the postmaster Ryall in a railway carriage, little
suspecting the fate that was to befall the latter in the same carriage a
few months later. A man-eating lion had chosen a small station for his
hunting-ground, and had carried off one man after another without
distinction of rank and worth. Ryall travelled with two other Europeans
up to the place to try and rid it of the lion. On their arrival they
were told that the animal could not be far away, for it had been quite
recently in the neighbourhood of the station. The three Europeans
resolved to watch all night. Ryall's carriage was taken off the train
and drawn on to a siding. Here the ground had not been levelled, so the
carriage was tilted a little to one side. After dinner they were to keep
watch in turns, and Ryall took the first watch. There was a sofa on
either side of the carriage, one of them higher above the floor than the
other. Ryall offered these to his guests, but one of them preferred to
lie on the floor between the sofas. And when Ryall thought he had
watched long enough without seeing the lion, he lay down to rest on the
lower sofa.

The carriage had a sliding door which slipped easily in its grooves, and
was unfastened. When all was quiet the lion crept out of the bush,
jumped on to the rear platform of the carriage, opened the door with his
paws, and slipped in. But scarcely had he entered, when the door, in
consequence of the slope of the carriage, slid to again and latched
itself. And thus the man-eater was shut in with the three sleeping men.

The sleeper on the higher sofa, awakened by a sharp cry of distress, saw
the lion, which filled up most of the small space, standing with his
hind legs on the man lying on the floor, and his forepaws on Ryall, on
the lower sofa on the opposite side. He jumped down in a fright to try
and reach the opposite door, but could not get past without putting his
foot on the back of the lion. To his horror, he found that the servant,
who had been alarmed by the noise, was leaning against the door outside;
but, putting forth all his strength, he burst open the door and slipped
out, whereupon it banged to again. At the same moment a loud crash was
heard. The lion had sprung through the window with Ryall in his mouth,
and as the aperture was too small, he had splintered the woodwork like
paper. The remains of the man were found next day and buried. Shortly
after the lion was caught in a trap, and was exhibited for several