by T. M. Clark
‘Filipe, did you see any water coming up? Any streams?’ Enoch asked when Filipe walked back to rejoin them.
‘No, nothing.’
Nick said, ‘There must be water here somewhere. Those elephants who passed us by would not go for more than a day without water.’
Filipe nodded. ‘I didn’t see it, but it doesn’t mean it’s not there.’
They decanted water for the horses from one of the jerry cans they carried into the tub and watered them one by one.
‘We only have enough water left to last for half a day at the most. The horses will need more water now that they are loaded. Perhaps you should scout ahead and find where it is,’ Enoch said.
‘On it,’ Filipe said as he drained the last of his tea from his cup before carefully putting it back into his pack, along with a packet of sliced biltong that he had been nibbling on for lunch. ‘I have seen no other signs of RENAMO in this area. It’s as if they have just disappeared.’
Chloe shook her head. ‘I’ll leave them to you. Right now, I’m just trying to put one foot in front of the other.’
Xo grinned. ‘Come on, it’s not that bad. We’ve been through some stunning forests today. This is a beautiful land. The stone structures are incredible, and the wildlife—I can’t believe there’s still so much wildlife here, despite the war.’
Enoch said, ‘We saw so little until now, either we are closer to Zimbabwe and the game reserve than we thought, or it could be that we are close to where there is water.’
‘Aren’t there fences around Gonarezhou?’ Chloe asked.
‘There are supposed to be, at least around some of it. But do not make the mistake of thinking that they are in any state of good repair. It has been closed for many years, through the Rhodesian Bush War. The last I heard, there was such bad poaching there that no one knew if there would be any animals left alive to be saved if they ever opened it again,’ Enoch said.
Xo made sure that Ethel was once again seated comfortably on Pampero.
‘That’s really sad,’ Chloe said as Xo put his hand out to pull her up from where she was still sitting on the ground. She dusted off her pants and picked up Xo’s pack. ‘You sure you don’t want me to take this for a little while?’
‘I’m sure. We can’t chance your migraine coming back, but you can help put it on,’ he said as she settled it onto his back.
‘I’ll let you know if I have any problems, promise,’ he said, smiling as he took the lead reins from Nick.
Only once Enoch had checked everyone was safe, secure and ready, did he hoist his pack onto his back and take point again, walking out from under the coolness of the trees into the excessive heat of summer.
* * *
They were walking through a herd of impala. The animals milled around, snacking on the grass, their black-and-white tails flashing up and down as they stamped their feet to remove the annoying flies and other insects that buzzed around them. Chloe had always been a fan of the gentle impala with their shiny black noses when she was younger. She hadn’t realised how much she’d missed seeing them when they had moved to Howick.
The impala didn’t seem worried that the caravan of horses and people were travelling through their herd, and the horses didn’t seem to mind the strange-looking minute cattle.
Chloe tripped on some unseen hump under the trampled grass, and Diablo held his head steady as if waiting to help her if needed. She decided it’d be a good idea to keep her head down, her eyes on the ground, and concentrate on where to put her feet. So when Enoch spoke she visibly jumped.
‘Keep your horse steady, breathe naturally, don’t share your fear of seeing a lion with him,’ Enoch warned as they walked.
‘Where?’ Chloe said, immediately looking up again and around.
‘Lioness, at one o’clock, just walking along, minding her own business,’ Enoch said, as if seeing lions was an everyday affair.
Chloe took her rifle from her shoulder, chambered a round, then held it with the barrel facing upwards but ready, in case the big cat did something stupid and she needed to fire a warning shot.
‘Keep a steady pace,’ Enoch said.
‘Easy for you to say, Dad,’ Xo said from behind her. ‘Your horse knows lions. My two are not happy.’
‘They will become accustomed to them,’ Enoch said.
Chloe looked at the lioness again. She was ignoring them—for now. But where there was one lioness, there was usually more. She looked around, scanning the small grass land they were in. ‘At three o’clock, there’s another one sneaking through the grass.’
She put her finger in her mouth, covered it in spit then brought it out. The air felt cooler on the back of her finger. Good, they were downwind from the lions, so they wouldn’t smell them, and probably couldn’t hear them either.
‘Seven o’clock, by the big downed tree,’ Xo said as he picked up another one. Chloe looked for the telltale sign of the lion. Sure enough, there was another lioness slinking down and moving into attack position near the herd.
This one could be trouble—it was downwind from them.
She caught the movement of the lioness at seven o’clock, in the corner of her vision, as her tail slammed down and the cat began her chase. They could see that there was a young impala calf in trouble, skilfully separated from the herd by the lions who had now crossed in front of their caravan. It didn’t take long before it was lying on the ground and the three lionesses were on top of it, finishing it off, its anguished bleating silenced.
The impala herd slowed, and the ram barked to his harem. They seemed to mill around slowly and began to settle once again. The lionesses had something to eat, so the impala considered themselves off the menu—for now at least.
The lionesses were making short work of the small carcass when a male from their pride arrived. He was an impressive size and a large black mane adorned his neck. He was battle-scarred across his nose, with patches of hair turned to scar tissue over the years. The lionesses snarled and sneered but gave up the carcass to him when he chased them away with a noisy roar of dominance. In typical male-lion style, he didn’t want to share the meal. Snarling and swiping at the females, he moved on possessively to the small kill. But as the group watched, slowly, the lionesses came back one by one and continued to feast on the tender meat.
‘That little snack is not going to keep them going for long,’ Chloe said.
‘No, and lions in the area are going to make camping tonight interesting,’ Enoch said. ‘We push on for another half an hour, then we set up camp. We have to have time to build a strong boma to keep the lions out. Hopefully, Filipe will have found us water by then.’
Chloe turned one last time to look at the kill as they walked out on the other side of the grassland and into some thick bushes. She always felt sad when she watched lions take down any animal, even though it was necessary for them to live. She put her hand on her own stomach and wondered what she would do for her child, if she ever had one, and if she would be like a mother impala and just leave it once the lions got hold of it, or if she would be more like the buffalo mothers, who would challenge the lions head-on, and fight them to try to save their baby. She hoped if it ever happened, that it was the latter.
An image of Nick with her child filled her mind, and she shook her head to get rid of it. She still wasn’t sure what to make of the situation. After the stuff that Enoch had revealed, Nick had been distant from her. She had no idea how to broach it with him, but figured he would need to sort out whatever memories Enoch’s confession had triggered, in his own time. She would just have to hope that he knew she was there for him if he needed her.
CHAPTER
29
Kupua tapped her nail on her diary. Hunter #4 was late checking in from his hunt with member Nicole Schaffer. She heard the ring of the fax on the machine in her office and watched as it began printing.
‘What have you got yourself into?’ she murmured, walking out of her door and down the passage to the c
hairperson’s office. She knocked quietly.
‘Enter,’ the chairperson said.
‘Guete morge. Looks like we were right to keep a tighter control of the hunters. Hunter #4 is in trouble in Africa,’ Kupua said, handing over the fax.
‘This does not look good. Two bodies burnt in a truck. One identified as our member. The other has yet to be identified. Do you think it could be #4?’
‘I have a feeling he is going to be craftier than that. There have been mounting reports of the South African Police looking into killings outside the Kruger Park area. Corpses with bullets dug out of them. There is no intelligence coming in from any of the surrounding countries. Other than Botswana, everyone else in that region is experiencing some form of civil war, so other priorities are taking preference at the moment. It’s Africa.’
The chairperson massaged her temples. ‘It displeases me that we were right. But I was expecting the next one in trouble to be the big Russian, not the Brit.’
‘I think you underestimate the Russian. He will be the last one to need help. I must be honest—it surprises me that #4 is in this predicament in the first place. I am curious as to the story behind how he lost a member of the 6th. I’ll fly out to South Africa and find out what has happened. I’ll start at the morgue, then onto where the police reports came from, in a place called Phalaborwa. If he is not that other body in the truck, I will find him,’ Kupua said.
‘You have all the 6th contacts there in order to clean house if needed?’
‘South Africa, Mozambique, Botswana and Zimbabwe should not be a problem. I’m confident that my contacts will have a way around any inconveniences.’
‘Take the society’s jet. Wheels up within two hours if you can. The sooner you get there and sort out what is happening the better. I’m not happy he lost a client. What was he doing in Mozambique? What were they doing in a war zone?’
‘Same thing the soldiers were doing, only they are not taking sides?’ Kupua said as she made to leave the room.
‘Kupua, be safe,’ the chairperson said. ‘The last thing we need is for our master of the hunt to be in jeopardy.’
‘I will be fine, Madame,’ Kupua said. ‘When have I ever let my Hawaiian ancestors down? I am Kupua. I may not be a demigod, but I’m the best at what I do. We will get the outcome we require for the good of the society. It won’t be long before I’ll be back home to Bern, my hunters in line again.’
CHAPTER
30
Asian Top 6 Trophies
1.Tur
2.Red stag
3.Roe deer
4.Marco Polo argali
5.Brown bear
6.Man
Indian Top 6 Trophies
1.Black, brown and sloth bear
2.Gaur
3.Indian rhino
4.Asian elephant
5.Indian tiger
6.Man
CHAPTER
31
They had been walking through the bush for four days since leaving the cave. Luckily, the evening thunderstorm on the first night out had provided them with catchment water to fill the jerry cans, but once again, they were running low. Finally today, they walked through the tall reeds that grew along the bank and let the horses drink from the water running slowly in the narrow river that wound through the vast tracts of sand. The river would be formidable if in flood, but for now, it was a welcome relief.
‘This is the Nuanetsi River,’ Enoch said as he looked at the map they carried with them.
‘I’d say we’re about here,’ Nick said. ‘A stone’s throw from the Zimbabwe border.’
Filipe nodded his head.
‘So, we follow this and we’re home?’ Chloe asked.
‘Not quite. We will go into Sengwe Communal Land. At least someone there will have a telephone, or they will have a bus that can take us to one. I thought we were further north than we are, and this might actually make it easier,’ Enoch said.
‘Not easier. There are more mines here than further north,’ Filipe said. ‘Now that we are travelling on the animal tracks, it’s going faster, but I worry about booby traps as we get closer to the border.’
‘We need to be vigilant, watch for spoor in the tracks, look for any small mounds, the rain might have washed the looser disturbed sand away, anything that does not look right. I would rather be more cautious than run into trouble,’ Enoch said.
‘As long as the trails are used by game, the chances of us stepping on a mine are slim, so if we stick to the used ones, we’ll be okay,’ Filipe said.
‘So, we take turns with being in the front?’ Xo asked.
‘It is not always the first person to step on the mine,’ Enoch said.
‘Oh great,’ Xo said.
‘I’m safe up here from them,’ Ethel said, ‘and so is Mike. The worst we can do is fall off if the horse steps on one, which wouldn’t be good either.’
The small group got themselves reorganised, and soon were walking in single file down the animal track, alongside the river. They saw no one for the next two days. They pushed hard to get as far as they could during the day, knowing that the Caçador Escuro could have changed directions at any time and be coming after them.
They passed through some beautiful country, but now they were more focused on looking for moving shadows. With Filipe scouting ahead, they could often cut across bows in the river and make their journey even shorter. But this time, it would also take them through a valley, between two small kopjes.
‘This is the ideal place for an ambush; be ready, everyone,’ Enoch said, just as he had a million times before, but still they walked through it because they didn’t have a choice.
The single shot came out of nowhere. It pierced through the air and in the next instant, Ethel fell to the ground next to Pampero.
The horse whinnied and tossed her head, bunching up into Diablo, who gave a small jump to get away from her, and jolted Mike. Chloe lost grip of his lead rein, and Diablo jumped again as Pampero slammed into the back of him. Marin’s high-pitched neigh behind Pampero made her step to the side of Diablo, and she bolted.
Chloe saw her gallop full tilt into the bush ahead, bucking as she went. Marin was close behind, his lead rein trailing, the cargo on his back being ripped at by the thorns as he ran into the scrub.
A second shot followed with a deadening sound, but Chloe was focused on Diablo, who now was bolting after the other two horses.
‘Whoa, whoa,’ Xo called, hanging onto Sirocco with both hands.
Chloe was running after Diablo, watching her father bob in his saddle, knowing that any moment Diablo could go under a tree and her father would be seriously injured. ‘Diablo. Stop. Stop right now,’ she commanded.
Diablo halted just before the thick bush.
‘Back up and turn around,’ she said, her voice low, her fear disguised in her bravado.
He did what she asked and she reached out her hand and grabbed his rein. He shuddered. She looked at his eyes, and white was showing. The danger was still present.
‘Get your dad down, quickly!’ Enoch was shouting at her.
She fumbled with the strap on his leg, and Diablo danced a little, trying to keep still, but remained seriously spooked. ‘Wait, calm down,’ she tried to reassure him. ‘I just need to get Dad.’ Diablo continued to dance around her, prancing, huffing out his breath as he looked all around for the danger he knew was out there, somewhere in the bush.
Nick appeared right next to her and held Diablo on both sides of his bit. ‘Stay still. Contact.’
Diablo’s whole stance changed. Something inside of him recognised the tone of the old command. He stood perfectly still while Chloe tore at the strap holding her father in on the right-hand side, then rushed around back to the left and pulled her father down. He landed hard on top of her, with Nick still standing in front of Diablo, keeping him motionless.
‘Flat down,’ Nick commanded.
Diablo folded his legs and lay flat on his side. He put his head o
n the ground, making himself as small a target as he could.
‘Good boy,’ Nick said as he crawled behind him to help Chloe with her dad.
Mike was heavy, and although she’d managed to catch him, it had been a dead weight falling onto her. Her back muscles screamed as she moved him now to ensure that he lay down behind Diablo, away from the direction of the first shot.
Nick tucked in Mike’s arm that was over the top of the horse, and then lay on the other side of him. ‘You okay?’
‘As good as I can be, you?’
‘I’m alive.’
She nodded, but she was still checking her dad. He seemed to be aware that there was trouble, but his pupils were dilated. She was worried that the jarring had probably started the bleeding in his head again, causing the pressure to build. But he wasn’t thrashing around. He seemed to be weirdly calm, lying still beside her.
She turned on her back with her head against Diablo, making sure his shoulder area was higher than her head. ‘Xo, you okay?’
‘Good. Dad, you still with us?’
‘Scanning for the bastard now,’ Enoch said. ‘Not seeing him in my sights. But Kimberlite and I are lying down.’
‘Ethel?’ Chloe called. ‘You okay after your fall?’
Silence answered her.
‘She was the target. She didn’t make it,’ Xo said. ‘I can see her. She’s gone. There is no use me even going over to check. It’s a head shot. I’m in the same position as you, Sirocco lay down when asked. It’s just Marin and Pampero who’re in the wind.’
They heard a third shot from a different direction. It echoed around them, and then there was a second follow-up one in quick succession.
‘Khululani’s weapon,’ Nick said. ‘He’s shooting at the hunter. I hope he gets him.’
There was silence again, and then the sound of return fire from the original direction, this time towards Khululani, as the sound was different, not as close to them.
Enoch let off a quick double tap from his rifle, and all was quiet.
The pop-pop of an AK-47 dominated for a few minutes, and then once again silence.