West with the Night

Horse-training terminology is important in the memoir, as Markham takes pride in becoming a successful horse trainer as a young woman. A stallion is a male horse used for breeding purposes. A colt is a young male horse, and a filly is a young, unbred female horse; most racehorses are colts and fillies. A foal is a young horse who is still with the mare, its mother. “Breaking a horse” refers to training it to allow a saddle and rider on its back. The length of horse races is established in furlongs, with one furlong equal to 220 yards or one eighth of a mile. The author refers to the stable boys who assist her as syces. These syces are usually Africans.

Ingomas are traditional dances performed by the Kikuyu tribe. Markham describes attending a performance of ingomas as a child in Kenya, presenting herself as someone welcomed by the Kikuyu and implying that she thus has an insider’s perspective of their culture.

Monoplanes are single-wing craft, with inline cabins where the pilot sits behind the passenger’s compartment. Most of the aircraft flown by Markham in West With the Night are monoplanes.