214 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 



out and died by the wayside. Before very long I 

 came up with the rearguard of this straggling army, 

 and here I was witness of as unfeeling an act of 

 barbarism as can well be imagined. A poor wretch, 

 utterly unable to go a step further, rolled himself up 

 in his scarlet blanket and lay down by the roadside 

 to die ; whereupon one of his companions, coveting 

 the highly-coloured and highly-prized article, turned 

 back, seized one end of the blanket, and callously 

 rolled the dying man out of it as one would unroll 

 a bale of goods. This was too much for me, so I 

 put spurs to my pony and galloped up to the 

 scoundrel, making as if to thrash him with my 

 kiboko, or whip made of rhinoceros hide. In a 

 moment he put his hand on his knife and half 

 drew it from its sheath, but on seeing me dis- 

 mount and point my rifle at him, he desisted and 

 tried to run away. I made it clear to him by signs, 

 however, that I would fire if he did not at once go 

 back and replace the blanket round his dying 

 comrade. This he eventually did, though sullenly 

 enough, and I then marched him in front of me to 

 the main camp of the caravan, some little distance 

 further on. Here I handed him over to the officer 

 in charge, who, I am glad to say, had him soundly 

 thrashed for his brutality and theft. 



After performing this little act of retributive 

 justice, I pushed on towards the Stony Athi. On 



