156 AFRICA SPEAKS 



ing him; so why couldn't we be friends? While I was 

 talking he stood there gazing at me in surprise. He 

 couldn't quite make out what kind of an animal I was I 

 I guess he must have figured it to be a trap of some 

 sort, because after giving vent to a few low growls, he 

 turned slowly around, trotted a short distance away, 

 glanced over his shoulder, and then stopped to face me 

 as if still uncertain what to do about it. Knowing I had 

 the advantage of him, I now waved my hat some more, 

 then bade him good-by as he disappeared into the grass. 

 Sometimes we would remain in these blinds for many 

 hours and nothing would happen, while on other occa- 

 sions there was something doing every minute. Once 

 while in a boma near a water hole, I was entertained 

 by the actions of a lioness who was stalking several 

 vultures that had gathered around the remains of a 

 zebra. This was her kill and she didn't intend to have 

 these raiders from the sky take away the meat. As 

 the birds were fighting among themselves she silently 

 but swiftly shortened the distance between them and 

 herself, using a small bush as a shield. When she had 

 reached the shelter of this bush she lay down for 

 a while, watching them and probably calculating the 

 distance; then she doubled up, her ears went back, her 

 tail slowly swung to and fro and after a hghtning 

 spring she went bouncing over the rocks in tremendous 

 leaps, catching the panic-stricken vultures before they 

 could lift themselves into the air. She struck one 

 with her paw, sending it squaking and sprawhng along 

 the ground, then jumping into the air, reached out one 

 mighty arm and pulled another vulture back to earth 

 with her. This she quickly bit twice through the body, 

 then dropped it to make a spring for another, but 



