250 TWO DIANAS IN SOMALILAND 
and exposed the sand, lay the remains of a lesser 
koodoo. It had been partially eaten, but not by vul- 
tures, a lion evidently, because it had begun on the 
hind quarters and eaten about half the animal. The 
antelope’s head was thrown back, and the fore legk 
were tucked beneath him. The lion had sprung 
from the grass straight on to his prey. The horns 
swept the hunched shoulders, and I think it must 
have been my friend of the morning. 
Judging by the way in which the birds were acting, 
coming near, and then retiring, and taking into con- 
sideration the fact that they had not ventured to the 
kill, it was likely that the lion was now lying close to 
the meat, watching it, until the internal arrangements 
permitted of eating some more. This is a very usual 
thing with the big cats. Was it nice to be in this durr 
grass with a lion, even a fed-up one ? 
We decided to hurry back to camp and try and get 
out some of the men before the light gave in, to build 
us a “ machan ” over the dead antelope, in which 
we should keep watch and ward all night in the hope 
of bagging the lion as he returned to his kill. Our first 
idea was that one of us — to be decided by tossing up — 
should remain in the jungly place to see that time 
was not taken by the forelock by his majesty. But, 
debating the point, we thought it was going to be a 
trifle lonely for the one left behind, with night, and 
possibly a lion, coming on. 
We made our way out as quickly as possible, and 
careering back to camp as though all the fiends were 
after us, brought Clarence and four of the hunters 
