We Found It An Easy Matter To Follow The
Route Taken By The Lion, As He Appeared To Have
Stopped
Several times before beginning his meal.
Pools of blood marked these halting-places, where
he doubtless indulged in the man-
Eaters' habit of
licking the skin off so as to get at the fresh blood.
(I have been led to believe that this is their
custom from the appearance of two half-eaten
bodies which I subsequently rescued: the skin
was gone in places, and the flesh looked dry,
as if it had been sucked.) On reaching the spot
where the body had been devoured, a dreadful
spectacle presented itself. The ground all round
was covered with blood and morsels of flesh and
bones, but the unfortunate jemadar's head had
been left intact, save for the holes made by the
lion's tusks on seizing him, and lay a short
distance away from the other remains, the eyes
staring wide open with a startled, horrified look
in them. The place was considerably cut up, and
on closer examination we found that two lions had
been there and had probably struggled for
possession of the body. It was the most
gruesome sight I had ever seen. We collected the
remains as well as we could and heaped stones
on them, the head with its fixed, terrified stare
seeming to watch us all the time, for it we did
not bury, but took back to camp for identification
before the Medical Officer.
Thus occurred my first experience of man-eating
lions, and I vowed there and then that
I would spare no pains to rid the neighbourhood
of the brutes.
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