32 ANIMAL LIFE IN AFRICA 



lioness, and badly wounded the other, which crawled 

 away. The lion at first rushed off, but presently returned 

 and commenced to run round the body of his dead mate 

 with every sign of agitation, uttering a low, moaning 

 noise. Whenever his path led him close to her, he 

 shied off exactly like a horse, stood looking intently 

 for a moment or two, and then continued his movements. 

 On being fired at he decamped for good. 



I once sat up at a place where, in the morning, a troop 

 of lions had been disturbed, and two of them, including 

 a lioness, killed. It was hoped that her mate might 

 perhaps come back during the night to seek her, as he 

 would very likely have done had she been his only com- 

 panion ; there being, however, two other lionesses in the 

 party, he perhaps did not feel sufficiently lonely, and so 

 the vigil was a vain one. During the hunt the lions had 

 been scattered in different directions, and about 10 P.M. 

 began to call to each other. One lioness first began roar- 

 ing about a mile to the east, followed quickly by another 

 a similar distance to the south. After a time the male, 

 apparently lying in a sand spruit some 500 yards from 

 where I was stationed, began to answer, but, while the 

 two lionesses roared almost continuously through the 

 night, he contented himself with uttering single deep 

 grunts at irregular intervals, his tones being easily 

 distinguishable in their deeper and rougher note from 

 those of his mates. Towards morning the whole party 

 joined forces, and about dawn went away up the sand- 

 spruit, roaring loudly in chorus. 



The distance at which lions may be heard, varies, of 

 course, according to the direction of the wind, the state 

 of the atmosphere, the nature of the country, and the 

 position in which the animal happens to be standing 

 relative to the listener. At dawn on a still morning, 



