The Man-Eaters of Zamboula was Howard’s original title for the Conan story published in Weird Tales in November 1935 as Shadows in Zamboula. The story unfolds during a single night in Zamboula and introduces the strangler Baal-Pteor. Howard was paid $120.

The story also contains racist depictions of Darfari cannibals. Howard distinguishes the Darfari from other Black characters and makes the white innkeeper Aram Baksh an active exploiter of the killings, but the racial stereotype remains a significant feature of the story.