- 2 days ago
Africa Speaks (1930) is a classic documentary adventure capturing rare footage of wildlife, tribal life, and exploratory journeys across the African continent. Known for its raw and dramatic scenes, this film offers a unique glimpse into early expedition filmmaking and remains one of the most iconic travel documentaries of its era.
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Short filmTranscript
00:00.
00:30The actual starting place of the expedition in Africa is the little village of Arkeza,
00:43in equatorial heat, on the mudflats of the Niger River, and we are already over 10,000
00:49miles 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.
01:14Yet there are light spots in this dark land.
01:17Here is a beauty parlor.
01:19She doesn't put in permanent waves.
01:22She's paid for trying to take them out.
01:26Anyway, she's trying to take out something.
01:31And here is the original tailor of two suits for the price of one thing.
01:36While he weaves a pair of trousers on his ancient foot power loom, his customer in the background
01:42waits in his other suit.
01:47This little group of elephant tusks is worth over $10,000.
01:51Each pair represents the death of a four-ton animal.
01:55Here we charter an old-time wood-burning sternwheeler, which will carry the expedition approximately
02:02500 miles up the Niger River.
02:04From that point, we will travel by truck, and the foot safari will carry the supplies.
02:10Hundreds of gallons of gasoline and oil for the truck must be transported and deposited
02:16at convenient points along our proposed route, in this manner or on the backs of our native quarters.
02:24We engage most of the town's population at 25 cents a day to chop wood for the boat and gather
02:32the drift logs from along the river banks in their primitive canoes, which are hollowed out of a single tree.
02:45The foot safari of 200 natives are chosen from various tribes, and the immense amount of necessary
02:51supplies are divided into small loads, which they can carry on their backs far in advance of the truck
02:57and sound equipment. The fact that each tribe speaks a different language lessens the possibility
03:03of them all striking 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 to Niger,
03:19and into the heart of the dark continent. Then we will begin our great trek across equatorial Africa,
03:27where man is the prey of animals and animals the prey of man. Africa the unknown. The crossing of the
03:34Shari River presented a problem until we found a trader with a small portable motor attached to a rowboat.
03:41Our own men fashioned a flimsy raft of three dugout canoes, which didn't look very safe but was better
03:48than nothing at all. So we put the truck on and took the chance of walking back if anything happened in
03:54midstream. Goodbye everybody! However, many trips landed everything safely, and on the other side we met some lonesome
04:04Frenchman who treated us to wine and a very fine dinner. They were surprised to find that we had come all the way
04:12from the west coast by motor. At last we arrive on the edge of the great Eturi forest, in which elephants,
04:20the largest of all animals, and pygmies, the smallest of men, are found.
04:24The trail of the elephant is easy to follow, for they trample down everything in their way.
04:35Larger in size, but comparable in bulk to the rhino, elephants differ greatly in brains.
04:49They are the wise are the most stupid.
04:58Their sight is very bad, but their scent and hearing are highly developed,
05:02making them most dangerous animals to approach.
05:18A family like this are very loyal comrades. They have been known to carry a wounded pal away from danger,
05:25supporting his immense body between them at the risk of their own lives.
05:29The African elephant, unlike his Indian namesake, has never been successfully trained for the use of man.
05:40Until recent years, ivory hunters penetrated the haunts of the elephant for centuries,
05:45killing millions of these majestic mammoths and taking away nothing but their tusks.
05:50We have been unable to find a route through the dense forest to the pygmy village, so we seized this
06:00opportunity to bribe our way with salt, which necessity of life is very difficult for them to obtain.
06:05They love it like a child's candy. It's very scarce in the forest.
06:21The horse.
06:38He says he'll take us to the pygmy clearing if we bring plenty of salt.
06:42we better bring plenty of water something tells me he's going to be plenty thirsty
06:51finally our little guide brought us to a clearing in the center of the deepy
06:59tori forest and hundreds of pygmies came from all directions to greet us
07:04the average height is a little over four feet and they rarely weigh more than 75 pounds
07:12but they are well proportioned and comparatively strong this is the smallest tribe of people in
07:18the world they live in plans 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 succession
07:48just like the crown heads of europe he is honoring us by coming in from the depths of his forest
07:54capital we wanted to pay our respects to his majesty there but the darkness in the interior
08:00makes photography impossible and the king graciously offered to come to us in the clearing
08:05he 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 besides supplying music for the dance
08:22these great tom-toms boom out messages in a code similar to our telegraphy
08:31everybody dances in pigmy land and they're chanting while not particularly harmonious
08:37has a fast rhythm that makes the feet want to do things
08:40these are the original hot dogs
08:50the pigmies have practiced companionate marriage for centuries long before judge lindsay was ever heard
08:56of if 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 he gets two for safety's sake to ensure a son
09:12and future king these are the queen they are very modest and shy when the king is around
09:20according to scientists who have made a study of the past history of this race the pigmy is not really a negro
09:32and their faces certainly show a great similarity to nearly every other nationality in the world
09:43less than two thousand of this particular tribe are known to exist
09:48and until our visit no one ever knew the proper tribal name which is ifi ifi
09:56here is an unusual fact this peculiar style of wrestling is exactly the same as a very popular sport
10:04in japan called rice wrestling and here we find it in the center of africa 10 000 miles away
10:11the idea of the thing is the first one who is thrown off his feet is the loser
10:18of the way they make everything that they use and the jungle furnishes them with food here they are
10:24constructing arrows the shafts are made from the hearts of palm trees which are strong light and durable
10:33look at these beautiful teeth a dentist in africa would have a great chance to starve to death
10:40they mine and smelt their own iron which they mold into arrowheads
10:50the big savage in the center is the official poison mixer for the whole tribe he actually stands only
10:57five feet ten inches but the difference in height is so noticeable that he looks like a giant beside them
11:04this man belongs to another tribe and is maintained by the pygmies for one purpose
11:11he mixes the poison then they dip their arrows into it and put the blame on him for whatever they kill
11:17their own conscience is clear because the force of the arrow will not cause death but the poison does
11:24that's their way of escaping responsibility darn clever these pygmies the large mound with the little house
11:34on it in the background is a great anthill this is where we lived while here they shoot very accurately
11:42but depend more on the poison than the force pulled by their fat tummies
11:56but it is very hard to get close enough to photograph them any unusual noise on the sounds of every description
12:18a cheetah slinks off uttering is odd bird-like call
12:22unusual and rare baby bat-eared foxes run for their dugout where they huddle close together and cry
12:30plaintively in fear for their lives
12:37even a herd of ostriches glide by the huge pads on their feet muffle the sound and they make great speed
12:45in their springy strutting manner
12:51it's like mother nature holds a grudge against the zebra its glaring stripes make it an outstanding
12:56target for beasts of prey in search of food almost powerless when attacked by a lion but oh boy they kick
13:04and bite viciously when bothered by other animals zebras in zoos over here rarely make any kind of a sound
13:13but this shrill bark is common both day and night in africa the sprite patterns are like human
13:20fingerprints no two are found alike
13:28they are often found grazing in company with a herd of topi which are similar to a large american deer
13:34these two widely separated species often fight together against their common enemy the lion
13:43the ripples across the picture in the background are heat waves for it is 130 in the shade and we never
13:50found much of that not the least bit camera conscious just the born actor
13:57his 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
14:12though lions kill hundreds of thousands for food each year the zebra still survives and increases in
14:27number and their pounding hoofs in mad stampede can be heard on all the belts of africa
14:32the original rubberneck you can't get close to a giraffe without him seeing you but their curiosity is
14:47stronger than their fear and often they'll stand a hundred yards away and gaze steadily down at you
14:53they are natural born reachers they will drink every day if near water but they can get along without
15:03it for weeks at a time thereby making a monkey out of the camel a full-grown giraffe is the tallest animal
15:10on the face of the earth often standing nearly 16 feet high
15:18hunters rarely kill these harmless monsters but the natives often do
15:22for the hide makes a bullwhip 30 feet long without a break
15:35riot
15:46but these two lions are stuck with food and lazy they're just looking for a shady place
15:52to snooze
15:56but mr giraffe doesn't trust them he just remembers a very important business engagement elsewhere
16:04for such awkward bodies they can make great speed
16:07sometimes traveling as fast as 40 miles an hour our microphone registers only the hoofbeats
16:13for giraffes having no vocal cords cannot utter a sound they're just naturally dumb
16:19but not quite as dumb as the yokel who first saw one in a circus and said there ain't no such animal
16:33here is a marvelous chance to study their peculiar rocking horse gallop
16:37all four feet are never off the ground at one time
16:41they were once called camel leopards due to their leopard spots and their unusual ability to go without water
16:48the youth legs long neck and sloping back make the giraffe appear clumsy but 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 with a glass of water between their horns and not spill a drop
17:08once underway these great runners are hard to stop and they have often hung themselves on the telegraph wires
17:16of the new railroad which has been started from the indian ocean coast
17:20the little youngsters keep up with the old folks even leading at time
17:39here is a sure enough neck and neck race with the little fellow trying to hitch on behind
17:46if he only had sent he'd grab that tail
17:53flamingos by the million
17:59each bird stands nearly four feet high and weighs about 30 pounds but the flesh is odorous
18:06and unfit to each it looks like the parade of the wooden soldiers
18:10they appear to be floating but in reality they are
18:28it is an amazing sight to watch a flock numbering hundreds of thousands
18:32suddenly lift themselves into the air so thick that they hide the sun
18:36thick is the reality of an artist's dream a golden sun fades to a lovely pink in natural harmony with
18:43the color of the flamingo that wing their way in vivid circles but always within sight of the lake
18:49which is their home in life and their grave and death
18:53watch the fish trying to gain the upper water so they can spawn in the place where they were born
18:58oh how would you like to have that baby on your own 50 miles below the falls the nile spreads out into a flat virgin wooded valley
19:15unusual trees such as this dot the shores and in the interior a short distance are almost impassable papyrus swamps
19:22it is here that the famous tetsu fly which causes sleeping sickness breeds and the far-famed white rhinoceros makes his home
19:33here he is the square-lip or so-called white rhino he is much larger than the common black variety and less
19:41than 200 are known to exist gosh that's a big one what do you think he weighed oh about three times
19:53gene all bulk and no brains
20:03charming fellow he'd like to make friends with you in his own way thick-skinned and bad-tempered
20:11this most weird survivor of prehistoric animals is rapidly becoming extinct
20:16the horns are not bones but consists of thickly compressed hair which is valued at three times
20:22the price of ivory because it is shipped to china where it is considered the greatest of all medicine
20:27curro i am p-a-l-l-a impala the most graceful of all the antelope family
20:38they always travel in herds of a hundred or more through a park-like country
20:42i'll make them show some action be careful don't hit them i won't
20:50when frightened they jump much like a kangaroo
20:53but infinitely more graceful the natives call this the dance of the impala
20:58but we call it the dance of the leaping leaners
21:06look at that baby jump
21:12if you notice folks the one without a hat is a distant relative to the mexican jumping beam
21:20no authority seems to know why the impalas jump
21:23it's just another of those unexplainable mysteries of african animal life
21:30when they stop no amount of outside interference can stop them again
21:39sometimes they jump backwards to keep the dust out of their eyes
21:42they almost seem to have wings as they literally glide through space
21:54their live bodies sail through the air for as much as 40 feet in a single jump
21:59and 12 to 15 feet high but sometimes higher in the spring
22:03they jump higher on their mother's side than they do on their father's side
22:20here's a great job for a cowboy breaking in one of these things
22:24it's probably something they ate last night
22:35there goes three of them up together
22:40lions eat very few impalas because the impalas keep him on the jump
22:44and the lion goes crazy trying to catch up
22:56like a buffalo they act like a cow and make a noise like a lion
23:01all of which means that something went wrong somewhere
23:07with their shaggy manes and heavy forequarters they remind one of the american buffalo
23:13but only at a distance for they are much smaller
23:17they always roam through fairly open country and great herds
23:21and when the sun is in back of them their white bears make them visible for miles
23:28though they have a placid cow-like expression they will charge without no
23:32and fight together have been known to kill a lion dozens of them huddle under one small tree
23:38to escape the terrific heat for she is scarce
23:47though there are many hardships connected with an expedition of this kind
23:51the charm of africa lies in the ever-changing things of interest
23:54you never know what to expect just around the corner
24:01paul what is it look at those big grasshoppers grasshoppers nothing those are ibersteinian locusts
24:12the whole belt was totally black with them we'll have to cover everything up come on
24:17go and get that camera quick sorry you have to cover that truck with the cameras and tie it down tight
24:26all right all right yongo come on i'll go hurry up
24:35get all that crap quick come on pull it right there come on with that camera
24:38i'll help them on the front get over there get this rope go around there mickey hurry up
24:46got it
24:50tomorrow i will bring locusts unto thy coast and they shall eat every tree which groweth for you
24:57out of the field this tremendous swarm is just such a visitation of locusts
25:03as moses called down to punish the wicked pharaoh of egypt 3500 years ago they'll be honest in a minute
25:12let's photograph them on the inside
25:27the windows of the tent were especially constructed of flexible ising glass
25:32through which photography is possible
25:37swarm such as this have been known to be 50 miles in width and a hundred miles long
25:42and often they'll fly several hundred miles in a day
25:46they strike terror into the hearts of man and beast
25:49and natives in a stricken territory watch with feverish anxiety as the creatures fly overhead
25:56praying that they will continue their flight without a lighting to devour their crops and ruin
26:01their food supply
26:05they hit the tent like hailstone
26:10are the boys safe yes i put them in the cab of the truck
26:16like an enormous storm of black flakes they cover the earth in a ravenous horse
26:20eating every bit of grass in their past
26:22every animal leaves the stricken area and hundreds die in their frantic efforts to shake off the pests
26:43clouds of countless billions literally hide the sun and every modern resource of science has failed to combat them
26:50for no one knows from whence they came or where they go
27:02hand 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
27:17it is estimated that there are about 60 000 locusts to the square yard
27:22and a swarm such as this covers millions and millions of square yards
27:26like the bible plague of old the present plague is no respecter of race creed or country
27:41the stampeding will the beasts raise clouds of giant hoppers which have settled on the ground the frantic
27:48animals 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
28:06settling on every bit of green vegetation in the countryside
28:10they break strong branches of trees by the sheer weight of their countless numbers
28:14and the 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 trees
28:27and in 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
28:40to record and photograph this 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
28:59and there remain not any green thing either tree or herb of the field through all the land
29:07and the fields of the forest of the forest with their crops and food supply ruined overnight
29:13whole tribes of natives have been caught in a 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 country
29:28to our next supply station
29:30after many days of travel in equatorial heat we climbed to the summit of the banalgi mountains
29:36Below is the Tanganyika Valley of Lions, and here among the tribe of Maasai, the most profound
29:42tragedy of the entire trip took place.
29:45And here in the shelter of a great rock, the Maasai's builder Minyatta, or thorn-enclosed
29:51village, which houses the old men, women, and children of this famous cattle-raising
29:55tribe.
29:56This Minyatta 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.
30:09In the evening, the entrance gate is also plugged with the thorn bushes, and the cattle are herded
30:14into the center, where they are comparatively safe through the night of marauding lions
30:20in search of food.
30:21The whole assembly is only a temporary city, for when the grass is gone from the nearby fields,
30:28the entire tribe moves to a new location.
30:31A Maasai prices his cattle rather more than his wives, and he has about the same number
30:37ahead 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
30:51honey 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.
31:03It 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 adornments of the Maasai women, and their social standing
31:33is braided 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.
31:52The cattle spend the night in the circle of thorns, and at daybreak they are turned loose
31:57to graze on the plains.
32:02No Maasai ever eats meat.
32:04They live entirely on an atrocious curd made from milk and blood, both of which are drawn
32:10from the cows.
32:12Even in times of starvation and drought, they die by hunters 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,
32:36Kega, 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 stay
32:49away 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 warriors.
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 who
33:19also 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 or
33:30molesters 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 pictures
33:44and 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.
34:03Kager, our Maasai boy, had chosen the location of our boma, or Thornbush Protection, near a
34:09stone salt lake where a group of lions were in the habit of coming.
34:16On his anthill throne he scans his whelm, always in search of an unwary wildebeest, zebra or warthog,
34:23which will afford a target for his hunting skill or satisfy his enormous appetite.
34:31They prefer zebra meat to any, and kills like this are to be seen nearly every day.
34:37Next to the zebra, palmless gazelles make easy prey for even the smallest of the killers.
34:44A hungry lion will stalk and kill any animal it sees, and there are few with the exception
34:49of the rhino and elephant, which are comparatively safe.
34:55Truly the king of beasts, flesh-eating and blood-drinking, but now a picture for an artist's eye.
35:08Though she appears as gentle as a tabby cat, the female is more deadly than the male.
35:15Look.
35:16She sees us.
35:17Quiet.
35:18Look out.
35:19Here is a remarkable photograph.
35:33Two lions have made a wildebeest kill.
35:38And the herd can be seen in the background, even 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, carrying
35:56a 200-pound gazelle in her teeth.
36:00Lions are not supposed to be able to climb trees.
36:03But how would you like to be where the meat is?
36:17The heat at all times is almost unbearable to both men and beasts.
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.
36:30Lions are rarely found in large numbers, and it is quite unusual to photograph seven at
36:40one time.
36:44At three months of age, the cubs cry for meat, and mother must provide, for these have not
36:50yet reached the age when they can make a kill of their own.
36:57While we were in the boma, the lions inspected our truck, even attempting a small attack on
37:14this unusual stranger.
37:29They tore off a spare tire and slyly took a little nibble at it.
37:36They see much surprise when it doesn't bite back.
37:43There is a widespread belief that lions live in the jungle.
37:56Though the truth is just the opposite, they are always found in open, grassy plains.
38:01Because the lion is a meat-eater, and he feeds entirely on animals, which in turn live off
38:06the virgin grass of the open country.
38:08She carries this 200 pounds of dead weight like a house cat would a mouse.
38:27But lions never tease a victim.
38:30They break the neck instantly, with a tremendous swipe of the paw, and eat what they want almost
38:35immediately.
38:40Others have caught the scent of the kill, and come in uninvited to attend the banquet.
38:50But shooting the prowlers of the plains with a camera is much more difficult than with a gun,
38:55and brings one in closer contact with them.
39:02There are no place cards at this feast.
39:05But despite their noticeable lack of manners, it is a remarkable fact that they seldom quarrel
39:11over a kill, but share it amicably.
39:17How great is a lion's appetite that he must make a kill every two days in order to exist.
39:23The thousands of lions in this section kill hundreds of thousands of animals each year,
39:28for food alone.
39:31In their natural state, active lions are seldom found with great shaggy manes,
39:36like those in a zoo, because the long hair is caught on bushes and torn by the thorn trees.
39:42They are not confronted with great shaggy men.
39:45They are not никогда!
39:49Take it! Get rifles from a motorcar! Quick!
39:52Take it! Get rifles from a motorcar, quick!
39:54Look out, Charlie!
40:24Look out, Charlie!
40:54The Boma! Quick!
41:03One big male even followed us toward the Boma.
41:06It is very interesting to watch a lion shy at the sight of thorn bushes when he will charge straight at a firing revolver.
41:13After reloading our revolvers, it was useless to continue the battle because it was already too late to do anything for poor Kager.
41:24Handicapped as we were, with the rifles in the truck, we were forced to wait the rest of the afternoon for the lions to leave.
41:35Finally, five out of the six, which were around us, trooped off behind the leader.
41:42Only one of the man-eaters remained at the kill.
41:46In the way, a flock of vultures awaited his departure.
41:49And behind them, in the distance, a ring of cowardly hyenas also awaited his turn.
41:55It's gonna be tough to tell the poor old chief about Kager.
42:20Come on, let's go.
42:30The Code of the Savage, a slave for a life.
42:38The council of the elders are meeting to decide which of the younger warriors shall be sent out after the lions.
42:45They have long been accustomed to kill with the spear.
42:49Lions with the man-eaters on their cattle.
42:52Ah!
42:53Sorry!
42:54I'm sorry!
42:55I'm sorry!
42:56There's sadly a welcome of the council.
43:00Any of Kager's older kin now passed their would be willing to young warriors in the hunt.
43:06Yes, sir.
43:07But have already been sent to the huts of the El Moran lion hunters.
43:12For this honor serves solely for them.
43:15The fence made of ostrich feathers and is as necessary to hunt as the spear.
43:20The Maasai El Moran love a battle, but not all of them are allowed to go on the hunt.
43:25Great honor!
43:26And the chief only take along those chosen by the council.
43:30Most of the younger warriors wear headdresses made from the manes of the land they have killed.
43:47All their lives they have lived.
43:49Foods, blood, milk, and water.
43:51And they are as fit as lions they hunt.
43:54Cruel and fearless.
43:56They let us come along to photograph the hunt.
43:59Only on our solemn bus, not to shoot the lion.
44:07The faces, legs, and chest painted red, yellow, and white.
44:10With a substance made from the ashes of previously lions.
44:14Naked, half-naked, with girdles of leopard skin.
44:18Buffalo hide shields colored with bold patterns carrying a long bladed spear.
44:26For now, master of the one, the terror that stalks by night.
44:31This grim lord of slaughter is doomed at the hands of the only foe.
44:36This is the challenge.
44:39Under the Europeans.
44:42Like half-naked, with a young love.
44:42It seems so tore.
44:45This dance was elimusted.
44:46This is the battle of their children.
44:47The country is theаниce of the Germans.
44:49Madness and farmers willALffe the women in our country.
44:52In uniform, the centeriziaries cue their Centre to eat.
44:56Understand theinasiden of pioneers and denominators enables,
45:01ma-w Até-hílá, páháá-vá-hílá
45:08ma-w-vá-ti-ká-lá
45:12kísr-seb-rácílá
45:15Tátá-táává-tává-t-nává
45:20alá fíl-e hílá
45:24ma-wá-m-vá-ti-ká-lá
45:28kísr-seb-rácílá
45:31God bless you, God bless you.
45:36God bless you, God bless you, God bless you, God bless you.
45:47All morning the tireless Maasai warriors
45:51have advanced across the rolling grassy plains and long lines.
45:56Beating across a circle 12 miles in diameter,
46:00Lies panthers, their great muscles rippling under their smooth, dark skin.
46:06Suddenly, a short distance ahead, a great female spied us and died off to the right.
46:12We were trying to shoot her, but we could not break our problem with the Maasai chieftain.
46:19Now the hunter's divide form the final circle around the east.
46:23The razor's sharp spearhead like silver in the sun rays, and their savage yells become shrill in the anticipation of victory.
46:32The lioness takes temporary refuge in the Kuwait.
46:36And now we see that there are two of them, but it is too late to inform the Maasai.
46:44In small groups, the spearmen come closer and gradually form the ring of death.
46:49One by one, they take their ring, and each, when he is near enough, crouches behind his shield.
47:00Spear 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 braced themselves for the shock of the rushing charge.
47:15The lioness watches them closely, and seemingly withholding her charge until they are ready.
47:26At last, the tense ring is complete.
47:30It is a wild sight, the ring of spearmen intent, silent, bent on blood, and in the center, a great man-killing beast.
47:38This ring, once formed, must not be broken, for the man who steps back, in the face of a charge, is forever branded a coward.
47:48Finally, with a tremendous roar, she charges.
47:52The crowded moment begins. The leader plunges his beast.
47:58He's down. His shield protects him. He's up again. Not a man's back.
48:04The frozen spears drive clear to the ferocious beast.
48:07Look out! There's another!
48:11Look out! There's another!
48:14It's the male. Fighting to protect his own.
48:26Look out! He's got another one.
48:29Quick as lightning beam spears flash again.
48:31Even as he pulled his death to fight the spear.
48:34The first half dozen spears have done the work, and Kager is avenged.
48:50The whole thing is over in 30 seconds, but in session.
48:54We're excited and wild with savage, and we wondered if to us next.
48:58The chief takes away the knife, whose wild frenzy seems to be getting the best of him.
49:05Strange to say, the victors appear unhappy over their victory, for the lion is a symbol to them of everything great.
49:21And they worship his power with deep respect.
49:24Finally, the end of this day of thrills is the Maasai tribute to their fallen foes.
49:33Reverently, they move the cocks of the lion to sit on another spot than that on which it died.
49:38On which it died.
49:39On which it died.
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