Day 13

Lion hunts by the Masai's are just unbelievable events.

The warriors start by getting themselves all worked up with their screaming war cries and all. This is sometimes done with their dances. Or rather their idea of a dance. They actually make huge leaps into the air with their hands still firmly on their sides and their legs together.

As the dance progresses, they leap higher and higher into the air.

By the time the Masai set off they are so worked up that the poor lion being hunted down, doesn’t have a chance in hell.

The fascinating thing about these hunts is that it is a real hunt. Lions actually fear the Masai's and when they get the scent of one nearby, they will do everything in their power to get away.

The Masai's will quickly cut off a lions’ escape, surround the powerful animal and spear it to death with a casualty or two sometimes.

Loliong, the husband of Soila and Lesirma, Soila's favourite lover, were both on this particular hunt to track down a troublesome lion that had been feeding on Masai cattle for quite sometime and then disappearing without trace. This lion had escaped the Masai for several years but word had just been received that he had been sighted and that there was a good chance of cornering and exterminating him once and for all. Don't ask me how they can tell the difference between one lion and another because I have no idea.

The fact that both Loliong and Lesirma were going off on the same hunt, meant trouble right from the beginning. All Africans and especially all Masai's looked the same to me. But I could easily tell the difference between Loliong and Lesirma, they stood out.

Loliong was cross-eyed, while Lesirma had a scar across the right side of his face, courtesy of (you guesses it) a lion's paws.

I was told later by my source that the hunt went as usual and the Masai's (about seven in number) surrounded the huge beast that had eluded them for so long and yet fed on so many cows. Of all battles with the lions, this was a very [personal affair because of the huge loss this beast had caused to the Masai.

The beast was huge and complete with his shaggy black mane, he must have been a scary sight.

Loliong positioned himself very closely to Lesirma as both carefully aimed their spears at the lion. Loliong released his spear too early, deliberately of course.

That meant that the lion had only been hit by one spear instead of at least two or three on the first attack, to ensure that he was weakened as much as possible before the second phase of the attack.

A split second before the animal lunged forward, Loliong quickly moved behind Lesirma who was just releasing his spear. Because of the speed at which the lion hurtled towards Lesirma and because of the angle in which the spear came into contact with the lion, the spear did not penetrate. Instead it just bruised and hurtled past the lion.

Before the others could recover, the beast, still relatively strong had landed on Sirma and with one powerful blow from its' paw broke his neck, killing him instantly.

The lion then cleverly took the opportunity to disappear into the bush with Loliong's spear still deep in its’ side, and now starting to draw blood.

The Masai's followed in hot pursuit.

The drill in this sort of situation was simple. The lion would progressively grow weaker and weaker from the bleeding. It was anybody's guess, how long it would take for it to weaken enough for the Masai to finish off the beast.

It was during this mad rush through the bush that they found the shoe. It was brought to me when they came back to the village singing their war songs at the capture of the lion that had eluded them for so long.

I didn't need a second look to recognize the single lady's shoe. They were Teresa's.

They were the shoes she was wearing on the day of the game drive, the last time I saw her.