290 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 
“Well,” I replied, “are you really very anxious to 
shoot one before you go home ?” 
“I would rather get a lion than anything else in 
the world,” was the emphatic reply. 
“Very good, then. Sultan,” I called to the 
driver, ‘‘stop the engine.” 
“Now, Mac,” I continued, as the train was 
quickly brought to a standstill,‘ here’s a chance 
for you. Just jump off and bag those two over 
theres. 
He turned round in blank astonishment and 
could hardly believe his eyes when he saw two 
fine lions only about two hundred yards off, busily 
engaged in devouring a wildebeeste which they had 
evidently just killed. I had spotted them almost 
as soon as Mac had begun to talk of his bad luck, 
and had only waited to tell him until we got nearer, 
so as to give him a greater surprise. He was oft 
the engine in a second and made directly for the 
two beasts. Just as he was about to fire one of 
them bolted, so I called out to him to shoot the 
other quickly before he too made good his escape. 
This one was looking at us over his shoulder with 
one paw on the dead wildebeeste, and while he 
stood in this attitude Mac dropped him with a 
bullet through the heart. Needless to say he was 
tremendously delighted with his success, and after 
the dead lion had been carried to the train and 
