ern 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. They were, as it happened, very go