SPEAR AND SHIELD 183 



never have a chance to try again. He must calculate 

 the distance, permitting the beast to get close enough 

 to assure liis aim, but not'too close, for then the heavy 

 end of the spear toward liim would not have sufficient 

 time to drop to the ground, allowing the Hon, by his 

 own impetus, to push it tlirough liimself. Unless the 

 animal's attention was distracted by a deeply embedded 

 spear immediately after he had knocked the man down, 

 it would mean almost certain death for the warrior, for 

 with his strength unimpaired and no spear to cause 

 him pain, the lion would still be intent upon his desire 

 to kill this creature who had dared to challenge him. 



But this Nandi threw his spear with a precision and 

 force that was truly remarkable, and when the Hon 

 knocked him to earth, we could see from our position 

 that the spear had passed right tlirough the animal. 

 It turned immediately to fight the weapon, thus allow- 

 ing the youth to spring to his feet, puUing his sword 

 as he did so. In a few seconds the other two warriors 

 had hurled their spears and when the other Nandi came 

 up they commenced a wild dance around the fallen foe, 

 working themselves into such a pitch that when I ar- 

 rived to make some pictures, I half expected one of 

 them to put a spear through me. The cliief found it 

 necessary to take the swords away from two or three 

 who were swinging them around in a dangerous manner. 



We had filmed this whole spectacle from the time the 

 hon started his charge, while he struck the first warrior 

 and sent liim spinning, reached over and bit his shield, 

 and then fell before the tribesmen. Thus had my 

 Nandi tAvdce within three days demonstrated their cour- 

 age in hand-to-hand combat with the king of beasts, 

 conquering him both times with only sHght injury 



