100 AFRICA SPEAKS 



The only possible explanation I can offer for this 

 remarkable behavior on the hon's part is that, in the 

 semidarkness of the starlit veldt, my neighbor's py- 

 jamas had deceived the prowling beast into believing 

 zebra meat was to be had for the taking and that, 

 when he discovered his error, he became suspicious of a 

 possible trap and so retreated into the donga as quickly 

 as his pride would allow. I am not dogmatic on the 

 point — it is anybody's guess. After all, " the only cer- 

 tainty about a Hon is his uncertainty." Next day the 

 Norwegian party moved alongside our tents, explaining 

 that there was too much night traffic at their first camp. 



Most of the photographic work was accomplished 

 at what we called "our lion donga," and it was in this 

 vicinity that the greater part of our experiences with 

 the tawny cats took place. On one occasion we drove 

 to the old manyatta and dropping four of our boys to 

 lighten the load, circled the donga to give the lions a 

 smell of the meat. Hardly had we done so when four 

 pairs of eyes peeped over the bushes and then slowly 

 one honess walked into the open. She looked at us, 

 less than fifty yards away, then turned and stood on 

 tiptoe to catch a sight of the kill. Now another Uoness 

 with catlike tread followed her; then, after giving us 

 a quick glance, walked to the bait, which was exactly 

 fifty feet from where I stood in the rear of the truck. 

 She smelled at the dead zebra, sniffed the air, gazed 

 at us through sht eyes, then strode away about ten 

 feet and lay down. 



Meanwhile the tliird Honess had lost her last bit of 

 fear and came to the kill at a fast walk, where with 

 one mighty paw she turned the six hundred pound 

 zebra over and started to tear at the belly. 



