718 Mr. W. R. Ogilvie-Grant : Boyd Alexander 



majority of the natives, in their excitement, did not pay 

 much attention to his companion and moved hack to the 

 town. 



"The had luck of the whole thing was that two days after the 

 explorer's murder Ali Dinar of Darfur, to whom Alexander 

 had sent his boys (presumably to announce his arrival and to 

 ask for guides), sent back an escort along with the carriers. 

 The latter had been well received by Ali Dinar, who had given 

 them presents and had provided the escort for the British 

 officer, to give him a safe passage across Darfur. Two days 

 later would have made all the difference. The attitude of the 

 Tama people was doubtless due to the fact that they had 

 had trouble with the French before, and hearing of the 

 arrival of an unknown white man at their town, expected 

 further hostilities." 



Thus, in the very prime of his life, having already at the 

 early age of 37 covered himself with honour and glory, this 

 splendid man was done to death. All those who had the 

 privilege of knowing him will easily realise that Alexander's 

 place both as a great traveller and as a field-naturalist of 

 exceptional ability will be hard to fill; and to those who could 

 claim him as a friend his loss must seem irreparable. 



Boyd Alexander was the eldest son of Lt.-Col. Boyd 

 Francis Alexander, of Swifts Place, Cranbrook. He was 

 one of twin boys, born on the 16th of January, 1873. As 

 it was doubtful whether the younger would survive the early 

 hours of infancy, the Vicar was summoned hastily to 

 christen the children, and the ceremony was performed in 

 an old silver sugar-basin which is a family heirloom. The 

 fears of the doctor, however, were fortunately not fulfilled, 

 so the twins grew up together through childhood and school- 

 days, while their ways did not part till at twenty years of 

 age they entered different battalions of the Rifle Brigade 

 (Militia). It was then that Boyd's taste for travel began to 

 develop, and soon his expeditions kept him the greater pait 

 of his time away from England. 



From earliest boyhood he shewed an extraordinary keenness 

 for natural history. Perhaps this passion for collecting, 



