by Marie Moore
The elephant’s footsteps were clearly audible only when we crossed an occasional wooden bridge over a stream. Then dull thuds were heard. The well-trained animals clearly knew exactly where they were going and required little urging from the mahouts.
Everyone except the sulking Jasmine was eagerly scanning the underbrush, searching for tigers. Even Jay was watching intently. Most of us searched because we wanted to see the magnificent animals. Jay searched because he did not want to see them. The protective coloration of the great striped beasts helped them stay concealed in the dappled light of the forest.
The Bengal tiger, the largest species among the cats, once numbered in the thousands. Sadly, the tiger is now officially an endangered species, and less than two thousand five hundred remain in the wild. Like the rhino, tigers are aggressively hunted by poachers for their body parts, which are sold for use in the making of traditional Chinese medicines, and for their distinctive striped skins. They also face a threat from diminishing habitat. In the Terai, a constant battle is waged between the tiger and farmers, where tigers pose a threat to farm animals and occasionally humans. Bengal tigers can become man-eaters. In the last thirty years, we were told, thirteen people had been killed and eaten in the Chitwan and its environs. Jay loved that fun little fact.
A rustling in the underbrush ahead of us on our left halted our column, but it proved to be only a feral pig, rooting around in the bushes, not a tiger.
“The tiger’s not close,” Adam whispered in my ear, “or he’d be having bacon for breakfast.”
A few minutes later a small herd of sambar deer broke into a run near the path. They crashed along the forest floor, leaping over fallen trees and branches. The mahouts, who had been riding along serenely, seemingly paying little attention to the sounds of the forest, were suddenly alert and watching.
“Our tiger might be there,” Adam whispered, pointing toward a dense stand of giant cane. “Something spooked those deer.”
Sure enough, doubling back, the mahout steered our elephant off the path to the edge of a stream. He silently pointed to the fresh mark of a giant pug in the mud alongside it. I took a photograph of the paw print using my zoom lens. No one was getting down from the safety of the elephants to examine it.
The elephant is not afraid of the tiger, or of any other beast in the jungle. Its familiar size and smell mask that of the humans riding it, and thus it is the perfect conveyance for such a safari. Plus, they can easily go in areas where a vehicle cannot, where if might be unsafe for a man to walk. Asian elephants, unlike African elephants, are easily trained and have been widely used for work and transportation for generations.
I felt safe on the back of the elephant. I could see from Jay’s face and rigid posture that he totally did not, and was near panic. Jasmine seemed to have her hands full in trying to calm him. Having grown up in the Kerala region of India, she had been around tigers her entire life. She was not frightened at all, only annoyed at being forced out of her comfort zone.
We searched the jungle for quite a long time, but no actual tiger was seen, only his paw prints. Then, leaving the forest, the mahouts headed us into the marsh in search of another endangered species, the rare one-horned rhinoceros.
This time we were lucky. We found one deep in the marsh, placidly grazing. From the safety of the elephant, we rode quite close to the animal, close enough to hear the sounds it made as it munched the tender reeds.
After allowing enough time for everyone to see and photograph the rhinoceros, the mahouts turned the elephants back toward camp.
“Do you think we should explore a return to Kathmandu tomorrow morning rather than staying here until Thursday?” Adam asked quietly as we left the marsh and proceeded back on the path toward camp. “This morning has been terrific, but I understand that the program is the exact same each day and there is nothing at all to do after the morning safari except to enjoy the comforts of the camp. There is no afternoon or evening program. If we stay the allotted time, we may have a mutiny.”
He nodded back toward Jasmine and Jay.
“It’s fine with me if we return,” I said, turning to face him after glancing back over my shoulder at the clearly unhappy pair. “I know Jay would vote to go in a heartbeat. But how can we? The plane won’t be coming for us until Thursday.”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” he said. “I could call from the camp office to Kathmandu and arrange for someone to come overland and pick us up. If the others want to stay the full time, they may do so. But I, for one, am ready to return. There is business that I should deal with in Kathmandu. I wouldn’t have missed this experience, but now that I have done it I am ready to move on. I think the chances of actually seeing a tiger are remote.”
“How would we get there? Overland through the mountains?”
“Yes. The plane won’t come until scheduled, but there are passable roads, though the trip will likely take most of the day. We’ll have to cross the river first, so we’ll need to make an early start.”
I thought about it. Adam was right. Each day in this most basic little camp would be the same. I knew that the thrill of a couple of hours of elephant safari would pale quickly against the boredom of sitting around the hot little camp all the rest of the day for two days with nothing to see and nothing to do. Neither was I looking forward to a continual battle for sleep in my moldy, uncomfortable hut. Plus, time was running short until our return to New York. Adam’s plan would give us extra time in the fascinating city of Kathmandu and give me time to present my precious document to the authorities. I was beginning to realize that solving this mystery might be beyond my powers, but bolstered by the true autopsy report, together with Brooke’s backing, I might be able to get an official inquiry started. I was also truly worried about Brooke, and felt a strong urge to return and check on her.
“Count me in,” I said. “Jay too. I won’t leave without him.”
“Don’t say anything to him or the others just yet, lass,” Adam said with a smile. “Let me see what I can arrange, first. It may not be possible, or there may be only one car available to come for us. In that case there would only be room for the three of us plus the driver, not the others, so they would have to stay here for the duration. However, from what I’m hearing, some of them might prefer that anyway and not want to cut this visit short. Mum’s the word, doll. If I can manage a return for us through the mountains, I’ll take you to the festival tomorrow night in the old city.”
I liked that idea!
Thinking over Adam’s plan, I felt relief. A vague sense of impending danger had been building inside me ever since we had first arrived in the Terai. I had no explanation for it. Who knew whether it was due to the roar of the tiger heard during the night, or just fatigue and physical discomfort? I couldn’t pinpoint the vague feeling of unease, of malice. But it was real, and growing. Though the game viewing was fascinating, I felt an inexplicable urge to move on, away from this grim little camp. After the morning ride, the day would be long, boring, and hot. I decided that I would be more than happy to cross the mountains with Adam and return to Kathmandu.
#
“Leaving? We’re leaving early? No kidding? Sidney, that’s great! I can’t believe it. That’s the best news I’ve had since we arrived here at Fake Tops.”
I had found Jay sulking in a hammock and was pleased to give him the update. He immediately sat up, with a wide grin. “How did you manage it, Sidney? I thought we were stuck here until Thursday.”
“Adam did it, not me. You can thank him. He called some business associate in Kathmandu and arranged for us to be picked up ahead of schedule.”
“What about the others? Are they going as well or staying here?”
“I don’t know. Adam said that he will tell them we plan to leave in the morning and see what they intend to do. There is a car available if they want it. But even though they are really wealthy, they are also really cheap, and may balk at the unexpected expense. I understand it will be qu
ite expensive and Brooke won’t be paying for the cars. I was worried about that because we sure don’t have any spare cash, but Adam will not hear of us paying anything. He said he is going anyway and we are welcome to come along with him for free.”
“Even better,” Jay said. “I’m out of here. What do you really think the others will do?”
“I don’t have a clue, Jay. They may not even want to go. Neither Justin nor Lucy seems to mind the lack of amenities. They have adjusted and right now are drinking beer and playing gin under a tree. Lucy told me that she found it refreshing to live so simply and wished she could stay longer. Who knows what they’ll do?”
“Jasmine doesn’t feel that way. I can tell you that for a fact. She hates this place. Won’t she want to leave with us?”
“Jasmine has already gone, Jay. She slipped away early this morning, right after we returned from the elephant safari, without telling any of us.”
“Really? How?”
“On an elephant, back to the other side of the river, where she’ll be picked up and taken back to Kathmandu. She pitched a fit in the office and they arranged for someone to take her. If we go with Adam we’ll do the same thing in the morning.”
“Not another elephant ride!”
“Yes, big chicken. If you want to leave you have to ride the elephant back across the river to the road. We ‘elephanted’ in and we have to ‘elephant’ out. You saw that river. The roads are flooded. There’s no other way.”
#
By the time the sun rose the next day we were well on our way, back through the forest and marsh, bound for the river on the back of our great gray taxi.
Crossing the rushing water was not as scary as it had been the first time, and I realized how this unusual mode of travel could become commonplace to these people. Some of them depended on the elephant for work and transportation, much like the cowboys and prairie farmers of the Old West depended on the horse.
As before, the journey out to the road took several hours, but even Jay had grown accustomed to it. He was happy to be leaving so his whining had pretty much stopped. The two of us shared an elephant, following Adam, who rode alone behind his mahout. As predicted, Lucy and Justin had elected to remain behind and Jasmine was long gone. We would all be reunited eventually in Kathmandu with Brooke.
A small green car was waiting for us in the clearing under the kapok tree, and a small, smiling man stood beside it.
The elephants stopped, and at the command of the mahouts, knelt down so we could dismount, again using the elephant’s tail as a step.
As we slid to the ground, the man with the car rushed up to us and bowed, palms together in a traditional Hindu greeting. “Good morning lady and gentlemen. I am here as ordained to take you to Kathmandu. I am Shiva, god.”
“Well, Sidney,” Jay said, laughing, as Shiva held the car door for us to climb in, “your swami’s prophecy came true. ‘From the depths of the jungle,’ a god came to rescue you.”
The overland journey through the Himalayas was thrilling, to say the least, particularly as the road was a narrow two-lane at best. Often it narrowed to one lane because some sections were under repair from rock slides and cave-ins. There were no pristine painted lines, no guardrails, and no enforced speed limits. When you added hairpin turns, heart-stopping drop-offs and chasms, plus traffic that included both large trucks and animal-drawn carts, the result was harrowing.
“If we make it safely back over the mountains, it will be a miracle,” Jay said after a particularly close call with an oncoming truck. “I thought the river crossing was bad. It was nothing compared to this. My eyes hurt from squeezing them shut and I’ve had about ten heart attacks.”
“It’s all about your karma, Jay,” Adam said with a grin, “whether you are ordained to pass into another life today or not. Stick close to Sidney. She will be okay, for her god Shiva is rescuing her from the jungle, remember?”
“Sidney’s had a lot of close calls, Adam. Sticking close to her is not always such a good idea. If you only knew.”
Jay was right. His words brought to mind all the narrow escapes in which I’d had to call on my true God to rescue me, and by that I didn’t mean the guy wearing the Yankees baseball cap who was driving the car.
Just as Jay finished speaking, Shiva swerved into a turnout on the side of the road and pulled up to a concrete block building that apparently served as sort of a service station and general store. A crowd of men milled about the entrance, none of them looking at all friendly. I was suddenly acutely aware of being the only woman anywhere in sight.
Shiva, whose English was limited at best, graphically indicated the purpose of the stop.
“I’ll just stay here with Sidney while you go, Jay,” Adam said in a low voice. “When you return, I’ll go.”
Jay got out of the car and followed Shiva to the back of the building, which had apparently been dedicated to a certain function. The hostile gaze of the gathered men followed them as they walked and then the watchers turned back to us.
“Can you make it back to Kathmandu without visiting the facility, darling?” Adam asked, his eyes serious. “It’s certain to be very basic and I think this might not be the best place for you to take a potty break.”
I nodded, gazing at the silent, staring men.
Adam climbed out of the car, locked and closed the door, and stood defiantly in front of it, arms folded, returning the hostile stares.
In a moment Jay came back from around the building with Shiva. One of the men blocked his path and a short conversation ensued with Shiva translating and Jay emphatically shaking his head before returning to the car and exchanging places with Adam.
“What did he ask you, Jay?” I said.
“If you must know, he wanted to know if he could buy you, if you were for sale,” Jay said, not kidding in the least. “I think we’d better get out of here the second Adam gets back to the car, don’t you?”
Chapter 20
It was late by the time we finally rolled into the outskirts of Kathmandu. The sun was sinking behind the mountains, giving everything a pink and purple glow. I was happy to be back in the city and even happier to get safely back off the road to my clean hotel room and a warm bath. To say the elephant camp’s facilities were Spartan would have been generous, and the harrowing ride through the mountains had certainly not been my favorite part of the journey.
Nor had the unsettling incident at the stop on the road. It is difficult for Western women to realize the chattel status that some women face daily in other parts of the world. There are educated, privileged women in India and Nepal who are powerful indeed, such as India’s late Prime Minister, Indira Gandhi, or venerated, such as Mother Teresa. Scores more, however, particularly in remote areas, do not enjoy much status at all. The offer for me at the way station made me acutely aware that the freedom I enjoy in my everyday life is not shared by all my sisters.
I thanked Adam for his kindness in inviting us along in his car. Adam didn’t come into the hotel with us. He stayed with the car, saying that he had a stop to make before dismissing Shiva. Jay also thanked him for the ride and hopped out to see to our bags.
“Adam,” I said through the car window, “I really appreciate this. You were good to arrange it and invite us along. I know you didn’t have to. You could easily have just taken off on your own, like Jasmine.”
“Ah, but there was a selfish reason there, lass. I never thought of leaving you in the jungle. I wanted to bring you back with me so I could take you to the festival tonight in the heart of the old city. Are you still going with me?”
“Yes, of course. I’d love to. I’m looking forward to it. I’ll tell Jay. What time?”
“Nine o’clock, after dinner. I’ll meet you here at the front door. But not Jay, Sidney. You. Just you.”
Oh. Wow. I looked full into those deep green eyes.
“I’ll be here,” I said, and climbed the steps to the hotel as the car rolled away.
My hotel ro
om, as previously promised, was the same one I’d had before, as Brooke had requested. At least Sharma hadn’t managed to farkel that up. And when I checked the safe I breathed a sigh of relief. The document Sharma had sold me was still there as I’d left it. I planned to show it to Jay and Brooke in the morning and get them to help me decide how to proceed. I relocked the safe, turned on the shower, and was soon luxuriating in the abundant hot water and scented soap.
Later, with squeaky-clean hair from that great shower and shampoo, I pulled on a silky black top and black pants and went in search of dinner and Brooke. In anticipation of the evening ahead I took special care with hair and makeup and added some new earrings and a spritz of perfume.
My outfit was chosen deliberately for the night at the festival. The blouse looked great, but it had long sleeves and the neckline was cut higher than it might have been for going out in the evening at home. The incident with the men on the road had made a profound impression on me. Even with Adam’s protection, I did not want to wear something into the dark streets that might seem alluring to strangers.
At our agency we try to preach to our clients the importance of being mindful of the customs of a country when visiting. That doesn’t mean that you have to act or dress exactly as the natives do. It does mean thinking about whether your thoughtless choices as a tourist may be considered just plain rude and even, among some groups, put your personal safety at risk.
I met Jay in the hall, and together we walked toward the main dining room where the evening meal was well underway.
“Well,” he said, checking me out, “you sure cleaned up nice. You smell better too. What’s the occasion? Got a hot date?”
“Yes,” I said, “I do. With Adam.” Then I told him all about it.