290 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP. 



" Well," I replied, "are you really very anxious to 

 shoot one before you go home ? " 



" I would rather get a lion than anything else in 

 the world," was the emphatic reply. 



" Very good, then. Sultan," I called to the 

 driver, "stop the engine." 



" Now, Mac," I continued, as the train was 

 quickly brought to a standstill, " here's a chance 

 for you. Just jump off and bag those two over 

 there." 



He turned round in blank astonishment and 

 could hardly believe his eyes when he saw two 

 fine lions only about two hundred yards off, busily 

 engaged in devouring a wildebeeste which they had 

 evidently just killed. I had spotted them almost 

 as soon as Mac had begun to talk of his bad luck, 

 and had only waited to tell him until we got nearer, 

 so as to give him a greater surprise. He was off 

 the engine in a second and made directly for the 

 two beasts. Just as he was about to fire one of 

 them bolted, so I called out to him to shoot the 

 other quickly before he too made good his escape. 

 This one was looking at us over his shoulder with 

 one paw on the dead wildebeeste, and while he 

 stood in this attitude Mac dropped him with a 

 bullet through the heart. Needless to say he was 

 tremendously delighted with his success, and after 

 the dead lion had been carried to the train and 



