that renders this harbor so beautiful.

As we got closer the colors of the flowers commenced to be noticed in brilliant splashes. We saw huge trees covered with blossoms like the azaleas that one sees for sale in the florist's shop at Easter. The eff'ect of these enormous trees in full-bloom is magnificent. The bougainvillea vine grows here profusely, and is covered ^vith purple flowers like clematis, but instead of the vine being of the ordinary size, such as we see at home, it here attains gigantic proportions, with the flowers covering it so that you barely see the leaves. With its luxuriant, flowering trees and vines, Mombasa is one of the most beautiful tropical harbors in the world.

Our anchor was dropped close to a civilized-looking wharf and a custom-house of corrugated iron in the Kilindini Harbor, and we disembarked from the ship and were rowed ashore by half-naked, sturdy-looking Swahilis, in boats that had about six oars each, and a wild, excited lot of boatmen they were. The baggage was brought ashore in the same way, and the custom-house inspection was very hght and gave no trouble.

The heat here was terrific, and it was so damp and sticky that we got away from the water as quickly as possible. After a short walk along the shore, we climbed up a pathway between some wonderful flowers, and at the top of the ascent we found a toy-railroad, with tracks about two feet wide and 12 lb. rails, which constituted the Mombasa trolley, or garry tracks. The car consists of a small platform about five feet square, on which is erected a seat, covered by an awning. The motive power is supplied by two natives, who run at the back of the car and push it along. It is reminiscent of the hand-car one sees on our railroads at home. Whenever there is a dowTi-grade, the human motors hop on the back and coast with the car, and the speed with which they get you over the ground by this means of propulsion is remarkable. These little tracks run to all the principal houses and stores in town, and everybody of importance owns his own private garry, and has liis garry boys decorated with his colors in fancy turbans and sashes over their white gowns.

There is a broad highway running from the dock at Kilindini into the main town at Mombasa, and here we got our first ghmpse of the real African men and women. The latter were all dressed in highly colored checked or striped sheeting arrangements, which they managed in some way or other to drape securely around them, so that only their arms, the upper part of their necks, and the legs from the knees down were exposed. Many of them were covered with native jewelry, mostly brass, steel and copper wire, and some few of them carried plain, ordinary umbrellas.

The men w^ere strong and sturdy-looking and belonged to the Swahili race. It is surprising to see the enormous loads they can carry, and the amount of work they can accomplish in unloading the huge packages and boxes that are brought by the lighters from the Kilindini Harbor around to the Mombasa custom-house. Ail unloading and transportation is done by these Swahili workmen, the tsetse fly preventing the use of horses. When at w^ork they wear notliing but a small bit of cloth tied around the loins, and their perspiring bodies shine like ebony as they move the heavy packages and boxes which they carry on their heads.

Immediately upon arriving at Mombasa we went to one of the two so-called hotels, both of which are so bad that, whichever you select, j^ou are sure that you have chosen the worse. The inspection of our rooms was most discouraging; they were so dirty and uninviting. After having our baggage taken to the rooms, we took a garry and proceeded to call upon the District Commissioner, JNIr. Hinde, to whom we presented a letter of introduction. Upon telling him that we also had a letter to the Governor General, Sir James Hayes Sadler, from the Colonial Secretary in London, he advised our losing no time in presenting it, as there were a great many influential passengers on the ship, therefore he thought we had better be among the first to call and pay our respects. This we did at once, and after a very pleasant reception, we were delighted by receiving an invitation to stay at the Government House, and it took us but little time to accept the same and have our baggage moved over.

We had a most enjoyable visit for the two days that we remained here. There were guests at each meal, and we met a number of prominent officials and attractive people. The wilderness is so close to civilization here that while sitting at dinner, we could hear the hyenas in the distance.

Our time in Mombasa was spent in getting our goods finally through the custom-house inspection, preparatory to departure for Nairobi, and considerable running around was necessary. The heat and power of

m the sun here gave us our first experience of what we had been led to expect in Africa. While the thermometer was only about 90° in the shade, the humiditywas terrific. It was like one of our dreadfully hot July days at home, when everybody is in a continual state of dampness, and you can get neither air nor relief from the heat unless you sit perfectly still, by which means in Africa one can be comparatively comfortable.

Mombasa used to be the slave port for eastern Africa, the poor wretches being brought down from Uganda and even farther away. Many a sad story could be told about the pitiful traffic which centred here, and which, fortunately, has now been done away with. Mombasa's trade is now largely devoted to the export of ivory, hides, copra, and other native products, and is growing rapidly, as the railroad has opened up the interior of the country to a development that bids fair before long to make it a paying investment, and the port one of even greater importance than it is at the present time.

While here, the Governor General introduced us to the Lieutenant Governor, F. J. Jackson, one of the most loved men in the Protectorate. Twenty-five years' residence has qualified him as one of the most widelyknown naturalists on African fauna, and liis knowledge of all the animals and their habitat is most thorough. He gave us a very kind reception, and took the trouble to discuss our trip with us and advise where it should be made. A letter from Mr. Hornaday, of the ISTew

York Zoological Society, and others which I presented, obtained from Mr. Jackson, who has charge of this detail, permission to shoot an extra buffalo and giraffe for the National Collection of Heads and Horns in New York. He also planned for us the beginning of our shooting trip in the Embo District, which I was informed had not for some years been shot over by white men, having been " closed territory " as a game preserve, and the first permit that was issued was to us.