Wilbur Smith - When the Lion Feeds

When the Lion Feeds

By Wilbur Smith

Synopsis

Into the wilds of Natal in the 1870s are born Sean an Garick Courtney, thetwin brothers who could not be more different. Fate, war and the jealousschemes of a woman are to drive them even further apart. But as history unfoldsa continent is awakening. And on its horizon is the promise of fortune,adventure, destiny and love.

The Courtney Novels:

When the Lion Feeds

The Sound of Thunder

A Sparrow Falls

The Burning Shore

Power of the Sword

Rage

A Time to Die

The Ballantyne Novels:

A Falcon Flies

Men of Men

The Angels Weep

The Leopard Hunts in Darkness

Also:

The Dark of the Sun

Shout at the Devil

Gold Mine

The Diamond Hunters

The Sunbird

Eagle in the Sky

The Eye of the Tiger

Cry Wolf

Hungry as the Sea

Wild justice

Golden Fox

Elephant Song

When the Lion Feeds

Wilbur Smith was born in Central Africa in 1933. He was educated at Michaelhouse and Rhodes University. He became a full-time writer in 1964 after thesuccessful publication of When the Lion Feeds, and has since written twentynovels, meticulously researched on his numerous expeditions worldwide. Henormally travels from November to February, often spending a month skiing inSwitzerland, and visiting Australia and New Zealand for sea fishing. During hissummer break, he visits environments as diverse as Alaska and the dwindlingwilderness of the African interior. He has an abiding concern for the peoplesand wildlife of his native continent, an interest strongly reflected in hisnovels. He is married to Danielle, to whom his last nineteen books have been dedicated.

WILBUR SMITH

When the Lion Feeds

This book is for Elfreda and Herbert James Smith with love

Published in the United Kingdom in 1997 by Mandarin Paperbacks

Copyright Wilbur Smith 1964

The right of Wilbur Smith to be identified as the author of this work hasbeen asserted by him in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act,1988

This book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of tradeor otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without thepublishers prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that inwhich it is published and without a similar condition including this conditionbeing imposed on the subsequent purchaser

First published in the United Kingdom in 1964 by V. Siliam Heinemann MandarinPaperbacks Random House UK limited 2o Vauxhall Bridge Road, London SW I! 2SARandom House Australia (Pty) Limited 2o Alfred Street, Milsons Point, SydneyNew South Wales 2o6i, Australia Random House New Zealand Limited I 8 PolandRoad, Glenfield, Auckland I o, New Zealand Random House South Africa (Pty)Limited Endulini, 5a Jubilee Road, Parklown 2193, South Africa Random House UK UntitedReg. No. 954oog

A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the BritishLibrary Papers used by Random House UK Limited are natural, recyclable productsmade from wood grown in sustainable forests.

The manufacturing processes conform to the environmental regulations ofthe country of origin

Printed and bound in Great Britain by Cox g Wyman Ltd, Reading, Berkshire

ISBN 0 7493 o639 6 Natal

WHEN THE LION FEEDS BY WILBUR SMITH

A single wild pheasant FLEW up the side of the hillalmost brushing the tips of the grass in its flight. It drooped its wings andhung its legs as it reached the crest and then dropped into cover. Two boys anda dog followed it up from the valley: the dog led, with his tongue flopping pinkfrom the corner of his mouth, and the twins ran shoulder to shoulder behindhim. Both of them were sweating in dark patches through their khaki shirts, forthe African sun still had heat although it stood half-mast down the sky.

The dog hit the scent of the bird and it stopped himquivering: for a second he stood sucking it up through his nostrils, and thenhe started to quarter. He worked fast, back and forth, swinging at the end ofeach tack, his head down and only his back and his busy tail showing above thedry brown grass. The twins came up behind him. They were gasping for breath,for it had been a hard pull up the curve of the hill. Keep out to the side, youllget in my way Sean panted at his brother and Garrick moved to obey. Sean washis senior by four inches in height and twenty pounds in weight: this gave himthe right to command. Sean transferred his attention back to the dog. Put himup, Tinker. Seek him up, boy Tinkers tail acknowledged Seans instructions,but he held his nose to the ground. The twins followed him, tensed for the birdto rise. They carried their throwing sticks ready and moved forward a stealthypace at a time, fighting to control their breathing. Tinker found the birdcrouched flat in the grass; he jumped forward giving tongue for the first time,and the bird rose. It came up fast on noisy wings, whirling out of the grass.

Sean threw; his kerrie whipped past it. The pheasantswung away from the stick, clawing at the air with frantic wings and Garrickthrew. His kerrie cartwheeled up, hissing, until it smacked into the pheasantsfat brown body.

The bird toppled, feathers flurried from it and itfell. They went after it. The pheasant scurried broken-winged through the grassahead Of them, and they shouted with excitement as they chased it. Sean got a handto it. He broke its neck and stood laughing, holding the warm brown body in hishands, and waited for Garrick to reach him.

Ring-a-ding-a-doody, Garry, you sure gave that one abeauty! Tinker jumped up to smell the bird and Sean stooped and held it so hecould get his nose against it. Tinker snuffled it, then tried to take it in hismouth, but Sean pushed his head away and tossed the bird to Garrick. Garrickhung it with the others on his belt.

How far do you reckon that was, fifty feet? Garrickasked. Not as much as that Sean gave his opinion. More like thirty I reckon itwas at least fifty. I reckon it was farther than any youve hit today. Success hadmade Garrick bold. The smile faded from Seans face.

Yeah? he asked.

Yeah! SAid Garrick. Sean pushed the hair off his foreheadwith the back of his hand, his hair was black and soft and it kept falling intohis eyes.

What about that one down by the river? That was twiceas far. Yeah? asked Garrick.

Yeah! said Sean truculently. Well, if youre so good,how did you miss this one hey? You threw first. How come you missed, hey? Seansalready flushed face darkened and Garrick realized suddenly that he had gonetoo far. He took a step backwards.

Youd like to bet? demanded Sean. It was not quiteclear to Garrick on what Sean wished to bet, but from past experience he knewthat whatever it was the issue would be settled by single combat. Garrickseldom won bets from Sean. Its too late. Wed better be getting home. Pa will clobberus if were late for dinner. Sean hesitated and Garrick turned, ran back topick up his kerrie then set off in the direction of home.

Sean trotted after him, caught up with him and passedhim. Sean always led. Having proved conClusively his superior prowess with thethrowing sticks Sean was prepared to be forgiving. Over his shoulder he asked, whatcolour do you Reckon Gypsys foal will be? Garrick accepted the peace-offeringwith relief and they fell into a friendly discussion of this and a dozen otherequally important subjects. They kept running: except for an hour, when theyhad stopped in a shady place by the river to roast and eat a couple of their pheasants,they had run all day.

Up here on the plateau it was grassland that rose andfell beneath them as they climbed the low round hills and dropped into thevalleys. The grass around them moved with the wind: waist-high grass, soft drygrass the colour of ripe wheat. Behind them and on each side the grassland rolledaway to the full range of the eye, but suddenly in front of them was theescarpment. The land cascaded down into it, steeply at first then graduallylevelling out to become the Tugela flats. The Tugela river was twenty milesaway across the flats, but today there was a haze in the air so they could notsee that far. Beyond the river, stretched far to the north and a hundred mileseast to the sea, was Zululand. The river was the border. The steep side of theescarpment was cut by vertical gulleys and in the gulleys grew dense,olive-green bush.