by J. Burchett
“I told you, I won’t do it!” The boy was almost sobbing now. “You can’t make me.”
“Good for Lester!” muttered Ben through gritted teeth.
“Look, Ben,” breathed Zoe, edging round the tree trunk. “The mother’s chest is moving!” She squeezed her brother’s arm and smiled. “She’s alive! Maybe we weren’t too late! As soon as the hunters leave we’ll go and –”
The children froze as Chitundu walked towards Tomboi’s mother, ignoring the argument going on in the clearing behind him, his rifle slung over his shoulder.
Ben put his hand on Zoe’s. “I bet Chitundu’s going to finish the job. Hall wants his trophy.”
Zoe’s eyes widened in fear. “Then we have to do something!” she said desperately.
“We wait for our chance, Zoe. I know it’s hard, but if he sees us Chitundu might shoot us. He won’t want witnesses. We may be able to do something for Tomboi at least.” Ben beckoned to his sister and they peered round the tree. Now they could see the father and son. To their amazement Frank Hall was trying to wrestle the gun from Lester, a look of fury on his face. His battered hat had fallen to the ground.
Zoe whipped out her BUG and held it up, videoing the whole scene. She swung it round until Chitundu came into view next to the fallen elephant.
“Now we’ve got evidence,” she said grimly.
“The thing’s practically dead already with that bad leg,” growled Mr Hall. “If you’re not man enough to shoot it – I will.”
“Don’t you dare,” shouted Lester. “I won’t let you!” He was struggling with his father as if his life depended on it.
Ben turned to watch Chitundu. The hunter was crouching next to the mother elephant. Bellowing in panic, Tomboi began to headbutt him and Chitundu repeatedly pushed him away. He reached for his gun.
“I was right,” muttered Ben, watching the man take a thin tube from a pouch on his belt. “He’s got a silencer. He’s going to finish her off.”
Zoe put down her BUG and fumbled in her backpack. “I’m going to shoot him with the tranquilliser,” she hissed.
But as she aimed the gun at Chitundu, Ben pulled her arm down.
“What are you doing?” she demanded. “I’m only going to knock him out.”
“The dose is for a young elephant – not a man.” Ben took the gun from her hand. “You might kill him!”
“You’re right,” Zoe said helplessly. “What can we do?”
“We could get the other elephants to come,” gasped Ben. “If they knew these two were in trouble, they’d be on their way.”
“But they’re probably too far off to hear,” sighed Zoe.
“Not if I amplify Tomboi’s call,” said Ben. He held up his BUG and pressed record as Tomboi gave another desperate bellow.
The little calf settled at his mother’s side. With a huge effort the elephant cow raised her trunk and lovingly touched her baby’s face. Then she lay still.
“Is it too late?” gulped Zoe.
“Not for Tomboi,” said Ben. He turned up the BUG volume and played it back. The sound blasted into the air. Chitundu whipped round, trying to work out where it was coming from.
“That’s too close to be an elephant,” he muttered. He began to step purposefully towards their hiding place.
Ben and Zoe slithered backwards, desperate to keep hidden. Using the barrel of his gun, Chitundu smashed leaves and branches aside. He was coming closer. If they broke cover they knew he’d see them, and if they stayed where they were, he’d find them for sure. They were trapped.
Only a thin curtain of leaves separated them from the hunter now.
“Is there someone there?” growled Chitundu, raising his gun to his shoulder.
Ben and Zoe froze.
At that moment a deafening gunshot rang out followed by an angry curse. Chitundu fought his way back through the undergrowth. The children followed, just in time to see Lester, white with shock, holding his gun limply in one hand. Mr Hall was writhing on the ground, clutching his boot.
“You’ve shot me, you imbecile!” he groaned. “Don’t just stand there. Get me to a hospital. I’m losing blood.”
“Now he knows how the elephants feel!” said Ben vehemently. “Lester’s done us a favour. They’ll have to go back to the lodge now. The minute they’re out of the way we’ll be able to get to Tomboi.”
Chitundu took the gun from Lester and laid it on the ground. He knelt next to his client.
“Where is the wound?” he asked urgently.
“My foot!” Mr Hall croaked. “My own son shot me, the idiot.”
“I didn’t mean to, Dad,” said Lester shakily.
Frank Hall gave a yelp as Chitundu removed his boot and sock. “It is not serious,” Chitundu told him. “The bullet just grazed your big toe. It’s hardly bleeding. I will dress it.”
The colour rushed back to Lester’s face and he grinned with relief.
But his father rounded on him. “I don’t know why you’re so pleased with yourself,” he snapped, wincing as Chitundu started to clean his wound. “You’ve ruined the whole hunt. Give me the gun. I’ll see to the calf.”
Ben and Zoe stared at each other. The nightmare wasn’t over after all.
But suddenly Chitundu looked up. He was listening intently to distant sounds from along the track. “We can’t risk staying any longer,” he said. “The rest of the herd is coming.”
“Fantastic!” whispered Zoe. “Your plan worked, Ben.”
“Even though we nearly got shot,” added Ben.
Mr Hall staggered to his feet. “I can’t walk all the way back,” he insisted crossly. “You’ll have to call a jeep.”
“There’s no time,” Chitundu replied. “It’s too dangerous to wait here.” He took Mr Hall firmly by the arm and helped him limp off.
The minute they’d gone, Ben and Zoe crawled out of their hiding place and approached the two elephants. They slung down their backpacks and knelt by them.
“We have to act quickly!” said Zoe.
Ben inspected the calf’s injured leg. “This is horrible. There’s so much swelling I can hardly see the snare.” He began to cough. “And the infection stinks!”
As gently as he could, he tried to untie the wire. But Tomboi was not too weak to react. He stiffened and gave a bellow of pain.
Zoe stroked Tomboi’s wrinkled head and cradled his limp trunk in her hands.
“We need sedation,” said Ben. “Now!”
Zoe snapped into action. She wiped her eyes and pulled the tranquillising gun and dart from her backpack. Ben stood up and aimed it into Tomboi’s flank. Soon the little bull calf was unconscious.
There was a harsh cry above them. They looked up to see huge birds circling round.
“Vultures!” cried Zoe in alarm. She stood up and waved her arms angrily at them.
“The antibiotic in the solution is very strong so it should get to work soon,” muttered Ben, as he worked on the bolas with a pair of pliers.
A loud trumpeting from along the track made the children leap to their feet. Through the trees they could see the herd of elephants approaching – the huge matriarch at their head.
“You hide, Zoe,” said Ben. “I’ll join you in a minute. Can’t get this wire free…” His teeth were clenched and sweat was trickling down his face as he tried to get a grip on the bolas with the pliers.
“We’re in this together,” his sister replied. “I’ll help.” She raised Tomboi’s limp foot. “Try round the other side.”
Ben eased the point of the implement under the wire. “Got it!” he exclaimed. There was a click and the snare sprang free from the little elephant’s foot.
Zoe quickly threw their equipment into her backpack while Ben reloaded the tranquillising gun with a second capsule and aimed it at Tomboi again.
“He’ll be on his feet in a few minutes,” he said, quickly retrieving both darts. “Erika told me this sedation reversal is super quick.”
“And we’d bette
r be super quick,” said Zoe urgently. “Look!”
Ben glanced up. The huge matriarch was a few meters away now. Her eyes were wild with fear as she called anxiously to the two fallen members of her herd.
Ben and Zoe backed away to the safety of the trees as the herd surrounded Tomboi and his mother.
Some pressed forwards, feeling the cow all over with their trunks. Others paced round the group, rumbling sadly. Ben and Zoe could just see the matriarch curling her long trunk around Tomboi, who was struggling to get to his feet. With the help of two other cows, she lifted him up and supported him gently, holding him against her leg.
“Look out!” whispered Zoe. “I think they’re on to us.”
One of the largest elephants of the group was making its way towards them. Ben and Zoe cowered in fear as the huge grey beast towered above their hiding place. Then it raised its trunk, grasped the branch over their heads and tore it away. Others began to tear branches from the surrounding trees.
They laid them gently over the lifeless body of Tomboi’s mother.
“It looks like a sort of funeral,” whispered Ben in awe. “She must be dead.”
Zoe watched, her tears falling silently.
The elephants stood silently round the mound of leaves. The matriarch was the first to move. She gently steered Tomboi down the path with her trunk. The little elephant gave one last pitiful look back, and limped away with the herd.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Ben took out his BUG and pressed the Wild hot key.
“I’ve managed to get an update from the Kenya Wildlife Service,” came Uncle Stephen’s voice. “They should be on their way soon.”
“They’re too late to save Tomboi’s mother,” said Ben. “She’s been shot.”
“And Tomboi?”
Ben told him everything that had happened. “The hunters are walking back to the lodge now,” he finished.
“Well, they won’t get far,” Dr Fisher muttered. “I’ll tip off the KWS and they can pick them up. I’ll also make sure they get Zoe’s video evidence – that way they’ll have a cast-iron case against Hall and Chitundu.”
Her eyes full of tears, Zoe walked over to say goodbye to Tomboi’s mother. She bent down and gently removed the branches that covered her face. She stroked the lifeless forehead.
Then she started. Had one of the ears twitched? Frantically, she swept away the burial covering and put her hand on the elephant’s side. The next second, she’d jumped to her feet.
“Ben!” she yelled. “Don’t sign off. We’ve got to tell Uncle Stephen. Tomboi’s mother is still alive!”
Two days later a small group of trekkers stood by the waterhole. It was a chilly morning and dawn had just broken, touching the tops of the trees with a golden glow.
Wambua turned to the tourists in his party. “Stand very still,” he said, a big smile on his face. “Here come our beloved elephants.”
Ben, Zoe and Erika watched eagerly as the pale-skinned matriarch led her herd down to the water on the opposite bank. Lester Hall stood slightly apart, snapping away at the scene.
“See the little calf?” Wambua went on. “Tomboi has just had a very lucky escape from hunters thanks to the Kenya Wildlife Service.”
Ben and Zoe grinned at each other. No-one could ever know Wild’s part in the rescue, of course.
“Wambua sounds happy,” said Ben, as the old man walked off. “No-one’s going to stop the Samburu protecting the elephants now.”
“Tomboi’s leg is healing nicely,” Zoe whispered to her brother, as they watched the little elephant wading through some thick reeds, sticking close to Nyeupe. “I wish we could tell him his mother’s alive and being looked after.”
“And that those hunters won’t be bothering them again,” added Ben fervently.
“I’d love to have seen Mr Hall’s face when they told him he wouldn’t be hunting for a good long time,” said Zoe gleefully.
“And Chitundu’s sideline in bush meat is well and truly over,” added Erika.
Frank Hall and Chitundu had been whisked away to the police station, each blaming the other, until they’d seen Zoe’s video, which the police believed had been sent in by a tourist. Then they’d confessed everything.
It had been the talk of the lodge ever since. Runo had been very keen to tell the children about how Chitundu had gone mad since his arrest and kept rambling on about people spying on him from bushes. He’d also told them that his grandfather’s elephant treks were on again and had asked – with a twinkle in his eye – whether Ben and Zoe would like to do the trip on a camel!
“I’m glad Lester’s mum can’t get out here for a few more days,” said Ben. “He’s cool – nothing like his dad.”
“It’ll be good to have him with us for the rest of our stay,” agreed Zoe.
Just then, Lester Hall came over to join them. He held out his camera to show his photos. “This is what I came to Africa for.”
“They look great. You’ll have loads to show your mum,” said Zoe.
Lester looked serious for a moment. “Thanks for letting me hang out with you after…what happened,” he mumbled.
“It’s OK,” said Ben, giving him a friendly nudge. “See how well the calf is looking? You’re a hero…I mean, that’s what I heard. That you wouldn’t let him be shot,” he added quickly.
Lester went a bit pink at this.
Without thinking, Ben rubbed the plasters covering the ant bites and winced.
“What’s that?” asked Lester.
“Ant bites,” said Ben. He wondered what Lester would say if he knew how he’d got them!
Tomboi suddenly broke into a trot, sucked up a trunkful of water and blasted Nyeupe. The old matriarch splashed him back and he rolled over in the mud.
“That’s one happy little elephant!” Zoe laughed.
