THE COMPANY OF ADVENTURERS
East Africa Ltd. 1928 London, 1st edn, 318pp, photos, map. A very good plus to fine copy with a very good jacket with small pieces missing along edges. Item #000464
The following is a direct quote from the publisher promoting the book back in 1928. "John Boyes, the author, fought in the Matabele War, and then, seeking further adventure, made his way up the East Coast of Africa by Arab dhow. He penetrated the Kikuyu country, but found the Natives hostile. Much hard fighting followed, but he gradually pacified the district, of which he became the uncrowned King after entering into blood-brotherhood with the paramount chiefs. Then, as British administration followed in his steps, he was arrested and tried for his life. In this volume he tells of his adventures as an elephant poacher in the Lado Enclave, and his travels in British East Africa, Uganda, the Belgian Congo, and Abyssinia. He was the first white trader to travel from the capital of Abyssinia to the capital of Kenya. The book is modest and good humored, and bears testimony of the self-reliance and strength of will of the man who for twenty-five years has been known to East Africans as The King of the Wakikuyu." John Boyes was one of the most illustrious characters of East Africa; whether it be ivory hunter, poacher, or creating his own "Kingdom" in the interior of Kenya. He had such a reputation that Theodore Roosevelt specifically sought him out on his 1909 safari to spend an evening with him to hear his stories.
Price: $1,750.00