262 AFRICA SPEAKS 



times before, it will still cause cold chills to run up 

 and down your spine. When this gruesome beast 

 slinks up to the carcass you again use your spothght 

 and he stops to gaze toward the boma with big red 

 eyes. These carrion eaters now approach from all 

 directions; you hear their laughs and cries far and 

 wide and soon fifteen or more are grunting, jabbering, 

 and growHng within a few feet of where you sit, tensely 

 listening as they tear at the flesh and crunch the bones 

 with their powerful jaws. When they have started 

 to feed you again flash the lamp on them; they stop 

 for a second to glare in your direction, and then, entirely 

 disregarding the hght, continue their meal. While 

 watching them you notice how each one tries to eat 

 faster than the others. You also catch sight of a 

 jackal dashing in now and then to pick up pieces of 

 meat and run out again. Suddenly they aU stop, every 

 head becoming erect, then you hear away off in the 

 distance the roar of a lion, which trails off into a 

 whisper, then dies away. A few seconds later the 

 hyenas are busily feeding and it seems they are eating 

 faster than before, if such a thing is possible. After 

 a short silence, you again hear the Hon roar, this time 

 much closer; he has scented the kiU and is on his 

 way I The mere thought that the king of beasts is 

 stalking toward you makes you tingle with excite- 

 ment. You reach over to be sure that your heavy 

 rifle is where you put it, and picking it up open the 

 breach carefuUy to see if it is loaded. As you place 

 more shells where they wiU be handy, you notice that 

 your gun bearer is intently Hstening, and now he leans 

 over to whisper in Swahifi, "The Hon is coming 

 fast " 



