King of the Beasts

John Baxter runs a hunting preserve in Africa. One of the ever-present men of the nearby village, Mabenga, tells him that the gods want him to close down and kill no more animals. This is Baxter’s livelihood! He refuses. The old man tells him not doing so is unwise because the gods have ways of making their wishes happen. Things start going bad at the preserve: The lions go missing and there are many cancellations. John blames Mabenga and figures he is looking for cash to return the lions and call off his “gods.” Mabenga swears he has nothing to do with the disappearances and wants nothing from Baxter. Alone one night, Baxter hears lion roars. They’re back! He doesn’t see them on the grounds and soon realizes they are inside. Grabbing his rifle, he prowls the corridors of the preserve’s offices, where he is attacked and killed in the trophy room. The next morning, Baxter’s secretary and Mabenga find his corpse. The Black man notices there is a bloody piece of Baxter’s bathrobe in the mouth of a mounted lion head.