300 ON SAFARI 



to the east, wliere water exists in abundance, but 

 which is still within the Game-Reserve. 



Let such men read Blue-book No. 519 — the "Colo- 

 nial Report on East Africa for 1905-6 " (price seven- 

 pence, Wyman & Sons, Fetter Lane, E.G.). Therein 

 will be found set forth the reasons which comjoelled the 

 Government to abandon their attempt to farm at 

 Makindu. With all its resources of British credit, that 

 experimental farm utterly failed to succeed : (1) Be- 

 cause the tsetse-flv killed all the oxen and other stock ; 

 (2) because malarial fever constantly prostrated both the 

 superintendent and the labourers ! 



If, before entering on specious argument, people 

 would take the trouble to master these solid facts 

 (ascertained by practical experiment at the public cost), 

 instead of airing their own silly superficial theories, we 

 should hear no more of the cant about game, on the 

 one hand, or " sturdy immio^rants," on the other. 



No sane man has ever advocated that the interests 

 of game should take precedence of the interests of white 

 man, or that areas available for settlement should be 

 reserved for oame. But there are areas — such as the 

 Athi Plains — not available for settlement. On these it 

 is our plain duty to see that fair-play is extended to 

 God's beautiful wild creation. 



Lest I be suspected of partiality, let me quote a 

 recent message on this point from President Roosevelt 

 to our Society for the Preservation of the Fauna of 

 THE Empire : — " It is perfectly evident to any intelligent 

 man that the people who are protesting against what 

 they call ' the curse of the big game ' do not know what 

 they are talking about. AVe have just such people in 

 abundance here in America, and I have for twenty-five 

 years waged war upon them in connection with game- 

 protection." 



I have selected East-African sources for these 

 strictures inasmuch as it is just this sort of rubbish that 

 is copied into our papers at home, with the result of 

 making confusion worse confounded. There follow 



