"Nonsense, You Must Have Dreamed It!" I
Cried In Astonishment.
For answer he turned round and showed me
his back.
"That's not much of a dream, is
it?" he asked.
His clothing was rent by one huge tear from
the nape of the neck downwards, and on the
flesh there were four great claw marks, showing
red and angry through the torn cloth. Without
further parley, I hurried him off to my tent, and
bathed and dressed his wounds; and when I had
made him considerably more comfortable, I got
from him the whole story of the events of the night.
It appeared that his train was very late, so that
it was quite dark when he arrived at Tsavo
Station, from which the track to my camp lay
through a small cutting. He was accompanied
by Abdullah, his sergeant of askaris, who walked
close behind him carrying a lighted lamp. All
went well until they were about half-way through
the gloomy cutting, when one of the lions
suddenly jumped down upon them from the high
bank, knocking Whitehead over like a ninepin,
and tearing his back in the manner I had seen.
Fortunately, however, he had his carbine with
him, and instantly fired. The flash and the loud
report must have dazed the lion for a second or
two, enabling Whitehead to disengage himself;
but the next instant the brute pounced like
lightning on the unfortunate Abdullah, with
whom he at once made off. All that the poor
fellow could say was:
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