78 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 
“Where on earth have you come from?” I 
exclaimed. ‘‘ Why didn’t you turn up to dinner last 
night ?” 
‘““A nice reception you give a fellow when you 
invite him to dinner,” was his only reply. 
‘Why, what’s up ?” I asked. 
“That infernal lion of yours nearly did for me 
last night,” said Whitehead. 
‘Nonsense, you must have dreamed it!” I cried 
in astonishment. 
For answer he turned round and showed me his 
back. »*°Dhat’s not much: of 2 dream, 4s 4623 eeue 
asked. 
His clothing was rent by one huge tear from the 
nape of the neck downwards, and on the flesh there 
were four great claw marks, showing red and angry 
through the torn cloth. Without further parley, I 
hurried him off to my tent, and bathed and dressed 
his wounds ; and when I had made him considerably 
more comfortable, I got from him the whole story 
of the events of the night. 
It appeared that his train was very late, so that it 
was quite dark when he arrived at Tsavo Station, 
from which the track to my camp lay through a 
small cutting. He was accompanied by Abdullah, 
his sergeant of askarvzs, who walked close behind 
him carrying a lighted lamp. All went well until 
they were about half-way through the gloomy 
