Iain Macdonald

Poison of the Arrow Iain Macdonald

The world is changing. Kigusu the magnificent elephant whose great tusks and cunning have become whispered legend around the smoky fires of the African bush knows this; the walls are closing in on his once expansive empire. He carries musket scars from Arab slave traders, arrowheads hurled by wily African hunters and bullet wounds from pale hunters from across the seas. He has defeated and outsmarted them all. Now he searches for peace and quiet in the dense thickets of the Yatta Plateau and the Chyulu hills. As withered and wise as the old bull is, Muthambo, a great hunter of the Wakamba tribe, matches the elephant in scars, wrinkles and bushcraft. Muthambo struggles to maintain his traditional way of life and pass this heritage down to his grandson, all the while dodging the wildlife department, thieving neighbours and informants. He is forced to risk all when his wayward son, who has turned from the old ways, falls prey to the deadly allure of the fast paced city life of Nairobi, Kenya's burgeoning capital. Poison of the Arrow is a poignant look into a world of vanishing traditions, culture and wildlife.