AUTHOR'S PREFACE 



ALL the illustrations in this book are reproductions 

 J~\_ of photographs taken by myself. 



When Dr. Ludwig Heck characterized my animal 

 pictures as "nature-documents," he named them very 

 appropriately. They are reproduced from the original 

 plates ^exactly as the scenes fixed themselves on these plates; 

 no attempt has been made at retouching or "improving" 

 them. The only exception is the picture in chapter 

 XX., representing two lions attacking a bull, which has 

 been retouched somewhat in the upper left-hand corner 

 by Captain Kiesling, in Berlin. The plate had been 

 damaged in the camp and in this condition had been 

 forwarded to the captain. Six months afterwards a 

 telegram was forwarded to me in the wilderness, bearing 

 the laconic, glad news, "Saved." 



The original photographs were either taken in the 

 ordinary way or at long distances — telephotographs — ■ 

 or, at night, by means of artificial light, the flash- 

 light. 



I often succeeded so well in taking pictures by flash- 

 light that the animals had impressed themselves, as it 



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