Kidogo, who had left Pandion in order to take part in the, council, now put in his word. It turned out that Kidogo was the son of a potter and came from a rich and numerous tribe living on the seacoast that forms the western boundary of the Land of the Black People. Here the dry land was indented by a huge bay called the Southern Horn…(The Gulf of Guinea.) Kidogo did not know the road home from Nubia: he had been taken captive on the edge of the Great Desert when he was on his way to Quemt, impelled by a passionate desire to see for himself the miracles of craftsmanship performed in that country. The Negro, however, believed that his homeland could not be very far to the south-west from the scene of the recent battle. Kidogo assured the others that they could learn the right road from that tribe to which the Nubian guide had advised them to go. Kidogo promised hospitality to all his comrades if they reached the country where his people lived; he then told Cavius that in his childhood he had heard that people like him and Pandion had sailed from the northern seas to visit his country. After Cavius had weighed everything up he advised his comrades to take the advice of the Nubian guide and journey to the south, for Kidogo’s words made the unknown Land of the Black People seem less hostile to him. The sea there was free, was not under the rule of the hated Tha-Quem and would provide the road by which they could return to their homes. The Etruscan trusted the sea more than he did the desert. The Asians protested and would not agree but the Libyans supported Cavius, to say nothing of the Negroes — all of them were prepared to journey to the south and the west: there lay the road to their homes.
The Asians maintained that they did not know how the nomads would treat them, and especially how they would be received by that numerous tribe the guide had spoken of; they said that the symbol the guide had given Cavius might be a trap and that they would again be made slaves.
It was then that the Negro who lay with a broken leg attracted attention to himself by snouts and gestures. Hurriedly, swallowing his words and spluttering, he said something, trying to smile and frequently beating his breast. From that impassioned speech, from that flood of unknown words, Cavius understood that the Negro came from that tribe the guide advised them to try to reach with the aid of the nomad herdsmen, and that he was avowing the peacefulness of his people. Then Cavius made his decision and took the side of the Negroes and Libyans; he spoke against the Asians who continued to insist on their plan. The sun was already sinking and they had to think about water and a bivouac for the night, so Cavius advised them to wait until morning. Although they all wanted to get away from that terrible glade, strewn with their dead, they had to stay there in order not to cause the dying unnecessary suffering by-moving them. Ten men went to the water-hole indicated by the Nubian and returned with jars full of warm, brackish water that smelled of clay. On the advice of the Negroes a fence of thorn branches was built between the trees to ward off the attacks of the hyenas. On the side facing the glade, three fires were built. Three men remained to watch the wounded and ten men with spears sat by the fires. In those parts night falls quickly. The clouds were still visible in the west when, from the north and the east, there came rolling a wave of darkness, that drowned the tops of the trees, lighting the countless lamps of the stars above them. Very soon Cavius, who was unacquainted with southern countries, understood why the guide had advised them to leave this place as soon as possible. The howling of the jackals filled the air and from all sides came the hysterical laughing of the hyenas. It seemed that hundreds of the animals had come running from all directions to devour not only the dead but the living as well. There was a fearful racket on the glade, grunting, the cracking of bones and sounds of gnawing. The sickly-sweet smell of bodies decomposing in the heat spread rapidly over the earth.
The men shouted, threw clots of earth and stones, ran out with flaming brands, but it was all in vain — the number of carrion seekers steadily increased.
Suddenly a dull rattling sound came from beyond the thorn barrier followed by a thunderous roar that seemed to roll along the ground and shake the earth. The animals feeding on the glade fell silent. The men who had been sleeping awoke and jumped to their feet; in the silence that ensued the wounded groaned more loudly. The roar drew nearer to them, a low sound of terrible strength that seemed to come from a huge trumpet. An indistinct silhouette with a huge head appeared beside the end tree — an enormous lion was approaching the frightened men and behind it slunk the sinuous shape of a lioness. Spears were turned in the direction of the animals, their bronze tips shining faintly in the dull flames of the fires. At the risk of firing the dry grass the men shouted and threw burning brands at the lions. The stupefied animals stopped in their tracks, then ran off to the glade. The men stood with their spears ready, for — a long time, but the lions did not attack.
Those whose turn it was to rest had not had time to fall asleep before the air was again rent by the thunderous roar of a lion, followed by a second and a third. No less than three lions were wandering round the camp and the lioness, who had appeared earlier, made a fourth. The men realized that the low, carelessly built barrier was unpardonable neglect on their part. Four men with spears stood ready to repel any possible attack from behind, while the six other spearmen remained standing by the fires. Nobody slept any more. The men armed themselves with whatever they could and sat or stood staring into the darkness. Another roar rent the air and an enormous lion with a sand-coloured mane appeared near the end fire. The flickering flames of the fire made the huge beast seem still bigger and his eyes, fixed on the people, radiated a green gleam. By sheer bad luck one of the northern Asians, inexperienced in hunting, stood nearby with a bow. Frightened by the animal’s roar, he sent an arrow straight into its face. The roar broke off with a drawn-out moan, that turned to a hoarse cough and then ceased.
“Look out!” came the desperate cry of one of the Nubians.
The lion’s body whirled through the air; with a single bound the animal crossed the line of fires and landed between the people. It was not easy to cause confusion amongst the conquerors of the white rhinoceros — spears stopped the lion, biting into his flanks and chest while four arrows pierced his sinuous body. Two spear-shafts broke with a dry crack under the heavy blows of the lion’s paws and at that moment three tall Negroes, projecting themselves with round shields, thrust their heavy knives into the beast’s chest… The lion howled long and plaintively and the _men, covered with his blood, jumped back.
A momentary silence was broken by deafening shouts of victory that rolled across the plain. The body of the dead lion was thrown down in front of the fires and the men set about binding the injuries of two freshly wounded, who were still trembling with the fever of battle.
The lions wandered round the encampment until sunrise, roaring furiously from time to time, but they made no further attacks.
With the dawn of a new day, that came with blinding suddenness, five of the badly wounded men died. Another seven were found to have died during the night — in the excitement of the scuffle with the lion nobody had noticed when it occurred. Akhnii was still breathing, his grey lips moving faintly from time to time.
Pandion lay with his eyes open, his breast rose and fell with calm, regular breathing. Kidogo bent over him and was horrified to discover that his friend could not see him. But when he brought water Pandion drank it immediately and slowly closed his eyes.