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. " That's not much of a dream, is it ? " he 

 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 askaris, who walked close behind 

 him carrying a lighted lamp. All went well until 

 they were about half-way through the gloomy 



