The Man-eaters of Tsavo

John Henry Patterson

• Publisher: Passerino
• Year: 2023
• Topic: History
• eBook ISBN:
  9791222448152
• Subtopic: Historical Biographies
• Index: History

The Man-eaters of Tsavo is a semi-autobiographical book written by Anglo-Irish military officer and hunter John Henry Patterson. Published in 1907, it recounts his experiences in East Africa while supervising the construction of a railroad bridge over the Tsavo river in Kenya, in 1898. It is titled after a pair of man-eating lions that terrorized the undertaking for nine-months, until at last their reign of terror was put to an end by Patterson. His recounting of this incident projected him to fame, and it remains the subject of debate to this day. It has also been the basis of numerous films, the best known being The Ghost and the Darkness (1996), starring Val Kilmer and Michael Douglas. Lieutenant-Colonel John Henry Patterson (10 November 1867 – 18 June 1947) was an Anglo-Irish military officer, hunter and author best known for his book The Man-eaters of Tsavo (1907), which details Patterson's experiences during the construction of a railway bridge over the Tsavo River in the East Africa Protectorate from 1898 to 1899. The book went on to inspire three films: Bwana Devil (1952), Killers of Kilimanjaro (1959) and The Ghost and the Darkness (1996). During World War I, Patterson served as the commander of the British Army's Jewish Legion, which has been described as the first precursor to the Israel Defense Forces.

Table of contents

• Cover
• The Man-Eaters of Tsavo, and Other East African Adventures
• Table of contents
• PREFACE
• FOREWORD
• MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO
• THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE MAN-EATERS
• THE ATTACK ON THE GOODS-WAGON
• THE BUILDING OF THE TSAVO BRIDGE
• TROUBLES WITH THE WORKMEN
• THE REIGN OF TERROR
• THE DISTRICT OFFICER'S NARROW ESCAPE
• THE DEATH OF THE FIRST MAN-EATER
• THE DEATH OF THE SECOND MAN-EATER
• THE COMPLETION OF THE TSAVO BRIDGE
• THE SWAHILI AND OTHER NATIVE TRIBES
• A NIGHT AFTER HIPPO
• A DAY ON THE N'DUNGU ESCARPMENT
• THE FINDING OF THE MAN-EATERS' DEN
• UNSUCCESSFUL RHINO HUNTS
• A WIDOW'S STORY
• AN INFURIATED RHINO
• LIONS ON THE ATHI PLAINS
• THE STRICKEN CARAVAN
• A DAY ON THE ATHI RIVER
• THE MASAI AND OTHER TRIBES
• HOW ROSHAN KHAN SAVED MY LIFE
• A SUCCESSFUL LION HUNT
• BHOOTA'S LAST SHIKAR
• A MAN-EATER IN A RAILWAY CARRIAGE
• WORK AT NAIROBI
• THE FINDING OF THE NEW ELAND
• APPENDIX