nding the construction of banks and
cuttings and the erection of temporary bridges. On returning to my hut,
therefore, at about three o'clock in the afternoon, I threw myself into
a long deck chair, too tired for anything beyond a long cool drink.
Here I rested for an hour or so, amused by the bustle at the small
wayside station we had just built, and idly watching our tiny
construction engine forging its way, with a great deal of clanking and
puffing, up a steep gradient just across the river. It was touch-and-go
whether it would manage to get its heavy load of rails and sleepers to
the top of the incline or not, and I became so interested in the
contest between steam and friction and gravity, that I did not notice
that a visitor had approached and was standing quietly beside me.

On hearing the usual salutation, however, I turned round and saw a lean
and withered half-bred Masai, clothed in a very inadequate piece of
wildebeeste hide which was merely slipped under the left arm and looped
up in a knot over the right shoulder. He stood for a moment with the
right hand held out on a level with his shoulder, the fingers extended
and the palm turned towards me--all indicating that he came on a
friendly visit. I returned his salutation, and asked him what he
wanted. Before answering, he dropped down on his heels, his old bones
cracking as he did so. "I want to lead the Great Master to two lions,"
he said; "they have just killed a zebra and are now devouring it." On
hearing this I straightway forgot that I had already done a hard day's
work in the full blaze of an equatorial sun; I forgot that I was tired
and hungry; in fact, I forgot everything that was not directly
connected with the excitement of lion-hunting. Even the old savage at
my feet grinned when he saw how keen I was about it. I plied him with
questions--were they both lions or lionesses? had they manes? how far
away were they? and so on. Naturally, to the last question he was bound
to answer "M'bali kidogo." Of course they were not far away; nothing
ever is to a native of East Africa. However, the upshot was that in a
very few minutes I had a mule saddled, and with the old Masai as guide,
started off accompanied by my faithful Mahina and another coolie to
help to bring home the skin if I should prove successful. I also left
word for my friend Spooner, the District Engineer, who happened to be
absent from camp just at the moment, that I had gone after two lions,
b