rds et them. They done it; so we
done it, too, and they was most amazing good.

By this time monstrous big birds begun to come and settle on the dead
animals. They was plucky creturs; they would tackle one end of a lion
that was being gnawed at the other end by another lion. If the lion
drove the bird away, it didn't do no good; he was back again the minute
the lion was busy.

The big birds come out of every part of the sky--you could make them out
with the glass while they was still so far away you couldn't see them
with your naked eye. Tom said the birds didn't find out the meat was
there by the smell; they had to find it out by seeing it. Oh, but ain't
that an eye for you! Tom said at the distance of five mile a patch of
dead lions couldn't look any bigger than a person's finger-nail, and he
couldn't imagine how the birds could notice such a little thing so far
off.

It was strange and unnatural to see lion eat lion, and we thought maybe
they warn't kin. But Jim said that didn't make no difference. He said a
hog was fond of her own children, and so was a spider, and he reckoned
maybe a lion was pretty near as unprincipled though maybe not quite. He
thought likely a lion wouldn't eat his own father, if he knowed which
was him, but reckoned he would eat his brother-in-law if he was uncommon
hungry, and eat his mother-in-law any time. But RECKONING don't settle
nothing. You can reckon till the cows come home, but that don't fetch
you to no decision. So we give it up and let it drop.

Generly it was very still in the Desert nights, but this time there was
music. A lot of other animals come to dinner; sneaking yelpers that Tom
allowed was jackals, and roached-backed ones that he said was hyenas;
and all the whole biling of them kept up a racket all the time. They
made a picture in the moonlight that was more different than any picture
I ever see. We had a line out and made fast to the top of a tree, and
didn't stand no watch, but all turned in and slept; but I was up two or
three times to look down at the animals and hear the music. It was like
having a front seat at a menagerie for nothing, which I hadn't ever had
before, and so it seemed foolish to sleep and not make the most of it; I
mightn't ever have such a chance again.

We went a-fishing again in the early dawn, and then lazied around all
day in the deep shade on an island, taking turn about to watch and see
that none of the animals come a-snooping around ther