om sharing poor Ungan Singh's fate.
That same nightI sat up in a tree close to the
late jemadars tent, hoping that the lions would
return to it for another victim. I was followed to
my perch by a few of the. more terrified coolies, who
begged to be allowed to sit up in the tree with me
;
all the other workmen remained in their tents, but
no more doors were left open. I had with me my
303 and a 12-bore shot gun, one barrel loaded with
ball and the other with slug. Shortly after settling
down to my vigil, my hopes of bagging one of the
brutes were raised by the sound of their ominous
roaring coming closer and closer. Presently this
ceased, and quiet reigned for an hour or two. as
lions always stalk their prey in complete silence.
All at once, however, we heard a great uproar and
frenzied cries coming from another camp about half
a mile away;
we knew then that the lions had
seized a victim there, and that we should see or
hear nothing further of them that night.
Next morningI found that one of the brutes had
broken into a tent at Railhead Camp whence we had
heard the commotion during the night and had made
off with a poor wretch who was lying there asleep.

Chapter 2