When I Had Thus Obtained A Rough Idea Of The
Neighbourhood, I Returned To My Hut, And Began
In Earnest To Make Preparations For My Stay In
This Out-Of-The-Way Place.
The stores were
unpacked, and my "boys" pitched my tent in a little
clearing close to where I had slept the night
before and not far from the main camp of the
workmen.
Railhead had at this time just reached
the western side of the river, and some thousands
of Indian coolies and other workmen were
encamped there. As the line had to be pushed
on with all speed, a diversion had been made and
the river crossed by means of a temporary bridge.
My principal work was to erect the permanent
structure, and to complete all the other works
for a distance of thirty miles on each side of
Tsavo. I accordingly made a survey of what
had to be done, and sent my requisition for
labour, tools and material to the head-quarters
at Kilindini. In a short time workmen and
supplies came pouring in, and the noise of
hammers and sledges, drilling and blasting
echoed merrily through the district.
CHAPTER II
THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE MAN-EATERS
Unfortunately this happy state of affairs did
not continue for long, and our work was soon
interrupted in a rude and startling manner. Two
most voracious and insatiable man-eating lions
appeared upon the scene, and for over nine
months waged an intermittent warfare against
the railway and all those connected with it in
the vicinity of Tsavo. This culminated in a
perfect reign of terror in December, 1898, when
they actually succeeded in bringing the railway
works to a complete standstill for about three
weeks. At first they were not always successful in
their efforts to carry off a victim, but as time went
on they stopped at nothing and indeed braved any
danger in order to obtain their favourite food.
Their methods then became so uncanny, and their
man-stalking so well-timed and so certain of
success, that the workmen firmly believed that
they were not real animals at all, but devils in
lions' shape. Many a time the coolies solemnly
assured me that it was absolutely useless to
attempt to shoot them. They were quite
convinced that the angry spirits of two departed
native chiefs had taken this form in order to
protest against a railway being made through
their country, and by stopping its progress to
avenge the insult thus shown to them.
I had only been a few days at Tsavo when I
first heard that these brutes had been seen in the
neighbourhood. Shortly afterwards one or two
coolies mysteriously disappeared, and I was told
that they had been carried off by night from
their tents and devoured by lions. At the time
I did not credit this story, and was more inclined
to believe that the unfortunate men had been the
victims of foul play at the hands of some of their
comrades.
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