xxv MAN-EATER IN RAILWAY CARRIAGE 285 
offered to Parenti, who declined it, saying that he 
would be quite comfortable on the floor; and he 
accordingly lay down to sleep, with his feet towards 
the sliding door which gave admission to the 
carriage. 
It is supposed that Ryall, after watching for 
some considerable time, must have come to the 
conclusion that the lion was not going to make its 
appearance that night, for he lay down on the lower 
berth and dozed off. No sooner had he done 
so, doubtless, than the cunning man-eater began 
cautiously to stalk the three sleepers. In order to 
reach the little platform at the end of the carriage, 
he had to mount two very high steps from the 
railway line, but these he managed to negotiate 
successfully and in silence. The door from this 
platform into the carriage was a sliding one on 
wheels, which ran very easily on a brass runner ; 
and as it was probably not quite shut, or at any 
rate not secured in any way, it was an easy matter 
for the lion to thrust in a paw and shove it open. 
But owing to the tilt of the carriage and to his 
great extra weight on the one side, the door slid to 
and snapped into the lock the moment he got his 
body right in, thus leaving him shut up with the 
three sleeping men in the compartment. 
He sprang at once at Ryall, but in order to reach ° 
him had actually to plant his feet on Parenti, who, it 
