160 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 



which line the banks, and watch the animals come 

 down to drink, all unconscious of my presence. I 

 took several photographs of scenes of this kind, but 

 unfortunately many of the negatives were spoiled. 

 Often, too, on a brilliant moonlight night have I sat 

 on a rock out in the middle of the stream, near a 

 favourite drinking place, waiting for a shot at what- 

 ever fortune might send my way. How exaspera- 

 ting it was, when the wind changed at the critical 

 moment, and gave me away to the rhino or other 

 animal I had sat there for hours patiently awaiting ! 

 Occasionally I would get heartily tired of my weary 

 vigil and would wade ashore through the warm 

 water, to make my bed in the soft sand regardless 

 of the snap, snap of the crocodiles which could 

 plainly be heard from the deeper pools up and down 

 the river. At the time, being new to the country, 

 I did not realise the risks I ran ; but later on after 

 my poor Wa Kamba follower had been seized and 

 dragged under, as I have already described I 

 learned to be much more cautious. 



The shortest way of reaching the Athi river from 

 Tsavo was to strike through the jungle in a north- 

 westerly direction, and here there was luckily a par- 

 ticularly well-defined rhino path which I always 

 made use of. I discovered it quite by accident on 

 one occasion when I had asked some guests, who 

 were staying with me at Tsavo, to spend a night on 



