King of the Wa-Kikuyu

Early youth; I run away to sea on a fishing-boat; hardships of the life; take service on a tugboat; life on board a tramp; first view of tropical African coast; a collision at sea; land at Durban, 1895. I work my way up-country to Matabeleland; employed as fireman on engine; reach Johannesburg; trek the rest of the way to Bulawayo on foot; take service in the Matabeleland Mounted Police; join the Africander Corps engaged in putting down the rebellion; go into trade in Bulawayo; return to the coast; I take to the stage; work my way on an Arab dhow to Mombassa, February 1898; cool official reception. 1898 - determine to organize a transport caravan on the Uganda Railway route to carry provisions for the collies working on the railway; man-eating lions at railway construction camps; reach the borderland of the Masai and Kikuyu tribes; desertion of my men; return to Railhead; start out again with convoys for Uganda; loss of my transport animals; decide to enter the Kikuyu country. Government official tries to prevent me going into the Kikuyu country; give the official the slip; my first acquaintance with the Kikuyu; meet Karuri, the Kikuyu chief; hospitable reception; Kikuyu village attacked because of my presence in it; I help to beat off the attack; successful trading; build a house in the Kikuyu village; native theory as to the origin of the Kikuyu race; I help defend my Kikuyu friends from hostile raids and beat off the enemy; benefit of my conciliatory counsels; Pigasangi and blood-brotherhood. Am established in the country; native festivities and dances; troubadours; musical quickness of the natives; dearth of musical instruments; my attempts at military organization; hostile rumours; preparations for resisting attack; great battle and defeat of the attacking tribes; victory due to skilful tactics of my Kikuyu force; succeed in taking a large convoy of provisions into the starving government stations; white men attacked and killed; am supreme in the tribe; native poisons; although I am supplying the government stations with food, I get no recognition at the hands of the officials. (Part contents).