by Marion Leigh
‘If you’re tired of travelling, we could stop tonight near Otji and carry on tomorrow morning. Then we’d have plenty of time to look for animals on the way to the camp. As it is, we’ll be lucky to get there by closing time even if we go full tilt.’
Megan and Hilary looked at each other and then at Henny.
‘What are you trying to say? That you won’t do what you said you’d do and take us to meet our leader today?’
‘I’ll take you there, but don’t blame me if something goes wrong.’
Ten hours later, Henny checked them into the camp.
‘You just made it, man,’ observed the ranger. ‘Fifteen minutes more and the gate would have been closed. Your tour leader’s here with his group, but I can’t put you in the same zone. It’s a busy weekend. All the pitches are taken.’
‘No matter. I want to get my lot settled before they join the others for dinner. A dozen women fighting over one guy ain’t easy to manage.’
‘You won’t get no sympathy from me, man. Just give me the opportunity to try!’
Henny drove his brood to their assigned pitch and looked at his watch. ‘We have two hours to set up and get ready for dinner.’ He smiled sardonically. ‘That’s when you’ll meet our esteemed leader. Not before, OK?’
Megan glanced around the campsite. ‘Right, girls, let’s get to it. Then we can clean up and dress for dinner. Leave us alone, prick. You can pitch your own tent.’
Henny listened to them chattering incessantly about clothes, make-up, and men as they worked. But they had learned something during the trip, he thought with satisfaction. The Master couldn’t fault him on that.
When they went off to have showers, he made for the other end of the campsite. The Master’s vehicle was a larger version of his own, capable of seating twelve plus the driver and his mate. A bronzed bearded guy with hairy arms and legs was sitting in a folding chair under the side awning. On the camping table in front of him stood a beer, the sight of which made Henny’s mouth water.
‘Higher Ground Tours. I just arrived with my party. Can I join you?’
‘Sure. Help yourself from the cooler.’
‘Thanks, mate. The name’s Henny.’
‘Diego.’
‘Henny!’
With an inward groan, Henny swung round.
‘Over here!’ The Master’s imperious tone left no room for vacillation.
When Henny reached him, the Master laid a hand on his shoulder. ‘I’m pleased to see you made it. Come with me.’ He began to walk him away from the campsite. The hand weighed on Henny’s right shoulder like an iron shackle, forcing him to exacerbate his limp. After several minutes that felt like hours, they came to an unpopulated area behind a storeroom labelled “Staff only”.
The sounds of talking and laughter from the main camp had faded to nothing. In the far distance, a lion roared. Henny felt his guts knot. The Master pointed to a stone bench.
‘Sit!’
Henny sat and tentatively stretched out his leg.
The Master folded his arms and stood facing him. ‘I’m sorry you had a tough group, Henny. Was it really bad?’
‘Ja, man! One of the worst I’ve ever had.’
‘They looked like a fine bunch in the pictures you sent from Cape Town.’
‘In that department they’re all OK. Megan and Hilary are the best. In fact, Megan’s a cute little thing but her voice drives me crazy.’
The Master rocked back and forth on his feet, as limber as a prize fighter. ‘There are ways, aren’t there, Henny, of keeping them quiet? You should know. You’re an old hand at this.’
Henny chuckled. ‘I can think of a few. Trouble is I didn’t get a chance to work them through.’
The Master raised his eyebrows. ‘You’re my most trusted scout, Henny. Your methods are of interest to me. Do you want to tell me what happened?’
Henny opened his mouth to speak then caught sight of the expression on the Master’s face. He suddenly realized he had made a terrible mistake. There was no camaraderie, he wasn’t part of the inner circle, he was a means to an end, a tool just like the women.
The Master kicked Henny’s foot savagely aside. His voice was like a whiplash. ‘Don’t ever mess with the participants, Henny. I’ve seen the review. Try anything ever again and you’ll find yourself missing a very important part of your anatomy, and I don’t mean your leg. Go round them up. I’ll meet you in the restaurant.’
On the far side of the restaurant, at the edge of the terrace, a table was set for twelve plus one at the end. Thirteen in all. A sign in the centre proclaimed “Reserved for Higher Ground Tours”.
Following a few steps behind Henny, Megan and Hilary led their party to the table. All six had put on make-up and their lowest cut tops and skinniest jeans. Their hair had been washed and brushed until it shone so that it mirrored the smiles on their faces.
Megan and Hilary seized the two seats nearest the single chair at the end of the table. The other girls arranged themselves next to them. Henny waited for Diego to arrive and introduce the four girls in his group: Ana and Raquel from Spain, Pam and Joanna from England.
Bottles of cheap South African wine were already on the table.
‘Help yourselves, ladies,’ Henny said. ‘There’s plenty more.’
‘Where did you get those Ts?’ Megan shouted down the table. Every member of Diego’s party was wearing a stretch T-shirt identical to the one in the video they had seen in Swakopmund.
Ana pointed past Megan’s head.
‘From me,’ said a honeyed voice. ‘I am Florian, your leader. You are now members of White Tribe. Tomorrow you will ride with me. We will leave at sunrise on the final leg of your journey of discovery.’
Chapter
58
Carlo waited in Lucy while Petra borrowed the hotel phone and made her calls. A.K.’s phone rang three times then went straight to voicemail, which she knew he didn’t like. Neither did she. It was better to speak directly to someone, although in this instance she was glad that he couldn’t put more pressure on her. She would have found it hard to resist.
The phone at the campsite rang more than a dozen times before someone whose voice Petra didn’t recognize finally answered. At the end of a difficult conversation on a bad line, she was closer to identifying “Mohawk” as Henny but had no evidence that would withstand scrutiny.
Grumpily, she got into the van.
‘I gather from the storm clouds on your face that you weren’t successful,’ Carlo said.
‘I left a voicemail for A.K., and I think the guy at Sesriem told me Henny had a limp just to get rid of me.’
‘Tell me about Mrs. Pinderally’s response. You said it was positive.’
Petra quoted Ali’s email verbatim and had to laugh. Then she remembered the letter from Marcus Zen.
‘We won’t be able to get email again until we get to Windhoek or Cape Town,’ Carlo reminded her.
‘I know,’ Petra said. ‘Which is why I indicated that I’d like to volunteer in Langebaan or Stellenbosch.’
‘Is there any point getting further involved if Mrs. P. has extracted Vicky by the time we get back?’
‘It isn’t just about Vicky. I want to know what this Higher Ground operation is really about.’
Petra fell quiet then suddenly tapped her forehead.
‘I am so stupid!’
‘Not usually, cara. Why today?’
‘In their review, the Chalet Girls said “they take your phones away”. I could have added a comment to say I’d found Megan’s phone.’
‘What good would that do?’
‘They might see it and …’
‘Those malaria tablets are definitely affecting you, Petra.’
‘I’ve only been taking them for two days.’
‘Yes, but you’re not th
inking clearly. Forget about the Chalet Girls and Vicky Dunlin. Just enjoy the ride.’
‘When will we get to Etosha?’
Carlo answered after a moment’s pause. ‘Tomorrow.’
‘What? You told me we’d get there today.’
‘I told you that in six hours we’d be well on our way. That’s not the same thing.’
‘What are you playing at, Carlo? I let A.K. down because we’re going on safari.’
‘I phoned Tony Broselli this morning to find out if he’d be in Stellenbosch this weekend. I said I’d like to see him again before I leave. He asked about you and said we’d both be welcome.’
‘Will there be room given the big wedding?’
‘He offered us Julia’s room in the manor house then he passed me over to Sandrine.’
‘What did she want?’
‘To know exactly where we were. When I told her, she insisted that we go to a place near Otjiwarongo and stay overnight. She donates a lot of money to the Save-a-Cat Foundation and has the use of a private bungalow there. She gave me instructions, and that’s where we’re going.’
‘Why, Carlo? We don’t want to waste our time on cats! And you keep telling me we have reservations to keep.’
‘These are BIG cats – leopards and cheetahs. They’re the most difficult animals to see in the wild, particularly leopards. The Foundation specializes in rehabilitation and puts radio collars on some of the animals so fatthey can be tracked. That’s what we’ll be doing this afternoon.’
Petra shook her head. ‘I don’t know what to say. I was hoping we’d see one in Etosha.’
‘Extremely unlikely, especially now after the rainy season. Sandrine’s invitation virtually guarantees us a sighting.’
‘But isn’t it odd that she didn’t make us this offer before? Why wait until this point in our trip?’
‘It’s curious, I agree, but my step-aunt is a bizarre person.’
‘A control freak, you mean. When she calls, you jump!’
Petra pored over the animal sightings logbook she had bought at the Foundation’s shop just before leaving that morning.
‘I didn’t realize we’d seen so many different animals,’ she said, busily ticking boxes. ‘Oryx, kudu, impala, duiker, springbok, zebra, warthog. And, thanks to Sandrine, giraffe and leopard!’
‘To see three leopards on one outing was terrific. Did you hear what that German tour operator said at breakfast?’
‘The guy who had camera lenses even bigger than yours?’
‘Right. He’s been to Etosha over forty times and has seen a leopard there only twice. Sandrine did us proud!’
There was a hint of something in Carlo’s voice that made Petra say: ‘That doesn’t excuse her illegal diamond smuggling activities.’
‘Of course not, but it makes me feel better disposed towards her.’
‘Beware of difficult ground, Carlo.’
Petra sensed that he didn’t want to pursue the issue and returned to her book. ‘We’ve spotted one out of the Big Five,’ she said with satisfaction. ‘Only four to go!’
‘You won’t see them all.’
‘Why not? Don’t tell me there’s another change of plan.’
‘Etosha doesn’t have buffalo. Most of the year there’s not enough water. But it has two types of rhino, black and white.’
‘Are they both in the Big Five?’
‘No, only black rhino. We’re more likely to see white rhino. They’re placid grazers, bigger than their bad-tempered cousins though much the same colour.’
They sped along the well-tarred road and it was barely half an hour before Carlo announced: ‘We’re coming into Outjo. We’ll stop and get fuel and a few provisions. For the next three days, it’s back to camping. No more luxurious lodges.’
‘I’d rather camp when we’re on safari. It seems to go better with the whole idea of viewing animals in the wild.’
‘As long as there’s a sturdy fence round the campsite!’
‘I agree with you there. Oh, I forgot to tick black-backed jackal. We’ve seen several.’
Carlo put his indicator on to turn into the Engen service station. After filling up, he checked the tires and the spare wheel and pronounced himself satisfied. ‘All the roads in Etosha are gravel and some are pretty rough and rocky, according to Uncle Tony.’
‘I guess everyone is going the same way as we are now.’
‘At least until we get into the park. There are some waterholes and drives and a couple of newer camps in the western end, but most people stay in one of the three main camps: Okaukuejo, Halali, and Namutoni.’
‘This is a real dream come true, Mercutio.’
‘I know, cara, for me too. I’m glad you didn’t go to Spain with Betty Graceby and that friend of yours, Martin,’ he added lightly, glancing in Petra’s direction.
‘Hmm, it would have been wonderful,’ Petra said, returning his glance. ‘But this is more fun.’
‘You mean that?’
‘Mercutio, you’re jealous! I don’t know why. Martin and I are just good friends. He’s like a brother. In the same way you and I are good friends, very good friends.’
‘True, cara.’ Carlo lapsed back into silence.
An hour later, they pulled up at the park gate and picked up an entry permit.
‘Now I can begin spotting,’ Petra exclaimed.
‘We might not see much on this stretch of road. It’s another twenty k to Okaukuejo. Uncle Tony said to stop there and buy a map of the park. We can take a look at the waterhole and I’ll get my camera organized. After that, we’ll take it slow and stop whenever we see something interesting. As long as we get to Halali before the gate closes around 5 p.m., we’ll be OK.’
‘Carlo, what do you call those white vans? Not camper vans; these are taller and have a panel in the roof that opens up to give more space.’
‘Kombis, you mean?’
‘Yes, that’s it. I think there’s one following us.’
‘I’m sure there are lots of vehicles following us, all trying to spot the same things we are.’
‘I’m serious, Carlo. I noticed this one when we turned into the gas station. It pulled into the forecourt and parked over to one side. Nobody got out, and as soon as we left, it did too.’
‘Maybe the driver wanted to use his phone.’
‘It’s a South African registration.’
‘Like ours.’
‘When we went to the supermarket, the same thing happened. The kombi turned into the parking lot, I didn’t see anybody get out, and it left shortly after we did. What do you make of that?’
‘Maybe they love our paintwork, or whoever’s in the vehicle is on holiday like us.’
‘Following exactly in our footsteps? That kombi was in Okaukuejo and at the next waterhole too. I even caught a glimpse of it when you missed that turning and had to reverse. It pulled off the road the minute it saw you stop. Then it followed us down to Olifantsbad, keeping well back, behind a couple of other cars.’
‘You see! Tons of people are going the same way. I wondered why you were watching the mirrors and turning to look behind us.’
‘I have a funny feeling about it. Can we test my theory? Make a few turns in rapid succession?’
‘I don’t think there’s anywhere to do that in the park, this isn’t a town with multiple options.’
‘Well, we could drive a short way down one of the side roads, make a U turn and see if they do the same.’
‘They’ll just think we saw an animal on the other side of the road and want to get close too.’
‘How about sitting at the next waterhole for a long time? See if they do that as well.’
‘Only one problem with that, cara. It’s getting late and we have to reach Halali. Look, if you see the same kombi following us tomorrow, we’l
l make a plan.’
Chapter
59
Halali camp was buzzing with people. Because they arrived late in the afternoon, the pitch they were assigned was a small one in the middle. Petra and Carlo stood looking at it.
‘I don’t like this,’ Carlo said. ‘Too many noisy neighbours.’
‘Me neither. Cops and Canadians prefer open spaces.’
Carlo gestured towards a group of four young men. ‘They’re already well into the beer. I doubt we’ll get much sleep, and tomorrow we need to start as soon as the gate opens to see the sun come up over the pan. Wait here, Petra; I’m going to walk back to reception and see what I can do.’
‘Try talking to that female ranger who looks like Queen Nefertiti!’
‘Just what I had in mind.’
‘I want to have a look round.’
‘Fine. I’ll see you in a while.’ He locked the van and pocketed the keys.
Petra set off to explore and, as Carlo had probably guessed, to look for the vehicle that had been following them. The sun was setting and she knew night would fall quickly. She walked up and down the rows of tents and camper vans. There were several white kombis but none with the registration number she had memorized.
She came to a bunch of signposts with animal names on them, pointing to areas where various chalets were located. They were much more spread out than the camping pitches. If she tried to cover them all, Carlo would be kept waiting and might start to worry.
She began to head towards the campground. A lot of people were walking away from it, all going in the same direction towards the perimeter. When she arrived back, Carlo was setting out their folding table and chairs.
‘No success, I see.’
‘Not for tonight, although I was making good progress. Queenie gets off work at eight o’clock.’
‘Mercutio!’
‘Oops, when you call me that in that tone I know you’re not happy. We have a solution for tomorrow night. She’s booked us in at Namutoni – a nice pitch with a braai, guaranteed. We’ll be able to explore the east side of the park easily from there.’