“That mhlungu. He is not happy.” Moamba had been talking on his cellphone. He stuffed it into his pocket. “He says we have to find the one we did not get last night. He says the order is for two.” He spat in the dust.
Lebadi shook his head. “The tshukudu will have moved.”
Moamba shrugged. “They won’t have gone too far, but the SANParks people will be out there. And the others who also want what we want.”
The boy lay back and stared at the marula leaves above him. When the tree was heavy with fruit, the elephants would come. They loved the fruit of the marula.
He thought about what Moamba had said. He must have been speaking to the big boss again. It was not good. If they did not get back today, he knew his grandmother would be worried.
He closed his eyes and wished it was over. Not just today, but all of it. He wanted to be back in the small hut with his grandmother and sisters. He wished he had never met Moamba.
“It will be easy work. In and out,” he had told the boy the first time they met. “No problem.”
The boy was not stupid. He had known from the beginning what the ex-soldiers who came across the border were doing. But it had been hard to say no to the money. That was what kept him here. That and the fear of what these men might do to him and his family. The money allowed his grandmother to buy pap and bread, sometimes chicken. Even though, when she took the cash, she never looked at him. Just went, “Aaai, aaai, aaai,” and stuffed it into her blouse.
“Moshanyana,” Moamba called, and the boy scrambled to his feet. “Get the things together. It is time to go.” He nodded in the direction of the hidden sack buried under the ground. “We will leave that here and come back for it later.”
The boy put the empty bottle into his backpack. When they passed the river, he would fill the bottle again. He took the empty tins and buried them with the stompies from the men’s zols. He knew he must not leave anything for the SANParks staff to find. “That is how they track us,” Moamba had said.
Moamba slung the hunting rifle over his shoulder. He checked his belt for his knife. The boy picked up the axe.
They were on the move again.
7
Billy looked around the rondavel he was sharing with Vusi. It was a small, circular room with two beds and a cupboard. He glanced up at the thatched roof. There was nothing quite like thatch. He wasn’t sure exactly why he liked it so much.
Maybe it was the smell or the way everything sounded muted under thatch.
Vusi had been inspecting the bathroom and declared it had a “mean shower”. He picked up the itinerary and began to read it.
“So, we’ve got to meet at the assembly point at 17:00 hours.”
Billy pulled his cellphone out of his pocket and checked the time. “Well, we’d better get moving then,” he said.
The rest of the group were already waiting under the huge flamboyant tree, with its striking red flowers, which was their meeting point. A glossy starling hopped about on the grass, its blue feathers iridescent in the sunlight. A mother warthog followed by three babies, their antenna-like tails in the air, trotted quickly away. Billy grinned. He hadn’t expected to see animals in the camp.
As they approached, Bokkie said, “Hello, boys. Nice of you to join us. Were you taking a nap or something? It’s time to go and see some animals.”
Billy nodded, and Vusi said, “Oh yeah!”
Thandi stuck her khaki cap onto her head and smiled at them. “I was just telling the others we’re going for a short drive this evening. To the dam and back. We’ll go on a much longer one tomorrow.”
Billy noticed that Surina wasn’t standing with them. She was sitting on the steps of the rondavel she was sharing with Jabu.
“Come along, Surina,” called Bokkie. “Time to go.”
“Do I have to? Can’t I just stay here and, um, hang out? We’ve been driving all day.”
Bokkie frowned at her. “It’s just a short drive. That’s why you’re here, you know. To see animals.”
Surina sighed and raised her eyebrows. She stood up reluctantly and walked over.
Thandi gave her an encouraging smile. “I’m sure you’ll enjoy it,” she said.
Bokkie’s nose gave a firm twitch. She continued, “When you get back, we will have a braai. Schalk will be here by then. But first, the moment you have all been waiting for. Cellphones, please.”
Surina groaned. “Do we have to?” she asked.
“Absolutely,” said Thandi. “There’s no place for cellphones on the Land Rover. Anway, we’ve got a two-way radio if we need it. See, I am also going to hand mine over to Bokkie.”
Billy took his out of his pocket and hesitated. He was thinking about what Uncle Raymond had said about taking pictures. “Um, I don’t have a camera, so I use my phone. Now what’ll I do?”
“Exactly!” said Surina.
“Bokkie and I discussed that,” said Thandi, “and luckily, Jabu has brought a very good camera with her. She will take whatever photos you guys want and then send them to your phones.”
Jabu patted the camera slung around her neck. “I promise it takes amazing pictures.”
She and Billy handed their cellphones to Bokkie, who popped them into her briefcase. Then she turned to Vusi, who opened his hands and shrugged in a gesture that said he didn’t have one.
Surina’s jaw dropped. “You don’t have a cellphone?” she said as if Vusi had just announced he was from the planet Jupiter.
“Don’t need one,” said Vusi with a shrug.
“Well, I do,” said Surina, turning to Bokkie. “I’ve got to keep in touch with my family, or they will be worried about me.”
Bokkie shook her head. “No cellphones, and that’s it. You don’t need any distractions this weekend, my girl, so just hand it over, please. Your parents have my contact details if they need to be in touch.”
Surina handed it over with another dramatic sigh.
They climbed onto the Land Rover. Surina sat next to Thandi in the front. Billy and Vusi sat in the row behind them. Jabu clambered up the short ladder at the back and sat in the last row of seats.
As they set off from the camp, Jabu asked Thandi where the dead rhino had been found.
“Not all that far from here,” Thandi told her. “But don’t worry, the poachers will be long gone by now. Once they’ve got a horn, they get out fast.”
“Oh no, I’m not worried,” said Jabu. “I’m writing about this weekend for my blog, and I just want some details to add to my story. That’s why I always carry my camera,” she added, leaning on the seat behind the two boys.
She has a blog, thought Billy. “Um, you seem to know a lot about the bush,” he remarked.
“Yeah, you’re a walking bushveld encyclopaedia,” grinned Vusi.
Jabu adjusted her glasses. “Well, one day, I want to be a photojournalist and write articles about conservation. That’s why I started my blog. I get quite a few hits, actually.”
Oh terrific, thought Billy. A real boffin. I bet the bursary’s already hers.
“That’s very interesting, Jabu. If you want to ask me anything while we are on the drive,