########################################################################## # If Goanet stops reaching you, contact [EMAIL PROTECTED] # # Want to check the archives? http://www.goanet.org/pipermail/goanet/ # # Please keep your discussion/tone polite, to reflect respect to others # ##########################################################################
----- Original Message ----- From: "cornel" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Havovy Fernandes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>; <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Tuesday, October 05, 2004 5:16 PM Subject: Re: [Goanet]East Africa remembered....... > Desmond, > Regarding the Man Eaters of Tsavo (Patterson, 1904), I feel that it will be > of much particular interest to many Indians from East Africa to find out > something about Roshan's lengthy Hindi poem as reported in one of your > recent book-throve findings. > > As a youngster, I had travelled a lot on the railway between Mombasa and > Nairobi and well beyond. Tsavo had a special fascination for me as I had > read Patterson quite early on at school. When the train stopped at Tsavo > station, around midnight, I struggled to keep awake and peer into absolute > darkness (but for the fire flies), mentally living the historical period and > imagining the ghosts of the maneaters in the vicinity. Much later, I drove > through these areas on some pretty rough roads and was invariably stopped > around Voi, by a particular 'rogue' elephant who seemed to get much pleasure > in keeping the few cars stopped on the road for about fifteen minutes at a > time before trumpeting and running off into the bush, only to hide and > await his next car to repeat his pranks! > > Even then however, I had felt that Patterson took virtually all the credit > for killing the maneaters when so many Indians helped in many ways, and > especially, in erecting the special platforms upon which Patterson crouched > for his rifle shots at the beasts. Needless to say, many Indian workers were > killed by these particular lions which took a liking for human flesh and > very deviously attacked people by even getting into the train compartments > at Tsavo station. > > If Roshan's Hindi poem can be located, or anyone knows what happened to it, > I would be most interested to follow his version of events. Of interest too > would be the often rumoured account that a couple of Goans were also > involved in eliminating the maneaters in Tsavo. > > By way of interest, a close relative of mine from Carmona, Goa, worked for > the emerging administration in Nairobi before the East African railway line > was completed. He told me personally, that he had been recruited by the > Indian Railways in Bombay. To get to Mombasa from Goa, the passage was > initially by dhow sailed by Arab seamen via Aden. Then, he and his party > travelled by foot and on donkeys all the way from Mombasa to Nairobi, a > distance of 330 miles. At night, they slept fitfully in a circle of fire > built from brushwood and tree branches. The journey took them about twelve > days at the time. > > I hope some Goanetters can throw more light, through oral history, on the > early period in East Africa where our forefathers contributed so much to the > initial development of Kenya and neighbouring countries and little of which > has been published as yet. > Cornel > ----- Original Message ----- > From: "Havovy Fernandes" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > To: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> > Sent: Monday, October 04, 2004 2:17 PM > Subject: Re: [Goanet]East Africa remembered >
