214 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 
~ out and died by the wayside. Before very long I 
came up with the rearguard of this straggling army, 
and here I was witness of as unfeeling an act of 
barbarism as can well be imagined. A poor wretch, 
utterly unable to go a step further, rolled himself up 
in his scarlet blanket and lay down by the roadside 
to die; whereupon one of his companions, coveting 
the highly-coloured and highly-prized article, turned 
back, seized one end of the blanket, and callously 
rolled the dying man out of it as one would unroll 
a bale of goods. This was too much for me, so I 
put spurs to my pony and galloped up to the 
scoundrel, making as if to thrash him with my 
kiboko, or whip made of rhinoceros hide. In a 
moment he put his hand on his knife and half 
drew it from its sheath, but on seeing me dis- 
mount and point my rifle at him, he desisted and 
tried to run away. I made it clear to him by signs, 
however, that I would fire if he did not at once go 
back and replace the blanket round his dying 
comrade. This he eventually did, though sullenly 
enough, and [| then marched him in front of me to 
the main camp of the caravan, some little distance 
further on. Here I handed him over to the officer 
in charge, who, I am glad to say, had him soundly 
thrashed for his brutality and theft. 
After performing this little act of retributive 
justice, I pushed on towards the Stony Athi. On 
