84, IN AFRICA 



weeks northeast of Nairobi in what is called the 

 Tana River country. While there are some lions 

 in that section, as there are in most parts of British 

 East Africa, it is not considered a good lion coun- 

 try. Buffaloes, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, and many 

 varieties of smaller game are abundant, largely be- 

 cause the Tana River is in a bad fever belt and hunt- 

 ing parties generally prefer to go elsewhere. This 

 preliminary trip was intended to perfect our shoot - 



Peering for Lions 



ing, so that later, when in real lion country, we 

 might be better equipped to take on the king of 

 beasts with some promise of hitting him. 



The tree-tops and corrugated iron roofs of 

 Nairobi had hardly dropped behind a long, sun- 

 soaked hump of the Athi Plains when I began to 

 peel my eyes inquiringly for lions. All the lion 

 stories that I had heard for the preceding few 

 months paraded back and forth in my memory, and 

 if ever a horizon was thoroughly scanned for lion, 

 that horizon just out of Nairobi was the one. 



