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 
