Death in the Silent Places

True adventure and adrenaline! Death defying hunting stories of legends risking their lives - some for the thrill of it and others to save lives.

Capstick will tell you what Africa is really like and the kind of men that it took to begin to tame it. If your heart rate doesn't begin to rise reading about the Lions of Tsavo, make an appointment with a cardiologist immediately!

One of the unique talents Capstick possesses as a writer is his seemingly effortless ability to make his character shine through. Regardless of your opinion on Big Game Hunting (or hunting in general) you’ll doubtless have an appreciation and some understanding of Capstick’s argument after finishing one of his books. His personality is so thoroughly “down to a Earth” that I’d be genuinely curious to see what a contrarian reader who disagrees would actually look like. You’d have to be a some odd, misshapen, troglodytey misanthrope. After I finished my first Capstick book, Death In The Dark Continent, I was invigorated with a curiosity to seek out not only his other works, but also historical narratives of some of those he mentions. Never in my life had I been interested in reading about Victorian England’s foray into the African continent, the building of the English railway, or, say, The Raj. And now, after reading a few PC books I can’t understand why I wasn’t interested. Now that is a writer. His success stems from his ability to communicate as a non condescending human being, with humor, foibles, and a passion for what drives him to do it.

I bought this book for follow-up research for my sequel of 'Big Jim,' an adventure/novel set in Africa circa 1953. Capstick's novel 'Death in the Long Grass' was one of a dozen books I read for research, and I enjoyed it so much I bought two more of his novels touching on the subject of professional game hunting. He focuses on several hunters over several decades, and how their skill allowed them to track and kill vicious maneaters decimating villages in remote territories of Africa and India. His research is first-class, as is his skill as a writer. His stories could be turned into a movie, they are that good! His stories also touch on the fact how hunters help protect wildlife, and how many professional hunters work as game wardens, fighting poachers and protecting large areas of game reserves. It's full of adventure that whisks the reader to far off places in remote jungles where the hunter can be killed as easily as a hunter pulls a triggger. Aside from the excitement, readers will enjoy an educated look at how professional hunters are required to protect villages from rogue maneaters who make their stake against the easy-picking of far-off villages. I read this book about a year ago and I still think of its stories to this day. It's a book that'll encourage you to put visiting Africa on your bucket list... As it is in mine.David Lucero, author

The book came in great shape and when they said it would. Thank you.

Great book. Life in a different time and place.

Entertaining

Great book with amazing stories.

This book was first published in 1981, has 258 pages, 7 chapters, 13 B/W photos but no maps. In this book Capstick narrates some stories of 6 hunters of the past. The book is dedicated to 'Mary Catharine'. PETER HATHWAY CAPSTICK was born on 1.1.1940 in New Jersey and educated in University of Virginia. At the age of 29, after successful wall street job, he became a professional hunter, 1st in South America and then in Africa. He was a chain smoker and a heavy drinker. In 1968, he became a Ranger in Zambia, Botswana and Rhodesia. In 1996, he collapsed in a hotel room in Nevada and was flown to South Africa and under went a heart bypass surgery in Pretoria. He died on 13.3.1996, aged 56, of complications of that surgery. His spouse is Fiona Claire Capstick.In 1898, on Mombasa-Victoria Nyanza- Uganda Railways, 2 man-eater lions killed Indian labourers at TSAVO, Kenya. Colonel John Henry Patterson was to build a bridge over Tsavo River. The lions continued to kill, frustrating Patterson's efforts to shoot them. The bridge building was stopped for 3 weeks as many labourers left. Patterson eventually shoots the 1st lion from a rickety 'Machan' platform and the 2nd needed 10 bullets to kill him.Major Chauncey Hugh Stigand OBE, aged 42, Governor of Mongalla in Sudan, marches with his men to Dinka country. Stigand remembers being tossed by a rhino and returning to Britain because of bad malaria and after mauled by a lion. Then he was trampled by an elephant in Lado Enclave and taken to Khartoum to recover. In 1913, he nearly died of blood poisoning and his wife Nancy Yulee Neff of black water fever. At Kor Raby, he was charged by many Dinka and speared to death in 1919.In 1893, aged 16, P J Pretorius (Jungle man), small lean and dark, looked more like a Somali or an Arab (due to life time of Sun and malaria), left into the Transvaal interior and did not see his family for next 25 years. In 1914, he fought the Germans in Tanganyika (walk in the wilderness). He was taken on to hunt the 'Konigsberg' up the Rufiji River. After the war he tackled rogue elephants of ADDO, filmed charging lions and settled on a farm at Nylstroom. He died in 1945, aged 68.Born in 1890, Alexander 'Sasha' Siemel went to Brazil in 1914, and hunted giant jaguars (tigres) with zagaya spear (tigrero) in tropical jungle and marshes. He learnt this skill from a Guato Indian. He hunted 300 jaguars. He married Edith Bray and had 3 children. He died in 1970.Walter Dalrymple Maitland Bell (Karamoja Bell) hunted ivory for 5 years on the north eastern Uganda until 1907. Born in Edinburgh in 1880, aged 17, he arrived in MOMBASA in 1897. Back in British East Africa (Kenya) in 1901, Bell (red man) went to Karamojo to hunt elephants. He was a crack shot with his light rifle and solid bullets. After returning home, he married Katie, took up sailing and in 1951, he died of a heart attack.Colonel Edward James Corbett was born on 1875 in NAINI TAL. In 1907, aged 32, he started after man-eating tigers and leopards. Working for the Railways, he was an excellent writer. He spent next 32 years hunting these man-eaters. In 1947, he moved to Kenya and died on 21.4.1955 in Nyeri.The book ends with stories of Samuel White Baker and Harry Wolhuter. But the stories of JH Patterson and EJ Corbett will keep you hooked to this book. NOT for the faint hearted though.Some other books of Capstick are:-(1) Death in the Long Grass, 1977(2) Peter Capstick's Africa, 1987(3) Death in the Dark Continent, 1988(4) Death in the Lonely Land, 1990(5) Sands of Silence, 1990(6) Safari, Last Adventure, 1990(7) The Africa Adventure, 1990.Having born in Kenya, I enjoyed reading this book.

Hunter extraordinaire Peter Capstick writes about what are in essence his antecedents, if not exactly heroes of his. Real life boy's own type derring do in almost 100% kill or be killed situations involving both wildlife and humans make for a riveting read.The bibliographies are also very useful in tracking down further writings on or by the main characters written about.I would heartily recommend all Capsticks books, and the vasg majority published in his library series.Also look out for Jim Corbett if hunting maneaters and suspenseful writing is your bag.

my second capstick book after the phenomenal death in the long grass.what can i say..couldnt put it down. very different from the first book as this one focuses on the people the amazing bucaneers,cavaliers,hunters of the early-mid 1800s.fantastic read if u like that sort of thing.again really well written with capsticks's humor throughout and his amazing ability to take u right there at the bush..fantastic!!!!!

Great book.

Wer einen tiefgründigen Eindruck über das Leben von Abenteurern, Armeeangehörigen und nicht zuletzt Jägern zur Zeit um die Jahrhundertwende zum zwanzigsten Jahrhundert gewinnen möchte, dem kann ich dieses Buch wärmstens empfehlen. Die Ausdrucksweise des Authors birgt zudem stellenweise einen Humor, der seinesgleichen sucht..