Again it was decided to move the hospital;
and
again, before nightfall, the work was completed,
including a still stronger and thicker boma. When
the patients had been moved,I had a covered
goods-wagon placed in a favourable position on a
siding which ran close to the site which had just
been abandoned, and in this Brock and I arranged
to sit up that night. We left a couple of tents still
standing within the enclosure, and also tied up a few
cattle in it as bait for the lions, who had been seen
in no less than three different places in the
neighbourhood during the afternoon (April 23).
Four miles from Tsavo they had attempted to seize
a coolie who was walking along the line. Fortu-
38 THE MAN-EATERS OF TSAVO CHAP.
nately, however, he had just time to escape up a
tree, where he remained, more dead than alive,
until he was rescued by the Traffic Manager, who
caught sight of him from a passing train. They
next appeared close to Tsavo Station, and a couple
of hours later some workmen saw one of the lions
stalking Dr. Brock as he was returning about dusk
from the hospital.
In accordance with our plan, the doctor and I set
out after dinner for the goods-wagon, which was
about a mile away from our hut. In the light of
subsequent events, we did a very foolish thing in
taking up our position so late
; nevertheless, we
reached our destination in safety, and settled down
to our watch about ten o'clock. We had the lower
half of the door of the wagon closed, while the
upper half was left wide open for observation: and
we faced, of course, in the direction of the abandoned
bovia, which, however, we were unable to see in the
inky darkness. For an hour or two everything was
quiet, and the deadly silence was becoming very
monotonous and oppressive, when suddenly, to our
right, a dry twig snapped, and we knew that an
animal of some sort was about. Soon afterwards
we heard a dull thud, as if some heavy body had
jumped over the boma. The cattle, too, became
very uneasy, and we could hear them moving about
restlessly. Then again came dead silence. At this juncture I proposed to my companion
that I should get out of the wagon and lie on the
ground close to it, as I could see better in that
position should the lion come in our direction with
his prey. Brock, however, persuaded me to remain
where I was
and a few seconds afterwards I was
;
heartily glad that I had taken his advice, for at that
very moment one of the man-eaters although we
did not know it was quietly stalking us, and was
even then almost within springing distance.

Chapter 3