From
the edited letters of Francis Hall 1892-1901. KIKUYU DISTRICT by
Paul Sullivan (pub. Dar es Salaam - Mkuki na Nyota). p.36:
“Kikuyu. Nov.24th
’95 … I am sorry to say that my Goanese [!] clerk is going to the coast as they
have sent another in his place. The poor beggar deserves to get
away as he has now been 3 years up-country in the Coy’s service, but I shall be
sorry to lose him as he thoroughly understands his work & is very willing
& useful in many ways. If the new man is half as good I shall
be well satisfied….”
pp.47/8:
“Kikuyu. Jany. 14th
’94 … [an engagement with Wakikuyu] My men were all shot with
poisoned arrows, but luckily I gave the clerk some ammonia & whiskey to
take with them & told him how to use it & this no doubt saved their
lives … The Sergt. Major got the only nasty wound through the inside of the
upper arm, just missing the artery, & the fool of a Goan never took the
arrow head out. Directly they got here I attended to him [after
poulticing his swollen arm and being very sick, he survived.]”
p.110:
"Kikuyu.
Sept. 10th. ’96 … I must just scrawl a few lines to let you see I am all fit,
but I have had a burst of work this month & to crown my bad luck had to dismiss
my clerk, a Goanese, for dishonesty, so had all the work myself…”
“….I have been
writing hard for the best part of three days & nights, quarterly reports
and goodness knows what & I’m about sick of it. If they don’t
send me a clerk shortly they get no more a/cs. I’ll never dismiss
another clerk as long as I live unless I’ve got a man to put in his place.”
p.127:
“Kikuyu. July
31st. ’97 … At 12.30 pm all the Europeans, together with the Goanese clerks
& two native Officers sat down to a stupendous lunch, but just as we were
about to sit down, someone reminded me that I had said the white men would pull
the winners of the Tug-of-War. So out we sailed…..”
p.145:
"Kikuyu.
April 25th. 1899 … My Assistant Lloyd is at Machakos being prosecuted for
‘wrongful confinement’ of a Goanese who calls himself a Portuguese
subject. He & Lloyd had a few angry words & Lloyd told the
police to take him into the Fort. My men are so accustomed to
collar a man & put him into the gaol that when they got the chance at a
Goanese, whom they hate, they promptly chucked him in amongst the
natives. He was allowed out almost at once, but of course, seeing the
chance of heavy damages, prosecuted Lloyd. Ainsworth is quite
non-plussed with an advocate arguing on each side. The result is
Lloyd has been away three weeks & likely to be some more yet…”
p.155:
“Machakos.
Dec. 20th 1899 …Here I have no assistant, which is a nuisance as I can’t get
away, but I have a European as cashier & a Goanese Clerk who is also Postmaster.
The administration here is a farce….”
========================
That’s it Mervyn,
perhaps only of scant interest to you but you did ask. The booklet
was a joy to read, particularly as I have perhaps the first Land Title in Kenya
here (rescued from the Nairobi Railway Museum by Brian Yonge and purchased by
me in 1980) - this document is signed by Francis Hall and also countersigned by
Ryall who was taken from a railway carriage and eaten.
Frank.
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