by T. M. Clark
‘We’ve started a Sunday drive club, where we take anyone who’s not on duty out into the bush for a few hours, so that they can experience what everyone else does. He and I think the same: unless your local population loves the game and wants to protect it, you’ll never stop the bush-meat trade. It’s seen as a commodity, but if they can see value in it and develop a relationship with it, then half your battle is won. Same goes for the poaching for rhino horn.’
‘What were the Magnificent Seven really like?’ Chloe asked.
‘Big. Old. Extremely large and heavy tusks. I imagine that long ago when the slave traders raided these areas of people, and they collected ivory, that much of what they took was from elephants like those guys. These days there are far fewer big tuskers. I don’t know if it’s a certain DNA within them that’s been hunted out, or if it’s an age thing, where they are not getting as old as they once did. But most elephants we see don’t get anywhere near the length or weight of the tusks of those old guys.’
‘It’s really sad that they have to die just for their teeth,’ Chloe said.
The radio crackled to life just as they crossed the river near the Tshokwane Picnic Site. Dave was out on patrol with a unit, and had spotted their lights and was reporting their movement heading north.
‘Shit, keep quiet,’ Nick said, taking the radio in hand. ‘Dave, it’s Nick, I’m the lights you see.’
‘Izzit. Seriously, boet? Aren’t you supposed to be on leave?’
‘Ja, man, Khululani got the truck working, and we were testing it by going to Satara to collect a Land Rover they were having trouble with. Stupid thing broke down again, but he got it running so I figured I’d push through. Also got held up with a night patrol of a huge herd of buffalo.’
‘You’re lucky it wasn’t a black rhino. Was in that area today and there was one pissed-off old oke strutting his stuff,’ Dave said. ‘Don’t know what pushed his buttons, but he was gatvol of the world around him.’
‘Haven’t come across him yet.’
‘As long as you’re good, you take care with that truck, boet,’ Dave said. ‘Have a jol on leave.’
Party? Yeah sure, if only Dave knew …
‘We will, good night,’ Nick said, and ended the communication. ‘That was a close one. I just hope as we press north that the other rangers along the way are just as trusting.’
They lapsed into silence, and while the lights of the truck picked up the odd spotted hyena, or a nightjar sitting in the road, the animals stayed mostly in the bush. Slowly Nick turned east, towards the service roads and the Mozambique fence line.
He stopped where he knew the park ended. He was certain he was in the right place because he could see a few men with flashlights and a Land Rover blocking the road, their AK-47s pointed at his truck.
He cut the engine.
‘General Vareya is the commander of a RENAMO stronghold adjacent to this part of the park. I’ll go speak to him; he knows Khululani and me. It’s a good thing Enoch and Xo thought to pick up some whisky. Don’t come out unless I tell you, and keep your dad quiet; I’m not sure they understand brain damage when he won’t talk to them, and they might see it as being rude,’ he warned Chloe.
He jumped down, slammed the door closed and walked to the back of the truck and got the bottles from Enoch, then he and Khululani walked confidently towards the armed blockade.
Nick’s heart beat loudly and all he could hear was the blood rushing through his ears, but he stayed on the road and forced one leg in front of the other, hoping that this was the right person meeting him and that Khululani’s message had got through to the general in the short amount of time they’d had, and not someone else about to ambush them.
‘This is good that it is you, Khululani,’ General Vareya said as he stepped out from the armed group. Vareya was about sixty. He was well built, and his origins were from further up Africa, probably Kenya, unlike the Makuleke people who were employed at the park. He was taller than most of the men around him, too.
‘Yebo, Vareya, it is good to see you,’ Khululani said. ‘I was not sure that my message had been received, or if you would help me.’
‘Eish! I owe you. Perhaps now we can call it even. You saved my life once before, and the lives of many of my men, this is the least I can do when you call for help,’ General Vareya said.
‘Believe me, I appreciate it,’ Khululani said as he shook hands with the general. Vareya was looking stressed in the lamplight, his hair greyer than when Nick and Khululani had seen him last, and perhaps a bit leaner, too. He was an active general, one who led his troops by example, and ran with them when he needed to, rather than sitting in some office commanding from afar. Nick admired him for that selfless determination, and that he still believed in a cause.
‘Nick, good to see you. But I cannot believe that Khululani dragged you into woman troubles. Here I thought that his womanising days were done, and he would die saving the Kruger Park with you.’
Khululani smiled. ‘There are not many secrets left between this boy and this old man. But, I need to tell you that these woman troubles are Nick’s, and I share them because he is my brother.’
‘That is good to know. I was wondering why you had woman troubles at your age.’ General Vareya laughed. ‘Your troubles. Nick’s troubles. They are the same-same. I have something that you need. This is Filipe. He is like a son to me. Take him with you as your guide for when you cross back into Mozambique. He has both our uniform and the FRELIMO one. He can fit in with both our factions; we call him the chameleon. He will get you safely through Coutada 16 and those FRELIMO bastards.’
‘You’re giving us a guide?’ Nick asked.
‘Khululani has helped me in the past. Without him, I would have been captured and tortured by FRELIMO. That debt needs to be taken seriously. All my men can see that I pay my debts.’
‘Thank you,’ Nick and Khululani said together.
‘It is a deal, then. Pass over that whisky. It has been too long since I had some good stuff, and I see you brought me cigarettes, too. Ah—South African Dunhills, one of my favourites.’
‘I remembered. I do not forget much either, just like you.’ Khululani laughed and handed over the bottles.
‘We cannot guarantee when we’ll get Filipe back to you,’ Nick said. ‘Does he understand what might happen if he’s captured here on South African or on Zimbabwean soil? When you cannot help him?’
‘He knows. He is willing to risk his life for you and Khululani because I have saved his life, too. Now I want to meet this lady who you men are willing to get into so much trouble for.’
Nick shook his head. ‘Can you guarantee she’ll still be safe if you have seen her face and you get captured?’
‘No. You are correct. Perhaps better to send her my regards and tell her one day we will dance at her and Nick’s wedding, in a more peaceful time.’
Nick smiled. An image of Chloe with her natural black hair against a white wedding dress filled his head, but he shook it away, instead hoping like hell that she couldn’t hear the conversation, because he didn’t want her sprinting like a cheetah to get away from him.
They shook hands, and Filipe—who was dressed as a game ranger in khaki overalls—walked with them towards the truck, his small pack all that he carried.
‘You can travel in the back for now. You’re not afraid of horses, are you?’ Nick asked.
‘I have donkeys in my hometown near Vilankulo,’ Filipe said, and as they neared, Nick heard the distinctive sound of hunting rifles being unloaded.
Evidently, Enoch and Xo were watching out for Chloe even from the back of the vehicle. A white man going across the countryside in and out of Mozambique and border jumping was madness. Escorting a young white lady and her five horses across that same land was an absurdity. Trusting General Vareya’s ‘son’ to see them all the way through Mozambique safely was total lunacy.
* * *
They continued to trek north; the going was slow, and
eventually, Chloe nodded off to sleep. Nick watched as she fought it but ultimately was lulled under by the hum of the diesel engine. He tried hard not to pull away when her head rested against his shoulder, not used to the heat that she generated against him, but getting used to the idea of always having her there with him really fast.
‘Wake up, sleepy head; we’re almost at the Nwanetsi River. You guys are going to need to offload the horses to rest them,’ Nick said reluctantly a few hours later. The moon was close to setting in the west.
‘Sure,’ Chloe said, taking Nick’s offered hand to avoid tumbling out of the truck.
He noticed how warm her hand was, and that she didn’t rush to remove it from his, before she began stretching and rubbing at her leg where the stitches obviously still irritated her.
Nick had already begun opening the back and securing the flap so that the horses could be unloaded. The darkness of the night showed that it was just before dawn.
Ethel got out first, guiding Mike, her arm tucked into his. She carried out a camp chair with her, and while she attempted to get Mike to walk for a little while, she soon gave up. He was tired, so she seated him instead, right next to the ramp going into the truck, and started to rub his legs.
‘How’s he been?’ Chloe asked.
‘He slept most of the way, which is easier for him. I think it is better for him in the back here where he has more room, and he seems happy to be with his horse,’ Ethel said.
Chloe smiled. ‘He has always loved Diablo, from the first time he saw him.’
The horses pranced and neighed softly, wanting reassurance from the humans that this was a safe place to offload. They were stiff from the long trip and just needed to be walked a little to loosen up.
‘Chloe, this is Filipe,’ Nick said, introducing the guide as he climbed out of the back.
‘Nice to meet you,’ she said, shaking his hand. ‘I take it Enoch or Xo told you that he doesn’t talk?’
‘Yes. I’ll be very careful with your father,’ Filipe said.
Xo and Enoch walked out Kimberlite and Diablo and gave her the reins for Pampero as they passed. Nick took the lead rein for Marin and was soon walking him. Khululani backed away when Xo offered him Sirocco, but Filipe keenly took him instead.
‘Khululani wasn’t part of the unit in Zimbabwe; I met him here in the Kruger,’ Nick explained. ‘We don’t keep horses in the park—the lions think they are just plain-looking zebras and easy pickings.’
‘As long as some lion doesn’t decide to come while we’re walking the horses, then that’s a good thing, right?’ Chloe said.
‘I know it’s a dangerous park, the lions bite, the crocs bite, the leopards eat everything, and the elephants and rhinos like to run all over you, but hey, if you don’t bother them, they won’t bother you,’ Nick said.
Chloe shook her head. ‘Even I know that’s rubbish. I bet you anything, if a lion came now you’d say it’s my fault for parading the horses around.’
‘Probably,’ Nick said with a small smile. ‘This really is lion country, so keep an eye out for movement. The horses will spook if they smell one.’
‘It seems like a lifetime ago that we spent hours training them, making sure they understood that the scent of a lion was dangerous, and they needed to alert us. I am sure it is not a smell that a horse would forget,’ Enoch said.
‘Right,’ Chloe said. ‘Lions for real.’
‘Princess, we never imagined it would be easy, so not sure why you are suddenly baulking at lions now that we are in the park,’ Enoch said.
Filipe chuckled, as did Xo, although he did try to hide it behind his hand.
‘Perhaps because I’ve never had to get up close with a lion like you lot. I don’t know the smell of them, or how big they are. We’ve kind of been busy the last few years, so I haven’t had the chance to get back into the bushveld and learn the tricks of how best not to be eaten by a lion.’
‘Chances are they will give us a wide berth if we do encounter them. You really do not have to worry much about them, just be alert, that is all,’ Enoch said. ‘How is Pampero doing?’
‘She’s managing. I can’t believe that she’s travelling so well pregnant.’
‘As long as she does not get too hot when we are travelling during the day, she should be fine,’ Enoch said. ‘Xo, I need to put down a water trough. Take Kimberlite and Diablo and walk them while I organise it.’
* * *
Chloe had zoned out a little while she was walking but was soon pulled back to the present with a strange whinnying coming from Kimberlite. The sound was low, as was the tone of the vibration. She’d never heard him make a sound like that. ‘Enoch,’ she called, ‘listen to Kimberlite.’
His ears were pinned back, and while he was tossing his head constantly, the low murmuring that came from him was disturbing her. His eyes were rolling around as if trying to see everywhere at the same time, almost like a chameleon, but white with fright.
‘Something is out there he doesn’t like,’ Enoch said. ‘Come on, let’s take his warning and get the horses back into the truck. Ethel, get Mike inside the cab.’
They loaded the horses and were still standing in the back of the truck when Nick’s powerful torchlight fluttered over eyes in the bush not too far from where they’d been. They looked at the creature and it looked back defiantly, despite not being accustomed to having night lights shone in its face.
‘There’s the source of his skittishness. A honey badger,’ Nick said.
The small mammal stood about twenty-five centimetres tall, its silvery-white bank of fur covered it from the top of its head to the top of its short tail, and the creature had almost no hair on its fat legs. Its shiny black nose clearly visible in the spotlight, the honey badger stood its ground, watching them. Challenging them to interfere with its journey.
‘I’ve never seen one of those in the wild. I did see one dead after it had got into our chicken run at home, and it killed every single one. Dad shot it, and Mum was so mad at having to get all new chickens as hers had been good layers,’ Chloe said.
‘They are vicious,’ Khululani said. ‘You will hear the nice stories of the relationship between the badger and the honeyguide bird—I have never seen it myself in all my years in the bush, so I do not think it is true. But I can tell you if you see one, get away from it as fast as you can.’
‘Really?’ Chloe said.
‘Absolutely. You see these legs.’ Khululani pointed to the scarring. ‘That is what happens when you stumble into its burrow. Run because it will attack you, and keep attacking you. I was lucky. I survived.’
‘And the honey badger?’ Enoch asked.
‘Nothing penetrates that skin, except maybe a bullet or six. I eventually managed to club it on the head and ran away. But it got my takkie as I was running, and was hanging on, not letting go. Luckily my shoe came off, to be left behind.’
‘What’d it do with your takkie?’ Xo asked.
‘When I was healed I went back to that place. There was not much left. There was no body of the honey badger either; I think it survived.’
Nick shook his head. ‘All these years and I never asked what happened. Are you telling us the truth or just a ranger’s tale?’
‘This is no ranger’s story,’ Khululani said. ‘But it was a very long time ago, when you saw many more honey badgers than you do now.’
‘How old were you when it happened?’ Chloe asked.
‘I think I was maybe fourteen,’ Khululani said.
‘You’ve had those scars since you were so young,’ Chloe said.
‘Scars are survival victory medals worn on your body, and I am proud of mine. Why do you think I never cover them up? I learned a lesson that day. You never give up, you give one hundred and ten per cent of your strength to a fight. Do not quit, not until you are dead and you have taken your very last breath. You never stop fighting,’ Khululani said. ‘Despite the years gone by, I still have a healthy respect for the honey
badger. See, I am still up here in the truck, and not getting down on the ground.’
‘Respect?’ Enoch asked.
Khululani chuckled. ‘Perhaps they are the one animal I am scared of.’
While they had been talking the badger had come closer, got a stronger whiff of their scent and turned its back. It walked away, disappearing into the bush on its stubby legs, its swagger as it did so bragging to the humans that they had survived an encounter with probably the most fearless creature in the whole of Africa, and they’d been the ones to give way.
‘Is it gone?’ Chloe asked.
‘You can’t be certain,’ Nick said. ‘Just because we can’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.’
CHAPTER
16
She’d thought that cutting through an elephant fence that served as the border between South Africa and Mozambique would’ve been more difficult, but Chloe watched as the men quickly dismantled a section of it to allow them to pass on to the south of the Shingwedzi River with ease before they headed eastward.
The track wasn’t much, and certainly not well maintained, but then it wouldn’t be. It was a smuggling route for vehicles stolen in South Africa and taken into Mozambique.
She’d been on edge since they drove in the Kruger two days ago, and she really needed a bath. Stuck in her same overalls day in, day out, no amount of deodorant was helping her body odour.
The men were ripe on the nose, too, but Filipe was adamant that she mustn’t shower and smell like a female when they hit FRELIMO territory. Just in case. He had even told her to start using the men’s deodorant.
Nick had kindly offered his spray when she had turned her nose up at a roll-on that Xo was using. Even in the bush there were some limits with sharing your almost-brother’s deodorant. She discreetly sniffed her arm and smiled. The faint smell of the deodorant reminded her of Nick.