The Man-Eaters of Tsavo | Page 9

I am glad to say, the lions were not
always successful in their efforts to capture a human being for their
nightly meal, and one or two amusing incidents occurred to relieve the
tension from which our nerves were beginning to suffer. On one
occasion an enterprising bunniah (Indian trader) was riding along on
his donkey late one night, when suddenly a lion sprang out on him
knocking over both man and beast. The donkey was badly wounded,
and the lion was just about to seize the trader, when in some way or
other his claws became entangled in a rope by which two empty oil tins
were strung across the donkey's neck. The rattle and clatter made by
these as he dragged them after him gave him such a fright that he
turned tail and bolted off into the jungle, to the intense relief of the
terrified bunniah, who quickly made his way up the nearest tree and

remained there, shivering with fear, for the rest of the night.
Shortly after this episode, a Greek contractor named Themistocles
Pappadimitrini had an equally marvellous escape. He was sleeping
peacefully in his tent one night, when a lion broke in, and seized and
made off with the mattress on which he was lying. Though, rudely
awakened, the Greek was quite unhurt and suffered from nothing worse
than a bad fright. This same man, however, met with a melancholy fate
not long afterwards. He had been to the Kilima N'jaro district to buy
cattle, and on the return journey attempted to take a short cut across
country to the railway, but perished miserably of thirst on the way.
On another occasion fourteen coolies who slept together in a large tent
were one night awakened by a lion suddenly jumping on to the tent and
breaking through it. The brute landed with one claw on a coolie's
shoulder, which was badly torn; but instead of seizing the man himself,
in his hurry he grabbed a large bag of rice which happened to be lying
in the tent, and made off with it, dropping it in disgust some little
distance away when he realised his mistake.
These, however, were only the earlier efforts of the man-eaters. Later
on, as will be seen, nothing flurried or frightened them in the least, and
except as food they showed a complete contempt for human beings.
Having once marked down a victim, they would allow nothing to deter
them from securing him, whether he were protected by a thick fence, or
inside a closed tent, or sitting round a brightly burning fire. Shots,
shouting and firebrands they alike held in derision.
CHAPTER III
THE ATTACK ON THE GOODS-WAGON

All this time my own tent was pitched in an open clearing, unprotected
by a fence of any kind round it. One night when the medical officer; Dr.
Rose, was staying with me, we were awakened about midnight by
hearing something tumbling about among the tent ropes, but on going

out with a lantern we could discover nothing. Daylight, however,
plainly revealed the "pug" marks of a lion, so that on that occasion I
fancy one or other of us had a narrow escape. Warned by this
experience, I at once arranged to move my quarters, and went to join
forces with Dr. Brock, who had just arrived at Tsavo to take medical
charge of the district. We shared a hut of palm leaves and boughs,
which we had constructed on the eastern side of the river, close to the
old caravan route leading to Uganda; and we had it surrounded by a
circular boma, or thorn fence, about seventy yards in diameter, well
made and thick and high. Our personal servants also lived within the
enclosure, and a bright fire was always kept up throughout the night.
For the sake of coolness, Brock and I used to sit out under the verandah
of this hut in the evenings; but it was rather trying to our nerves to
attempt to read or write there, as we never knew when a lion might
spring over the boma, and be on us before we were aware. We therefore
kept our rifles within easy reach, and cast many an anxious glance out
into the inky darkness beyond the circle of the firelight. On one or two
occasions, we found in the morning that the lions had come quite close
to the fence; but fortunately they never succeeded in getting through.
By this time, too, the camps of the workmen had also been surrounded
by thorn fences; nevertheless the lions managed to jump over or to
break through some one or other of these, and regularly every few
nights a man was carried off, the reports of the disappearance of this or
that workman coming