XVIII LIONS. ON LHE-ATHE PLAINS 193 
down in the supply would have had the most 
disastrous consequences among so large a body of 
men working all day under the blazing sun of a 
tropical climate. Every day two trainloads of water 
in great tanks were brought up from the last stream 
we had passed, which, of course, daily fell further 
to the rear. This was a source of considerable 
delay, for the line was blocked all the time the 
water was being pumped into the tanks, and conse- 
quently no material for construction could come 
through ; and a good deal of time was also wasted, 
when the trains returned to railhead, in distributing 
the water to the workmen, who often quarrelled and 
fought in their eagerness to get at it. At first I had 
most of the tank-filling done by night, but on one 
occasion a lion came unpleasantly close to the men 
working the pump, and so night work had to 
be abandoned. The coolies themselves were so 
anxious, indeed, to get a plentiful supply of water, 
that once or twice some of the more daring spirits 
among them ventured to go out on to the plains in 
search of waterholes, which, by reason of the large 
herds of game, we knew must exist somewhere. 
The only result of these expeditions, however, was 
that three of these men never returned ; what befell 
them is not known to this day. 
When we had proceeded some distance across 
this dry land, and when I was experiencing to the 
C 
