inct.
Trees and bushes fused into vague black masses and the carcass of the
bait could be located only because it seemed a shade more opaque than
the opaque gloom around it. The more you looked at it the more elusive
and shifting it seemed. The sights of the rifle were invisible, and the
only way one could find the sight was by aiming at a star and then
carefully lowering the direction of the weapon until it approximately
pointed at the carcass.

Of course, we were very still; even the stars were not more silent than
we. And little by little the noises of an African night were heard,
growing in volume until from all sides came the cries of night birds and
the songs of insects and tree-toads. It was the apotheosis of
loneliness. And thus we sat, with eyes straining to pierce the gloom
that hedged us in. We could see no sign of life, yet all about us in
those dark shadows there were thousands of creatures moving about on
their nightly hunt.

Suddenly there came the soft crescendo of a hyena's howl some place off
in the night. It was answered by another, miles away; then another, far
off in a still different direction. The scent of the bait was spreading
to the far horizon and the keen-scented carrion-eaters had caught it and
were hurrying to the feast.

Then, after moments of waiting, the howls came from so near that they
startled us. There seemed to be dozens of hyenas--a regular class
reunion of them--yet not one could be seen in the "murky gloom." And
then, a moment later, we heard the crunching of teeth and the slither of
rending flesh, and we knew that a supper party of hyenas was gathered
about the festal board below us. I was afraid that they would eat up the
carcass and thus keep away the lions, so I fired a shot to scare them
away. There was a quick rush of feet--then that dense, expectant silence
once more. Soon some little jackals came and were shooed away. Then more
hyenas came, were given their conge, and hurried off to the tall grass.
And yet no lion. It was quite disappointing.

At midnight, far off to the north, came the grunting voice of a lion. I
waited eagerly for the next sound which would indicate whether the lure
of the bait was beckoning him on. And soon the sound came, this time
much nearer, and after a long silence there was a sharp, snarling grunt
of a lion, followed by the panic-stricken rush of a hundred heavy hoofs.
The conjunction of sounds told the story as definitely as if the whole
sc