Footnotes have been moved to follow the paragraphs in which theyare referenced. Photographic illustrations are also moved to fallon paragraph breaks.
Minor errors, attributable to the printer, have been corrected. Pleasesee the transcriber’s note at the end of this textfor details regarding the handling of any textual issues encounteredduring its preparation.
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A map at the end of the text serves as a link to a larger version forcloser inspection of details of the Wa-Kikuyu territory.
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JOHN BOYES
A WHITE KING
IN EAST AFRICA
THE REMARKABLE ADVENTURES OF JOHN BOYES,TRADER AND SOLDIER OF FORTUNE, WHOBECAME KING OF THE SAVAGE WA-KIKUYU
EDITOR’S PREFACE
The following pages describe a life ofadventure in the more remote parts ofAfrica—adventures such as the explorerand sportsmen do not generally encounter. Theman to whom the episodes narrated in this bookrefer has been personally known to me for tenyears. We have hunted big game and exploredtogether many a time in the African jungle;and as it is principally at my instigation thathe has put the following account of his experiencesinto writing, I think it is due to him andto the public that I should make known myresponsibility in the matter.
It seemed to me that the adventures JohnBoyes underwent were something quite out ofthe common; in these matter-of-fact days theymay be said to be almost unique. In the days