xvin LIONS ON THE ATHI PLAINS 193 



down in the supply would have had the most 

 disastrous consequences among so large a body of 

 men working all day under the blazing sun of a 

 tropical climate. Every day two trainloads of water 

 in great tanks were brought up from the last stream 

 we had passed, which, of course, daily fell further 

 to the rear. This was a source of considerable 

 delay, for the line was blocked all the time the 

 water was being pumped into the tanks, and conse- 

 quently no material for construction could come 

 through ; and a good deal of time was also wasted, 

 when the trains returned to railhead, in distributing 

 the water to the workmen, who often quarrelled and 

 fought in their eagerness to get at it. At first I had 

 most of the tank-filling done by night, but on one 

 occasion a lion came unpleasantly close to the men 

 working the pump, and so night work had to 

 be abandoned. The coolies themselves were so 

 anxious, indeed, to get a plentiful supply of water, 

 that once or twice some of the more daring spirits 

 among them ventured to go out on to the plains in 

 search of waterholes, which, by reason of the large 

 herds of game, we knew must exist somewhere. 

 The only result of these expeditions, however, was 

 that three of these men never returned ; what befell 

 them is not known to this day. 



When we had proceeded some distance across 

 this dry land, and when I was experiencing to the 



o 



