VII 
MAN-EATING LIONS 
81 
her into the shamba where the matama com lay cut. 
began to devour the body. Shortly afterwards, 
another lion appeared on the scene and joined in 
the ghastly meal, the whole tragedy being enacted 
before the eyes of those in the hut, who were too 
terrified to run or cry for help to the woman’s 
husband who was fishing from the river-bank, not 
more than a couple of hundred yards away. 
When the husband returned to his hut, an awful 
sight met his eyes ; his youngest child, bitten through 
the skull, lay dead at the door, while in the distance 
two lions were growling over and gorging themselves 
on his wife’s body. Remembering that 1 was in the 
neighbourhood, the distracted fellow, as I have 
narrated, ran with all haste to my camp and begged 
me to come to his assistance. 
In his absence, some natives, who had heard his 
terrified yells, at once made their way to his hut and 
the lions, on seeing them, left their victim’s body 
and vanished into the bush. On reaching the spot, 
I at once went into the shamba and discovered the 
horribly mangled remains of the unfortunate woman 
lying among the matama corn, but as nothing more 
could be done as far as she was concerned, accom¬ 
panied by two of my men, I immediately set out in 
pursuit of the lions. Though we followed their spoor 
till sunset, never a glimpse of them did we get, so, 
returning to the village, I made the natives leave 
G 
