A true story......
In this edition of #TigerTales, I would like to discuss the terrible incident in which an African Lion stalked and hunted down the young and enthusiastic Railway Superintendent of Police, Charles Ryall in the year 1900 at Kima Railway Station, Nairobi, Kenya. Yes, it is a true incident and please see the picture of the train compartment in which it happened. The train compartment is rested in Nairobi Rail Museum and the remains of a young officer were also laid down in Nairobi, Kenya.
Here goes the story……
When people of Africa thought that they were safe and Mister Patterson had killed dreaded Man-eating lions of Tsavo who had killed 130 people, emerged Kima man-eating lion which already had killed 30 people. The Kima lion was unique as it had a preference for railway workers from station master to engine driver to the linesman and later it killed Superintendent of Police, Charles Ryall. The young officer was going to Nairobi with his two friends Parenti and Huebner. When they learned that an adult lion had been hunting down railway workers, Charles agreed to spend a night at Kima in his coach and hunt down the lion. He and his two friends took the position in the railway coach in the secluded area of the railway station.
It was decided that Charles would take the lower birth and Huebner would take the upper birth. However, Parenti decided that he would lie down on the floor next to the sliding door which they had already locked. Charles decided to keep the window open so that he could shoot the lion as it would certainly try to enter the coach through this window. Charles was mistaken!!! The horrible judgment from the officer. Charles and Huebner went to sleep while Parenti stood guard. When his turn was over, he asked Charles to take the vigil. Charles was still sleepy and did not pay any advice to his friend and dozed off. The lion was sharp and he entered the coach through the sliding door which accidentally did not close properly. The lion stood on Parenti who was lying at the entrance of sliding door and watched Charles Ryall. Parenti lost the consciousness as soon as he saw the lion on his back. However, ignoring him, the lion jumped on Charles and caught him by the neck. Charles did not make even a faint noise. Huebner watched all this in horror and he nervously jumped over the back of lion to lock himself in the kitchen. Lion did not pay any attention to Huebner. The lion looked around and then jumped out of the same window which Charles had kept open to shoot the beast. The lion held Charles by the neck and vanished into the bushes next to the coach. He devoured Charles near his coach. After few months, a railway worker caught the lion with a trap and the lion was shot. Charles friend, Parenti later gave a statement that lion had probably scented Charles in the afternoon when they were searching for lion in the scrub jungle. The lion stalked Charles for the afternoon and in the evening as he got the hint that Charles wants to hunt him down.
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