Tusker

by Dougie Arnold

  Once they were a safe distance away Harry pulled up and Kilifi got down onto the bonnet, then clambering over the spare tyre, jumped nimbly onto the ground.

  As he got into the front seat he was grinning as usual.

  “Well that was a close call. What a way that would have been to go, gored by a buffalo before I have even had breakfast.”

  Harry marvelled at his ability to make light of things. Jim had told him that buffalos killed or gored at least two hundred people a year, although he thought the true figure was probably much more.

  “It’s always the old males Harry,” continued Kilifi. “When they are no longer top dog and some youngster takes over the females they are booted out of the herd. Then they have to spend the rest of their life wandering through the bush on their own, hardly surprising they are so bad tempered, think I would be if I was them. All this excitement has made me hungry and our visitors will be coming in soon. Let’s head back to camp.”

  Harry didn’t need further prompting. He checked the time on his watch and was amazed that what had been a near-death experience had probably lasted under five minutes. It was a lesson he was learning fast in Kenya. In the routine and comparative monotony of his life in London most things were fairly predictable but out here in the wild there were no rules to play by. Nature was beautiful but there was often a sting in the tail and to survive you had to learn fast. Despite the obvious fear he had felt such a short time ago there was a realisation that each of these experiences made him a stronger person inside. Already he was hard put to recognise where he had come from in a comparatively short period of time. Despite feeling that his thoughts might be rather over dramatic, he knew that he was fast becoming a man, and a man he hoped those closest to him would look at and respect.

  After checking in back at camp and giving a warning about the buffalo, Harry went off to find Bethwell. He had just finished washing down the two smartest of the Land Rovers they used for game viewing when they had visitors, or clients as Aziz liked to call them. Unlike Bluebird they were long wheel base vehicles which provided more room and comfort for those inside. They had beautifully made local blankets for early morning and late evening drives and cold boxes at the back containing an array of snacks and refreshments.

  He greeted Harry with a huge smile and a pat on the back. “How is the buffalo hunter?” he laughed. The news of their early morning encounter had spread quickly and Harry was in no doubt that Kilifi would be the butt of many a joke. He had already heard one of the others talking about his tree climbing ability.

  “Fine thanks, hope I don’t get that bad tempered in my old age!”

  “Jim told me that the plane was due to land in about fifteen minutes so I think we should make our way down to the landing strip pretty soon,” suggested Bethwell.

  They headed off at an easy pace, trying not to throw up too much dust and undo Bethwell’s hard cleaning work of the morning.

  Harry wondered whether Ollie would be the pilot. He imagined that they would be flying in a large Cessna, probably a Caravan which could seat nine passengers despite the fact that it still just had one single propeller at the front.

  They sat waiting by the side of the strip. It was a perfect morning. The ka’ka, ka’ka sound of the red-billed hornbill filled the air and the sky was that amazing blue that seemed to go on forever, with not a cloud in sight. For once there was no sign of any animals nearby. Harry looked east where he expected the plane to come from and sure enough he could just make it out in the vastness of blue. He picked up the binoculars that he always kept by his side when he was out driving and focused on the sky. It was getting closer and starting to drop in height so was obviously destined for Uwingoni.

  Soon the sound of the engine became dominant and the plane, the largest type to land on this fairly short strip touched down within the first fifty meters to give it enough space to slow to a halt. It then did a tight turn and bumped its way back to the waiting vehicles over the somewhat uneven surface.

  The pilot cut the engine and remarkably after what seemed like only a few seconds the morning birdsong was back, seeming louder than ever.

  Harry was surprised to see that the pilot was a young woman he had not seen before.

  “Hi I’m Charlie,” she smiled. “Ollie asked me to send you his best. He has had to fly some UN medical supplies up to Southern Sudan this morning, rather him than me. I hear it’s fast becoming one of the most dangerous places in Africa.”

  “Good to meet you Charlie,” said Harry. “Let’s get your passengers and their baggage off and into the Land Rovers.”

  The family of six were the first off. The parents looked so young thought Harry, amazed that they could have four children, the oldest obviously in their mid-teens. Introductions were made. They were all pleasant, fresh faced and eager to get into safari mode straight away.

  “Bethwell will take you all up to camp in one vehicle. It will be fun for you to keep together and who knows, you might see something interesting on the way. I will take the luggage to give you the room you need.”

  Harry turned his attention back to the plane. A young woman wearing a simple white top and faded blue jeans was walking from under the wing. She carried a somewhat battered suit case and a well-used khaki rucksack dangled comfortably from her shoulder.

  “Hi, you must be Ana,” he said stepping forward. “I’m Harry. Let me help you with your case.”

  She smiled gently at him, a tanned face under fairly short cut dark hair but it was her eyes that held his attention, they were the deepest of blue and as she looked at him Harry felt as though she could see right into him.

  “I’m fine thanks, pretty used to carrying my own stuff but I’ll give you a hand with all these others. They seemed a nice family but it looks as though they have packed for a month.”

  Before Harry could reply the beat of the engine increased and as he looked up at the cockpit, Charlie gave him a thumbs up out of the window.

  The bags were loaded in no time, despite his protests that he could manage by himself. Although Ana was slimly built he couldn’t help noticing how easily she moved even the heavier things into the back of the Land Rover.

  “So Harry, what’s your role here?” she asked as they drove back up the track to camp, her arm resting lazily out of the window but her gaze endlessly moving to the thick bush on either side as if she was afraid she would miss something.

  “Good question,” he replied. “It seems to be evolving all the time which is exciting but a little scary too. Until I came here I had never really taken responsibility for anything much in my life. My dad is Jim’s brother and so it was suggested I take a gap year and help out here in Uwingoni. I gather both of them go back a long way with your dad too.”

  “Yes. I don’t know all the ins and outs. They were at school together and have remained close since. It is good of your uncle to invite me out here for a while.”

  There was no further explanation as to why she had come out and Harry certainly wasn’t going to start asking.

  They drove on in silence but it wasn’t awkward and the time slipped easily by.

  Harry pulled up outside the main camp entrance. “I’m just going to drop the other bags off here then I’ll take you to your tent. You stay there; one of the guys will help me get them out of the back.”

  Harry then drove them round to the back of the camp, passed the kitchen where the smell of lunch being prepared wafted invitingly through the windows until they reached a small group of tents, dotted about twenty yards apart, each under the shade of some fairly squat trees.

  He stopped at one furthest from the main camp. “I thought you might like this one. Mine’s down here too away from the bustle of camp life. You will find it gives you a real feel of being in the wild. Often at night you can hear animals quite close and during the day the sound of insects seems almost constant.”

  Ana pushed the tent flap back and walked inside, past the single bed and into the wash area at the back. />
  “It’s all a bit basic I’m afraid but everything works and we have a little modern technology with the solar light but that’s about it. No hot water but if you want a decent shower there are a couple you can use in the main area of the camp.”

  That easy smile crossed her face again. “I love it. Give me simplicity every time. I used to be a bit of a city girl, keen for the latest of whatever was going around, but I tired of it. Everything seemed so comfortable but you know Harry, people just want more and more. Somehow they think their stuff defines them, sad really. This is just perfect.”

  “I have realised that myself, well since being here anyway.” Harry felt almost embarrassed that he was talking so easily to someone he had just met. “Look I’ll give you a while to freshen up then I’ll take you up to meet Jim. He has asked me if I would show you the ropes.”

  “That sounds great. Thanks for the warm welcome. I’ll catch up with you in a bit.”

  Harry walked back to the Land Rover. It was good to have someone else young in camp he thought and yet already he could detect sides of her that were far older than her age.

  Forty-five minutes later found the two of them sitting round part of a small circle, on green canvas directors chairs. They were in the main guest area of the camp but the family group had already headed off with a driver to see if they could spot any interesting game before lunch.

  Jim had greeted Ana with a broad smile and a rather formal handshake in the slightly awkward style he had, and she was given brief introductions to the others.

  Mike was there, and Harry realised he had hardly seen him since he had taken the Somali to the police station. Kilifi and Bethwell sat next to each other and slightly apart from the others was Aziz.

  “Good morning everyone,” began Jim, “and thanks for making this rather hastily convened meeting but I wanted to update you on one or two things. By the way I have asked Ana to join us as she is likely to be here for a while and you never know what a new perspective might bring to things. Now over to Mike for the latest from Inspector Mwitu.”

  Mike stood up, his face slightly flushed. Harry knew he was a shy individual who never liked being put on the spot. He only really became talkative when he had drunk a few White Caps, the favoured beer in camp.

  “Well,” he began in his slightly nasal voice, “Inspector Mwitu didn’t get much out of the Somali and he is being sent for further questioning in Nairobi. However, they found some interesting things in his vehicle. There were several cartons of Baisha cigarettes with a white crane on the front. They were unfamiliar, but due to the labelling obviously Chinese. There were also several bottles of cheap Chinese spirit under the back seat. Despite some, let’s say fairly forcible questioning, our Somali friend said he could not explain this.

  “There are a lot of Chinese working in Kenya now so I suppose they could have come from any of them,” remarked Jim, as ever not keen to jump to conclusions.

  “There is something that might be more telling than that,” continued Mike. “The AK-47s that the poaching party were carrying had ammunition with some form of far eastern writing on the bullet casings. Mwitu has sent those to Nairobi too for closer examination.”

  “My bet is that it will be something to do with that Chinese engineering group building the dam twenty miles up the road.” said Bethwell. “I’ve got relations working in other reserves in the country and generally these guys are bad news.”

  Harry knew there were serious issues with a number of Chinese projects. What he heard was of course only gossip but it had a sad ring of truth about it. Many of the projects they were involved in were hugely expensive and the need for some of them was questionable too. But of course they also involved senior politicians who were rumoured to receive huge kickbacks for their support. In theory the dam sounded great, fresh water and a hydroelectric plant to usher in the modern world, but that is not how many saw it.

  “I have a couple of friends who farm just below this new project,” said Kilifi, “and nobody has even asked them what they think. They are so worried that the whole supply of water will either change direction or be drastically reduced and without water they are finished. Their animals and crops will die and their farms will be worth nothing. And they are just two, there are hundreds of other small farmers further downstream and the chances are the same thing will happen to all of them. So hardly what you would call progress!”

  “I don’t feel the Chinese are so bad,” said Aziz. “I have met some of them and they seem decent, hardworking people.”

  “I don’t feel anyone will argue with that point,” stated Jim, “but that is not really what we are talking about here. Someone seems to be targeting Uwingoni. The Somali and his mates are just the troops on the ground. There have to be some individuals with power and influence behind all this and Chinese clues are one of the few leads the police have.”

  “Well,” said Aziz, “that strikes me as pretty flimsy evidence and what’s more China has only just banned the import of ivory, for those of you who look at the news.”

  Harry was conscious of a worsening atmosphere amongst the small circle. Aziz was not popular at the best of times.

  “Look,” he said, “why don’t we wait for inspector Mwitu to get back to us and then we might have something more definite to go on. While we are here I wanted to mention something else.” He took a big breath, knowing the opposition from some individuals around what he had to say. “If we can improve our communication system I am sure it would make a big difference. As we know there are many areas of Uwingoni where there is no phone signal and the radios seem unable to contact each other properly. That is such a huge disadvantage for us so I have an idea.”

  The others all seemed focused on what he was about to say. “I know you think I have this thing about us being old-fashioned, well we are and if we are going to save the elephants, in particular, we have to move with the times. I have been doing some research into special repeater masts.”

  “We have gone into radio masts before Harry,” said Jim, with a heavy sigh, “and I am afraid they are just too expensive. Isn’t that what your research showed Aziz?”

  “I’m afraid that is right, it would be wonderful but you see the cost…”

  “Is much better than you think,” interrupted Harry. “And I believe I have come up with just the thing. Portable masts. We don’t need great big things dug into the hillsides. We can buy portable antenna tripods. They weigh less than five pounds and extend to over nine feet, together with the antenna itself and a simple battery pack, the cost is less than $US600.”

  The others were silent, even Aziz couldn’t come up with a reason why they couldn’t afford this. “I reckon if we had even three we could make a huge difference to our radio coverage in the reserve. They are made by several companies but I thought the best was Lite-Link. I looked at all the online reviews and they were really positive.”

  “If I may just say something,” said Ana. Everyone’s eyes turned to her and Harry saw that confident smile again. “I know I have just arrived and what little I know about Kenya game reserves I have only read in books but I do know about communication.”

  “Please,” said Jim, “Everything we learn can be useful.”

  “As some of you know I am a journalist and have found myself in remote areas where just trying to communicate with the outside world is extremely difficult. The sort of masts that Harry mentioned are a fantastic link. They fit in a simple bag that goes over your shoulder and are easy to put up, take down and move. All they need to work is a small solar battery. You are obviously having problems here in Uwingoni and they would seem a straightforward solution.”

  Aziz was about to speak but Jim put up his hand to silence him. “What better recommendation could we have,” he smiled. “I suggest we look at buying three straight away. Thank you, Ana, oh and Harry for bringing it up. No Aziz I don’t want to hear another word, get on the case straight away please.”

  Everyone else in the circle smi
led broadly. They then discussed some rather necessary but uninteresting sides of the camp, from vehicles that needed repair to the purchase of a new freezer enabling the kitchen to have much greater flexibility with meals.

  “Finally,” said Jim turning to Kilifi, “what news of young Meru and his mother?”

  “I was out with Harry yesterday but we didn’t come across them. I imagine they have gone deep into the bush for safety as I have had no reports of sightings today either.”

  “I don’t suppose that’s anything too much to worry about just yet but keep me posted as soon as you hear anything.”

  As the meeting broke up and everyone went their separate ways Harry found himself walking back to the tents with Ana.

  “I don’t know how you did it,” he said, “but that smile of yours seemed to win Jim over. I have never known him to agree to spending money so quickly.”

  “Do I have some special smile, that’s good to know.”

  “I only said that as a bit of a joke. I am sure it was your knowledge as a journalist that won the day. You must tell me about a few of your experiences sometime.”

  “Perhaps,” replied Ana with little enthusiasm.

  Harry couldn’t believe his own stupidity. The one thing he had been determined not to bring up was her recent past and yet he had just blurted out the question. He could feel his face going a little red.

  “I’m not interested in lunch. It has been quite a journey getting here, I think I’m just going to put my head down and have a sleep.”

  “I could pick you up about five o’clock if you feel up to it and we could go for a bit of a game drive before it gets dark if you like,” said Harry, desperate to change the subject.

  She stopped by the little veranda in front of her tent as if summing up her options. As she turned towards him it was almost as though the tension seemed to leave her face and shoulders. “That sounds fun. See you later then.”