CH. Ill] RETURN TO CAMP 79 



was dead when we walked up. A cub had been seen 

 and another full-grown lion, but they had slunk off, and 

 we got neither. 



This was a full-grown, but young, lioness of average 

 size ; her cubs must have been several months old. We 

 took her entire to camp to weigh : she weighed two 

 hundred and eighty-three poimds. The first lion, which 

 we had difficulty in finding, as there were no identifying 

 marks in the plain ot tall grass, was a good-sized male, 

 weighing about four hundred poimds, but not yet full- 

 grown, although he was probably the father of the cubs. 



We were a long way from camp, and, after beating 

 in vain for the other lion, we started back ; it was after 

 nightfall before we saw the camp fires. It was two 

 hours later before the porters appeared, bearing on poles 

 the skin of the dead lion and the lioness entire. The 

 moon was nearly full, and it was interesting to see 

 them come swinging down the trail in the bright silver 

 light, chanting in deep tones over and over again a 

 line or phrase that sounded like : 



" Zou-zou-boulc ma ja guntai ; zou-zou-boale ma ja guntai."' 



Occasionally they would interrupt it by the repetition 

 in unison, at short intervals, of a guttural ejaculation, 

 sounding like " huzlem." They marched into camp, 

 then up and down the lines, before the rows of small 

 fires ; then, accompanied by all the rest of the porters, 

 they paraded up to the big fire where I was standing. 

 Here they stopped and ended the ceremony by a minute 

 or two's vigorous dancing, amid singing and wild shout- 

 ing. The firelight gleamed and flickered across the 

 grim dead beasts and the shining eyes and black 

 features of the excited savages, while all around the 

 moon flooded the landscape with her white light. 



