316 A COLONY IN THE MAKING chap. 



On the contrary, sight-seers, naturalists, and men of 

 science should, and no doubt will, be encouraged. As 

 the country gets more and more settled up and the 

 game moves back into the unhealthy and barren areas, 

 one conceives that bungalows or rest-houses will be 

 erected at suitable places in the Reserve. Visitors 

 and scientific expeditions will hire the same, and, armed 

 with the camera, will still enjoy the sport of the pioneer. 

 Possibly, also, specimens will be captured to supply 

 periodically both zoological gardens and museums. A 

 considerable source of revenue will by these means be 

 added to the Protectorate. 



Rather a vexed question is raised by the carnivora 

 in the Reserve, and more especially by the lions. 

 Some settlers would have all carnivora destroyed, 

 others would have them kept in check, and others, again, 

 would have them entirely preserved. Personally, I 

 would put in a strong plea for the lion, at all events 

 within certain limits. Not only is he, to my mind, the 

 grandest beast in Africa, but his habits are intensely 

 interesting, and unless provoked it is the very rarest 

 thing, if not absolutely unknown, for him to molest 

 human beings. In the whole history of the Protector- 

 ate there may be authentic cases of a dozen man- 

 eaters ; and many of these, no doubt, had been at 

 some previous date molested or wounded. If, how- 

 ever, it be held necessary from time to time to reduce 

 the number of lions, it is a task that should be entrusted 

 solely to the officers in charge of the Reserve. On no 

 account should privileged persons be allowed, as has 

 occurred too often in the past, to enter the sanctuary 

 ostensibly to kill superfluous lions. I would go further, 

 and say that the only method by which carnivora should 

 be killed therein is by the unsporting but most deadly 



