Order from a Major Online Bookstore
Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine
Save Your Time And Money
| AnyBook4Less.com | Order from a Major Online Bookstore |
|
| Home | Store List | FAQ | Contact Us | | ||
| Ultimate Book Price Comparison Engine Save Your Time And Money |
||
 |
Title: The Man-Eaters Of Tsavo by J. H. Patterson, Peter H. Capstick ISBN: 0-312-51010-1 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 December, 1985 Format: Hardcover Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.09 (34 reviews)
Rating: 5
Summary: An interesting read
Comment: Patterson is a fascinating character. After reading his account, I am left with many questions. It is obvious that he was not much of soldier or engineer during his time in Africa. A soldier would have protected his men better. He would not allow them to be scattered in small camps for miles. He would have built a fortified encampment, something even the ancient Roman army did every night. His engineering seems to have been limited to building bridges.
Having said the above, I do admire his raw courage. It took a lot to set out at night to hunt man-eaters. He was certainly a man of his times. He took a camera with him every where. The result is that he documented Africa and the railroad as it was being built. He is given to jumping to conclusions. He is out hunting. He finds a rock over hang, several weeks after a massive rain and flood. He finds bones in the "cave", well it must be "the den of the man eaters". Not likely, at lions do not den. Forgiven this, he is fascinating to read.
Rating: 2
Summary: Monument to human incompetence and carelesness
Comment: Didn't live up to the hype. The part with the 2 clever lions, which surely must have been the Einsteins of lions, is only about a third of the book but wisely the first part. The rest is certainly valid armchair geography/travel reading on East Africa and tribes which must have been valuable knowledge for the readers at the time of writing.
The style is clear and factual and very neutral. The feeling is the author neither exaggerates nor downplays the events. You could call it typical military style of writing (describing events).
An interesting thing is, that in spite of the incompetence of the author's most trusted and critical staff helpers he never fires or worse, kills them, which their merits or lack there of certainly could have earned them given the time an place (19th century colonnial Africa, the darkest place since medieval Europe).
As en example, on a very critical time his helper carrying extra guns simply vanished as they were in front of the mighty and deadly beasts leving the authors grasping for a non-existing gun.
At another point a helper carrying the necessary light to aim the lion likewise escaped up a tree leaving the author blined in front of the growling lion. None the less, he does not fire the staff or fire upon them. Amazing.
Not surprisingly the barriers of thorny bushes the camps start to barricade with are not well made. The clever and determined lions either find weaknesses in it or simply jump across them. These are indeed to humongous lions well over 9 feet. To top off the incompetency, the entrance is not well sealed off at night but the lions at one time gets throug there.
Astonishing was the fact that a crew on a certain scarry night with lions roaring in the bushes escapes to the main camp, but leavr a sick fellow alone in the unprotected tent. The author rushes out with a party to retrieve the loner, but alass he is already dead of the stress of fright.
At another point the local law enforcement joins to assist in the hunt but proves utterly incompetent for any purpose. Situated in front of the lion at arms length enclosed in a cage separated by strong railroad bars the app. 4 riflemen hits anything but the lion in a shootout, and the lion escapes via the the damages to the construction the riflemen were doing.
Furthermore the chief hands over his powerful rifle to the author, but sure enough the rifle is in so bad condition it misfires in front of the hunted lion due to wear or poor craftmansship. Surely the chief of police could have informed of the poor state of the rifle.
Another folly of the time (not least the authors carelessness) is the homemade ammonition exploding up his face while producing it. None the less, he resumes fabrication in same manner when his eyesight was restored. This was apparently before protective eyeglasses (and brains) were invented.
The reader will also be amazed over the careless housing of the workers sleeping in bare tents or under the open sky until the lions start roaming. Even after they maneaters star fouraging, people still sleep out as soon as there is a break in the lions local roaming for a few days or weeks. No wonder they could devour app. 28 counted Indians workers and app. 100 native Africans the company doesn't even report or count.
Still the same, the author's courage and plight in hunting the lions personally (in spite being in charge of an important railroad construction) is astonishing and he surely must have been the bravest man around, you could call him non-virtual Tarzan (Protected trademark of Disney Co.)
Rating: 5
Summary: None better
Comment: Tales of African hunting don't get better than this. An amazing story, a fabulous writer, and (in this edition) a great quality book. Highly recommended.
 |
Title: Death In The Long Grass by Peter H. Capstick ISBN: 0312186134 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 January, 1978 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
 |
Title: Death in the Silent Places by Peter H. Capstick ISBN: 0312186185 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 May, 1981 List Price(USD): $23.95 |
 |
Title:The Ghost and the Darkness ASIN: 6305181926 Publisher: Paramount Studio Pub. Date: 08 January, 2002 List Price(USD): $19.99 Comparison N/A, buy it from Amazon for $17.99 |
 |
Title: Death in the Dark Continent by Peter H. Capstick ISBN: 0312186150 Publisher: St. Martin's Press Pub. Date: 15 May, 1983 List Price(USD): $22.95 |
 |
Title: Ghosts of Tsavo: Tracking the Mythic Lions of East Africa by Philip Caputo, Phillip Caputo ISBN: 0792263626 Publisher: National Geographic Pub. Date: 01 June, 2002 List Price(USD): $27.00 |
Thank you for visiting www.AnyBook4Less.com and enjoy your savings!
Copyright� 2001-2021 Send your comments
