Death in the Long Grass

Rating:
Summary: Great classic of adventure writing
Review: Capstick's memoirs of his adventures as a hunter are legendary and were eagerly read by millions of readers in the magazines and books where he first published his stories. In this book he recounts numerous suspenseful and harrowing tales of hunters of the 7 big game animals in Africa--lion, elephant, leopart, cape buffalo, hippo, crocodile, and rhino, as well as some minor ones, including hyenas and snakes--only as Capstick says--the hunters sometimes ended up as the hunted.

One brief note, Capstick first started out as an independent hunter, but eventually gained enough experience to lead safaris and start up his own hunting safari operation, becoming at that point a "professional white hunter," or "PWH" as it's known in the trade. However, this name refers to any non-African professional game hunter and so doesn't necessarily refer to being white. During this time, Capstick got to know many famous hunters whose exploits, in addition to his own, he recounts in this book.

There are so many stories here that I'll just limit myself to the ones about lions. One fascinating part is his tales of hunters who killed known man-eaters who had often eaten dozens or even hundreds of victims before being finally dispatched. Many of these hunters, such as J.H. Patterson, operated back in the days of the so-called belted magnums in the early part of the last century, long before modern elephant guns and hunting rifles were created.

The great man-eating lion hunter, George Rushby, starting in 1942, began hunting one such pride. In the two years of hard work it took him to track down all the lions and kill the pride, the lions added another 249 confirmed human kills to their total.

However, that total pales in comparison to the Njombe man-eaters, perhaps the most infamous pride of all, who killed 1500 natives and colonists before Rushby finally killed them all. Rushby is justly famous for his exploits and his story made for truly fascinating reading.

Capstick also recounts the adventures of Lt. Col. J.H. Patterson, another legendary figure of the early 1900s whose book is also famous. Patterson is famous as the hunter who killed the man-eaters of Tsavo who were killing the Indian coolies brought in to build the Ugandan railroad, also known as the "Lunacy Express." As Capstick, says, the lions treated the whole affair as one big, long, human buffet, killing more people than were used in the shooting of the movie, "Bhowani Junction" (although it doesn't say how many that was).

Some areas of Africa are more prone to have man-eaters than others. Another of the most dangerous areas is the Luangwa Valley of Zambia (formerly N. Rhodesia). Peter Hankin, one of the most respected white hunters in Africa, was killed there by a man-eater after a long and distinguished career.

Capstick points out that the risks of man-eaters are often downplayed by officials and by the governments for fear of scaring off tourists. One time, Capstick found that in just on six month period as a professional hunter in Zambia, he learned of six cases of man-eating in just one concession of 20 by 60 miles, but which was not publicized.

One more comment if you're going to read this book, which is that Capstick includes very accurate, detailed, and often gruesome descriptions of the eaten victims. He points out that very often lions consume the entire body, including blood-stained clothes, leather boots, and the bones. I have to admit I read those parts with a sort of queasy and morbid fascination. However, in the course of reading this book you will also learn a lot about the dangers and risks of big game hunting and how some of the best plied their trade. It was very interesting to learn about some of the skills needed and about the fatal mistakes or near fatal mistakes to avoid.

Rating:
Summary: Good quick read
Review: I enjoyed it - - the great thing is that each of the chapters can be read in about half an hour - - about my limit before falling asleep each night. The tales of lions and their power is truly remarkable. Mr. Capstick is a great story teller, and his stories are interesting enough and although gory, clean enough, for thrill-seeking readers of all ages. It's also interesting to hear the perspective of someone who believes in conservation yet rejects categorically the view about hunting and animal preservation that we see every night on animal shows on TV. It's thought provoking and makes me think that someday I might look nice in a leopard skin coat . . . (or not)

On the downside, Mr. Capstick's humor wears a bit thin sometimes, and for that I dock him at least half a star. And the book is a bit pricey for what you get. I enjoyed what I have read of Jim Corbett more than Mr. Capstick's book.

Rating:
Summary: A superb, riveting account of Peter's life.
Review: In my opinion, this is the best book ever written. Peter has a talent that I have never seen or experienced with any other writer. He gives vivid, harrowing accounts of the Big Five, as well as hippo, crocs, snakes, and less known forms of death. This is a must read for anyone remotely interested in Africa, animals, or hunting. Peter Hathaway Capstick is a true master of his game. Some of Peter's tales would put Stephen King to shame, but these are more frightening because they are true. You are cheating yourself out of a treat if this book isn't high on your "To Read...." list.

Rating:
Summary: Capstick at his very best
Review: Read the first paragraph of this book and you will know that you are reading some of the finest and most thrilling writing on the subject of big game hunting in Africa by someone truly gifted. I must have read this book at least half a dozen times and cannot help but be affected by the masterful descriptions and story telling prowess of Peter H. Capstick. Having read all of Capstick's wonderful books, if I were to pick one as the very best, this would likely be it.

Rating:
Summary: Great Read
Review: Read this book if you want to experience the thrills and dangers of the hunt. Capstick's descriptions really sends a chill down your spine. Punctuated with a humor typical of him, it is a great read. sadly it does not tell the reader how the hunt is accompalished.. stalking the prey, reading the signs along the way and all that. There are just mentions that the gun bearer finds it out for him.. also the African bush lifestyle and culture have not been described though the natives are the biggest casulties of the wildlife.

Inspite of all these drawbacks the book is still a good read as the author has tons of experience as a safari pro. Recommend chapter on the lions which is a treat to read.

Rating:
Summary: Not as good as Corbett
Review: The book is ok but really not worth its price. It has short stories which get boring after a while. I found Jim Corbett's stories far more interesting and fun to read. But overall this book does give some insight into african wild life. I think the author is very arrogant and pompous. He has no concern for the native people. He is a complete contrast of Jim Corbett.

Rating:
Summary: READ CAPSTICK!!
Review: There are adventure stories written by writers who were occasional adventurers (Conrad, Ruark, Hemingway), and there are adventure stories written by those who were only writers (Orwell, a million others,) and then there are a tiny number of adventure stories written by professional adventurers who also *luckily* happen to be brilliant writers. Peter Hathaway Capstick is the chief of this tribe, which includes John Taylor and a couple of others. This is a general review of all his writing, and so I won't get too specific, but it isn't a stretch at all to say that this is the finest, most exciting, most frightening, most eloquent writing ever done on the hunting experience, on hunting in Africa, and perhaps on what happens at that moment when man "goes back on the menu" after being off of it for a measley thousand years or so.

Capstick was a stock broker turned hunting organizer turned (through a curcuitous route) to being a PH or professional hunter in Africa, and then had the skill and the will to set it all down. I have never had more riveting reading experiences than when he tells of having to shoot a big bull elephant (driven mad drunk after eating morula fruit) in bush so thick that he was actually 5 feet from the elephant before he saw it. Or of his friend Corporal Katwindi, the African tribesman who was killed trying to save his life. Or of stalking a black mamba that had killed a boy. This particular story includes the three most chilling words I've read in a long time: as he comes around a bend in the river bank, he sees the dead child (bitten on the lower lip) horribly swollen and disfigured, his face contorted in agony from the mamba bite. "Oh my, yes." Capstick says, and nothing else need be said. He was there, at that point where the line between life and death gets so horribly thin and transparent, and he's able to come back from it and tell it to you so that you feel the same goose flesh he felt, the same clutching fear, the same doubt about your courage, the same desire to run screaming back to your office job.

You'll laugh, too. "There may be something more exciting than lion hunting, but I don't have her phone number any more." Or the story of the African camp steward who had slavishly dedicated himself to learning English to impress the clients, (by overhearing phrases and memorizing their meanings) and while wearing a crisp starched uniform, snaps to a British salute in front of the distinguished safari couple and tells the lady "Tea is ready, darling." His ability to find, and bring back, wonderful humor from gruelling experiences, like when his skin basically rotted off his feet during the rainy season, will not soon be forgotten.

One of the most memorable aspects of his writing is his deep respect and affection for the African natives that he admired so much, and the few that he was proud to call his friends. He is quick to point out that any perceived inadequacies on their part are strictly cultural, not racial, and he was in awe of their abilities in their world. One old man could not, for the life of him, to save his soul, be taught how to flick a disposable cigarette lighter so that it would light. The little thumb roll that we do without thinking completely evaded him. His hands just wouldn't do it, couldn't do it. So he stuck it in his ear hole. This same man could smell elephants miles away and could track game over bare rock, could look at a broken leaf and tell what animal did it and when, leaving Capstick in awe. As impossible as the lighter was to him, this incredible oneness with the natural world was ultimately impossible for Capstick, and for us all.

That's enough for now. If you are reading this review, you probably already have one or more of PHC's books. But if, on the off chance, you don't, then do yourself a favor and get as many as you can, and I dare you to try to put them down. They are that good. Better literature than Hemingway? Probably not. Probably not as profound as Ruark. But he has them all trumped when your knuckles are white with fear, and beads of sweat pop out on your brow, and you try to remember...did I chamber one, or not? And there's a soft crunch in the leaves ahead, and then we're back to what is most elemental: predator and prey, and which of us is which is entirely up for grabs.

Thanks, Peter. Gone but not forgotten.

Rating:
Summary: A Million Ways to Die in Africa
Review: This book is nearly 300 pages long, but I finished it in an evening of reading, and when I did, I wished there had been another 300 pages to go. "Death in the Long Grass" is about the author's (Peter Hathaway Capstick) experience as a white hunter in Africa, and his close encounters with the various creatures there that either wanted to eat, trample, gore, or bite him and his associates.

This is not an informational guide about either hunting or Africa. The book's sole intent is to capture your attention with fascinating, hair-raising stories of Capstick's own close calls with the wildlife of Africa as well as his recounting of some other tales where the wildlife got the best of man.

The stories are utterly captivating. They would be interesting to read no matter who was telling them. But Capstick knows how to write by weaving his own interesting experiences in with other tales he has either heard or read about. He also has a wicked, morbid sense of humor that fits well with the subject matter of the book.

Rating:
Summary: A TIMELESS CLASSIC
Review: This was about my sixth or seventh reading of this Capstick classic and I believe I enjoyed it even more than the last. As a hunter I enjoy reading the works of those with the ability to portray on paper the true happenings and emotions of the hunter and his prey. It is unfortunate that Capstick and others like Hemingway and Ruark have passed on but all is not lost because there is another author who is carrying on their tradition of enlightening while entertaining the hunters of today. His name is Thomas McIntyre and his latest book, "SEASONS & DAYS - A HUNTING LIFE" follows in the footsteps of these great authors before him. He is truly one of the finest storytellers of our time. He is the hunter's hunter.

Rating:
Summary: The Last Master of Safari Writing?
Review: When doing research into big game hunting in Africa, I came across this book. It was so riveting I read it in one sitting. Capstick is an excellent adventure writer. His writing is incredibly vivid.

The book is broken up into chapters focusing on the dangerous game in Africa - the Big Five plus others. Tales of Capstick's own adventures and those of other white hunters and their clients are retold with verve. His chapters on lions, elephants, and hippos are the best.

I highly recommend this book and his Return to the Long Grass.