A Path of Spears

JOHN CAIRNS was one of the few Canadians to serve in the British Administrative Service of the United Nations Trust Territory of Tanganyika, then under British mandate. This novel of East Africa at a time of transition reflects his experience as a District Officer from 1951 to 1958.

Although the first draft was written shortly after he left East Africa, A Path of Spears remained unfinished for many years until John returned to edit it after his retirement.

Because this book was initially written during the years of transition from British administration to local government in East Africa, it has a freshness not overlaid by hindsight of the intervening years since Independence-Uhuru.