A dead battery had my camera out of com-
mission during our first lion experience,
and after going lion-free the previous day,
any chance to land photos is left to the fi-
nal, abbreviated morning drive before we
depart.
We come up over a ridge just as the east-
ern sun turns the whole reserve golden. Up
ahead is a vehicle from another lodge, and
we pull to within 30 feet before William kills
the engine. There, to our left, was a lioness
and two older cubs.
With little wind, there is a near total ab-
sence of sound, save for the odd murmur
or camera click. We sit there for 25 min-
utes as mom lazes about. She lets out a low,
plaintive call meant to summon her other
offspring—two derelict, lazy males, we're
told—but she seems resigned to being ig-
nored. Eventually, the lions crossed the
road, again coming within a foot or two of
the truck, and then disappear into the bush.
After four brilliant days, this is a fitting
end to the trip, though really, the finale may
have come the night before on the late-af-
ternoon drive back to the lodge, when ev-
eryone was cold and quiet but completely
content, watching the silver eyes of far-off
animals caught by the Landcruiser's head-
lights, and the modern world seemed very
far away.
Day Four
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