An hour and a half deep. Probably 4.5 miles or so. Elephant sign everywhere. Dung. Broken branches in the trail – some with green leaves, some with brown. Trees pushed over and tracks of cows and calves.
“We’re still a couple of hours behind them. Do you want a water?”
“No”
“Good”
We change directions. Ishmael pushes on behind Lin who is in better shape than expected after nearly a year off. The next couple of hours produce more miles and more elephant sign but no elephant. We find ourselves at the base of a mountain – a steep one with treacherous, golf ball sized rocks all along the path. It’s hard work but we trek upward. The government ranger slips and down he goes. Clank, clank, clank goes the AK. Ishmael braces for the full metal jackets but, thank God, there are none. Ishmael turns around in time to see the AK skirting diagonally down the mountain and the ranger goofily grinning while attempting to get to his feet. I’m not certain where they get these guys but I’m guessing it ain’t MENSA. Ishmael likes him although he did once watch him take a shit along a public road while hiding behind a fencepost of all things. Not a baobab tree but a fencepost. I kid you not.
At the top there is much needed rest. Lin offers a water and this time Ishmael accepts. He puts me down, sits on a rock and drains the bottle while staring back down into the valley trying to soak it all in. Lin calls the driver and tells him where to bring the cruiser and after a pic or two we head that way.
We see the cruiser and Lin and the driver trade places and we take off for another spot some distance away with Ishmael enjoying the rest. After 2-3 hours, Lin slows the cruiser, looks at the ground and talks to the trackers.
“Buffalo”
“This is the buffalo area?”
“Yes”
“Fresh?”
“Yesterday”
We continue up the boundary. Elephant sign is plentiful. Lin stops the cruiser, grabs his binoculars and backs up.
“Kudu bull. Young. 44 inches”
“Holy shit, there’s Kudu here too?”
“Yes but scarce. This is not a plains game area”
Back in drive, through a gate or two and past on old tungsten mine, the elephant sign really pics up. Like everywhere. We keep driving and there they are: a cow, a young bull and a tuskless cow among others. Perhaps a half dozen or so. Ishmael videos them from the cruiser.
“They are here. We’ll come here in the morning. Pack enough for two nights”
Lin turns the cruiser around and we head back toward camp. Ishmael smiles. He knows where the buffalo are, he knows where the kudu are, he knows where the elephant are. And he knows where the beers are. In the back of the cruiser. Ice cold. Tallboys. Castle Lights. Right on cue, Lin asks does he want one and he drinks three.