"Caw, Caw," Has Been Heard Several Times From The
Neighbouring Bushes; The Buzzards Have Swept Down Close To My
People, And Have Snatched A Morsel Of Clotted Blood From The
Ground.
The specks have increased to winged creatures, at the
great height resembling flies, when presently a rushing sound
behind
Me, like a whirlwind, has been followed by the pounce of
a red-faced vulture, that has fallen from the heavens in haste
with closed wings to the bloody feast, followed quickly by many
of his brethren. The sky has become alive with black specks in
the far-distant blue, with wings hurrying from all quarters. At
length a coronet of steady, soaring vultures, forms a wide circle
far above, as they hesitate to descend, but continue to revolve
around the object of attraction. The great bare-necked vulture
suddenly appears. The animal has been skinned, and the required
flesh secured by the men; we withdraw a hundred paces from the
scene. A general rush and descent takes place; hundreds of hungry
beaks are tearing at the offal. The great bare-necked vulture
claims respect among the crowd; but another form has appeared in
the blue sky, and rapidly descends. A pair of long, ungainly
legs, hanging down beneath the enormous wings, now touch the
ground, and Abou Seen (father of the teeth or beak, the Arab name
for the Marabou) has arrived, and he stalks proudly towards the
crowds, pecking his way with his long bill through the struggling
vultures, and swallowing the lion's share of the repast.
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