On Lamu rats and kitty cats

Excerpt from 'Cargoes of the East', by Desmond Bradley Martin:

At high tide when, when the seawater level is almost as high as that of the drains, rats are forced up through the drains. Little boys enjoy catching them and showing them to little old ladies from Chicago. After such a display of doubtful goodwill, it is highly unlikely that the ladies will want to make another visit to Lamu. Attempts have been made to eliminate the rats, many of which are much larger than the Lamu cats. The last really major effort was made in the late 1950s. In 1959 the district commissioner proudly reported that 949 rats were caught, but a little later he lamented, 'Again the courage and stamina of the Lamu cats failed them and it is believed that rats actually eat the cats here. ~ Lamu district annual report, Kenya, 195

I heard these little fellahs (which must be the children of the big fellahs) before I saw them, I can't remember whether I switched the light on or used a flash, but it was one of those times where I didn't give myself much chance of catching anything at all, and in fact I forgot completely until several years later when i noticed them among my negatives.

17 September 2008 - 8:54pm — Admin