io6 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CH. ix 



Africa. But there is no evidence that the old 

 inhabitants of Europe, or of Assyria or Asia Minor, 

 ever killed lions or wolves by this means. They 

 looked to the King or chief, or some champion, to 

 kill these monsters for them. It was not the sport 

 but the duty of Kings, and was in itself a title to be 

 a ruler of men. Theseus, who cleared the roads of 

 beasts and robbers ; Hercules, the lion killer ; 

 St. George, the dragon-slayer, and all the rest of 

 their class owed to this their everlasting fame. 

 From the story of the Tsavo River we can appre- 

 ciate their. services to man even at this distance of 

 time. When the jungle twinkled with hundreds of 

 lamps, as the shout went on from camp to camp 

 that the first lion was dead, as the hurrying crowds 

 fell prostrate in the midnight forest, laying their 

 heads on his feet, and the Africans danced savage 

 and ceremonial dances of thanksgiving, Mr. Patter- 

 son must have realised in no common way what it 

 was to have been a hero and deliverer in the days 

 when man was not yet undisputed lord of the 

 creation, and might pass at any moment under the 

 savage dominion of the beasts." 



Well had the two man-eaters earned all this 

 fame; they had devoured between them no less than 

 twenty-eight Indian coolies, in addition to scores of 

 unfortunate African natives of whom no official 

 record was kept. 



