6 SIELCrLO MM {resented to the Mbvary OF THE University of Corvonte. wy Che Salat 6) ft Calc Vauonr Rrclhuon, ALD. LEDLIL SILL WIDOT EO WIE TE OS Se oe ea roe ear or SF Dow veer very IS microfiche Copy Ly rr “ \So avai \able \V) Science & : = Medicine Libvare, - Group a) Room ' ic * ' SO TT Ae TT a A TT Se a aT RT a aS ST OTS, EE AAS ESS 8S nn SSO — eae seats Sta ee ee | THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO es MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED LONDON . ROMBAY . CALCUTTA MELBOURNE THE MACMILLAN COMPANY NEW YORK . BOSTON . CHICAGO ATLANTA , SAN FRANCISCO THE MACMILLAN CO. OF CANADA, Ltp. TORONTO HEADS OF EIGHT LIONS SHOT BY THE AUTHOR IN BRITISH EAST AFRICA. S x i \ - a= THE MAN-EATERS ee TSAVO AND Other Gast African Adventures BY Beuua.-Cor. J. H. PATTERSON, D.5.O. WITH A FOREWORD BY FREDERICK COURTENEY SELOUS WITH ILLUSTRATIONS MACMILLAN AND CO., LIMITED ST. MARTIN’S STREET, LONDON 1908 oa er 3 th *% he a ESR VFA ESI ‘ . i | oat RicHArD CLay AND Sons, LimITED BREAD STREET HILL, E.C., AND BUNGAY, SUFFOLK. fe First Edition, October, 1907- Reprinted, November and December, 1907, January and Deceniber, 1908. eer. +e a 3 Pe ee STS eee i —— ~ = es a ¥ os yey PREFACE Ir is with feelings of the greatest diffidence that I place the following pages before the public; but those of my friends who happen to have heard of my rather unique experiences in the wilds have so often urged me to write an account of my adventures, that after much hesitation I at last determined to do so. I have no doubt that many of my readers, who have perhaps never been very far away from civilisa- tion, will be inclined to think that some of the incidents are exaggerated. I can only assure them that I have toned down the facts rather than other- wise, and have endeavoured to write a_ perfectly plain and straightforward account of things as they actually happened. It must be remembered that at the time these events occurred, the conditions prevailing in British East Africa were very different from what they are to-day. The railway, which has modernised the aspect vill PREFACE of the place and brought civilisation in its train, was then only in process of construction, and the country through which it was being built was still in its primitive savage state, as indeed, away from the railway, it still is. If this simple account of two years’ work and play in the wilds should prove of any interest, or help even in a small way to call attention to the beautiful and valuable country which we possess on the Equator, I shall feel more than compensated for the trouble I have taken in writing it. I am much indebted to the Hon. Mrs. Cyril Ward, Sir Guilford Molesworth, K.C.I.E., Mr. T. J. Spooner and Mr. C. Rawson for their kindness in allowing me to reproduce photographs taken by them. My warmest thanks are also due to that veteran, pioneer of Africa, Mr. F. C. Selous, for giving my little book so kindly an introduction to the public as is provided by the “ Foreword ” which he has been good enough to write. J.-H August, 1907. FOREWORD Ir was some seven or eight years ago that | first read, in the pages of Zhe Fze/d newspaper, a brief account written by Col. J. H. Patterson, then an engineer engaged on the construction of the Uganda Railway, of the Tsavo man-eating lions. | My own long experience of African hunting told me at once that every word in this thrilling narrative was absolutely true. Nay more: I knew that the author had told his story in a most modest manner, laying but little stress on the dangers he had run when sitting up at nights to try and compass the death of the terrible man-eaters, especially on that one occasion when whilst watching from a very light scaffolding, supported only by four rickety poles, he was himself stalked by one of the dread beasts. Fortunately he did not lose his nerve, and suc- ceeded in shooting the lion, just when it was on the point of springing upon him. But had this lion approached him from behind, | think it would pro- x FOREWORD bably have added Col. Patterson to its long list of victims, for in my own experience I have known of three instances of men having been pulled from trees or huts built on platforms at a greater height from the ground than the crazy structure on which Col. Patterson was watching on that night of terrors. From the time of Herodotus until to-day, lion stories innumerable have been told and written. I have put some on record myself. But no lion story I have ever heard or read equals in its long- sustained and dramatic interest the story of the Tsavo man-eaters as told by Col. Patterson. A lion story is usually a tale of adventures, often very terrible and pathetic, which occupied but a few hours of one night; but the tale of the Tsavo man- eaters is an epic of terrible tragedies spread out over several months, and only at last brought to an end by the resource and determination of one man. It was some years after 1 read the first account published of the Tsavo man-eaters that I made the acquaintance of President Roosevelt. I told him all I remembered about it, and he was so deeply interested in the story—as he is in all true stories of the nature and characteristics of wild animals— that he begged me to send him the short printed account as published in Zhe Freld. This I did; FOREWORD xi and it was only in the last letter I received from him that, referring to this story, President Roose- velt wrote: ‘I think that the incident of the Uganda man-eating lions, described in those two articles you sent me, is the most remarkable account of which we have any record. It is a great pity that it should not be preserved in per- manent form.” Well, I am now glad to think that it wz// be preserved in permanent form; and [| venture to assure Col. Patterson that President Roosevelt will be amongst the most interested readers of his book. It is probable that the chapters recounting the story of the Tsavo man-eating lions will be found more absorbing than the other portions of Col. Patterson’s book; but I think that most of his readers will agree with me that the whole volume is full of interest and information. The account given by Col. Patterson of how he overcame all the difficulties which confronted him in building a strong and permanent railway bridge across the Tsavo river makes excellent reading ; whilst the courage he displayed in attacking, single-handed, lions, rhinoceroses and other dangerous animals was sur- passed by the pluck, tact and determination he showed in quelling the formidable mutiny which once broke out amongst his native Indian workers. Finally, let me say that I have spent the best = aaa xii FOREWORD : ) f ) | part of two nights reading the proof-sheets of Col. Patterson’s book, and I can assure him that the time passed like magic. My interest was held from the first page to the last, for I felt that every word I read was true. F. €; SELOUS: WORPLESDON, SURREY. September 18, 1907. CONTENTS CHAPTER I MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO:. . . CHAPTER: Ii THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE MAN-EATERS . CHAPTER III THE ATTACK ON THE GOODS-WAGON CHAPTER SIV THE BUILDING OF THE TSAVO BRIDGE CHAPTER V TROUBLES WITH THE WORKMEN CHAPTER VI THE REIGN OF TERROR CHAPTER VII THE DISTRICT OFFICER’S NARROW ESCAPE . CHAPTER VIII THE DEATH OF THE_FIRST MAN-EATER 41 50 61 75 84 xiv CONTENTS CHAPTER IX PAGE THE DEATH OF THE SECOND MAN-EATER....... .- men 62)’ CHAPTER X THE COMPLETION OF THE TSAVO-BRIDGE .>. 2) oy. - ee 107 CHAPTER XI THE, SWAHILI AND OTHER, NATIVE “EREBE Sic cca ats) 5) ee ee 117 CHAPTER XII AVNIGHT. “AFTDR:HIPEO r,s yarn fateet Vol isis G-un neo wl oat an 131 CHAPTER XI A-DAY ON THE NDUNGU ESCARPMENT 202) 0n0e sane 143 CHAPTER XIV THE FINDING OF THE MAN-EATERS’ DEN .......+.. 153 CHAPTER XV UNSUCCESSFUL RHINO HUNTS 9. 9.9% een 166 CHAPTER XVI ASWIDOWJS“STORV 228 © och df her au se ee es cance 174 CHAPTER XVII AN INE URIATED GREHINO TS. oc) ees = cp ein bent ae 180 CHAPTER XVIII LIONS ON THE ATHISPEEAUNS® (ts. cure ante: eee re 190 CHAPTER XIX LEE SBRICKEN CARAVANS.) (0. cue issn teas ee 207 CHAPTER XX ‘A -DAY; ON: THE -ATHI RIVER:® 27.2, & 58 2 5on eee st “SNS CHAPTER XXI THE MASAT- AND, OTHER: TRIBES® =.) = (20. et se eee 228 CONTENTS CHAPTER XXII HOW ROSHAN KHAN SAVED MY LIFE . CHAPTER XXIII A SUCCESSFUL LION HUNT. . CHAPTER XXIV BHOOTA’S LAST SH/KAR CHAPTER XXV A MAN-EATER IN A RAILWAY CARRIAGE . CHAPTER XXVI WORK AT NAIROBI. CHAPTER XXVII THE FINDING OF THE NEW ELAND . APPENDIX XV es) _ NI LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS Heads of eight Lions shot by the Author in British East ra 1 > EE ee er Pe Gl Oy Li Mombasa, from the pe Se Ted ee ek weiaee. I The Native Quarter, Mombasa . aes, wae 2 * Well-wooded hills and slopes of the mainland ” 3 Vasco da Gama Street and Pillar : 5 “The best way to get there... was by gharri” 6 “T pitched my tent under some shady palms” 7 Jesus Fort ” Seen de he Wels ee eee Aken See 8 “ Kilindini is. ... on the opposite side of the island” .. . . 10 ‘““ The Place of mee Waters” . Pa ay ee ee 11 “A lucky shot brought down the huge ie oy eee vib EO ome 14 “T slept that night ina little palm hut”... ........ 15 SemIsmibeEIMINADIG 7yZka”> sg me ew es ee 17 “The river crossed by means of a temporary Bridge? ices 18 Women of Uganda. ... . : ae i 19 The Tent from which jemadar saa ‘Singh was Hao ae ; 23 *“* My own tent was pitched in an open clearing” ....... 29 “We shared a hut of palm leaves and boughs” ... . 30 “The camps of the workmen had also been sarod = thorn fences” . . oS Lag * Railhead Camp, with its two or eee thoasand w een 33 ““The two wounded coolies were left where they lay, a piece of torn tent having fallen over them” . . . : t 35 ““A luncheon served in the wilds, with Kee actanetly a “fiend US 2 a ns Cae a 43 6 XVili LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS “Tt very soon became a great pet” . Sa “ Heera Singh made a wild spring into the water to get clear of the falling stone” See Fe “ The door which was to adinit the lion” eh 3 “When the trap was ready, I pitched a tent over it” ‘** They found him stuck fast in the bushes of the doma” ‘“* Perched on the top of water-tanks ” fa “T took up my position in a crib made of sleepers” ee Whitehead on a Trolley at the exact spot where the Lion jumped upon him . Abdullah and his two Wives . A party of Wa Jamousi BO Gee TO ts “His length from tip of nose to tip of tail was nine feet eight inches” ; : Head of the first Man- Pater A : <“shhe LENE evening [ took up my position in this same tree” oad Ret hae al Sie Ae toe | a ee “He measured nine feet six inches from tip of nose to tip of tail, and stood three feet eleven and a half inches high ” “The bridge over the Tsavo rapidly neared completion” “The heavy stones were swung into position” “The girder was run over its exact place ” “ And finally lowered gently into position ” reer te “Very soon I had the satisfaction of seeing the first train cross the finished work” The completed Tsavo Bridee : One of the Trolley Lines after the Flood Swahili Caravan Porters . vtsch ie, iry te wae, hee “The old caravan road which crossed the Tsavo at a ok d” “ Such was my cook, Mabruki” ae. We ny foo “The women... wear a long, brightly eine cloth ” “The women attire themselves only in a short kilt ” “ We arrived at M’Gogo’s capital ” ses wig ‘““ Making fomde in the hollowed-out stump of a tree” Wa Taita Men . M’Kamba Woman : “Until it joins the Athi River oe “The banks of the Sabaki are lined an ChBeS aaa PAGE 46 yes ee % . LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS XIX PAGE “T caught sight of a fine waterbuck and successfully bowled 2 TEPC Ee hoe er rs 144 ** A young one was lying down quite close to me” 145 A Crocodile on the Sabaki 151 “ Beyond all doubt, the man-eaters’ den! 1” 156 “Watch the animals come down to drink” ........ 159 “ The antelope swinging by his feet” . iP paren 163 Ree ett en aS eS ae 165 “Slaves chained neck to neck as was the custom” . 172 Hospital Tent at Voi where Mrs. O’Hara rested . . 176 Inthe Bazaar at Kampala. . 179 0 SUES TeE ag UV & Ci rrr 180 “First the earth surface has to Be Rees 182 “ Cuttings have to be made and hollows banked up” 183 “Another gang drops a8 rails in their places ” 185 “It never moved again ” 188 “The trophy was well worth he pains I bi a cae to aid ete PAW EGMCCHON” - so fs ke 189 Jackson’s Hartebeeste and Bia Ses oes ee ig! aeeiCee eee reo te a 192 “* Fortunately the brute fell dead after this final effort ” 198 “We managed to bring them in triumph to the camp” 211 “T got near enough for a safe shot, which bowled the ante- eee SESE HOA fee Sto Se AS : 215 SE ELE I a ed ae oe oes ee 2) D2Y7 ““ A successful snapshot of an impala just after it had been aioe: aime |= A Masai Chief . 229 MESA WatriGis, . SS 231 Masai Woman .. . 232 Masai Girls 233 Masai Women ..... 234 N’derobbo Boy . Pe Pa Se ea 235 N’derobbo Boy, with Collabus aay si ieee anes 236 esl BED So er? ee ee em y MRCIROVED Mee. ke ees Ce et ok coat Sele aes 239 Se ea 240 “The women of the Wa Kikuyu carry the heavy loads” 241° __ “Spooner’s plucky servant, Imam Din”. ,....-.... 277 XX LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE A Collection of Trophies; = 7°. 2-4 2 2 oe Be ee ‘He was kept on view for several days, and then shot”. . . . 287 Impala. 206 23 cb en ee “TI took a photograph of him standing beside his fine trophy ” 291 “ Succeeded in finishing him off without further trouble” . . . 294 Steamer unloading at Kisumu, on Lake Victoria Nyanza . . . 295 The Grand Falls, Tana River .. . Soe MP Te ees = GK. Shimone, “ The Place of Falling Water’ (Bidania Ravine) . 297 Ode os oe a ere Roan Antelope’. <_2:.¢) 62. es Se De a ‘An excellent, cheery fellow . . .. named Landaalu” .... 300 Crossing a Stream. on the Cook’s Box ....'... .°. ..... 2 Crossing the’Angarua River . ....°. 2. 2. 2 fu | eee Reed bucks 60 chase 22 Pt Se gi eiep ae be) ne > aoe The New Eland—7. oryx pate SOMMQHUS” 250s hs) I oe ‘Ebomson'siGavele yi. .) 30 ceo S Ag oe aes ue pee ee War Canoe on Lake Victoria Nyanza, near the Ripon Falls . . 319 Preparing Breakfast in Camp 320 View in the Kenya Province . ; 324 “A flying visit in a rickshaw to Kampala” 325 “ Clad in long flowing cotton garments ” i le & A eS Jinja Bel iata We Pf Wy i lalyeoine ogy SSP gh eer yan “ Rushing over the oe Falls” ohms Oh ge tek oabe: 30 See eer “The mighty river puciclune away to the ee amid en- chanting scenery,” 2.7505 Gos.0 al sts 2, oy ne Wa Kikuyu Warriors 338 Map of British East Africa. . ...%....... ..) eS MOMBASA, FROM THE HARBOUR. THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO GELAP 2 Pk. I MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO IT was towards noon on March 1, 1808, that | first found myself entering the narrow and some- what dangerous harbour of Mombasa, on the east coast of Africa. The town lies on an island of the Same name, separated from the mainland only by a very narrow channel, which forms the harbour ; and as our vessel steamed slowly in, close under the quaint old Portuguese fortress built over three hundred years ago, I was much struck with the strange beauty of the view which gradually opened out before me. Contrary to my anticipation, every- B gt nn na 2 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. thing looked fresh and green, and an_ oriental glamour of enchantment seemed to hang over the island. The old town was bathed in brilliant sun- shine and reflected itself lazily on the motionless sea; its flat roofs and dazzlingly white walls peeped out THE NATIVE QUARTER, MOMBASA. dreamily between waving palms and lofty cocoanuts, huge baobabs and spreading mango trees ; and the darker background of well-wooded hills and slopes on the mainland formed a very effective setting to a beautiful and, to me, unexpected picture. The harbour was plentifully sprinkled with Arab dhows, in some of which, I believe, even at the 1 MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO 3 present day, a few slaves are occasionally smuggled off to Persia and Arabia. It has always been a matter of great wonder to me how the navigators of these little vessels find their way from port to port, as they do, without the aid of either compass or sextant, and how they manage to weather the ‘“WELL-WOODED HILLS AND SLOPES ON THE MAINLAND.” terrible storms that at certain seasons of the year suddenly visit eastern seas. I remember once coming across a dhow becalmed in the middle of the Indian Ocean, and its crew making signals of distress, our captain slowed down to investigate. There were four men on board, all nearly dead from thirst ; they had been without drink of any kind for several days B 2 4 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. and had completely lost their bearings. After giving them some casks of water, we directed them to Muscat (the port they wished to make), and our vessel resumed its journey, leaving them - still becalmed in the midst of that glassy sea. Whether they managed to reach their destination I never knew. As our steamer made its way to its anchorage, the romantic surroundings of the harbour of Mombasa conjured up visions of stirring adventures of the past, and recalled to my mind the many tales of reckless doings of pirates and slavers, which as a boy it had been my delight to read. I remembered that it was at this very place that in 1498 the great — Vasco da Gama nearly lost his ship and life through the treachery of his Arab pilot, who plotted to wreck the vessel on the reef which bars more than half the entrance to the harbour. Luckily, this -nefarious design was discovered in time, and the bold navigator promptly hanged the pilot, and would also have sacked the town but for the timely submission and apologies of the Sultan. In the principal street of Mombasa—appropriately called Vasco da Gama _ Street—there still stands a curiously-shaped pillar which is said to have been erected by this great seaman in commemoration of his visit. Scarcely had the anchor been dropped, when, as if by magic, our vessel was surrounded by a fleet I MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO 5 of small boats and ‘ dug-outs” manned by crowds of shouting and gesticulating natives. After a short fight between some rival Swahili boatmen for my luggage and person, | found myself being vigor- ously rowed to the foot of the landing steps by the bahareen (sailors) who had been successful in the VASCO DA GAMA STREET AND PILLAR. encounter. Now, my object in coming out to East Africa at this time was to take up a position to which I had been appointed by the Foreign Office on the construction staff of the Uganda Railway. As soon as I landed, therefore, I enquired from one of the Customs officials where the head- quarters of the railway were to be found, and ra 6 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. was told that they were at a place called Kilindini, some three miles away, on the other side of the island. The best way to get there, I was further informed, was by garrz, which I found to be a small trolley, having two seats placed back to back under a little canopy and running on narrow rails ‘“THE BEST WAY TO GET THERE... WAS BY gharri.” which are laid through the principal street of the town. Accordingly, I secured one of these vehicles, which are pushed by two strapping Swahili boys, and was soon flying down the track, which once outside the town lay for the most part through dense groves of mango, baobab, banana and palm trees, with here and_ there _ brilliantly-coloured ™~“I I MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO creepers hanging in luxuriant festoons from the branches. On arrival at Kilindini, 1 made my way to the Railway Offices and was informed that I should be stationed inland and should receive further instruc- tions in the course of a day or two. Meanwhile I ‘©? PITCHED MY TENT UNDER SOME SHADY PALMS.” pitched my tent under some shady palms near the gharri line, and busied myself in exploring the island and in procuring the stores and the outfit necessary for a lengthy sojourn up-country. The town of Mombasa itself naturally occupied most of my attention. It is supposed to have been founded about A.D. 1000, but the discovery of ancient 8 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. Egyptian idols, and of coins of the early Persian and Chinese dynasties, goes to show that it must at different ages have been settled by people of the very earliest civilisations. Coming to more modern times, it was held on and off from 1505 to 1729 by the Portuguese, a permanent memorial of whose ‘* JESUS FORT.” occupation remains in the shape of the grim old fortress, built about 1593—on the site, it is believed, of a still older stronghold. These enterprising sea- rovers piously named it “Jésus Fort,’ and an inscription recording this is still to be seen over the main entrance. The Portuguese occupation of I MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO 9 Mombasa was, however, not without its vicissitudes. From March 15, 1696, for example, the town was besieged for thirty-three consecutive months by a large fleet of Arab dhows, which completely sur- rounded the island. In spite of plague, treachery and famine, the little garrison held out valiantly in Jesus Fort, to which they had been forced to retire, until December 12, 1698, when the Arabs made a- last determined attack and captured the citadel, putting the remnant of the defenders, both men and women, to the sword. It is pathetic to read that only two days later a large Portuguese fleet appeared off the harbour, bringing the long-looked-for rein- forcements. After this the Portuguese made several attempts to reconquer Mombasa, but were unsuc- cessful until 1728, when the town was stormed and captured by General Sampayo. The Arabs, how- ever, returned the next year in overwhelming numbers, and again drove the Portuguese out ; and although the latter made one more attempt in 1769 to regain their lost supremacy, they did not succeed. The Arabs, as represented by the Sultan of Zanzibar, remain in nominal possession of Mombasa to the present day ; but in 1887 Seyid Bargash, the then Sultan of Zanzibar, gave for an annual rental a concession of his mainland territories to the British East Africa Association, which in 1888 was formed 10 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. into the Imperial British East Africa Company. In 1895 the Foreign Office took over control of the Company’s possessions, and a _ Protectorate was proclaimed ; and ten years later the administration of the country was transferred to the Colonial Office. The last serious fighting on the island took place ‘©KILINDINI IS . . . ON THE OPPOSITE SIDE OF THE ISLAND.” so recently as 1895-6, when a Swahili chief named M’baruk bin Rashed, who had three times previously risen in rebellion against the Sultan of Zanzibar, attempted to defy the British and to throw off their yoke. He was defeated on several occasions, how- ever, and was finally forced to flee southwards into German territory. Altogether, Mombasa has in I MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO II the past well deserved its native name of Azszwa Mvita, or “Isle of War”; but under the settled rule now obtaining, it is rapidly becoming a thriving and prosperous town, and as the port of entry for Uganda, it does a large forwarding trade with the pass | ‘©THE PLACE OF DEEP WATERS.” interior and has several excellent stores where almost anything, from a needle to an anchor, may readily be obtained. Kilindini is, as I have said, on the opposite side of the island, and as its name—‘ the place of deep waters ”—implies, has a much finer harbour than that possessed by Mombasa. The channel between 12 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. the island and the mainland is here capable of giving commodious and safe anchorage to the very largest vessels, and as the jetty is directly connected with the Uganda Railway, Kilindini has now really become the principal port, being always used by the liners and heavier vessels. I had spent nearly a week in Mombasa, and was becoming very anxious to get my marching orders, when one morning I was delighted to receive an official letter instructing me to proceed to Tsavo, about one hundred and thirty-two miles from the coast, and to take charge of the construction of the section of the line at that place, which had just then been reached by railhead. 1 accordingly started at daylight next morning in a_ special train with Mr. Anderson, the Superintendent of Works, and Dr. McCulloch, the principal Medical Officer ; and as the country was in every way new to me, I found the journey a most interesting one. The island of Mombasa is separated from the mainland by the Strait of Macupa, and the railway crosses this by a bridge about three-quarters of a mile long, called the Salisbury Bridge, in honour of the great Minister for Foreign Affairs under whose direction the Uganda Railway scheme was under- taken. For twenty miles after reaching the main- land, our train wound steadily upwards through beautifully wooded, park-like country, and on te nr eg SNe EY Re EES CE ee en \ cdl iebiainidibaadh paletaene Ean eee oa f I MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO 13 looking back out of the carriage windows we could every now and again obtain lovely views of Mombasa and Kilindini, while beyond these the Indian Ocean sparkled in the glorious sunshine as far as the eye could see. The summit of the Rabai Hills having been reached, we entered on the expanse of the Taru Desert, a wilderness covered with poor scrub and stunted trees, and carpeted in the dry season with a layer of fine red dust. This dust is of a most penetrating character, and finds its way into everything in the carriage as the train passes along. From here onward game is more or less plentiful, but the animals are very difficult to see owing to the thick undergrowth in which they hide themselves. We managed, however, to catch sight of a few from the carriage windows, and also noticed some of the natives, the Wa Nyika, or “children of the wilderness.” At Maungu, some eighty miles from the coast, we came to the end of this ‘desert,’ but almost the only difference to be noticed in the character of the country was that the colour of the dust had changed. As our train sped onwards through the level uplands we saw a fine ostrich striding along parallel with the line, as if having a race with us. Dr. McCulloch at once seized his rifle and by a lucky shot brought down the huge bird; the next and greater difficulty, however, was to secure the prize. For a time the 14 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. engine-driver took no notice of our signals and shouts, but at last we succeeded in attracting his attention, and the train was shunted back to where the ostrich had fallen. We found it to be an exceptionally fine specimen, and had to exert all our strength to drag it on board the train. ‘“, LUCKY SHOT BROUGHT DOWN THE HUGE BIRD.” Soon after this we reached Voi, about a hundred miles from the coast, and as this was the most important station on the line that we had yet come to, we made a short halt in order to inspect some construction work which was going on. On resuming our journey, we soon discovered that a pleasant change had occurred in the character of 1 MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO 5 the landscape. From a place called N’dii, the railway runs for some miles through a beautifully wooded country, which looked all the more inviting after the deadly monotony of the wilderness through which we had just passed. To the south of us could be seen the N'dii range of mountains, the dwelling- "e°7 ‘¢¥ SLEPT THAT NIGHT IN A LITTLE PALM HUT.” place of the Wa Taita people, while on our right rose the rigid brow of the N’dungu Escarpment, which stretches away westwards for scores of miles. Here our journey was slow, as every now and again we stopped to inspect the permanent works in progress ; but eventually, towards dusk, we arrived at our destination, Tsavo. I slept that night in a 16 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. little palm hut which had been built by some pre- vious traveller, and which was fortunately unoccupied for the time being. It was rather broken-down and dilapidated, not even possessing a door, and as I] lay on my narrow camp bed | could see the stars twinkling through the roof. I little knew then what adventures awaited me in this neighbour- hood; and if I had realised that at that very time two savage brutes were prowling round, seeking whom they might devour, I hardly think I should have slept so peacefully in my rickety shelter. | Next morning I was up betimes, eager to make acquaintance with my new surroundings. My first impression on coming out of my hut was that I was hemmed in on all sides by a dense growth of im- penetrable jungle : and on scrambling to the top of a little hill close at hand, I found that the whole country as far as I could see was covered with low, stunted trees, thick undergrowth and “ wait-a-bit ” thorns. The only clearing, indeed, appeared to be where the narrow track for the railway had been cut. This interminable zyzka, or wilderness of whitish and leafless dwarf trees, presented a ghastly and sun- stricken appearance ; and here and there a ridge of dark-red heat-blistered rock jutted out above the jungle, and added by its rugged barrenness to the dreariness of the picture. Away to the north-east I MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO 7 stretched the unbroken line of the N’dungu Escarp- ment, while far off to the south I could just catch a glimpse of the snow-capped top of towering Kilima N’jaro. The one redeeming feature of the neigh- bourhood was the river from which Tsavo takes its name. This is a swiftly-flowing stream, always cool and always running, the latter being an exceptional ‘“THIS INTERMINABLE 2yzhka.” attribute in this part of East Africa; and the fringe of lofty green trees along its banks formed a welcome relief to the general monotony of the landscape. 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 Cc 18 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 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 7 ‘* THE RIVER CROSSED BY MEANS OF A TEMPORARY BRIDGE.” 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 I MY ARRIVAL AT TSAVO 19 > =. { \) . . . . requisition for labour, tools and material to the head- s 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. WOMEN OF UGANDA, ro to CHMvP a ER THE FIRST APPEARANCE OF THE MAN-EATERS UnrortunatELy this happy state of affairs did not continue for long, and our work was soon interrupted in a rude and startling manner. Two most voraci- ous and insatiable man-eating lions appeared upon the scene, and for over nine months waged an inter- mittent 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 work- men. firmly believed that they were not real animals at all, but devils in lions’ shape. Many a time the cH. 1 APPEARANCE OF THE MAN-EATERS 21 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 neigh- bourhood. 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. They were, as it happened, very good workmen, and had each saved a fair number of rupees, so I thought it quite likely that some scoundrels from the gangs had murdered them for the sake of their money. This suspicion, however, was very soon dispelled. About three weeks after my arrival, I was roused one morning about daybreak and told that one of my jemadars, a fine powerful Sikh named Ungan Singh, had been seized in his tent during the night, and dragged off and eaten. Naturally I lost no time in making an examina- tion of the place, and was soon convinced that the 22 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. man had indeed been carried off by a lion, as its “pug” marks were plainly visible in the sand, while the furrows made by the heels of the victim showed the direction in which he had been dragged away. Moreover, the emadar shared his tent with half a dozen other workmen, and one of his bedfellows had actually witnessed the occurrence. He graphic- ally described how, at about midnight, the lion suddenly put its head in at the open tent’ door and seized Ungan Singh—who happened to be nearest the opening —by the throat. The unfortunate fellow cried out ‘‘ Choro” (“Let go”), and threw his arms up round the lion’s neck. The next moment he was gone, and his panic-stricken com- panions lay helpless, forced to listen to the terrible struggle which took place outside. Poor Ungan Singh must have died hard ; but what chance had he? As a coolie gravely remarked, ‘‘ Was he not fighting with a lion?” On hearing this dreadful story I at once set out to try to track the animal, and was accompanied by Captain Haslem, who happened to be staying at Tsavo at the time, and who, poor fellow, himself met with a tragic fate very shortly afterwards. 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 {1 APPEARANCE OF THE MAN-EATERS 22 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 subse- quently rescued : the skin was gone in places, and the flesh looked dry, as if it had been sucked.) On THE TENT FROM WHICH /emadar UNGAN SINGH WAS CARRIED OFF. 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 zemadar’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 24 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. open with a startled, horrified look in them. The place was considerably cut up, and on closer exami- nation 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. I little knew the trouble that was in store for me, or how narrow were to be my own escapes from sharing poor Ungan Singh's fate. That same night I sat up in a tree close to the late zemadar’s tent, hoping that the lions would return to it for another victim. I was followed to my perch by a few of the more terrified coolies, who begged to be allowed to sit up in the tree with me ; all the other workmen remained in their tents, but no more doors were left open. I had with me my ‘303 and a 12-bore shot gun, one barrel loaded with ball and the other with slug. Shortly after settling down to my vigil, my hopes of bagging one of the brutes were raised by the sound of their ominous roaring coming closer and closer. Presently this 1 APPEARANCE OF THE MAN-EATERS 25 ceased, and quiet reigned for an hour or two, as lions always stalk their prey in complete silence. All at once, however, we heard a great uproar and frenzied cries coming from another camp about half a mile away; we knew then that the lions had seized a victim there, and that we should see or hear nothing further of them that night. Next morning [ found that one of the brutes had broken intoa tent at Railhead Camp—whence we had heard the commotion during the night—and had made off with a poor wretch who was lying there asleep. After a night's rest, therefore, | took up my position in a suitable tree near this tent. I did notatall like the idea of walking the half-mile to the place after dark, but all the same I felt fairly safe, as one of my men carried a bright lamp close behind me. He in his turn was followed by another leading a goat, which I tied under my tree in the hope that the lion might be tempted to seize it instead of a coolie. A steady drizzle commenced shortly after I had settled down to my night of watching, and I was soon thoroughly chilled and wet. I stuck to my uncomfortable post, however, hoping to get a shot, but [ well remember the feeling of impotent disappointment I experi- enced when about midnight I heard screams and cries and a heartrending shriek, which told me that the man-eaters had again eluded me and had claimed another victim elsewhere. | 26 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. At this time the various camps for the workmen were very scattered, so that the lions had a range of some eight miles on either side of Tsavo to work upon ; and as their tactics seemed to be to break into a different camp each night, it was most difficult to forestall them. They almost appeared, too, to have an extraordinary and uncanny faculty of finding out our plans beforehand, so that no matter in how likely or how tempting a spot we lay in wait for them, they invariably avoided that particular place and seized their victim for the night from some other camp. Hunting them by day, moreover, in such a dense wilderness as surrounded us, was an exceed- ingly tiring and really foolhardy undertaking. In a thick jungle of the kind round Tsavo the hunted animal has every chance against the hunter, as however careful the latter may be, a dead twig or something of the sort is sure to crackle just at the critical moment and so give the alarm. Still I never gave up hope of some day finding their lair, and accordingly continued to devote all my spare time to crawling about through the undergrowth. Many a time when attempting to force my way through this bewildering tangle I had to be released by my gun- bearer from the fast clutches of the ‘“ wait-a-bit ” ; and often with immense pains I succeeded in tracing the lions to the river after they had seized a victim, only to lose the trail from there onwards, owing to mn | APPEARANCE OF THE MAN-EATERS 27 the rocky nature of the ground which they seemed to be careful to choose in retreating to their den. At this early stage of the struggle, 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 enterpris- ing dunnzah (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 danxnzah, 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 28 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CH. Il 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 ina 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 beside a brightly burning fire. Shots, shouting and firebrands they alike held in derision. [THE AUTHOR.] [MR. Cc. RAWSON.] ‘SMY OWN TENT WAS PITCHED IN AN OPEN CLEARING.” Citar te se 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, how- ever, 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, 30 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 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 ; “SWE SHARED A HUT OF PALM LEAVES AND BOUGHS.” and we had it surrounded by a circular doma, 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 m THE ATTACK ON THE GOODS-WAGON 31 rather trying to our nerves to attempt to read or write there, as we never knew when a lion might spring over the doma, 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. (Fe) “©THE CAMPS OF THE WORKMEN HAD ALSO BEEN SURROUNDED BY THORN FENCES.” 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 32 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CH. Ill 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 in to me with painful frequency. So long, however, as Railhead Camp—with its two or three thousand men, scattered over a wide area—remained at Tsavo, the coolies appeared not to take much notice of the dreadful deaths of their comrades. Each man felt, I suppose, that as the man-eaters had such a large number of victims to choose from, the chances of their selecting him in particular were very small. But when the large camp moved ahead with the railway, matters altered considerably. | was then left with only some few hundred men to complete the permanent works; and as all the remaining workmen were naturally camped to- gether, the attentions of the lions became more apparent and made a deeper impression. A regular panic consequently ensued, and it required all my powers of persuasion to induce the men to stay on. In fact, I succeeded in doing so only by allowing them to knock off all regular work until they had built exceptionally thick and high domas round each camp. Within these enclosures fires were kept burning all night, and it was also the duty of the night-watchman to keep clattering half a dozen empty oil tins suspended from a convenient tree. These he manipulated by means of a long « NONMYOM ANVSNOHL AAYHL YO OML SLI HLIM ‘dNVO AVANTIVA ,, 34 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. rope, while sitting in safety within his tent ; and the frightful noise thus produced was kept up at frequent intervals during the night in the hopes of terrifying away the man-eaters. In spite of all these precautions, however, the lions would not be denied, and men continued to disappear. When the railhead workmen moved on, their hospital camp was left behind. It stood rather apart from the other camps, in a clearing about three-quarters of a mile from my hut, but was protected by a good thick fence and to all appear- ance was quite secure. It seemed, however, as if barriers were of no avail against the ‘demons ”, for before very long one of them found a weak spot in the éo0ma and broke through. On this occasion the Hospital Assistant had a marvellous escape. Hear- ing a noise outside, he opened the door of his tent and was horrified to see a great lion standing a few yards away looking at him. The beast made a spring towards him, which gave the Assistant such a fright that he jumped backwards, and in doing so luckily upset a box containing medical stores. This crashed down with such a loud clatter of breaking glass that the lion was startled for the moment and made off to another part of the enclosure. Here, unfortunately, he was more suc- cessful, as he jumped on to and broke through a tent in which eight patients were lying. Two of m THE ATTACK ON THE GOODS-WAGON 35 them were badly wounded by his spring, while a third poor wretch was seized and dragged off bodily through the thorn fence. The two wounded coolies were left where they lay, a piece of torn tent having fallen over them; and in this position the doctor and I found them on our arrival soon after = Zao