by Reapers
The sound of an approaching vehicle caused the troop to scatter back into the forest. They watched in silence as the truck pulled off the track and into the trees. The man driving stepped out and scanned the sky, then pulled some branches out of the nearby underbrush and covered the back of the truck.
***
Noga had used some of Botlhokwa’s Euros to move through Zambia to Rwanda and thence, southward to this spot. He knew there would be coltan but not exactly where. That Englishman, Jack, talked too much for his own good. The Congolese general, it seemed, had been killed by gorillas. That story sounded like nonsense to him. None of the late warlord’s soldiers would admit to knowing anything. They would mutter Meurtrières gorilles and turn away whether in shame or fear, he could not say. Finally he approached a fighter, a young man, old beyond his years, and for a few American cigarettes and dollars, received the approximate location of the mine. Now, it was his. He would need some help from locals to exploit it and finding some he could trust would not be easy, but he now stood at the entrance of the mine staring at more wealth than he’d ever imagined. He would clean up the site. He would make it disappear. He did not want anyone else to stumble on his find before he could start it up again.
He spent the next three hours removing all the evidence of there ever having been an encampment. He covered the mine adit with branches. If anyone did a fly-over, he’d see nothing. All this he did under the curious gaze of some dozen pairs of sad brown eyes.
***
The troop had remained remarkably quiet while the man moved about the camp site. Each time he pulled down a tent and shoved its tattered remnants out of sight in the underbrush, the gorillas nearby drifted back, only to shuffle back to their vantage point when he retreated. Nothing more would have happened were it not for what he did next. Gorillas may be gentle and pacific but their memory, while no match for that of humans, still functions at a very high level, and the earlier attack on them by this thing’s troop remained fresh in their minds. So, when the man approached the cage holding the infant and kicked it, Patriarche reacted.
He huffed to his troop. And then, moving with remarkable speed, he closed the distance between him and the human. He did not have his stick. He didn’t need it. It was not a weapon. His bulk slammed into the man and knocked him flat. Before he could respond, Patriarche did what he would have done to any challenger. He leapt up and landed heavy footed on the man’s chest. This he repeated several times. Then, certain of his victory, he stood on his vanquished enemy and pounded his chest. The troop joined him.
Patriarche surveyed the area. The infant, head lolling to one side, looked out of his cage toward him with crusted eyes. Patriarche banged his large fist on the top of the cage. The infant only blinked at the noise and violent shaking. Finally, the top caved in and the old gorilla gently lifted the baby out. He was dead before another female could be found to adopt him.
Patriarche signaled for the troop to gather and together they pushed, shoved, and carried all the detritus, the remains of their relatives to the mouth of the mine and let them fall into its depths. They dragged the man to the mine opening and shoved him in as well. They paused. Patriarch bellowed and pounded his chest, the others followed suit. Then they turned and melted into the trees and brush. Almost as an afterthought, Partiarche stepped back to the mine and returned the branches that the man had used to cover the entrance. He blinked at the foliage, turned his gaze to survey the area. Within days the jungle would have swallowed up any remaining evidence it had ever existed. They would be safe enough for the time being, but as long as someone knew about the coltan and the mine, it could not last.
The men would return.
Glossary
Setswana is a Bantu language, as is Zulu and many other dialects spoken in sub-Saharan Africa.
The stem is Tswana
+ Ba…the people of. . .(Batswana)
+ Bo…the country of…(Botswana)
+ Mo…a person of…(Motswana)
+ Se…the language of…(Setswana)
Some Phrases and Words that
Appear Variously in the Text:
Bakkie = Afrikaans’ word for pickup truck
Bas = boss
Botlhokwa = important, big
Cohiba = a fine cigar from Cuba. Highly appreciated by those who smoke them.
Crazy Bob = a disrespectful appellation for Robert Mugabe of Zimbabwe. More commonly referred to as “Uncle Bob” in the same context.
DIS = Directorate of Intelligence and Security
Ditshukudu…dinaka = Rhino horns
Dipheri = hyenas
Dumela…hello + Mma, Rra = ma’am, sir
Fausse minéraux = French, fake minerals, look alike for coltan
Gabz = a contraction for Gabarone. Whereas Gabarone is pronounced with the G as a guttural ch, as in loch, the contraction has a hard G.
H. E. = abbreviation for His Excellency as in: H. E., the President
DG = abbreviation for Director General
Kaffir = when applied to black people in southern Africa it is the derogatory equivalent of nigger
Kak = South Africa slang, crap
Ke teng = I am well
Kgabo = monkey
Kgobela = heap
Kgopa = snail
Le kae = how are you?
Manong = vultures
Matlhakala = trash
Mma = Mrs., a title of respect for a woman
Modisa =escort, herder
Makoro= dugout canoe
Moloi = witch doctor
Motsholela = manure
Motsheganong = May
NGO = Non Government Organization (usually a non-profit)
No mathata = no problem, no worries
Noga = snake
Ntle = beautiful, fair, pretty
Panel beaters = auto body shop
Pectopah = restaurant spelled with Russian characters looks like this to a non Russian.
Phane = fried or cooked caterpillars, considered a delicacy
Pula (literally, rain) = the currency of Botswana and Thebe = (shield) coins.
Rondeval = a circular house fashioned from mud bricks with a thatch roof, traditional dwelling of the Tswana
Rapolasa = farmer
Reseturente = restaurant
Rra (pronounced rah) = Mr. or sir (with respect)
Rooineck = Afrikaner derogatory term for an English speaking South African. Literally, redneck
Taolo = commandment
Tlalelo= trouble
Tshwene = baboon
Some Other Notes:
People are often called by the names of their first born with the appropriate title, i.e., Mma Julie or Rra Robert.
The following has been lifted from Botswana’s official web site:
The Republic of Botswana is situated in Southern Africa, nestled between South Africa, Namibia, Zimbabwe and Zambia.
The country is democratically ruled, boasts a growing economy and a stable political environment.
Botswana has some of Africa’s last great wildernesses including the famous Okavango Swamps and the Kalahari Desert.
Botswana is the largest exporter of gemstone diamonds in the world as well as a large beef exporter to the European Union.
People have asked about the likelihood of a gorilla attack on humans as they are generally viewed as peaceful and non aggressive. I refer them to: http://news.mongabay.com/2007/1205-gorillas.html
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