216 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 



quivering flesh, lapping up the warm blood in the 

 palms of their hands. In return for the meat which 

 I gave them, two of them willingly agreed to go on 

 with me and carry the head and haunch of the 

 gazelle. When we had got very nearly to the place 

 where I intended to camp for the night, a great 

 wart-hog suddenly jumped up almost at my horse's 

 feet, and as he had very fine and exceptionally long 

 tusks, I dismounted at once and bagged him too. 

 The Basoga were delighted at this, and promptly 

 cut off the head ; but my own people, who arrived 

 with my tent just at this juncture, and who were all 

 good Mohammedans, were thoroughly disgusted at 

 the sight of this very hideous-looking pig. 



I camped for the night on the banks of the Stony 

 Athi, close to where the railway was to cross, and 

 made my notes of what was necessary for the 

 temporary bridge. At the time the river was abso- 

 lutely dry, but I knew that it might at any moment 

 become a roaring torrent if rain should set in ; it 

 would therefore be necessary to span it with a 

 forty-foot girder in order to prevent constant 

 "washouts" during the rainy season. The next 

 morning I started early on my return to railhead. 

 On my way I had to pass the camp which the 

 Basoga caravan had just left, but the spectacle of 

 about a dozen newly-made graves which the hyaenas 

 had already torn open caused me to put spurs to 



