Travels in the White Man's Grave

Donald MacIntosh shares stories and anecdotes from his 30 years spent in West Africa (known as the white man's grave - for its high mortality rate amongst it's white visitors in the 18th and 19th centuries). McIntosh, a Scotsman worked, principally in Nigeria, as a forester for 6 years while Nigeria was in British control, and the remainder of the years after independence. His stories are chapter-long, and not necessarily interrelated, standing alone quite well. Each story may be about a person, a village, an animal or an event or occurrence, and are crafted with skill and humour, and reads as you would expect - from a person with a passion and a affinity with a place he spent such a long time in.Reading about his work - carrying out surveys of jungle blocks to determine the timber available - which was done with the best intents of managing the jungle - not clear felling, not stripping and burning, but considered removal of trees in a planned strategy for the long term. At this time the treecutter was armed with an axe. Trees were skidded to the nearby river (they had to be nearby) by hand using brute force, and maybe rollers if the ground was suitable - this predated the arrival of chainsaws, which changed the game. McIntosh also working (with his men) in relative isolation, being deep in the jungle for months at a time, returning to headquarters only infrequently to catch up with communications. Later chainsaws, telex and machinery to move logs saw the ecologically sound management of forestry changed forever into the destructive and permanent situation we see today.But really it was the stories surrounding his work that make this book as entertaining as it is. Interesting characters (with equally interesting names - ‘Old man Africa', Magic T. Sperm', ‘Famous Sixpence' and ‘Pisspot' all get a chapter each. There are chapters on buffalo, or leopards, and on his varied pets - a chimpanzee, a squirrel, a parrot, and there are chapters which tell the stories of other white men in West Africa. He isn't always specific where the stories are set, quite happy to refer to ‘the white man's grave', West Africa or in the jungle.This is very accessible reading, well suited to a chapter at a time approach, and is light and entertaining. I have also read another of this authors (very similar) books [b:Forest of Memories: Tales from the Heart of Africa 517796 Forest of Memories Tales from the Heart of Africa Donald Macintosh https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1328846236l/517796.SY75.jpg 505727] to which I also gave 4 stars.