Yes I had only been married three weeks and adjusting to living in this out of the way station with
just my husband. I was terrified at having to cook for my husband on a wood stove having been used to electric stoves - never mind having our first two guests coming to stay. But the two people coming were wonderful people and could not have been more hospitable – they ate everything that I
produced, which gave me some courage to carry on with my cooking! I was now trying to make bread for the first time. For some reason I was having to use eggs and milk. Well the bread came
out beautifully but when your nearest shop was miles away and in my day you could not just jump into a vehicle and drive there I was limiting the amount used. The eggs were also to be used for
breakfast and of course the milk for tea so there were not wasted amount available. This upset everyone as a new loaf of bread was Moorish and everyone would have liked to have eaten both
loaves in one sitting. I also did not want to spend my time in the kitchen cooking as I would much rather have been out with the boys seeing how the sling shot went.
Our house on the Lundi was very near the river, and we had an almost 180’ degree view of the river,
with the most beautiful BIG trees. No fence at all, so no flowers as they would have been eaten by the game - so there was just grass right down to the edge of the river which was nicely mowed
by the hippo that came up every night to check there was no long patches. The elephant use to also come around the house and eat the fruit from the Cordila, and see what else was available.
As Mike described excitement of the chase, the heart-pumping, anxiety of the stalk were all VERY
true but it did sort of get me over the fear of elephant and I began to find it great fun and was learning fast about stalking , making no noise, escaping behind a tree trunk and praying you would
not be seen or smelled. Especially on the 14th when the old bull charged! I just stopped thinking and froze and don’t know what I would have done if Boyd’s voice hadn’t changed the bulls mind and he changed course. When the other 3 elephant turned up and now there were 6, well I died! All I can remember was crouching down nearby in the reeds and just seeing a huge body emerging, then legs going off away from me and hearing a noise behind me and on the side. Then quiet…. which was just as terrifying as you didn’t know what was happening or if the elephant were still there. I had very wobbly legs, and was shaking like a leaf for quite awhile after it all. This was one of the first encounters with elephant and I had had and certainly not the last. I learnt a very healthy
respect for these gently grey giants.
It was sad to say goodbye to our two friends.
just my husband. I was terrified at having to cook for my husband on a wood stove having been used to electric stoves - never mind having our first two guests coming to stay. But the two people coming were wonderful people and could not have been more hospitable – they ate everything that I
produced, which gave me some courage to carry on with my cooking! I was now trying to make bread for the first time. For some reason I was having to use eggs and milk. Well the bread came
out beautifully but when your nearest shop was miles away and in my day you could not just jump into a vehicle and drive there I was limiting the amount used. The eggs were also to be used for
breakfast and of course the milk for tea so there were not wasted amount available. This upset everyone as a new loaf of bread was Moorish and everyone would have liked to have eaten both
loaves in one sitting. I also did not want to spend my time in the kitchen cooking as I would much rather have been out with the boys seeing how the sling shot went.
Our house on the Lundi was very near the river, and we had an almost 180’ degree view of the river,
with the most beautiful BIG trees. No fence at all, so no flowers as they would have been eaten by the game - so there was just grass right down to the edge of the river which was nicely mowed
by the hippo that came up every night to check there was no long patches. The elephant use to also come around the house and eat the fruit from the Cordila, and see what else was available.
As Mike described excitement of the chase, the heart-pumping, anxiety of the stalk were all VERYtrue but it did sort of get me over the fear of elephant and I began to find it great fun and was learning fast about stalking , making no noise, escaping behind a tree trunk and praying you would
not be seen or smelled. Especially on the 14th when the old bull charged! I just stopped thinking and froze and don’t know what I would have done if Boyd’s voice hadn’t changed the bulls mind and he changed course. When the other 3 elephant turned up and now there were 6, well I died! All I can remember was crouching down nearby in the reeds and just seeing a huge body emerging, then legs going off away from me and hearing a noise behind me and on the side. Then quiet…. which was just as terrifying as you didn’t know what was happening or if the elephant were still there. I had very wobbly legs, and was shaking like a leaf for quite awhile after it all. This was one of the first encounters with elephant and I had had and certainly not the last. I learnt a very healthy
respect for these gently grey giants.
It was sad to say goodbye to our two friends.
No comments:
Post a Comment