170 AFRICA SPEAKS 



After much digging through mud and pushing up 

 steep banks, we reached camp. The two men I had 

 left there were mighty glad to see us again and told 

 about some weird experiences with hyenas and a leopard 

 which had tried to steal the baby foxes. Shortly after 

 our arrival, I sent the chief and three of the spearmen 

 to a donga where they were shown eight Hons within an 

 hour's time. Upon their return they told me in Swahih, 

 *'It is very good, bwana, there are many hons." 



While enjoying one of the best meals which the pishi 

 had ever cooked, the talk turned into a discussion of 

 the big cats and Donald Kerr said he heard hons 

 prowhng outside. We thought he was a httle bit 

 nervous — this being his first night at the now famous 

 Camp Simba. There had been so many stories con- 

 cerning our camp circulated that we felt a newcomer 

 would expect to see hons stroUing among the tents, so 

 we quite naturally bantered Donald. He was not con- 

 vinced, however, and when the meal was finished, 

 walked out and switched on a spot hght to have a look 

 around. As the beam of hght swept across the road 

 we had made toward the donga, it disclosed seven 

 hons standing within thirty yards of the dining shack I 

 Donald became excited, but the rest of us assumed a 

 nonchalant attitude and after watching them awhile, 

 Mike turned to me, saying in an offhand manner, *'I 

 wonder where the rest of them are.^^" 



It rained for several days without end; the Nandi 

 wanted to return home; some of my white crew lost 

 aU interest in the plans ; I meditated upon the situation, 

 then began to realize, as I had two years before, that 

 whoever aspires to conquer Africa must overcome her 

 omnipresent inertia, the procrastinating spirit of both 



