Summary Of Man Eaters Of Tsavo

In the Man Eaters of Tsavo the British go to Africa to extend their country’s power and influence through diplomacy, trying to show off their nation’s superrealism to help increase the nation’s status. The original idea was to go help spread religion, and gain resources, but the British judge the uncivilized people. Only because England felt it was their job to civilize the rest of the world. It was not the British’s job to go and try to change the Africans, causing an unwanted trip for Colonel John Patterson to go build a railroad to help transfer necessary goods. Thus, causing Patterson to reflect British attitudes not only upon the uncivilized Africans, but the landscape, wildlife, and civilization.
Even though the British came to civilize
1. He goes on to say how things look fresh and green contrary to his anticipations. Meaning Patterson did not think of Africa as beautiful or well cared for because of what he thought of the people. He thought of them as uncivilized so that would only leave the environment to reflect upon the people who live there. If their uncared for and reckless, then of course where they live would be the same. Patterson under goes several different encounters with this new environment, he is forced to live in. Patterson encounters a red spitting cobra, a rhinoceros, a hippopotamus, and a pack of wild dogs, a wildebeest, and a herd of zebra, of which he captured six. He also shoots an antelope. This comes to show that the Africans did not have a grasp on the wildlife. They never had to tame the animals so, would roam freely, until Patterson entered the camp. Patterson claimed to have tamed an animal that roamed into the camp, something the Africans could have never done without him being there. The village is full of tall, open grassy plains, giving the biggest predator a hiding place. Two men eating lions would roam into the camp at night and take whatever they so pleased. The wildlife was not the most threatening problem Patterson had. A flood wipes out the supply bridges and wraps iron girders around tree trunks. Uprooted tree trunks act like battering rams are trying to annihilate the bridge. The bridge
The Africans thought of the lions as evil spirits or demons and their names were The Ghost and The Darkness. It was not Patterson’s job to come to Africa to hunt down lions but, they were slowing down the process of the railroad. The lions came in and attacked the camp hospital and killed a patient. The workers take precautions and built barriers known as bomas and build bonfires. Even after the hospital was moved, one lion penetrates the thick, thorn fence called a boma built to protect the hospital and drags the water carrier away to his death. Patterson starts to lose workers due to these uncontrollable lion attacks. Hundreds of frightened workers left the project, refusing to come back and caused construction to be halted. Patterson has no choice but to do something about these lions so he can continue with building. He knows that the African do not know how to hunt and kill the lions because if they did he would not have to deal with the issue. Eventually, the first lion is defeated by baiting it while Patterson keeps watch from an elevated stand and unknowingly Patterson is actually what draws the lion into its death. The second lion is hunted by Patterson and Mahin, his gun boy, on the plains. When they find and shoot it, the lion charges them and it takes repeated shots to bring it down. Leading to Patterson finishing the railroad which was easier without his