The Mind Man

Chapter fifteen

The twin engine aircraft appeared from the southwest as a tiny speck in the deep blue sky. Within minutes, however, it was touching down on the slightly undulating airstrip gouged out of the savannah. A small gathering of personnel congregated in front of a large corrugated iron shed, watching the five-seater Beech Baron turn off the main runway and taxi towards them. At the last minute it turned and came to a standstill in front of the shed in a cloud of red dust. The engines were cut and silence once again enveloped the land. A door above the right wing opened and a tall lean figure appeared and stepped down onto the earth. He approached the gathering with a casual swagger, looking decidedly overdressed in long white trousers and a blue and white striped shirt opened at the collar. The sleeves were rolled up to just below the elbows.

The only white man amongst the welcoming party stepped forward and offered a strong gnarled hand to the newcomer. "Welcome boss. I trust you had a pleasant flight," was said in a thick South African accent.

"Not bad. A bit bouncy coming out of Windhoek but the rest was okay. How are things here?"

The two men walked between the remainder of the group, towards a dusty, green Range Rover standing behind them. They climbed in and welcomed the air-conditioned interior free of heat and dust. The remaining half a dozen or so men sporting Kalashnikovs and clad in ragged ex-army fatigues slipped easily and without conversation into two open jeeps.

The procession made its way from the airstrip along an unformed track which squeezed between some low scrubby bushes and then climbed up onto a rise. A grand low-level homestead, skirted on all sides by wide verandahs, dominated the landscape for miles around.

To one side of the main building were several smaller buildings with spacious enclosures nearby, shaded by several large mokongwa trees. Animals stirred in the enclosures at the sound of the approaching vehicles, but soon settled back down to rest and wait out the heat of the day.

Further along the ridge from the enclosures was a large modern looking building with air-conditioning fans perched on top the shiny metal roof. Accommodation villas for staff nestled discreetly amongst the trees further up on a nearby hill. The whole complex bristled with communication equipment, aerials, antennas and satellite dishes.

"Things have been good boss." Eric briefed the visitor on the way up from the airstrip. "We have had plenty of birthing activity in recent weeks. We've successfully released that injured cheetah back into the wild. We've been watching her and seen that she's been able to hunt for food. We're hoping she will mate up with a male we've seen north of here. Also there have been some good rains further up the catchment. The river is in a healthy state. I even came across some zebras down there drinking the other day."

The Range Rover pulled up just short of the homestead and the two men stepped from the vehicle up onto the verandah. They walked inside to a welcome flurry of maids and housekeepers. The two jeeps veered off towards the enclosures where work resumed, tending to the animals inside the enclosures. The men walked across a stained timber floor through a large sparsely furnished room. A row of cooling fans rotated slowly above their heads and the wide floor to ceiling windows lit the room with an abundance of natural light. They appeared again on the verandah on the opposite side. Several comfortable chairs were placed strategically to command uninterrupted views over the dry woodland savannah which stretched below them to low lying hills in the far distance. The monotony of the plains was broken by a low flat river made identifiable by the trail of thick vegetation along its banks. Herds of elephants, giraffes, antelope and wildebeest wandered peacefully across areas of grasslands under the watchful gaze of lions and leopards seeking refuge near solitary camel thorn trees and the occasional passing pack of wild dogs.

They were seated by fussing maids and a jug full of ice cubes and freshly made lemonade was placed on a table between them.

"How are the poachers?" the visitor inquired.