66 IN THE GRIP OF THE NYIKA CHAP. 



eaten body of a hartebeeste. When I heard this I 

 called a council, and it was decided that the safari 

 should go on to camp under one guide, while we 

 with the other guide and our gun-bearers should 

 go back and carefully stalk the carcase in case 

 the lion had returned in the meantime to finish 

 his meal. 



I called up the two Wakamba guides and ex- 

 plained this plan to them, and told them to arrange 

 between themselves the exact spot where camp 

 was to be pitched, so that later on in the evening, 

 after our hunting was over, we should have no 

 difficulty in finding the right place. 



We then rode back for some distance, and on 

 approaching the spot where the lion had first been 

 seen we all dismounted and very cautiously stalked 

 the dead hartebeeste, hoping to find the lion back 

 on his kill. In this we were disappointed, however, 

 for unfortunately we drew a blank. We found the 

 half-eaten carcase, but no lion. 



I knew it was a perfect certainty that he would 

 return during the night for another feed, and I was 

 more than half inclined to make arrangements to sit 

 up over the kill that night, more especially as I 

 knew it would be almost full moon; but as I found 

 that one of my companions was not over-keen on 

 this method of passing the time I gave up the notion, 

 and we all decided to start for camp. 



