I Plied Him
With Questions - Were They Both Lions Or Lionesses?
Had They Manes?
How far away were they?
And
so on. Naturally, to the last question he was
bound to answer "M'bali kidogo." Of course
they were not far away; nothing ever is to a native
of East Africa. However, the upshot was that
in a very few minutes I had a mule saddled, and
with the old Masai as guide, started off
accompanied by my faithful Mahina and another
coolie to help to bring home the skin if I
should prove successful. I also left word for my
friend Spooner, the District Engineer, who
happened to be absent from camp just at the
moment, that I had gone after two lions, but
hoped to be back by nightfall.
We travelled at a good pace, and within an
hour had covered fully six miles; still there was
no sign of lions. On the way we were joined
by some Wa Kamba, even more scantily attired
than our guide, and soon a dispute arose between
these hangers-on and the old Masai, who refused
to allow them to accompany us, as he was afraid
that they would seize all the zebra-meat that the
lions had not already eaten. However, I told him
not to bother, but to hurry up and show me the
lions, and that I would look after him all right.
Eventually, on getting to the low crest of one of
the long swells in the ground, our guide extended
a long skinny finger and said proudly, "Tazama,
Bwana" ("See, Master"). I looked in the
direction in which he pointed, and sure enough,
about six hundred yards off were a lion and a
lioness busily engaged on the carcase of a zebra.
On using my field-glasses, I was amused to
observe a jackal in attendance on the pair.
Every now and then he would come too close to
the zebra, when the lion would make a short
rush at him and scare him away.
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