THE LIONS OF EIMBAS 131 



hunt for food and water at night. After following 

 their tracks far up the Cavaco, and questioning 

 every native met, I came to the conclusion that 

 one could never find them by tracking alone, for 

 they appeared to make a long nightly round, up 

 the Cavaco valley, then across to the railway line, 

 down this line, and back again to Bimbas. During 

 the daytime the lions could lie up anywhere in 

 this 20 miles circuit, in a country unknown to me, 

 and where no local native would now venture. 

 To get a shot at them by night meant sitting up 

 in some kind of platform, and over some animal 

 for bait. There was a suitable tree near the bed 

 of the river, where lion tracks were plentiful, but 

 no inducement could obtain any bait. I talked 

 persuasively to the villagers, promising a good 

 reward, pointed out how dangerous these lions 

 might become if let alone all to no purpose, for 

 neither cow nor goat was to be had. 



It were better to have stayed on and tried 

 persuasion for another day or so, or have brought 

 back bait from Benguella, than have left the valley 

 and the lions ; but twenty carriers were supposed 

 to be awaiting me at Catengue, brought all the 

 way there from Quillenges in the south, by a 

 special order of the Governor, and carriers were 

 so scarce that to miss them was to miss my journey 

 to South Angola. 



If the lions were not for me I knew they should 

 be shot, and writing to Machado, advised him 

 to get a suitable rifle and watch for them in thr 

 river-bed, with an ox a c ; bait. 



Machado procured a bis; game rifle, and was 



