Botswana

by Keith Hemstreet

  In a single nanosecond the poacher grabbed Wyatt around the neck and put a gun to his head. My heart jumped into my throat. The chopper landed nearby, and three men in military uniforms jumped out. They were armed with rifles and all of them were pointed at Wyatt and the poacher.

  “No, don’t shoot!” I screamed. “He has my brother!”

  The poacher had him in a choke hold and Wyatt’s face was turning bright red. He fought as hard as he could to loosen his grip, but the poacher was much bigger and kept his arm locked tightly around Wyatt’s neck.

  “Come one step closer, and I’ll put a bullet in this kid!” the poacher yelled.

  The anti-poachers stopped but kept their guns aimed at the poacher. Wyatt gasped for breath.

  “Everyone put your guns down, and do it slowly!” the poacher continued.

  They did as he said, laying their guns on the ground. He then motioned to the pilot to keep the helicopter running.

  “Now everyone turn around and lie on the ground! I’m taking the helicopter and if anyone tries to stop me, the kid’s as good as dead!”

  With my legs trembling, I turned around and knelt down slowly. Just as my knee hit the dirt, a shot rang out. I spun around, horrified by what I might see. The poacher let out a scream, staggered, and fell backward, gripping his thigh with both hands. Blood soaked his pants. He’d been shot in the leg!

  I looked around frantically to see where the shot had come from. Jumping from the helicopter was a fourth man in camouflage. He had been hiding behind the seats and held a smoking rifle in his hands.

  The other three men grabbed their rifles and ran to the poacher.

  Chocs, Tcori, and I ran to Wyatt as fast as we could. He was so shaken that he had fallen to the ground and could hardly breathe.

  “Relax,” Chocs said. “It’s all over.”

  I helped Wyatt to his feet.

  “I thought you were dead,” I said.

  “So did I,” Wyatt said, his voice faint and unsteady.

  “I knew that guy was up to no good when I saw him in Maun,” I said, referring to the poacher. “I could tell by looking at him that he was evil. He had the eye of a vulture.”

  The men showed the poacher no sympathy as they tied his hands behind his back and dragged him across the ground to the helicopter.

  The man who shot the poacher walked up and introduced himself.

  “I’m General Mozello,” he said. “We’ve been looking for you. When we got the SOS call from Jubjub, we knew where to find you and came immediately.”

  “Your timing couldn’t have been better,” I said.

  “I wonder how Jubjub knew we were in trouble?” Chocs asked.

  “I sent her an SOS before the poacher took all of our gear,” Wyatt said.

  “That was quick thinking, Wyatt. And very brave of you.”

  “Credit goes to Jubjub for acting on it. I guess she really is a savior.”

  “It seems so,” Chocs said with a smile.

  “General, that was an incredible shot,” Wyatt said. “Please tell me it wasn’t just luck that you hit him and not me.”

  “I am a professional sharpshooter,” said the general, with a smile. “I can shoot a feather off an eagle from a mile away … while it’s flying.”

  He probably wasn’t joking.

  “I don’t know what else to say, but thank you. You saved my life.”

  “Glad I could be of service. A second helicopter will be arriving shortly to take you back to camp.”

  We watched as General Mozello’s men shoved the poacher into the helicopter. He fought and squirmed to break free, but it was useless, as one of the larger anti-poachers had him pinned hard to the floor. As the helicopter lifted off, he stared eerily at us with that dark, sinister eye. I’m sure he was wondering how a couple of kids managed to help thwart his poaching operation, but I suppose he’ll have plenty of time to figure that out in jail.

  WYATT

  AUGUST 30, 8:07 PM

  OKAVANGO DELTA

  19° CELSIUS, 67° FAHRENHEIT

  SKIES CLEAR, WIND CALM

  My parents were waiting anxiously when our helicopter landed at Shinde Camp, as was Jubjub, who ran over and hugged her dad and wouldn’t let go.

  “Oh, it’s so good to see you boys,” my mom said, tears welling up in her eyes.

  “You have no idea how worried we’ve been,” my dad said. “Mom started to think you weren’t going to make it back alive.”

  “We thought the same thing a time or two,” Gannon said.

  “Or three,” I added.

  “I haven’t been able to sleep since we got word that Wyatt was sick,” my mom said. “There were no planes available in the Kalahari for several days, so we drove twelve hours on a safari bus to get here. Some of the Bushmen came with us to make sure Tcori was okay.”

  “Tell us what happened,” my dad said. “We’re dying to know.”

  “Wyatt fought off a croc attack,” Gannon blurted out with a sly grin.

  I just glared at him.

  “Is that true?” my mom asked.

  “No,” I said. “Gannon is just trying to be funny.”

  “Did you find the lioness?” my dad asked.

  “We did,” I said. “And she’s going to be fine.”

  “That’s great news! What about the poacher?”

  “He got shot,” Gannon said matter-of-factly.

  My mom gasped and covered her mouth with her hands.

  “Is he dead?” she asked in horror.

  “No, but he’ll probably walk with a limp the rest of his life.”

  “I can’t believe it,” my dad said, rubbing his head. “You boys are lucky to be alive. If I’d known you were going to be in danger, I would have never let you go.”

  He paced back and forth.

  “What kind of parents are we to send our kids into the African bush when there’s a poacher in the area? I don’t know what we were thinking!”

  “We accomplished our mission and made it back safe,” Gannon said. “That’s all that matters.”

  “Part of me doesn’t want to hear any more of these stories,” my dad said, “but curiosity is going to get the best of me sooner or later. So tell us more about this adventure of yours.”

  “You can read all about it in my journal,” I said. “I’ve got everything documented.”

  “So do I,” Gannon said, handing his journal to our mom.

  “That’s good,” my mom said, “because your English grades depend on it.”

  For the first time in what seemed like forever, we all laughed.

  “You can read them after dinner,” I said. “First things first, we need something to eat.”

  “Yeah, what’s for dinner?” Gannon asked. “We haven’t had a square meal since the baboons invaded our camp and ate all our food.”

  “Baboons ate your food?” my dad asked. “Unbelievable! I’ve got to hear this.”

  “Read our journals.”

  “All right, all right. We’ve got some kudu steaks on the grill. They should be ready soon.”

  “Your sons are brave young men,” Chocs said. “You should be very proud.”

  “We are,” my mom said. “They’re always up for an adventure.”

  “They are true explorers,” Chocs said. “If Dr. Livingstone were alive today, I don’t think he could find two boys better suited for an African expedition than Gannon and Wyatt.”

  GANNON

  After dinner we met several members of Tcori’s family. They had come along with my parents on the safari bus and were relieved to find Tcori safe and sound. As the sky grew dark and the moon rose under the shimmering stars and the air took on a chill, the Bushmen lit a campfire—big and warm and crackling with flames that reached up at the sky—and we all gathered in the red glow of this small inferno and celebrated with traditional song and dance. I grabbed my camera and recorded everyone clapping and cheering and stomping around the fire, but again I couldn’t resist and eventually found
myself dancing right alongside the Bushmen. Not wanting to be outdone by his twin brother, Wyatt brought his awkward moves to the party, looking a lot like a kid who’d woken up with a really stiff neck. Even my parents joined the dance. At least now I know where Wyatt learned his moves.

  The Bushmen celebrate our safe return

  We really couldn’t have asked for a better way to end our first African adventure, and I say first for a reason. I am forever changed at having experienced this incredible place, and we’ve only scratched the surface. Just as so many great explorers returned to this beautiful and mysterious continent again and again, so, too, will we.

  Until next time …

  GANNON & WYATT’S TRAVEL MAP

  AUTHORS’ NOTE

  When we travel, either physically or vicariously through a book or film, we cannot help but be awed by the incredible diversity of our planet. Traveling opens our minds to different ways of thinking and introduces us to different ways of being. Travel presents us with possibilities we may have never considered.

  However, the earth is losing its diversity at an alarming rate. Scientists estimate that since 1970 as much as a third of the world’s wildlife has been lost. Ancient cultures and languages are disappearing as well, and with them thousands of years of wisdom. These cultures have different ways of perceiving life and our connection with nature. In times of rapid global change, such knowledge is more important than ever. In fact, it may offer solutions to some of our greatest challenges.

  By introducing young people to different cultures and environments through storytelling, we hope to plant a seed that will inspire the preservation of biological and cultural diversity on our planet. Two of the last great places we can find such diversity are the Kalahari Desert and Okavango Delta of Botswana. As with any area rich in resources, the Kalahari and Okavango face threats. Poaching, loss of habitat, and human development place pressure on the ecosystem. In the decades to come, younger generations will play a critical role in the fate of such places and the well-being of the planet as a whole. The sooner young people take an interest, the greater the chances that the earth’s wondrous diversity will be preserved for generations to come.

  Gannon and Wyatt in the Okavango Delta, Botswana

  MEET THE “REAL-LIFE” GANNON AND WYATT

  Have you ever imagined traveling the world over? Fifteen-year-old twin brothers Gannon and Wyatt have done just that. With a flight attendant for a mom and an international businessman for a dad, the spirit of adventure has been nurtured in them since they were very young. When they got older, the globe-trotting brothers had an idea—why not share with other kids all of the amazing things they’ve learned during their travels? The result is the book series, Travels with Gannon & Wyatt, a video web series, blog, photographs from all over the world, and much more. Furthering their mission, the brothers also founded the Youth Exploration Society (Y.E.S.), an organization of young people who are passionate about making the world a better place. Each Travels with Gannon & Wyatt book is loosely based on real-life travels. Gannon and Wyatt have actually been to Botswana and tracked rhinos on foot. They have traveled to the Great Bear Rainforest in search of the mythical spirit bear, and explored the ancient tombs of Egypt. During these “research missions,” the authors, along with Gannon and Wyatt, often sit around the campfire collaborating on an adventure tale that sets two young explorers on a quest for the kind of knowledge you can’t get from a textbook. We hope you enjoy the novels that were inspired by these fireside chats. As Gannon and Wyatt like to say, “The world is our classroom, and we’re bringing you along.”

  HAPPY TRAVELS!

  Want to become a member of the

  Youth Exploration Society

  just like Gannon and Wyatt?

  Check out our website. That’s where you’ll learn how to become a member of the Youth Exploration Society, an organization of young people, like yourself, who love to travel and are interested in world geography, cultures, and wildlife.

  The website also includes:

  Information about Botswana, amazing photos of the Kalahari and Okavango Delta, and complete episodes of our award-winning web series shot on location with Gannon and Wyatt!

  BE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT!

  WWW.GANNONANDWYATT.COM

  ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

  We are forever grateful to Doug and Nancy Van Howd for introducing us to the magic of Africa; the Naru people for inviting us into their village and introducing us to the customs of the Kalahari Bushmen; and to John, Sue, Nigel, and Jo Kingsley-Heath for providing what we believe is the best adventure safari on the continent. We’d also like to offer a heartfelt thanks to Tom Wheeler and Heidi Hemstreet for your love, support, and encouragement. We cannot say enough about our wonderful editor, Catherine Frank, and the phenomenal team at Greenleaf Book Group Press. Thank you one and all! And, as always, thank you Gannon and Wyatt for your imaginative contribution to our fireside chats where our African adventure tale was brought to life.

  ABOUT THE AUTHORS

  PATTI WHEELER, began traveling at a young age and has nurtured the spirit of adventure in her family ever since. For years it has been her goal to create children’s books that instill the spirit of adventure in young people. Travels with Gannon & Wyatt are the realization of her dream.

  KEITH HEMSTREET is a writer, producer, and cofounder of the Youth Exploration Society. He attended Florida State University and completed his graduate studies at Appalachian State University. He lives in Aspen, Colorado, with his wife and three daughters.

  Ancient African Currency