with heavy logs of wood.
Every good-sized tree in the camp had as many beds lashed on to it as
its branches would bear--and sometimes more. I remember that one night
when the camp was attacked, so many men swarmed on to one particular
tree that down it came with a crash, hurling its terror-stricken load
of shrieking coolies close to the very lions they were trying to avoid.
Fortunately for them, a victim had already been secured, and the brutes
were too busy devouring him to pay attention to anything else.

CHAPTER VII

THE DISTRICT OFFICER'S NARROW ESCAPE

Some little time before the flight of the workmen, I had written to Mr.
Whitehead, the District Officer, asking him to come up and assist me in
my campaign against the lions, and to bring with him any of his askaris
(native soldiers) that he could spare. He replied accepting the
invitation, and told me to expect him about dinner-time on December 2,
which turned out to be the day after the exodus. His train was due at
Tsavo about six o'clock in the evening, so I sent my "boy" up to the
station to meet him and to help in carrying his baggage to the camp. In
a very short time, however, the "boy" rushed back trembling with
terror, and informed me that there was no sign of the train or of the
railway staff, but that an enormous lion was standing on the station
platform. This extraordinary story I did not believe in the least, as
by this time the coolies--never remarkable for bravery--were in such a
state of fright that if they caught sight of a hyena or a baboon, or
even a dog, in the bush, they were sure to imagine it was a lion; but I
found out next day that it was an actual fact, and that both
stationmaster and signalman had been obliged to take refuge from one of
the man-eaters by locking themselves in the station building.

I waited some little time for Mr. Whitehead, but eventually, as he did
not put in an appearance, I concluded that he must have postponed his
journey until the next day, and so had my dinner in my customary
solitary state. During the meal I heard a couple of shots, but paid no
attention to them, as rifles were constantly being fired off in the
neighbourhood of the camp. Later in the evening, I went out as usual to
watch for our elusive foes, and took up my position in a crib made of
sleepers which I had built on a big girder close to a camp which I
thought was likely to be attacked. Soon after settling down at my post,
I was surprised