of fine, soft sand, in
which were the indistinct tracks of numberless animals. In one corner
of this bay, close under an overhanging tree, stood a little sandy
hillock, and on looking over the top of this I saw on the other side a
fearsome-looking cave which seemed to run back for a considerable
distance under the rocky bank. Round the entrance and inside the cavern
I was thunderstruck to find a number of human bones, with here and
there a copper bangle such as the natives wear. Beyond all doubt, the
man-eaters' den! In this manner, and quite by accident, I stumbled upon
the lair of these once-dreaded "demons", which I had spent so many days
searching for through the exasperating and interminable jungle during
the time when they terrorised Tsavo. I had no inclination to explore
the gloomy depths of the interior, but thinking that there might
possibly still be a lioness or cub inside, I fired a shot or two into
the cavern through a hole in the roof. Save for a swarm of bats,
nothing came out; and after taking a photograph of the cave, I gladly
left the horrible spot, thankful that the savage and insatiable brutes
which once inhabited it were no longer at large.

Retracing my steps to the main ravine, I continued my journey along it.
After a little while I fancied I saw a hippo among some tall rushes
growing on the bank, and quickly signed to Mahina and Moota to stay
perfectly still. I then made a careful stalk, only to discover, after
all my trouble, that my eyes had deceived me and made me imagine a
black bank and a few rushes to be a living animal. We now left the bed
of the ravine, and advanced along the top. This turned out to be a good
move, for soon we heard the galloping of a herd of some animal or other
across our front. I rushed round a corner in the path a few yards
ahead, and crouching under the bushes saw a line of startled zebras
flying past. This was the first time I had seen these beautifully
marked animals in their wild state, so I selected the largest and
fired, and as I was quite close to them he dropped in his tracks
stone-dead. When I stood over the handsome creature I was positively
sorry for having killed him. Not so Moota, however, who rushed up in
ecstasy, and before I could stop him had cut his throat. This was done,
as he remarked, "to make the meat lawful," for Moota was a devout
follower of the Prophet, and no true Mohammedan will eat the flesh of
any animal unless the throat has been cut at t