In the mid 1950’s William Holden went to Africa on a hunting safari. It was a time well before the independence of sub-Saharan Africa, well before mass tourism and well before the word “conservation” was in popular use. It was a time when Africa was a destination for intrepid travelers, soldiers of fortune, colonists and hunters.

If you were on a “proper” safari, it took quite a while and a considerable amount of cash to go after the “Big 5” prize (elephant, rhino, lion, leopard and buffalo), and so Bill and his two friends, one American and one Swiss, were in East Africa for many weeks. It was also the time of the Mau Mau, the freedom fighters of the Kikuyu tribe who fought the war of independence. The Mau Mau hid in the mountain forests of the Abadares and Mt. Kenya – which was also the place where upcountry inns were located. The inns provided hunters with a place to “repair” for a few days while their camp was moved to a new hunting block, but were now empty of clients.

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