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  Though he still kept out of our sight, he had become bolder and bolder, but an extraordinary kind of truce seemed to have been established between us. He had come to know our routine as intimately as we had come to know his habits. He shared Elsa’s company with us and we thought that in return he could fairly expect an occasional meal as compensation.

  In view of his attitude we stilled our qualms of conscience and stayed on.

  One afternoon walking with Elsa through the bush we came upon a large boulder with a crack in it. She sniffed cautiously, pulled a grimace and did not seem anxious to go closer to it. Next we heard a hissing and, expecting a snake to appear, George held our shotgun ready; but what emerged from the crack was the broad head of a monitor lizard who soon wriggled out into the open. He was an enormous size, about five feet long and nearly a foot broad and he had blown himself up to his fullest capacity. He extended his neck, moved his long forked tongue rapidly and lashed out with his tail so violently that Elsa thought it wise to retreat.

  Sitting at a safe distance, I admired his courage; although he had no means of defence except his threatening appearance and thrashing tail, which he used like a crocodile, he chose to come out and face the danger, rather than find himself trapped in the crack.

  For a few days we saw little of Elsa but as we often heard her lion roaring and frequently saw his pugmarks we did not worry.

  George unfortunately had to leave but I stayed on and Elsa spent three days in camp with me in spite of the continual calling of her mate.

  One evening she looked towards the river, stiffened and then rushed into the bush. A tremendous barking of baboons ensued, till it was silenced by her roars. Soon she was answered by her lion – he must have been only about fifty yards away. His voice seemed to shake the earth and increased in strength. From the other side Elsa roared back. Sitting between them, I became a little anxious in case the loving pair should decide to come into my tent, for I had no meal to offer them. However, in time they appeared to have roared themselves hoarse. Their whuffings died away and no further sound came from the bush except for the buzzing of insects. Luckily on the following evening George returned with a goat for Elsa.

  11. The Birth of the Cubs

  It was now nearly mid-December and we believed that the cubs might arrive at any moment.

  Elsa was so heavy that every movement seemed to require an effort; if she had been living a normal life she would certainly have taken exercise, so I did my best to make her go for walks with me, but she kept close to the tents. We wondered what place she would choose for her delivery and even thought that since she had always considered our tent as her safest ‘den’ the cubs might be born in it.

  We therefore prepared a feeding bottle and laid in some tinned milk and some glucose, and I read all the books and pamphlets I could find on animal births and possible complications.

  Since I had no experience of midwifery I felt very nervous and also asked advice of a veterinary surgeon. In order to judge how far Elsa was advanced in her pregnancy I pressed my hand gently against her abdomen just below her ribs. I could not feel any movement and wondered whether we had been mistaken about the date at which she had been mated.

  The river was now in flood and George and I decided to walk three miles downstream to look at some cataracts which are very impressive when the water is high. Elsa watched our departure from the top of the Land Rover. She made no attempt to join us and looked sleepy. The bush we had to go through was very thick and as we walked I wished she were with us to warn us of the approach of buffalo and elephant, for droppings proved that they must be close by.

  The cataracts were a magnificent sight, the foaming water cascading through the gorges, thundering across the rocks and then flooding out into deep whirlpools.

  On our way back, as soon as I was out of earshot of the cataracts, I heard Elsa’s familiar ‘hnk-hnk’ and soon saw her trotting along the path as quickly as she could to join us. She was covered in tsetse flies, but she greeted us most affectionately before she flung herself on the ground, and tried to rid herself of the flies by rolling.

  I was very touched that she had made the effort to join us, the more so that though her lion had roared desperately for her during the whole of the previous night and had gone on doing so until nine in the morning, she had made no attempt to join him.

  This was very gratifying but it also reminded us of our fear that her lion might get tired of sharing her with us. It had taken us a very long time to find a mate for her; it would be unforgivable if our interference now caused him to leave her. We wanted her cubs to grow up as wild lions and to do this they needed their father.

  We decided to go away for three days. It was of course a risk, for the cubs might be born during this time and Elsa might need us, but we thought the danger that her lion might desert her the greater of the two evils – so we left.

  We returned on 16 December and found a very hungry Elsa waiting for us. For two days she remained in camp; possibly frequent thunderstorms made her reluctant to leave its shelter. She did, however, to our surprise, take a few short walks, always to the Big Rock, but returned quickly. She ate unbelievably and we felt that she was stocking up a reserve for the days that lay ahead.

  On the night of 18 December she crept in the dark through the thorn fence which surrounded my tent and spent the night close to my bed. This was something which she had very rarely done, and I took it as a sign that she felt that her time was near.

  The next day when George and I went for a walk Elsa followed us, but she had to sit down at intervals panting and was plainly in great discomfort. When we saw this we turned back and walked very slowly. Suddenly to our astonishment she turned off into the bush in the direction of the Big Rock.

  She did not return during that night, but in the morning we heard her calling in a very weak voice. We thought this meant that she had had her cubs and went out to trace her spoor. These led us close to the rock but the grass was so high that we lost track of her. The rock range is about a mile long and though we searched for a long time we could not discover where she was.

  We set out again in the afternoon and eventually we spotted her through our field glasses. She was standing on the Big Rock and from her silhouette we saw that she was still pregnant.

  We climbed up and found her lying close to a large boulder which stood at the top of a wide cleft in the rock; near to it there was some grass and a small tree provided shade. This place had always been one of Elsa’s favourite ‘lookouts’ and we felt that it would make an ideal nursery, since inside the cleft was a rainproof and well-protected cave.

  We left her to take the initiative and presently she came slowly towards us, walking very carefully and obviously in pain. She greeted us very affectionately, but I noticed that blood was trickling from her vagina, a sure sign that her labour had started.

  In spite of this she went over to Makedde and the Toto, who had remained behind, and rubbed her head against their legs before she sat down.

  When I came near her she got up and moved to the edge of the rock, and remained there with her head turned away from us. It seemed to me that she chose this precipitous position to make sure that no one could follow her. At intervals she came back and rubbed her head very gently against mine and then walked determinedly back to the boulder making it plain that she wished to be left alone.

  We went a short distance away and for half an hour watched her through our field glasses. She rolled from side to side, licked her vagina and moaned repeatedly. Suddenly she rose, went very carefully down the steep rock face and disappeared into the thick bush at its base.

  Since there was nothing we could do to help her, we went back to camp. After dark we heard her lion calling; there was no reply.

  I lay awake most of the night thinking about her and when, towards morning, it started to rain my anxiety increased and I could hardly bear to wait till it was light to go out and try to discover what had happened.

  Very ea
rly, George and I set out; first we followed the spoor of Elsa’s lion. He had been close to the camp, had dragged off the very smelly carcase of the goat which Elsa had not touched for three days, and had eaten it in the bush. Then he had walked to the rock near to the place where we had seen Elsa disappear.

  We wondered what we should do next. We did not want our curiosity to bring any risk to the cubs and we were aware that captive lionesses who have been disturbed soon after giving birth to cubs have been known to kill their young. We also thought that her lion might be very near, so we decided to stop our search; instead George went off and shot a large waterbuck to provide Elsa and her mate with plenty of food.

  I, in the meantime, climbed the Big Rock and waited for an hour, listening for any sound which might give us a clue to Elsa’s whereabouts. I strained my ears but all was still; finally I could bear the suspense no longer and called. There was no answer. Was Elsa dead?

  Hoping that the lion’s spoor might lead us to her we took up his tracks where we had left them and traced them till they reached a dry watercourse near the rock. There we left his meal thinking that if he came for it this might help us to find Elsa.

  During the night we heard him roaring in the distance and were therefore surprised next morning to find his pugmarks close to the camp. He had not taken the meat we had put out close to the camp but had gone to the kill we had left for him near the rock. This he had dragged for at least half a mile through most difficult terrain, across ravines, rocky outcrops and dense bush. We had no wish to disturb him at his meal, so we set about looking for Elsa, but found no trace of her. After returning to the camp for breakfast we went out again and suddenly, through our field glasses, saw a great flock of vultures perched on the trees which grew around the spot where we thought that the lion had made his meal.

  Assuming that he had finished by now, we approached the place and as we came near to it found every bush and tree loaded with birds of prey. Each was staring at the dry watercourse and there was the carcase lying out in the hot sun. Since the meat was in the open and yet the vultures did not leave their perches we concluded that the lion was guarding his kill. As far as we could see he had not touched it, so we thought that Elsa too might be close by and that her gallant mate had dragged the 400-pound burden this long distance for her benefit. We felt it would be unwise to continue our search and went back to camp for lunch after which we set out again.

  When we saw that the vultures were still on the trees, we circled the place down wind and approached it very cautiously from the high ground.

  George, Makedde and I had just passed a very thick bush which overhung a deep crack in the ground when I suddenly had a strange uncomfortable feeling. I stopped and looking back, saw the Toto, who was close behind me, staring intently at the bush. Next there was a terrifying growl and the sound of snapping branches; a second later all was quiet again – the lion had gone. We had passed within six feet of him. I think that my sense of uneasiness must have been due to the fact that he had been watching our movements with great intensity. When the Toto stooped to see what was in the bush he couldn’t stand it and went off. They had actually looked straight into each other’s eyes and the Toto had seen his big body disappearing into the deep crack. Feeling we had been very lucky, we went home and left three lots of meat in different places before night fell.

  As soon as it was light we went to inspect the deposits; all of them had been taken by hyenas.

  By the river we found the spoor of Elsa’s mate, but there was no sign of her pugmarks. All the little rain pools had dried up long ago and the river was the only place where she could quench her thirst; the absence of any trace of her was very worrying. Eventually we found, close to the spot where three days before we had last seen her, a few pugmarks which could have been hers, though this was not certain. Full of hope, we made a thorough search along the base of the Big Rock, but in vain.

  Since the vultures had now gone we were left with no clue to her whereabouts.

  Again we put out meat close to the rock and near to the camp. In the morning we found that Elsa’s lion had dragged some of it to the studio and eaten it there, while the rest had been disposed of by hyenas.

  It was now four days since we had seen Elsa and six since she had eaten anything, unless she had shared the waterbuck with her mate.

  We believed that she had given birth to the cubs on the night of 20 December and we did not think that it could be a coincidence that her lion, who had not been about for days, had reappeared on that night and remained close to the rock ever since; which was most unusual.

  On Christmas Eve George went to get a goat while I continued the fruitless search and called to Elsa without getting any answer.

  It was with a heavy heart that I prepared our little Christmas tree. In the past I had always improvised one; sometimes I took a small candelabra euphorbia, from whose symmetrical branches I hung tinsel chains and into whose fleshy fibre I stuck candles; sometimes I used an aloe with its wide-spreading sprays of flowers, sometimes a seedling of the thorny balanitis tree, which is very ornamental and has splendid spikes on which to hang decorations. When I could find nothing else I filled a dish with sand, stuck candles into it and decorated it with whatever plants I could pick in our semi-desert surroundings.

  But tonight I had a real little tree complete with glittering tinsel branches, sparkling decorations and candles. I placed it on a table outside the tents which I had covered with flowers and greenery. Then I collected the presents which I had brought for George, Makedde, Nuru, Ibrahim, the Toto and the cook and the sealed envelopes containing money for the boys on which I had painted a Christmas tree branch. There were also packets of cigarettes and dates and tins of milk for them.

  I changed quickly into a frock and by then it was dark enough to light the candles. I called the men, who came dressed up for the occasion, grinning but a little shy, for never before had they seen a Christmas tree of this kind.

  I must admit to having been myself deeply moved when I saw the little silver tree sparkling in the vast darkness of the surrounding bush, bringing the message of the birth of Christ.

  On Christmas Eve I always feel like a small child. To break the tension, I told the men about the European custom of celebrating Christmas Eve with a tree. After I had given them their presents, we all gave three cheers for ‘Elsa – Elsa, Elsa’. The sound seemed to hang on the air and I felt a lump rise in my throat – was she alive? Quickly I told the cook to bring in the plum pudding which we had brought from Isiolo and then to pour brandy over it and light it. But no bluish flame arose, for our Christmas pudding was a soggy mass which had a distinct smell of Worcester sauce. Certainly the cook had never before been in charge of such a ritual; he had paid no attention to my instructions and had remained fixed in his belief that George so loved his Lea and Perrins, that it must be appropriate to souse even the plum pudding with it.

  We were not, however, the only ones to be disappointed in our Christmas dinner. We had hung a goat carcase out of the reach of predators, which we would lower if Elsa appeared. After we had gone to bed we heard her lion grunting and growling by the tree and performing all sorts of acrobatics. He went on for a long time and then retired exhausted.

  Early on Christmas morning we went in search of Elsa. We followed the lion’s spoor across the river, and again screened the bush all round the spot to which he had dragged the waterbuck. After hours of fruitless tracking we came back for breakfast. During the morning George shot at an aggressive cobra which we found close to the camp.

  Later we set out once more for the rocky range; something seemed to tell us that if Elsa were still alive that was where she was. We wriggled through dense bush and I crept hopefully into every crevice trying to prevent myself from expecting to find Elsa dead but hidden from the vultures by the impenetrable thorn thickets.

  When we were all tired out we sat down to rest in the shade of an overhanging rock and discussed every possible fate which might ha
ve overtaken Elsa. We were very depressed and even Nuru and Makedde spoke in subdued voices.

  We tried to cheer ourselves up by quoting cases of bitches who would not leave their litter for the first five or six days because they had to keep them warm, feed them and massage their bellies to help their digestive functions to start working. Indeed, we had expected Elsa to have a rather similar reaction, but this did not account for the absence of any trace of her. Also, bitches do occasionally go and visit their masters even during this first period after their delivery and as Elsa had shown more attachment to us than to her mate up to the time at which her labour began, it seemed improbable and ominous that the fact of giving birth to cubs should have caused her to go completely wild.

  At midday we returned to camp and began a very gloomy and silent Christmas meal.

  Suddenly there was swift movement and before I could take in what was happening Elsa was between us sweeping everything off the table, knocking us to the ground, sitting on us and overwhelming us with joy and affection.

  While this was going on the boys appeared and Elsa gave them too a full share of her greetings.

  Her figure was normal again, she looked superbly fit but her teats were very small and apparently dry; round each was a dark-red circle some two inches wide. Cautiously I squeezed a teat; it produced no milk. We gave her some meat which she immediately ate. Meanwhile, we discussed many questions. Why had she come to visit us during the hottest part of the day, a time when normally she would never move? Could it be that she had chosen it deliberately because it was the safest time to leave the cubs since few predators would be on the prowl in such heat; or, had she heard the shot which George had fired at the cobra and had she taken it as a signal to her? Why were her teats small and dry? Had she just suckled the cubs? But this would not seem to explain why her milk glands which had been so big during her pregnancy had now shrunk to their normal size. Had the cubs died? And whatever had happened, why had she waited for five days before coming to us for food?