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00:30The actual starting place of the expedition in Africa is the little village of Arkeza.
00:43It is in equatorial heat on the mud flats of the Niger River, and we are already over
00:4810,000 miles away from home.
00:52Adventurous missionaries, ivory traders, and elephant hunters have used this town as a
00:57jumping-off place many times before us, and signs of civilization are apparent.
01:04Life is not a game of bridge and an afternoon of tea for the ladies of Africa.
01:09They are too busy pounding rice for the next meal, yet there are light spots in this dark
01:16land.
01:17Here is a beauty parlor.
01:19She doesn't put in permanent waves.
01:22She's paid for trying to take them out.
01:25Anyway, she's trying to take out something.
01:31And here is the original tailor of two suits for the price of one pair.
01:36While he weaves a pair of trousers on his ancient foot-power loom, his customer in the
01:42background waits in his other suit.
01:47This little group of elephant tusks is worth over $10,000, and each pair represents the
01:53death of a four-ton animal.
01:56Here we charter an old-time wood-burning stern wheeler, which will carry the expedition approximately
02:02500 miles up the Niger River.
02:05From that point, we will travel by truck, and the foot safari will carry the supplies.
02:11Hundreds of gallons of gasoline and oil for the truck must be transported and deposited
02:16at convenient points along our proposed route.
02:20In this manner, or on the backs of our native quarters.
02:26We engage most of the town's population at 25 cents a day to chop wood for the boat and
02:32gather drift logs from along the riverbanks in their primitive canoes, which are hollowed
02:37out of a single tree.
02:45The foot safari of 200 natives are chosen from various tribes, and the immense amount
02:50of necessary supplies are divided into small loads, which they can carry on their backs
02:56far in advance of the truck and town equipment.
02:59The fact that each tribe speaks a different language lessens the possibility of them all
03:03striking or quitting the expedition at one time.
03:08How would you like to carry 60 pounds on your head 20 miles a day in torturous heat?
03:14Finally the entire expedition is loaded onto the steamship which will carry us up the Niger
03:19and into the heart of the dark continent.
03:23Then we will begin our great trek across equatorial Africa, where man is the prey of animals,
03:29and animals the prey of man, Africa the unknown.
03:33The crossing of the Shari River presented a problem until we found a trader with a small
03:38portable motor attached to a rowboat.
03:42Our own men fashioned a flimsy raft of free dugout canoes, which didn't look very safe
03:48but was better than nothing at all.
03:50So we put the truck on and took the chance of walking back if anything happened in midstream.
03:59However, many trips landed everything safely, and on the other side we met some lonesome
04:04Frenchmen who treated us to wine and a very fine dinner.
04:10They were surprised to find that we had come all the way from the west coast by motor.
04:16At last we arrive on the edge of the great Ituri forest, in which elephants, the largest
04:20of all animals, and pygmies, the smallest of men, are found.
04:31The trail of the elephant is easy to follow, for they trample down everything in their way.
04:43Larger in size but comparable in bulk to the rhino, elephants differ greatly in brains.
04:49They are the wiser, the most stupid.
04:58Their sight is very bad, but their scent and hearing are highly developed, making them
05:03most dangerous animals to approach.
05:19A family like this are very loyal comrades.
05:22They have been known to carry a wounded pal away from danger, supporting his immense body
05:26between them at the risk of their own lives.
05:32The African elephant, unlike his Indian namesake, has never been successfully trained for the
05:37use of man.
05:40Until recent years, ivory hunters penetrated the haunts of the elephant for centuries,
05:46killing millions of these majestic mammoths and taking away nothing but their tusks.
05:55We have been unable to find a route through the dense forest to the pygmy village, so
05:59we seize this opportunity to bribe our way with salt, which necessity of life is very
06:04difficult for them to obtain.
06:06Boy!
06:07Kujahapa.
06:08Kujah.
06:09Kujahapa.
06:10Here you are.
06:11They love it.
06:12Like a child loves candy.
06:13It's very scarce in the forest.
06:14Chumbi.
06:15Chumbi mingi.
06:16Chumbi mingi.
06:17Chumbi mingi.
06:18Chumbi mingi.
06:19Chumbi mingi.
06:20Chumbi mingi.
06:21Chumbi mingi.
06:22Chumbi mingi.
06:23Chumbi mingi.
06:24Chumbi mingi.
06:25Kujah.
06:33Chumbi gini.
06:34Gini.
06:35Gini.
06:36Gini.
06:37Gini.
06:38Gini.
06:39Yo.
06:40Gini.
06:41He says he'll take us to the pygmy clearing if we bring plenty of salt.
06:45We better bring plenty of water.
06:48Something tells me he's going to be plenty thirsty.
06:53Finally, our little guide brought us to a clearing in the center of the deep Ituri forest,
07:01and hundreds of pygmies came from all directions to greet us.
07:07The average height is a little over four feet, and they rarely weigh more than 75 pounds.
07:13But they are well proportioned and comparatively strong.
07:16This is the smallest tribe of people in the world.
07:21They live in clans of 20 or 30, a few miles apart, and a representative of each family
07:27receives the salt.
07:42The clan leaders are in turn ruled by a great king who occupies his throne through blood
07:47succession, just like the crown heads of Europe.
07:51He is honoring us by coming in from the depths of his forest capital.
07:55We wanted to pay our respects to his majesty there, but the darkness in the interior makes
08:01photography impossible, and the king graciously offered to come to us in the clearing.
08:10He is comparatively young, and both he and his subjects show character and intelligence.
08:16In this, they differ from most of the other African tribes.
08:20Besides supplying music for the dance, these great tom-toms boom out messages in a code
08:26similar to our telegraphy.
08:32Everybody dances in pygmy land, and their chanting, while not particularly harmonious,
08:38has a fast rhythm that makes the feet want to do things.
08:44These are the original hot dogs.
08:51The pygmies have practiced companionate marriage for centuries, long before Judge Lindsay was
08:56ever heard of.
08:58If a marriage doesn't take after a year's tryout, they start all over again with a new wife.
09:04No one is allowed more than one wife at a time, except the king.
09:09It gets two for safety's sake, to ensure a son and future king.
09:15These are the queens.
09:17They are very modest and shy when the king is around.
09:25According to scientists who have made a study of the past history of this race, the pygmy
09:30is not really a Negro, and their faces certainly show a great similarity to nearly every other
09:37nationality in the world.
09:44Less than 2,000 of this particular tribe are known to exist, and until our visit, no one
09:50ever knew the proper tribal name, which is Ifi, I-F-I, Ifi.
09:57Here is an unusual fact.
09:59This peculiar style of wrestling is exactly the same as a very popular sport in Japan
10:05called rice wrestling, and here we find it in the center of Africa, 10,000 miles away.
10:12The idea of the thing is, the first one who is thrown off his feet is the loser.
10:19They make everything that they use, and the jungle furnishes them with food.
10:24Here they are constructing arrows.
10:26The shafts are made from the hearts of palm trees, which are strong, light, and durable.
10:34Look at these beautiful teeth.
10:36A dentist in Africa would have a great chance to starve to death.
10:43They mine and smelt their own iron, which they mold into arrowheads.
10:51The big savage in the center is the official poison mixer for the whole tribe.
10:56He actually stands only 5 feet, 10 inches, but the difference in height is so noticeable
11:02that he looks like a giant beside them.
11:05This man belongs to another tribe and is maintained by the pygmies for one purpose.
11:11He mixes the poison.
11:13Then they dip their arrows into it and put the blame on him for whatever they kill.
11:18Their own conscience is clear because the force of the arrow will not cause death,
11:23but the poison does.
11:25That's their way of escaping responsibility.
11:28Darn clever, these pygmies.
11:32The large mound with the little house on it in the background is a great anthill.
11:37This is where we lived while here.
11:41They shoot very accurately, but depend more on the poison than the force.
11:47...by their fat tummies.
12:09But it is very hard to get close enough to photograph them.
12:13Any unusual noise on the sounds of every description.
12:18A cheetah slinks off, uttering his odd bird-like call.
12:23Unusual and rare baby bat-eared foxes run for their dugout,
12:28where they huddle close together and cry plaintively in fear for their lives.
12:37Even a herd of ostriches glide by.
12:41The huge pads on their feet muffle the sound,
12:44and they make great speed in their springy, strutting manner.
12:51It's like Mother Nature holds a grudge against the zebra.
12:55Its glaring stripes make it an outstanding target for beasts of prey in search of food.
13:00Almost powerless when attacked by a lion, but oh boy,
13:04they kick and bite viciously when bothered by other animals.
13:09Zebras in zoos over here rarely make any kind of a sound,
13:13but this shrill bark is common both day and night in Africa.
13:18The striped patterns are like human fingerprints. No two are found alike.
13:28They are often found grazing in company with a herd of topi,
13:32which are similar to a large American deer.
13:36These two widely separated species often fight together against their common enemy, the lion.
13:44The ripples across the picture in the background are heat waves,
13:48for it is 130 in the shade, and we never found much of that.
13:53Not the least bit camera conscious, just the born actor.
14:01His relations are running out on him.
14:07I don't know whether he's calling his mother or his father, but I guess he wants his mama.
14:21Though lions kill hundreds of thousands for food each year,
14:24the zebra still survives and increases in number,
14:27and their pounding hooves in mad stampede can be heard on all the belts of Africa.
14:37Oh, the original rubberneck.
14:40You can't get close to a giraffe without him seeing you,
14:43but their curiosity is stronger than their fear,
14:46and often they'll stand a hundred yards away and gaze steadily down at you.
14:53They are natural-born reachers.
14:56They will drink every day if near water,
14:59but they can get along without it for weeks at a time,
15:02They can get along without it for weeks at a time,
15:05thereby making a monkey out of a camel.
15:08A full-grown giraffe is the tallest animal on the face of the earth,
15:12often standing nearly 16 feet high.
15:18Hunters rarely kill these harmless monsters, but the natives often do,
15:23for the hide makes a bullwhip 30 feet long without a break.
15:33Lion!
15:45But these two lions are stuck with food and lazy.
15:49They're just looking for a shady place to snooze.
15:55But Mr. Giraffe doesn't trust them.
15:58He just remembers a very important business engagement elsewhere.
16:03For such awkward bodies, they can make great speed,
16:06sometimes traveling as fast as 40 miles an hour.
16:09Our microphone registers only the hoofbeats,
16:12for giraffes having no vocal cords cannot utter a sound.
16:16They're just naturally dumb,
16:18but not quite as dumb as the yokel who first saw one in a circus and said,
16:22there ain't no such animal.
16:26Here is a marvelous chance to study their peculiar rocking horse, Gallop.
16:31All four feet are never off the ground at one time.
16:35They were once called camel leopards,
16:38due to their leopard spots and their unusual ability to go without water.
16:45The yoke's legs, long neck, and sloping back make the giraffe,
16:51The yoke's legs, long neck, and sloping back make the giraffe appear clumsy,
16:56but notice how the head remains level,
16:59while the neck takes up the bumps like a shock absorber.
17:03They could run clear across the picture,
17:05with a glass of water between their horns and not spill a drop.
17:10Once on the way, these great runners are hard to stop,
17:14and they have often hung themselves on the telegraph wires of the new railroad,
17:18which has been started from the Indian Ocean coast.
17:29The little youngsters keep up with the old folks,
17:32even leading at times.
17:39Here is a sure enough neck and neck race,
17:42with the little fellow trying to hitch on behind.
17:46If he only had sense, he'd grab that tail.
17:53Flamingos by the million.
17:59Each bird stands nearly four feet high,
18:02and weighs about 30 pounds,
18:04but the flesh is odorous and unsick to eat.
18:08It looks like the parade of the wooden soldiers.
18:16Da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da, da.
18:23They appear to be floating, but in reality they are...
18:29It is an amazing sight to watch a flock numbering hundreds of thousands
18:33suddenly lift themselves into the air,
18:35so thick that they hide the sun.
18:37It is the reality of an artist's dream.
18:39A golden sun fades to a lovely pink
18:42in natural harmony with the color of the flamingo,
18:45that wing their way in vivid circles,
18:47but always within sight of the lake,
18:49which is their home in life,
18:51and their grave in death.
18:54Watch the fish trying to gain the upper water,
18:56so they can spawn in the place where they were born.
19:04Oh, how would you like to have that baby on your home?
19:07Fifty miles below the falls,
19:09the Nile spreads out into a flat, virgin, wooded valley.
19:15Unusual trees such as this dot the shores,
19:18and in the interior, a short distance,
19:20are almost impassable papyrus swamps.
19:24It is here that the famous Pepsi fly,
19:26which causes sleeping sickness, breeds,
19:29and the far-famed white rhinoceros makes his home.
19:33Here he is, the square-lipped, or so-called white rhino.
19:38He is much larger than the common black variety,
19:41and less than 200 are known to exist.
19:45Gosh, that's a big one.
19:47What do you think he weighs?
19:50Oh, about three tons.
19:54Gee, all bulk and no brains.
20:04Charming fellow, he'd like to make friends with you,
20:07in his own way.
20:09Thick-skinned and bad-tempered,
20:11this most weird survivor of prehistoric animals
20:14is rapidly becoming extinct.
20:16The horns are not bones,
20:18but consist of thickly compressed hair,
20:20which is valued at three times the price of ivory,
20:23because it is shipped to China,
20:25where it is considered the greatest of all medicine cure-alls.
20:28I-M-P-A-L-L-A, Impala,
20:32the most graceful of all the antelope family.
20:36They always travel in herds of a hundred or more,
20:40through a park-like country.
20:42I'll make him show some action.
20:44Be careful, don't hit him.
20:46I won't.
20:48When frightened, they jump, much like a kangaroo,
20:51but infinitely more graceful.
20:53The natives call this the dance of the Impala,
20:56but we call it the dance of the leaping lenas.
20:59Look at that baby jump!
21:06If you notice, folks, the one without a hat
21:09is a distant relative to the Mexican jumping bean.
21:13No authority seems to know why the Impalas jump.
21:17It's just another of those unexplainable mysteries
21:20of African animal life.
21:23When they stop, no amount of outside interference
21:26can stop them again.
21:32Sometimes they jump backwards
21:34to keep the dust out of their eyes.
21:43They almost seem to have wings
21:45as they literally glide through the air.
21:49They almost seem to have wings
21:51as they literally glide through space.
21:53Their live bodies sail through the air
21:56for as much as 40 feet in a single jump,
21:59and 12 to 15 feet high,
22:01but sometimes higher in the spring.
22:11They jump higher on their mother's side
22:14than they do on their father's side.
22:19Here's a great job for a cowboy,
22:22breaking in one of these things.
22:27It's probably something they ate last night.
22:34There goes three of them up together.
22:39Lions eat very few Impalas
22:41because the Impalas keep him on the jump,
22:44and the lion goes crazy trying to catch up.
22:49Like a buffalo, they act like a cow
22:52and make a noise like a lion,
22:55all of which means that something went wrong somewhere.
23:01With their shaggy manes and heavy forequarters,
23:04they remind one of the American buffalo,
23:07but only at a distance,
23:09for they are much smaller.
23:11They are much smaller than the American buffalo.
23:15For they are much smaller.
23:17They always roam through fairly open country in great herds,
23:21and when the sun is in back of them,
23:24their white beards make them visible for miles.
23:27Though they have a placid cow-like expression,
23:30they will charge without notice,
23:32and together have been known to kill a lion.
23:35Dozens of them huddle under one small tree
23:38to escape the terrific heat, for she is scared.
23:46Though there are many hardships connected
23:49with an expedition of this kind,
23:51the charm of Africa lies in the ever-changing things of interest.
23:55You never know what to expect just around the corner.
24:01Paul!
24:03What is it?
24:04Look at those big grasshoppers.
24:06Grasshoppers? Nothing.
24:08Those are Abyssinian locusts.
24:12The whole belt will soon be black with them.
24:15We'll have to cover everything up. Come on!
24:20Go and get that camera, quick!
24:22Charlie, you have to cover that truck with the cameras
24:25and tie it down tight.
24:26All right.
24:27Yango!
24:28Come on, Yango! Hurry up!
24:34Get a hold of that crab, quick!
24:36Come on, pull it right down. Come on with that camera.
24:40I hope they're on the truck.
24:43Get over there, get this little four-armed rameky, hurry up!
24:46You got it?
24:50Tomorrow I will bring locusts onto thy coast,
24:54and they shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field.
24:59This tremendous swarm is just such a visitation of locusts
25:03as Moses called down to punish the wicked Pharaoh of Egypt
25:073,500 years ago.
25:10They'll be on us in a minute.
25:13Let's photograph them from the inside.
25:27The windows of the tent were especially constructed of flexible icing glass
25:32through which photography is possible.
25:37Swarms such as this have been known to be 50 miles in width
25:41and 100 miles long,
25:43and often they'll fly several hundred miles in a day.
25:46They strike terror into the hearts of man and beast,
25:50and natives in a stricken territory watch with feverish anxiety
25:54as the creatures fly overhead,
25:56praying that they will continue their flight without a lighting
26:00to devour their crops and ruin their food supply.
26:04They hit the tent by hailstones.
26:09Are the boys safe?
26:11Yes, sir. I put them in the cab of the truck.
26:14Like an enormous storm of black flakes,
26:17they cover the earth in a ravenous horde,
26:19eating every bit of grass in their path.
26:26Every animal leaves the stricken area,
26:28and hundreds die in their frantic efforts to shake off the plague.
26:33Clouds of countless billions literally hide the sun,
26:37and every modern resource of science has failed to combat them,
26:41for no one knows from whence they came or where they go.
26:46Handed the higher power,
26:48the wildebeests know by instinct that the only way to escape disaster
26:52is by taking a course at right angles to the wind,
26:55because the locusts fly with the wind.
26:58Hand of a higher power, the wildebeest know by instinct that the only way to escape disaster
27:08is by taking a course at right angles to the wind, because the locusts fly with the wind.
27:14It is estimated that there are about 60,000 locusts to the square yard, and a swarm such
27:23as this covers millions and millions of square yards.
27:29Unlike the Bible flag of old, the present flag is no respecter of race, creed, or country.
27:42The stampeding wildebeest raise clouds of giant hoppers, which have settled on the ground.
27:48The frantic animals must travel more than 50 miles before they can eat or drink again.
28:02In the evening they continue to come down from the sky in millions, settling on every
28:07bit of green vegetation in the countryside.
28:10They break strong branches of trees by the sheer weight of their countless numbers, and
28:15the ground is covered with a blanket at least six inches deep.
28:19All through the night they eat, eat, eat every blade of grass, every leaf of the tree, and
28:28in the morning this beautiful country is transformed into a bleak and barren desert.
28:36To our knowledge, we are the first in the history of motion pictures to record and photograph
28:41this phenomenon of nature.
28:47And Moses said, for they covered the face of the whole earth so that the land was darkened,
28:54and they did eat of every herb of the land and all the fruit of the trees, and there
29:00remained not any green thing, either tree or herb of the field, through all the land.
29:09With their crops and food supply ruined overnight, whole tribes of natives have been caught in
29:15a scourge like this, to die of starvation before they can get out of the devastated area.
29:22It was our good fortune that the truck contained sufficient food to carry us out of this ravaged
29:27country to our next supply station.
29:30After many days of travel in equatorial heat, we climb to the summit of the Benagi Mountains.
29:37Below is the Tanganyika Valley of Lions, and here among the tribe of Maasai, the most profound
29:43tragedy of the entire trip took place.
29:46And here in the shelter of a great rock, the Maasai's build their minyata, or thorn-enclosed
29:51village, which houses the old men, women, and children of this famous cattle-raising tribe.
29:56This minyata is completely surrounded by an eight-foot wall of thorn bushes, with the
30:01cow-dung huts of the natives just inside the thorny circle.
30:05This peculiar construction is a protection against night-prowling lions.
30:10In the evening, the entrance gate is also plugged with the thorn bushes, and the cattle
30:14are herded into the center, where they are comparatively safe through the night of marauding
30:19lions in search of food.
30:22The whole assembly is only a temporary city, for when the grass is gone from the nearby
30:28fields, the entire tribe moves to a new location.
30:32A Maasai prizes his cattle rather more than his wives, and he has about the same number
30:37head of each.
30:39Both are traded in regularly, and the prices vary according to the supply and demand.
30:46The old chief told us the average price per maiden is one steer, two cows, and a keg of
30:52honey beer.
30:53Of course, second-hand wives are quoted at cut-rate prices.
30:57He said he was a good trader, and trotted out his collection of female curios to prove it.
31:04It is the duty of the Maasai women to take good care of the calves as well as the children,
31:09and the chief apologized for those of his wives who were out helping the cows.
31:14The rest of them wouldn't come out.
31:19Some of the others were nursing calves, for this duty is just as important as the care
31:24of the children.
31:27Copper and iron wire form the principal adornment of the Maasai women, and their social standing
31:33is graded by the amount possessed.
31:40Some of the favorites can hardly lift their arms because of the weight of the many metal
31:45rings for which the fond husband has traded his precious cattle.
31:53The cattle spend the night in the circle of thorns, and at daybreak they are turned loose
31:58to graze on the plain.
32:03No Maasai ever eats meat.
32:05They live entirely on an atrocious curd made from milk and blood, both of which are drawn
32:11from the cows.
32:12Even in times of starvation and drought, they die by hundreds rather than eat the meat of
32:17the cattle, which they persist in treating as ornaments.
32:22They are slightly smaller than our cattle, and each has a peculiar hump on the back like
32:29that of a camel.
32:31While his youngest son attended to the cattle, the kind old sheep instructed his oldest boy,
32:37Kaga, to show us around and help however he could in our purpose to secure close-up scenes
32:42of wild lions.
32:44Though thousands of lions are known to be in this grassy valley, they have learned to
32:49stay away from the cattle because the human being is always with them.
32:54Dotting the hillsides in the open but close to the Maasai village can be seen the huts
33:00of the Maasai El Moran or lion hunters, the most courageous and feared of all African
33:06warriors.
33:08They are the tribe policemen or protectors, and in these clusters of small huts they live
33:13like knights of old, being carried their food of milk and blood by maidens of the tribe
33:19who also live with them in a state of free love.
33:25They are maintained for the sole purpose of hunting lions, which have become man-eaters
33:30or molesters of the great herds of cattle that constitute the wealth of the tribe.
33:38Here in this valley of lions we make a permanent camp and carefully prepare to obtain motion
33:44pictures and sound of the giant cats in their natural moods.
33:54You know, this reminds me of a duck flying back home.
33:58That's practically what it is, except that we're hiding a camera instead of a gun.
34:03Cager, our Maasai boy, had chosen the location of our boma or thorn bush protection near
34:09a stone salt lake where a group of lions were in the habit of coming.
34:16On his anthill throne he scans his realm, always in search of an unwary wildebeest,
34:22zebra or warthog, which will afford a target for his hunting skill or satisfy his enormous appetite.
34:32They prefer zebra meat to any, and kills like this are to be seen nearly every day.
34:38Next to the zebra, harmless gazelles make easy prey for even the smallest of the killers.
34:45A hungry lion will stalk and kill any animal it sees, and there are few with the exception
34:50of the rhino and elephant, which are comparatively safe.
35:00Truly the king of beasts, flesh-eating and blood-drinking, but now a picture for an artist's eye.
35:09Though she appears as gentle as a tabby cat, the female is more deadly than the male.
35:20Look, she sees us.
35:24It's quiet.
35:26Look out.
35:31Here is a remarkable photograph.
35:34Two lions have made a wildebeest kill, and the herd can be seen in the background,
35:40even before they had a chance to get away.
35:47Even at that, some of the best pictures escape our camera.
35:51For instance, we saw this great female leap clean over the hedge in the background,
35:56carrying a 200-pound gazelle in her teeth.
36:00Lions are not supposed to be able to climb trees, but how would you like to be where the meat is?
36:08The heat at all times is almost unbearable to both man and beast.
36:22In the middle of the day when the sun is white hot, they huddle under scraggly trees
36:27for what little shade there is.
36:35Lions are rarely found in large numbers, and it is quite unusual to photograph seven at one time.
36:44At three months of age, the cubs cry for meat, and mother must provide,
36:50for these have not yet reached the age when they can make a kill of their own.
37:09While we were in the boma, the lions inspected our truck,
37:13even attempting a small attack on this unusual stranger.
37:30They tore off a spare tire and slyly took a little nibble at it.
37:37They see much surprise when it doesn't bite back.
37:53There is a widespread belief that lions live in the jungle,
37:57though the truth is just the opposite.
37:59They are always found in open, grassy plains,
38:02because the lion is a meat eater, and he feeds entirely on animals,
38:06which in turn live off the virgin grass of the open country.
38:21She carries this 200 pounds of dead weight like a house cat would a mouse.
38:28But lions never tease a victim.
38:31They break the neck instantly with a tremendous swipe of the paw
38:35and eat what they want almost immediately.
38:41Others have caught the scent of the kill and come in uninvited to attend the banquet.
38:51Shooting the prowlers of the plains with a camera is much more difficult than with a gun
38:56and brings one in closer contact with them.
39:03There are no place cards of this beast, but despite their noticeable lack of manners,
39:09it is a remarkable fact that they seldom quarrel over a kill, but share it amicably.
39:17So great is a lion's appetite that he must make a kill every two days in order to exist.
39:24The thousands of lions in this section kill hundreds of thousands of animals each year for food alone.
39:32In their natural state, active lions are seldom found with great shaggy manes like those in a zoo
39:39because the long hair is caught on bushes and torn by the thorn trees.
39:51Kagan, get rifles and motorcars, quick!
40:12Look out, Charlie!
40:52The bomber, quick!
41:02One big male even followed us toward the bomber.
41:05It is very interesting to watch a lion shy at the sight of thorn bushes
41:09when he will charge straight at a firing revolver.
41:12After reloading our revolvers, it was useless to continue the battle
41:16because it was already too late to do anything.
41:20Handicapped as we were, with the rifles in the truck,
41:24we were forced to wait the rest of the afternoon for the lions to leave.
41:29Finally, five out of the six which were around us, trooped off behind the leader.
41:36Only one of the maneaters remained at the kill.
41:39A flock of vultures awaited our arrival.
41:44Only one of the maneaters remained at the kill.
41:47A flock of vultures awaited his departure.
41:50And behind them in the distance, a ring of cowardly hyenas also awaited our return.
42:14It's going to be tough to tell the poor old chief about Kager.
42:24Come on, let's go.
42:32The code of the savage, a life for a life.
42:36The council of the elders are meeting to decide which of the younger warriors
42:40The council of the elders are meeting to decide which of the younger warriors
42:43shall be sent out after the lion.
42:46They have long been accustomed to kill with the spear.
42:50Lions with maneaters on their cattle.
42:59They're sadly a welcome of the council.
43:02Only if Kager's older kin now passed there,
43:05would be willing the young warriors in the hunt.
43:08But already been sent to the guts of the El Moran lion hunters.
43:13For this honor is served solely for them.
43:16The fence made of ostrich feathers and is as necessary to hunt as the spear.
43:21The Maasai El Moran love a battle, but not all of them are allowed to go on the hunt.
43:26Great honor, and the chief only take along those chosen by the council.
43:39Most of the younger warriors wear headdresses made from the manes of the lions they have killed.
43:48All their lives they have lived with food, blood, milk and water.
43:52They are as fit as lions they hunt, cruel and fearless.
43:56They let us come along to photograph the hunt,
43:59only on our solemn promise not to shoot the lion.
44:08Faces, legs and chest painted red, yellow and white.
44:11With a substance made from the ashes of previously killed lions.
44:15Naked or half naked, with girdles of leopard skin.
44:19Buffalo hide shield colored with bold patterns, carrying a long bladed spear.
44:28For now master of the world, the terror that stalks by night.
44:32This grim lord of slaughter, his doom at the hands of the only foe.
44:37This is the challenge.
44:49They in unison, the sun and moon fierce singing fills up a furious wrath at the...
45:07...
45:38...
45:48All morning the tireless messiah warriors have advanced across the rolling grassy plains in long lines.
45:57Beating across a circle twelve miles in diameter, live panthers,
46:02their great muscles rippling under their smooth dark skin.
46:06Suddenly a short distance ahead, a great female spied us and dogged off to the right.
46:12We attempted to shoot her, but we could not break our promise to the messiah chieftain.
46:20Now the hunter's divide formed a final circle around us.
46:24The razor sharp spear heads glint like silver in the sun rays,
46:28and their savage yells become shrill in anticipation of victory.
46:33The lioness takes temporary refuge in a creed,
46:36and now we see that there are two of them, but it is too late to inform the messiah.
46:44In small groups the spearmen come closer and gradually form the ring of death.
46:51One by one they take their ring, and each, when he is near enough, crouches behind his shield.
46:59Spear in hand, his eager face gleaming over the rim.
47:06Heels held steady to body, and quivering spears poised for instant action,
47:11the men in front brace themselves for the shock of the rushing charge.
47:18The lioness watches them closely, unbrave, and seemingly withholding her charge until they are ready.
47:27At last the tenth ring is complete.
47:30It is a wild sight, the ring of spearmen intent, silent, bent on blood,
47:36and in the center a great man-killing beast.
47:39This ring, once formed, must not be broken,
47:43for the man who steps back in the face of a charge is forever branded a coward.
47:51Finally, with a tremendous roar, she charges.
47:55The crowded moment begins.
47:57The leader plunges his beast.
47:59He strikes him. He's down.
48:01His shield protects him. He's up again.
48:03Not a man will stand back.
48:05The man must clear the drive clear to the ferocious beast.
48:11Look out! There's another one!
48:15It's the male, fighting to protect his own.
48:26Look out! He's got another one!
48:29Quick as lightning, these spears clash again.
48:33Even as he holds his breath, he fights with the spears.
48:45The first half-dozen spears have done the work, and Kege is avenged.
48:51The whole thing is over in 30 seconds, but in such a way,
48:55we were excited, then wild with savagery, and we wondered if to us next.
49:03The chief takes away the knight, whose wild frenzy seems to be getting the best of him.
49:14Strange to say, the victors appear unhappy over their victory,
49:18for the lion symbol to them of everything great,
49:22and they worship his power with deep respect.
49:28Finally, the end of this day of thrills is the messiah tribute to their fallen foes.
49:34Reverently, they move the cocks of the lion to sit on another spot than that on which it died.
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