officers of the Imperial German East Africa Railways; the Beira, Mashonaland and Rhodesian Railways; and the British South Africa Company. E. A. P. CONTENTS PAGE FOREWORD vii AN ACKNOWLEDGMENT ix CHAPTER I. THE THIRD EMPIRE 1 II. THE PASSING OF THE PEACOCK'S TAIL 27 III. SIRENS OF THE SANDS 56 IV. THE ITALIAN “WHITE MAN'S BURDEN” 80 V. THE LAND OF BEFORE-AND-AFTER 108 VI. IN ZANZIBAR 143 VII. THE SPIKED HELMET IN AFRICA 165 VIII. “ALL ABOARD FOR CAPE TOWN!” 190 IX. THE LAST STAND OF THE PIONEER 205 X. THE COUNTRY OF BIG THINGS 223 XI. THE FORGOTTEN ISLES 248 INDEX 287 ILLUSTRATIONS A Sandstorm Passing Over Khartoum _Frontispiece_ “Through Dim Bazaars where Turbaned Shopkeepers Squat Patiently in their Doorways” 17 The Troglodyte Town of Medenine, Southern Tunisia 26 Some Sirens of the Sands 58 Jewish Women in the Cemetery of Tunis 70 An Arab Bride Going to Her Husband 79 Sunrise on the Great Sands 87 Work and Play in Black Man's Africa 110 The Saviour of the Sudan and Some of Those he Saved 118 Strange People from Innermost Africa 129 The Gateway to East Africa 146 Arab Women of Zanzibar 156 The Hand of the War Lord in German Africa 187 Railroading Through a Jungle 188 More Work for the Pioneer 219 The Prison Place of a Great Emperor 268 Map of Africa, Showing Railways and Spheres of Influence _At end of volume_ THE LAST FRONTIER CHAPTER I THE THIRD EMPIRE