But Leo was fastidious even about the giraffe: he only ate the parts
he liked best, and left the rest for the lower animals.

At other times, when the indolence of his nature overcame him, Leo
would content himself with a young antelope or any other animal which
was easy to capture. When food was scarce he would use the lion's
tactics to get it.

In the first place, he would be very careful to go against the wind,
so that the peculiar odor, which all animals that belong to the cat
tribe have, should be blown behind him, and so not convey any warning
to the animals he was approaching. If he failed to find anything, he
would resort to tactic number two. He would put his huge mouth close
to the ground and roar, moving his head in a half-circle all the time;
by doing this it was impossible for the animals to tell from which
direction the sound came, and, wild with terror, the foolish creatures
would rush out in all directions, very often into Leo's very mouth.

After this he would creep indolently back to his comfortable lair and
have a good, long sleep. For sleep is one of a lion's greatest
enjoyments. He sleeps after a night hunt; sleeps during the heat of
the day; in fact, when there is nothing else to do, and whenever he
has an opportunity. Belonging to the cat tribe, he has the cat's love
of sleep and ease very strongly developed, and is about as indolent an
animal on occasion as can be imagined.

When Leo was fully grown he was a magnificent animal, and even the
other male lions stood in awe of him. He looked what he was--a very
king of lions, when, after a long sleep, he rose up in all his majesty