HUNTING IN AFRICA 135 



breaking camp in much excitement. Two lions had jumped 

 the high thorn boma, landed in the middle of the packed 

 herd, and, of course, stampeded the lot. The maddened 

 beasts burst their way through the double fence of wattle 

 houses and thorn barriers, and were at the mercy of the 

 lions. Two of them were quickly pulled down, one of these 

 was carried into the long grass, some two hundred yards 

 away, and there was devoured at leisure. From the other, 

 the Massai with spears and fire drove the lion off. This 

 all happened in the early morning, and when we came up, 

 the Massai had bled the bullock, and carefully, as they 

 do, preserved the blood for drinking. 



Now we were out of meat, and so tried to buy that 

 bullock's fat hunk.. No, they would not sell. But our 

 three moran (warriors) brought along with them an appe- 

 tizing shoulder and brisket. They had their potio, as 

 was their due, that night, but though they ate that, they 

 kept their beef and offered us nothing. Next day I had 

 a most interesting talk with one of them, and learned 

 from my "warrior" more about their customs and 

 views on things in general, than I had been able to pick 

 up in eight months' previous travel. When dinner time 

 came the fat brisket was set to roast on a stick leaning 

 over the coals. I noticed a brief consultation going on 

 among the three, and then one of them said, "We have 

 eaten your potio, this is good meat, take half." That 

 evening was an interesting one. We sat and chatted and 

 explained things all round, tried to make them say "Oryx," 

 (natives find the x sound almost impossible), while they, 

 in turn, defeated us with their gutturals. Before we 

 turned in, they made an evidently sincere request that 

 when buffalo had come back and the rains were over, we 

 would give them another chance of guiding us to where 

 we should find a big head. Very intelligent, with a certain 

 dash of independence, that other natives lack, I always 



