The Pioneers Of Mashonaland (Men Who Made Rhodesia) - First Edition 1914

Good condition 21 chapter history of the pioneer settlers in the then styled Mashonaland district and the formation of the British South Africa Company in the latter part of the 19th century. Interesting to note are the typical colloquialisms of some names, such as \'Macloutsi\', \'Mafeking\', \'Boer Tautas\' (Tantes), the misspelling of \'The Vauder Byls\', and humorous descriptions such as \'Lobengula like our Henry VIII was best left alone when the liver was out of order...\' p.66, and \'We were not afraid of Radi Kladi, he was a clean good-looking Kaffir, well dressed, and mounted on a serviceable \'salted\' horse. He loved to chat to the pioneers, and some of us answered him cheerily and others snubbed him according to temperament. We stood in awe of his boys, or more correctly their guns, for many were armed with ancient blunderbusses, charged with slugs, and they would come up to one with the beastly thing full-cock and carelessly pointed. Sometimes they went off with a k-r-r-bang, a pioneer would jump and swear, but no one was hit and the dense forest could take all our language peacefully...\' (p.67). Pages 198-233 comprises a NOMINAL ROLL PIONEER CORPS and a full colour fold-out map is pasted in to the rear end-paper. Book condition: red boards very good, gilt titles, top edge gilt, two dents to lower fore-edge, inner hinges split (not separated), page edges grubby, end-papers foxed.