I thought the four-week voyage would never end. So eager was I to reach Africa that at times the ship seemed caught in the water like a leaf endlessly turning around in a pool. I ate my chocolates, read my books, dined, and chatted with the other passengers, but my mind was always sailing ahead of the ship. Would I be able to rebuild Tumaini? Would the lives of the Kikuyu and Masai be safe in my hands? Would the Kikuyu and Masai trust me? One day I answered the questions one way and the next day another way. I was like the leopard at the moment before it springs, tasting only what was to come.
Dose The whole sentence in bold mean: I was like a leopard that still has not jumped to his prey and did not know what his prey is and at last taste something that he hunt??
Source: Listening for Lions by Gloria Whelan