team had come up with the name Hornblower.
The problem was that nothing had come out of that first e-mail. So when the second one had arrived yesterday, it wasn’t surprising his commanding officer had been sceptical.
Captain Absalom Dlamini had been at his desk when Piet brought the printout to him. He had read it and tossed it down.
“Piet, you get all kinds of crazies out there, man. This could be a hoax. The last time we got a tip from this bloke, I put everyone on high alert, and nothing happened. We’ve got enough on our shoulders without going on a wild goose chase.” He had tapped the edge of his desk with his fingers.
Piet could understand his captain’s reluctance. Each day, he had to make decisions based on very little information.
When Piet had joined SANParks, his job had been pretty straightforward. There was poaching, of course, but on a scale that the rangers could still handle. But not anymore.
Now they were fighting a war. And the enemy was relentless. When rhino poaching started to escalate, a special task team had been set up in the Kruger Park, and Piet had been chosen to be part of it. Others in the team consisted of members of the police force – including the Organised Crime Unit – and soldiers from the SANDF. The rangers had received gruelling paramilitary training. Piet told himself that it was necessary, but still felt uneasy in his new role. He was a conservationist, not a soldier.
But they had no option. Just about every day, heavily armed militia entered Kruger over the border from Mozambique. Not that there weren’t plenty of local people involved as well. And Piet knew it wasn’t enough just to catch the poachers.
They were prepared to risk their lives for money. And for every poacher taken out of the game, there were ten more to take his place.
They had to catch the big guys. Poaching was being run by overseas syndicates. These were the people selling rhino horn on the black market for millions of rands. That’s why the Organised Crime Unit was involved. Nothing would change unless the middlemen and kingpins were stopped.
Piet started his bakkie. He sat for a moment, looking at the huge beast lying on the ground. He didn’t want to imagine her dying cries. Once you had heard the heart-rending wail of a wounded rhino, you never forgot it. He put the bakkie into gear. Rhinos have been around for fifty million years, he thought. And in my lifetime, they may all be gone.
Sometimes it all seemed too much.
4
As they drove through the farm gates, Billy saw a huge sign saying “WILD2SAVE”. Karel pulled into the parking area and turned off the ignition.
“Okey-dokey,” said Bokkie, collecting her things and stuffing them into her briefcase. “Here we are. And there’s Schalk come to meet us.”
A large man in khaki with a big grey moustache and piercing blue eyes walked over to the bus. The two Rottweilers next to him barked and bared their teeth.
“Titus! Aztec!” he shouted, and they stopped in their tracks and sat down, one on each side of him. “Hi. I’m Schalk Kriek. Aangename kennis. Welcome.” He shook hands with everyone as they climbed off the bus. “Come and have something to eat and drink.”
The farmhouse was old with a faded red tin roof and a veranda that wrapped all the way around it. A huge tree, with a magenta bougainvillea snaking through its branches, towered over it. There was a table on the veranda with a pot of coffee, some mugs, and plates of rusks and koeksisters.
Billy hadn’t realised he was hungry until he saw the food. He and the others quickly helped themselves. He remembered his mother’s coconut cookies still in his backpack. He hadn’t eaten them because he had felt embarrassed. Nobody else’s mother had sent food with them.
He took his coffee and a rusk and stood at the end of the stoep, looking out at the view.
Jabu walked over and stood next to him. She took a deep breath. “Smell that?” she asked.
“The coffee?”
“No, there’s a smell of potatoes.”
“Oh yes,” agreed Billy. “Where’s it coming from?”
“Phyllanthus reticulatus,” said Jabu, “commonly known as the potato bush.”
Billy was impressed. With people like Jabu around, what hope would he have of winning that bursary? He was sure he didn’t know half as much as the others.
“Oh, sweet. Look!” Billy and Jabu turned as they heard Surina squeal.
Bokkie was carrying two tiny lion cubs in her arms. “Here you are,” she said, handing one wriggling baby to Surina and the other to Jabu.
Surina rubbed her face against the cub’s soft fur while Jabu examined the one she was holding. “They are very young. Only a few weeks. Am I right?”
“Seven weeks,” Bokkie replied. “They had to be taken from their mother because she wasn’t feeding them properly. These are our first babies at the sanctuary. We’re hoping to get some young rhinos next. Unfortunately, there are plenty of orphans these days with all the poaching that’s going on.”
“Come and have a look, Billy,” called Surina.
Billy came over and scratched the cub’s tummy. It yawned and showed a small pink mouth. It really is cute, he thought. But not quite as cute as Surina.
She looked up and smiled. “Awesome, hey? I wouldn’t mind one of these for a pet.”
Billy nodded and then fled to the table to get some more coffee.
Vusi was chatting to Schalk. “So what did they farm here in the old days?” he asked.
“They had cattle, but mostly it was cotton and tobacco.”
“I wouldn’t mind taking a walk around the farm,” Vusi said. “What’s that huge shed over there used for?”
Schalk blew on his coffee. “That’s where they used to hang the tobacco leaves out to dry.”
“What do you keep in there now?” asked Vusi.
“Not much really. My chopper, an old tractor … You know. Stuff like that.”
Vusi said, “Chopper?” with a puzzled look, and then the light dawned. “You’ve got a helicopter. That’s way cool, man.”
Schalk laughed. “It is. In fact, I will be flying up to Pretoriuskop later to join you okes for a braai.”
“Can we go and have a look at it?” asked Vusi eagerly.
Schalk hesitated and glanced at his watch. “Sorry. You don’t really have enough time. Karel wants to get going as soon as Piet and Thandi arrive. But listen, let’s go into my office. I’ve got some good photographs of my helicopter to show you. And maybe, if we get a chance this weekend, I can take you up in it.”
Vusi grinned and gave a thumbs up.
While Surina carried on playing with the cubs, Billy, Vusi
