▁Lar ge ▁African ▁in land ▁ac quis itions ▁followed ▁— ▁mostly ▁to ▁the ▁det r iment ▁of ▁native ▁inhabitants . ▁In ▁eastern ▁Africa ▁the ▁imperial ist ▁and ▁" man - of - action " ▁Karl ▁Peters ▁accum ulated ▁vast ▁tract s ▁of ▁land ▁for ▁his ▁colon ization ▁group , ▁" emer ging ▁from ▁the ▁bush ▁with ▁X - marks ▁[ aff ixed ▁by ▁un letter ed ▁trib al ▁chief s ] ▁on ▁documents ▁... ▁for ▁some ▁ 6 0 ▁thousand ▁square ▁miles ▁of ▁the ▁Z anz ib ar ▁Sultan ate ’ s ▁main land ▁property ." ▁ ▁Such ▁expl or atory ▁miss ions ▁required ▁security ▁measures ▁that ▁could ▁be ▁solved ▁with ▁small ▁private , ▁armed ▁cont ing ents ▁rec ru ited ▁mainly ▁in ▁the ▁Sud an ▁and ▁usually ▁led ▁by ▁advent ur ous ▁former ▁military ▁personnel ▁of ▁lower ▁rank . ▁Br ut ality , ▁h anging ▁and ▁f logging ▁pre va iled ▁during ▁these ▁land - gra b ▁exped itions ▁under ▁Peters ’ ▁control ▁as ▁well ▁as ▁others ▁as ▁no - one ▁" h eld ▁a ▁mon opol y ▁in ▁the ▁mist re at ment ▁of ▁Afr icans ." ▁ ▁As ▁B ism ar ck ▁was ▁converted ▁to ▁the ▁colonial ▁idea ▁by ▁ 1 8 8 4 , ▁he ▁fav ored ▁" char tered ▁company " ▁land ▁management ▁rather ▁than ▁establishment ▁of ▁colonial ▁government ▁due ▁to ▁financial ▁consider ations . ▁Although ▁temper ate ▁zone ▁cultiv ation ▁fl our ished , ▁the ▁dem ise ▁and ▁often ▁failure ▁of ▁tropical ▁low - land ▁enter pr