Let us prey (on buffalo)

A foot safari will get you 負かす／撃墜する and dusty with the animals

There was no 活動／戦闘 replay. No slo-mo, 凍結する-でっちあげる，人を罪に陥れる sequence with 緊急の music and breathless commentary to enjoy at home.

It happened too quickly even to snatch a photo. I have only the memory that I was a wonderstruck 証言，証人／目撃する to another frantic two-minute 演劇 on the timeless African 行う／開催する／段階.

Our guide, Debby, had spotted the lioness just a hundred yards away, crouched on the sandy fore-shore of the Luangwa river, ears high and 警報. Is a lion in wait like your cat watching a コマドリ on the lawn? Yes, in the same way a 絵 in the 地元の art club is like the Mona Lisa.

'What's she seen? Can't be that buffalo on the other bank.'

Then a pair of velvety ears began to rise behind a sand bank, 危険に の近くに to the 選挙立会人, followed by the 残り／休憩（する） of the very panicky 長，率いる of a 孤独な puku antelope. It was the 最高の 'Uh-oh!' moment.

Suddenly, pandemonium. The puku, a 0-40mph in two seconds 操作者, 発射 away. In an instant the lion 開始する，打ち上げるd herself off 大規模な hind 脚s and gave chase. They passed 権利 in 前線 of us. Puku - desperate, flat out. Lioness - 焦点（を合わせる）d, paws 続けざまに猛撃するing on the hard sand.

Unlike TV, real-life nature doesn't spare your feelings. This was going to be grisly. Then , midbound, the lioness gave up. She had made an instant judgment. This 追跡（する） wasn't 価値（がある） the extra energy.

The 近づく 犠牲者 slowed to a trot, looked warily 支援する then grabbed a mouthful of grass. 'That,' said Debby, 'is a very lucky puku.'

The morning was young. The Circle of Life had only just started to turn. We 始める，決める off in 選び出す／独身 とじ込み／提出する for our next lucky 下落する into Zambia's South Luangwa 国家の Park, half the size of むちの跡s.

To paraphrase Tim Rice, there was going to be more to see than could ever be seen by the time the heat drove us 支援する to （軍の）野営地，陣営.

It's a 特権 to be on foot in untamed Africa. But with at least a hundred things that could kill you, personal 安全 is 義務的な. Our guard, Amon, walked ahead with his ライフル銃／探して盗む ready. Ison, our 持参人払いの, followed with the personal 慰安s - coffee and cake.

Debby was pointing out the cameo turns. Such as the bird, chirruping 直接／まっすぐに at us 明らかに 勧めるing us to follow it.

David Attenborough （麻薬）常用者s will know this one - the honey guide. If we had followed it would have 結局 led us to a tree with a nest of fearsome African bees. We'd be 推定する／予想するd to break the nest for the honey while the bird got the grubs. That's the 取引，協定.

But she hoped for too much from us. Maybe the birds will 発展させる the 技術 to tell softie tourists from hungry 地元のs.

We stopped for coffee and cake at a lakeside and watched the spoonbills glide in. Some Thorneycroft giraffe were browsing nearby in an ebony grove. Would they come our way? 'They are thinking about it,' said Debby, 'but giraffes 要求する 20 minutes to reach any important 決定／判定勝ち（する）.'

There was excitement even at our feet. First, a recently dead spitting cobra - 'Probably mugged by a hyena,' said Debby. 'It will be 支援する for its meal once we are gone.'

Then, a column of ants flowed across our path like a rivulet in 洪水／多発. Our safari boots threw them into a panic. A 戦略 millions of years old swung into 活動／戦闘. A group of ant 激しいs dashed out of the column to mop up the '脅し' - my bootlaces. 出口 our group, at a quick march.

Some シナリオs can be 減ずるd to a 衝突／不一致 of 最初の／主要な colours. At one watering 穴を開ける, day-old 有望な green leaves, pinged open by last night's にわか雨, stood out against the rich brown 国／地域. A 有望な red バタフライ flitted across, snapped up in 中央の 空気／公表する by an azure-breasted roller which 発射 out of nowhere.

Africa builds a commendable pause into its day. By 10.30 it's too hot to move around, so we 長，率いるd 支援する to （軍の）野営地，陣営 for an 早期に brunch.

We were 見本ing the form of safari that treads lightest on this fabulous habitat. You stay in small but comfortable テントs, take にわか雨s (hot) out of an 総計費 バーレル／樽, visit a loo 削減（する） into the ground and enjoy good cooking around a （軍の）野営地，陣営 解雇する／砲火／射撃.

At 3.30 the 広大な／多数の／重要な African safari day began もう一度. Over tea and cake, Debby hinted that something was up, but she wouldn't tell. We moved off in line into the bush, 用心深い and 静かな. Debby and Amon conversed in low トンs.

As she told us afterwards, the 調印するs were all there for the 技術d guide to 解釈する／通訳する. 'First I heard the 粗野な人間s' alarm calls, which led us in the 権利 direction. Then the guinea fowl started panicking, then the bushbuck.'

After five minutes of tiptoe 跡をつけるing, she turned and whispered to us to 辛勝する／優位 今後 as the birds kept up their calls of ritual panic. 'There, in that （疑いを）晴らすing. She hasn't caught our scent yet.'

Many creatures on this continent are 候補者s for 'most magnificent', but I 反抗する you not to be 減ずるd to 膝-quivering 賞賛 by this one. 最高の，を越す of Africa's stealth 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）, the ヒョウ. As if it was a 慰安, Debby pointed out that her tail was curling 上向きs. This is the 同等（の） of a taxi with its light turned off - 'It tells anything 近づく that her stomach is 十分な and she isn't 追跡（する）ing.'

I imagined the surround-sound of 恐れる if the ヒョウ had 現実に been hungry. This is a big year for Zambia, the 150th 周年記念日 of David Livingstone's 発見 of Victoria 落ちるs. As the country 運動s 今後 its 観光旅行，事業 economy, African stalwarts such as Debby, ten years in the bush, are helping to train young guides from the 地元の villages, whose 関与 in 自然保護 is excellent news in this troubled continent.

Next day we took a lateafternoon game 運動. Peter, our driver, 名簿（に載せる）／表（にあげる）d the 指名するs of exotic birds like an actor reciting Shakespeare. No commentary needed for the warthog - わずかに comical with its rugby-今後 build and vertical tail but also 脅迫的な with its curved tusks - and making straight for us. Fortunately you are 安全な from most things in a Landcruiser, except a rampaging elephant.

We passed a 大規模な baobab tree from which a 抱擁する 戦争の eagle frowned 負かす／撃墜する on us from 100ft while 熟考する／考慮するing the menu below. 'Hmm, today perhaps vervet monkey. Or maybe a choice baby warthog.'

不明瞭 fell. Our driver shone a スポットライト on 代案／選択肢 Africa. We saw shy nocturnal scrub hare, white tail mongoose and hippos 失敗ing around out of their element. 粘着するing high up in a sausage tree was a bush baby, betrayed by doleful 注目する，もくろむs the size of saucers.

In the bush you go to bed 早期に because the break of day should not be 行方不明になるd. I fell asleep to a strange lullaby from two eagle フクロウs.

An 激しい starry night morphed into the magical, creamy light of pre-夜明け. I 長，率いるd for breakfast around the （軍の）野営地，陣営 解雇する／砲火／射撃. There was 地元の honey with the toast. Did one of the （軍の）野営地，陣営 staff follow that honey guide after all?

Below us two hippos 反抗するd the 法律s of 本体，大部分／ばら積みの and stepped like ballerinas into the river. A man 押し進めるd his fishing boat into the lazy drift. Another fabulous day in Africa was beginning.

Travel Facts

British 航空路s (0870 850 9850, www.ba.com) 申し込む／申し出s return flights from London Heathrow to Lusaka, Zambia's 資本／首都 city, from £556.

< strong>Cox & Kings (020 7873 5000, www.coxandkings.co.uk) 申し込む／申し出s a ten-day 一括, 含むing foot safaris, with コマドリ ローマ法王 Safaris (www.robinpopesafaris.逮捕する) in the South Luangwa Valley from £1,895.This 含むs return flights with BA from Heathrow to Lusaka, 内部の flights, 移転s, seven nights'accommodation on a fullboard basis and guided safaris.

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