Patterson rattles the Coolies.
THE RIFT between the colonial Indian and European communities in Kenya started to show barely after the railhead had left the desert. Disgruntled coolies plotted for the murder of J. H. Patterson, their 'Sahib' at the time, at the height of work-related tensions between Patterson and his workmen. As the Tsavo Bridge inched forward, the Indians staged a go-slow that not only didn't work, but later saw them have the wages slashed by 10 rupees, if not more. One night, the workmen held a meeting and swore to secrecy, that their boss would have to die. In his book: Tsavo Man-Eaters of Tsavo and other Adventures, Patterson reveals the that coolies concluded"...that the best thing to do would be to put me quietly out of the way."