A four-page letter by the late American novelist and journalist Ernest Hemingway detailing his trip to Nairobi in 1954 was sold for Ksh34 million after drawing 12 bids at an auction in the US.
In a letter addressed to his lawyer, Alfred Rice, Hemingway expressed his frustration upon receiving rifles that were not the type he had initially requested for hunting. As a result, he was left to hunt and kill his first lion with a borrowed rifle.
Further, the Look Magazine journalist revealed that the collection agency had sent rounds of ammunition, which did not match the specifications of his order.
"They sent me two rifles of a type I did not order, several hundred rounds of ammo of another type than I had ordered; sent my guns to Box 577 Nairobi instead of 557 Nairobi through carelessness," he complained.
"(The rifle) was so old it would come apart in my hands and had to be held together with tape and Scotch tape. Their carelessness in shipping imperilled both my life and livelihood," he detailed.
Moreover, the rifles that he had ordered arrived a month later, with the shipping costs added to the journalist's invoice.
Hemingway instructed his lawyer to pay the collection agency's bill but under protest. He added that such actions tainted his overall experience in Kenya.
Aside from highlighting his experience in Nairobi, the novelist highlighted his medical condition after surviving two plane crashes with his wife, Mary Welsh Hemingway, while on a trip to Uganda.
While sightseeing in Uganda, the couple's flight developed mechanical problems, prompting the pilot to dive to avoid hitting a flock of birds, and as a result, crashed in the remote jungle.
The following day, a rescue plane dispatched to save them caught fire, forcing the passengers and pilot to scamper for safety,
In his letter, Hemingway stated that he flew to Genova, Italy, for a checkup on his internal injuries, which included a burnt right arm, ruptured right kidney, and damaged liver and spleen.
Hemingway, who was on assignment for Look Magazine then, hoped that the Bureau would understand that his receipts for the trip burnt in the second crash.
"Tell the department that I am more valuable to them alive than dead and at present am trying to stay alive and get fit to produce."
The journalist promised to travel to Kenya for a second time as he had unfinished business left in the game-hunting business.
In his three-decade career, Hemingway travelled to the Democratic Republic of Congo, Rwanda, Uganda, Kenya, Spain, Cuba, Idaho, Italy, and France, among others.
Hemingway passed away in 1961 after being found dead at his home with his wife, saying he accidentally shot himself while cleaning a shotgun.
