African Expedition Magazine Volume4 Issue5

What’s happened to the

ETHOS? stuprant natura

All tied up Essential loops and hitches 1

As Good as it Gets

More on monolythic bullets

Make a Plan

Making primitive fire www.africanxmag.com

Published by Safari Media Africa Editors United States of America Editor: Alan Bunn editorusa@africanxmag.com Associate editor: Galen Geer ggeer@africanxmag.com Europe Hans Jochen Wild editoreurope@africanxmag.com Africa Southern Africa: Mitch Mitchell editorafrica@africanxmag.com Central Africa: Cam Crieg cam@africanxmag.com Financial Thea Mitchell Layout & Design Xtasis Media and Digital Wind Advertising and Marketing South Africa: T. Mitchell adssa@africanxmag.com Phone +27 13-7125246 Fax 0866104466 USA: Alan Bunn adsusa@africanxmag.com (706) 2762608 African Expedition Magazine is an independent bimonthly publication promoting fair, sustainable hunting, a protected environment and adventure sports in Africa.

The African Expedition Magazine is published by Safari Media Africa

Disclaimer While all precautions have been taken to ensure the accuracy of advice and information provided, the Proprietor, Publisher, Editor, or Writers cannot accept responsibility for any damages, inconvenience or injury whatsoever that may result from incorrect information. The views expressed in this publication are not necessarily those of the publisher or its agents. African Expedition Magazine assumes no responsibility to return graphics unsolicited editorial, or other material. All rights in unsolicited editorial, letters, emails, graphics and other material will be treated as unconditionally assigned for publication and copyright purposes and material will be subject to African Expedition Magazine’s unrestricted right to edit and editorial comment. All material and/or editorial in African Expedition is the property of African Expedition and/or the various contributors. No part of this magazine may be reproduced without the prior written consent of the Publisher.,

contents 4 | AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE Volume 4 Issue 5

8 What’s happened to the ETHOS? stuprant natura

18 As Good as it Gets More on monolythic bullets

30 All tied up

Essential loops and hitches 1

51 Book Review

Game Animals of the World

52 African hunters of yesteryear The Maneating lions of Tsavo

74 Africa - the good news The good news from Africa

84 African Bush Cuisine Stuffed Francolin Breasts

92 Make a Plan

Making primitive fire

96 True North

Born into an Epic

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Volume 4 Issue 5 AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE | 7

What’s happened to the

ETHOS? stuprant natura

8 | AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE Volume 4 Issue 5

Cleve Cheney

S

omething has happened in the “official” conservation landscape of South Africa - something which is both disturbing and ominous and does not bode well for the future. I remember from the young age of 9 or 10 years of dreaming about becoming a ranger in one of our countries national parks. The dream was not motivated by money – all I hoped for was the opportunity to work with wildlife in wild places. It took a lot of study and effort and persistence to make that dream a reality. But eventually at the age of 22 it did, and for the first time on 1st August 1977 I slipped the green and yellow National Parks epaulets onto the shoulder tabs of my shirt. What an exciting and proud day it was for me.

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The “koedoe kop” embroidered onto the epaulet together with the words National Parks / Nasionale Parke and the Latin motto “Custos Naturae” meant something to me and to all my colleagues. We were “custodians of nature” – that was our job, that was our calling and like our predecessors we were not in it for the money.

We embarked on the profession knowing full well it was one of the most poorly paid. The adventurous, exciting and challenging lifestyle and most of all the fact that we had a real passion for protecting wildlife and wild places was our motivation. I remember the code of conduct I signed. It stated unequivocally that a ranger was on duty 24 hours a day seven days a week. We worked long hours, often overtime, sometimes under dangerous conditions without (or not expecting) any remuneration other than what was stated on our letters of employment. We were doing what we loved and getting paid to do it.

On a score of 10 for job satisfaction most of us scored a full house. Granted things were difficult at times, financially speaking, but we somehow made ends meet and being able to raise our kids in the Kruger National Park and being part of a community that was focused on a cause compensated in much more meaningful ways than having a fat cheque at the end of the month. I resigned from National Parks close on 20 years later. I had envisaged working there until retirement age eventually caught up with me. I left not because of money issues but because the face of politics began to rear its ugly head in the workplace.

a sad, sad picture this paints. Never during all my years as a ranger would we ever have even considered going on strike for higher wages. It was simply not within our frame of reference.

Yet now as I write this the Kruger National Park’s field rangers – the ones who are supposed to be on the front lines of protecting the Parks natural assets – are entering close on their third month of a strike over a wage dispute. This at a time when rhino poaching in the Park is almost spiraling out of control. They use this stark reality as a form of leverage to “negotiate” for higher wages. Shame on them!

They are not worthy of the title “field ranger”.

I remember

When they do eventually decide to go back to work (yes I am sure their wage demands will be met) they will probably have the gall to say they are going back because they are concerned about the rhino poaching. Mark my words. They must think we are all fools and cannot see through their hypocrisy and duplicity.

If they are in the profession for the money they are in the wrong profession. They should get out or be fired to make way for people who are really committed to the cause of conservation – if any such people among the masses still exist that is.

code conduct of

the

The reason they don’t get out and go to higher paying professions if that many of them (with the rare exception) are just too plain lazy and useless. To show where their true loyalties lie has been brought into sharp focus of late when a field ranger, field guide and a SANPARKS traffic official have been involved in rhino poaching in the Kruger Park.

I signed.

Since then things seemed to have gained momentum on a slippery downward slope of declining standards and declining ethics. I think it is indicative of the state of affairs that the motto “Custos Naturae” no longer appears on the epaulets of SANParks officials. There appears to be only a handful of dedicated individuals who are still motivated by the cause of conservation.

The majority now seem to be in it for the money.

Perhaps they should put a new motto on their epaulets “For the cash and not the cause”. This is not confined to SANParks. Most of the provincial conservation agencies are in even a worse state. What

This tells a story of the underlying rot which has set in and may be only the tip of the iceberg with who knows who else involved. Another ex-section ranger who had resigned from SANParks and was training young rangers was also involved in rhino poaching on private reserves in the Limpopo Province.

I am au fait with the wage issues that were creating discontent amongst the field ranger corps and whilst having a measure of empathy with them regarding the causes of the dispute (which is a reflection of poor top management) the way they went about things amounts to nothing more than desertion and dereliction of duties with rhinos having to pay the Volume 4 Issue 5 AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE | 11

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price and must be deplored in the strongest of terms.

And so what of the future? When men bow to the god of money as the Scriptures say it will become the root of all evil. Africa is easily corrupted and especially the people that work in government and semi-government institutions. The field rangers in Kruger have been on a two and a half month A field ranger, strike demanding higher field guide and wages whilst rhino a SANPARKS are being slaughtered at an unprec- traffic official edented rate and instead of being have been infired like they should be volved in rhino they will in all likelihood prevail poaching in the in their wage dispute.

They will set a Kruger Park. precedent and in a year or two the situation will repeat itself as they wield the power of the democratic masses. On a regular basis the Park will be without its protectors as the “quasi guardians” prostrate themselves before the idol of mammon, and the slaughter will continue.

Perhaps if we wrote a contemporary African version of Chief Seattle’s letter it would end with the following words: When the rhino are all slaughtered, the wild elephant and lion no more. The secret corners of the bush heavy with the scent of money loving men, and the old guardians lying cold in their graves. Where are they wild places? Gone.

Where are the wild creatures? Gone. And what is it to say goodbye to the swift and the hunt, the end of living and the beginning of serving an idol called mammon who ultimately brings death.

Cleve Cheney holds a bachelor of science degree in zoology and a master’s degree in animal physiology.

He is a wilderness trail leader, rated field guide instructor and the author of many leading articles on the subjects of tracking, guiding, bowhunting and survival.

Cleve has unrivalled experience in wildlife management, game capture and hunting, both with bow and rifle.

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As

Good as it

Gets

More on monolythic bullets

18 | AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE Volume 4 Issue 5

Terry Blauwkamp

I

n the last African Expedition Magazine, I wrote about using the new VorTX ammunition, and now want to continue on with more experiences. On the previous trip, I used 225-grain Barnes VOR-TX ammo in my .338 Winchester Magnum with wonderful success. This year I used the same Barnes VOR-TX ammo in the .338 Winchester Magnum, but this time with their newer 210-grain TTSX bullet.

You know what? It made no difference to the Wildebeest, Gemsbok, or Kudu whatsoever. When the lighter 210-grain bullets went through their lungs, they died as quickly as with the 225-grain bullet.

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I then used my old .300 H&H Magnum with Barnes 168-grain TTSX bullets over Hodgdon H 4831 SC powder at 3,065 fps, and whoa, what a job that load did! The recovered bullets weighed 167.1 and 166.9 grains. I think that higher velocity bullets are even more effective on game than the heavier bullets in the .338 Magnum. One Gemsbok in particular seemed to be stunned to point of looking paralyzed, and then just fell over dead. My PH was absolutely impressed.

Not only was this the reaction of this Gemsbok, but also several Blue Wildebeest who just went down at the shot.

I then tried some of Hornady’s new 165-grain GMX bullets in the .300 H&H and was quite happy with them as well. I recovered 3 bullets, which weighed 137.0, 163.9, and 155.2 grains, then shot 7 more animals where the bullet went right through, with

most of them going down at the shot. These did not retain as much weight as the 168-grain TTSX did, but certainly no reason not to use them again.

When these monolithic bullets first hit the market several years ago as the old “X” bullet from Barnes, I was skeptical, but after using them now almost every year since then, they have proven themselves over and over. Do you remember the old saying, “Home Sweet Home”? You know, the older we get, the more this saying is the absolute truth. As much as we anticipate these trips, there is a time to go home.

Another old saying is, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it”.

Well, our trips seem to have developed into what works. So, we always use United Airlines to fly from Grand Rapids, Michigan, to Chicago, Illinois, and then on to Washington/Dulles airport, continuing on South African Airlines (SAA) to Johannesburg, South Africa (JNB).

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This year I’m field testing more of the new Barnes VorTX ammunition loaded with their 210 grain Tipped Triple Shock Bullets (TTSX) in .338 Winchester Magnum, along with the new Hornady 165 grain GMX bullets in .300 H&H Magnum.

While at African Dawn, I took a warthog, a kudu bull with a broken horn, a zebra, an impala male with a skewed horn, a blue wildebeest, and a waterbuck cow. Both the VorTX and the GMX bullets performed perfectly.

Soon our week was over, and we moved further north up to Polokin full taken imal. wane with Shi-awela Safaris ig P an sh th Bu th African 5 y www.shiawela.com, and our good of m 500 icture lso is my p a friends Ken & Jo Ball. We met them a is Here t… and it h about halfway there, so no one had to drive too daylig While far. we were At Shi-awela, I used the Barnes 210 grain VorTX in arriving at Washington/ my .338 Winchester Magnum to take my 500th game Dulles airport, we had the chance animal in Africa, which of all things was a bush pig. to watch a NASA 747 land next to us with the 99% of all bush pigs are taken at night, as they are Space Shuttle Enterprise on it. The Space Shuttle nocturnal, but… this was the fifth one I have taken in Fleet has been retired, and the Enterprise was flown daylight. The weather was quite nice all week, with to it final resting place at the Smithsonian Institute in clear skies at night showing millions of stars.

Washington D.C. While we were there, our friend, PH Nicole Martin, and his wife Karia stopped in for a few days to visit, Wednesday April 18th and we had a chance to play with their two little boys.

On arrival in Johannesburg, we were met by a representative from Air-2000 www.hunterssupport.

Wednesday, May 2nd com, who escorted us quickly through Immigration and Customs, then over to the South African Police Our time in South Africa was already over, so it was Service office (SAPS) where our guns were waittime to move on. We were flying from Polokwane ing for us. All we had to do was open the gun case, back to Johannesburg, and were were staying oververify the serial numbers, and we were out the door night again at Marius Kruger’s house. in 15 minutes.

While there, re-supplied and got ready for our trip Our old friend, Marius Kruger, from African Dawn to Namibia. We did not need to take our complete Safaris www.African-Dawn.co.za, was waiting for us inventory with us for the two weeks in South Africa, at the SAPS office, and we were soon on our way to but now we needed to bring everything, especially his house for the evening. Marius’ house is our Home ammo, for our month in Namibia.

Away From Home, since we leave all our clothes, Our SAA flight to Windhoek, Namibia, was at 10:00 boots, binoculars, and bi-pods there each year when AM. Arriving in Windhoek at 11:00 AM gave us we go home. We only need to retrieve our gear and adequate time to get to the ranch in time for lunch. we were ready to go. It really helps save luggage The weather was beautiful and the flight was not full. weight on the plane ride over.

Although it was only a two-hour flight, SAA served us The next morning we are off to his ranch, which is a complete lunch and beverage service. It was a far about a 3-hour drive northwest, near the town of cry from the ‘pop and pretzels’ we sometimes get on Vaalwater. At least we were arriving in drier condiflights in the USA. tions than last year, although the grass was still very Upon arrival in Windhoek, the police department was high. quite efficient in completing our gun permits. Soon, 24 | AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE Volume 4 Issue 5

our hosts Bennie & Esmarie Beukes, from Keerweder Safaris came over to pick us up. www.keerwedersafaris.com.

I had quite a shoot-fest there, taking 17 animals, which consisted of the usual springbok, blue wildebeest, gemsbok and zebra. The VorTX with Tipped Triple Shock Bullets and the Hornady GMX continue to perform flawlessly in my rifles.

Friday May 11th The weather this morning was perfect, and we are on the move to go “next door” to meet our friends Danie and Ansie Strauss from Kowas Safaris. www.kowasadventure.com We arrived at their ranch at 9:00 AM. After unpacking, we had some lunch, took a nap, and then went for a ride to see what we might be able to find before dark. As luck would have it, we found a very large and old kudu bull with a broken horn. My PH Mathews asked, “Can you walk hard for 30-40 minutes? If so, we can catch up with him and get a shot before it gets too dark”. So walk we did, and sure enough I got a shot at this old bull, with the .338 Winchester Magnum using the 210 grain Barnes VOR-TX ammo, and down he went. What a great way to start off the week at Kowas Safaris.

While at Kowas Safaris, I took a total of 10 animals consisting of four springbok, two blue wildebeest, one kudu bull, and three gemsbok. Danie and Ansie are extraordinary hosts and their ranch has plenty of game.

The sun came up without a cloud in the sky and it looked like another perfect day. The temperature at noon was 74˚ Fahrenheit with only 39% humidity,

and throughout the week, every morning was “Another Day in Paradise”.

We finished up hunting a day early, so we went to Windhoek and stayed overnight so Danie and Ansie could do some shopping before we went fishing.

Thursday May 17th We left early at 6:00 AM to drive up north for tiger fishing on the Okavango River in what is known as the Caprivi Strip.

This is a 14-hour drive with miles and miles of empty terrain.

On the way up, we stopped in the town of Otavi where our next PH, Larry Bussey, met us. We gave him the rifles and all the extra clothes and gear we would not need for fishing.

We stayed at the Mahangu Safari Lodge www. mahangu.com.na, right on the Okavango River. It was a beautiful place, with everything well looked after, plus great food and accommodations.

However, the fish were not so accommodating. Late rains kept the river higher that usual, and the tiger fish were scattered and tough to come by. We did catch a few tigers and also some very large catfish, plus a few bream (or bluegills as we Americans call them). They are a beautiful fish, and remind me more of a smallmouth bass than a bluegill.

Tuesday May 22nd Danie and Ansie took us to meet with Larry Bussey from Tambuti Safaris in the little town of Otavi about 1:00 PM. www.hunttambuti.com Larry is an American who purchased this ranch as an abandoned cattle

Volume 4 Issue 5 AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE | 25

farm in 1994, and has transformed it into one of the finest game ranches I have ever seen.

The ranch is thick and brushy, but Larry has cleared out a lot of the area over the past years. Even today, his bulldozer was busy keeping the brush under control and making sure the roads were in great condition.

Arriving in camp about 2:30 PM, we had a quick snack after unpacking, and then headed out for the rifle range, and to see if we could find something to shoot before dark. We saw lots and lots of game, but since I was on a management hunt, most of them were TOO BIG. By any standards, the game we saw were really great trophies.

Sure enough, we found a magnificent kudu bull whose horns did not look ‘just right’, so Larry said, “Shoot him”. My .338 Winchester Magnum, again with the Barnes VorTX ammo, took the kudu right in the armpit behind the front leg and he took off like a rocket. It was getting dark fast, so Larry put his faithful Jack Russell terrier on the blood trail and right away “Impy” found him.

After taking some pictures and loading him up, we did not go 50 feet when we blew a tire.

Change a tire in the bush with a flashlight is the way life goes on a hunt. Dinner will be served when we get back to camp, simple as that.

We had five more wonderful days at Tambuti taking a total of 20 animals, consisting of kudu bulls, blue wildebeest, gemsbok, and a warthog.

Most of the game shot was evenly split between the .300 H&H Magnum with Barnes 168 grain TTSX bullets and the .338 Winchester Magnum with Vor-TX ammo. This year, I recovered fewer bullets than I usually do. However, that was OK, since I really want all my bullets to go through the animals, leaving an exit hole that bleeds and is easy to follow.

Sunday May 27th Tonight was pack-up night, as we are leaving the 26 | AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE Volume 4 Issue 5

ranch at 7:00 AM and driving back to Windhoek for our 3:00 PM flight back to Johannesburg.

Monday May 28th We arrived back in Johannesburg at 6:00 PM and were met by our friends from Air-2000 since we had to clear our firearms again with the SAPS. Marius Kruger was waiting for us as usual, and soon we are off to his house for the night.

Tuesday May 29th We spent the day repacking and deciding what we are going to leave with Marius for next year, and what we needed to take home.

Our SAA flight back home left at 6:20 PM, so we had plenty of time to lounge around.

The flight home was basically an endurance contest to see if it was your back or your butt that died first.

The ride seems to get longer and longer each year, and each time I swear I am going to start flying business class regardless of the additional cost. Then, my Dutch nature takes over, and I forget about it in the anticipation of the hunt and book the cheap seats again.

We arrived back in Washington DC with the temperature at 64˚ and 88% humidity at 6:00 AM, then continued on to Chicago and connected back to Grand Rapids, Michigan.

While waiting at Chicago’s O’Hare airport, we had the chance to witness a freak airplane collision.

An EVA Airlines Cargo 747’s wing hit the tail of an American Eagle jet parked at the ramp. As the 747 was coming towards us, I said to my wife, “Watch this, he is going to hit that other plane”. Sure enough, a few seconds later the 747 clipped the Eagle’s tail.

It seemed that in a matter of seconds, there were fire trucks coming from everywhere. I am sure they were worried about the 747 having a hole knocked in its wing, allowing fuel to leak out and catch fire. Fortunately, nothing leaked out and there was no fire or casualties.

However, I just can imagine the finger pointing and legal wrangling about who was in the wrong. Personally, I think the 747 was right, and the American Eagle caused the problem by parking too far back.

There really is no place like home, and eventually we did get there about 5:30 PM. Nothing is better than sleeping in my own bed, having enough lights in the bathroom, and not living out of a duffle bag, BUT, I am always anticipating next years trip.

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All tied up

Essential loops and hitches 1

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R

emember that time when the 4x4 was stuck in the sand? And the time on the boat? You could have looked cool and macho then.

You know you need to know them, and you could have used them a hundred times over the past years. - but you have just been too lazy to memorise them.

I am talking about essential knots and hitches.

Now we have gone to the trouble to make and photograph the most useful of them in the African Expedition studio to try and get your lazy mind started up.

Here is your chance.

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Two strand overhand knot Creates a big stopper knot and holds chords together

1

2

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Double overhand knot Forms a larger stopper knot than the overhand. When tightening, pull ends apart and twist in opposite directions and pull tight.

1

2

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Bow Thong Knot Used by natives in New Guinea for securing the bow thong to the pointed end of the bow

1

2

3

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1 Quick-release knot Secure and will come untied with a sharp tug.

2

3

4

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Sheepshank Knot Used for shortening rope. If you have access to the end of the rope pass the rope through the bight. Sticks make it more secure

1

2

3

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Pruisik Knot Use as a sliding loop. It will not slip under tension but can be moved when tension is released. Mountaineers take ends round and back through the loop.

1

2

3

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Strangler Knot Useful for holding things together

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Two half hitches A secure way to tie a line to anything

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2

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1

Bowline knot A super-useful knot, very secure and easy to untie.

Will not slip and close. Make sure you know this one.

2

3

4 5

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Book Review Game Animals of the World Game Animals of the World is a field guide for the world’s hunters. It represents a monumental effort by two of Africa’s most respected wildlife writers to provide the international hunting fraternity with a single, comprehensive source of authoritative natural science and practical hunting related information.

Game Animals of the World will be of use doing research at home and while roaming the game fields of the world. It is not only a pioneering work but starts a new trend and sets a new standard for publications of this nature. An astounding amount of effort and research has gone into Game Animals of the World. Information on some of the more obscure species or those which roam inaccessible or conflict areas is virtually impossible to obtain.

Despite these challenges the authors succeeded in delivering an outstanding product that will serve all hunters for years to come.

Assisted by hunter feedback, this pioneering field guide will improve edition by edition and maintain its obvious status as the pre-eminent publication of its kind This hunting, guide contains a diversity of information and imagery in compact and useful format.

It is an extensive and comprehensive source of information, providing the hunters of the world with: ●● An unparalleled magnitude of animal, spoor and dropping images. ●● World wide species distribution maps. ●● Shot placement images. ●● SCI and Rowland Ward record book minimum entry details.

Species discussions cover: ●● Animal size, weight, gestation and related details. ●● Habitat preferences. ●● Favorite foods and eating habits and much more.

We highly recommend this work.

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African hunters of yesteryear

The African hunters of days gone by have had experiences few hunters have today. In those days, the game was much more plentiful and regulations were non-existent. Hunting was more dangerous in those days - no chopper evacuation when clawed up by a wounded leopard and no protection against marauding tribesmen. We can learn something from them.

In this series, we feature some of the writings of the hunters that came before us and who hunted in an era we think of with nostalgia.

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The Maneating lions of

Tsavo

TROUBLES WITH THE WORKMEN

by Lieut.-Col. J. H. Patterson, D.S.O.

I

t seemed fated that the building of the Tsavo Bridge should never be allowed to proceed in peace for any length of time. I have already described our troubles with the lions; and no sooner did the beasts of prey appear to have deserted us, for the time being at any rate, than other troubles, no less serious, arose with the workmen themselves.

After I had discovered the stone for the bridge, I sent down to the coast for gangs of masons to work and dress it.

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The men who were sent me for this purpose were mostly Pathans and were supposed to be expert workmen; but I soon found that many of them had not the faintest notion of stone-cutting, and were simply ordinary coolies who had posed as masons in order to draw forty-five instead of twelve rupees a month. On discovering this fact, I immediately instituted a system of piecework, and drew up a scale of pay which would enable the genuine mason to earn his forty-five rupees a month -- and a little more if he felt inclined -- and would cut down the impostors to about their proper pay as coolies. Now, as is often the case in this world, the impostors were greatly in the majority; and accordingly they attempted to intimidate the remainder into coming down to their own standard as regards output of work, in the hope of thereby inducing me to abandon the piece-work system of payment. This, however, I had no intention of doing, as I knew that I had demanded only a perfectly fair amount of work from each man.

These masons were continually having quarrels and fights amongst themselves, and I had frequently to go down to their camp to quell disturbances and to separate the Hindus from the Mohammedans. One particularly serious disturbance of this sort had a rather amusing sequel. I was sitting after dusk one evening at the door of my hut, when I heard a great commotion in the masons’ camp, which lay only a few hundred yards away. Presently a jemadar came rushing up to me to say that the men were all fighting and murdering each other with sticks and stones. I ran back with him at once and succeeded in restoring order, but found seven badly injured men lying stretched out on the ground. These I had carried up to my own boma on charpoys (native beds); and Brock being away, I had to play the doctor myself as best I could, stitching one and bandaging another and generally doing what was possible. There was one man, however, who groaned loudly and held a cloth over his face as if he were dying. On lifting this covering, I found him to be a certain mason called Karim Bux, who was well known to me as a prime mischief-maker among the men. I examined him carefully, but as I could discover nothing amiss, I concluded that he must have received some internal injury, and accordingly told him that I would send him to the hospital at Voi (about thirty miles down the line) to be attended to properly. He was then carried back to his camp, groaning grievously all the time.

Scarcely had he been removed, when the head jemadar came and informed me that the man was not hurt at all, and that as a matter of fact he was the

sole cause of the disturbance. He was now pretending to be badly injured, in order to escape the punishment which he knew he would receive if I discovered that he was the instigator of the trouble. On hearing this, I gave instructions that he was not to go to Voi in the special train with the others; but I had not heard the last of him yet. About eleven o’clock that night I was called up and asked to go down to the masons’ camp to see a man who was supposed to be dying.

I at once pulled on my boots, got some brandy and ran down to the camp, where to my surprise and amusement I found that it was my friend Karim Bux who was at death’s door. It was perfectly evident to me that he was only “foxing,” but when he asked for dawa (medicine), I told him gravely that I would give him some very good dawa in the morning.

Next day at noon -- when it was my custom to have evil-doers brought up for judgment -- I asked for Karim Bux, but was told that he was too ill to walk. I accordingly ordered him to be carried to my boma, and in a few moments he arrived in his charpoy, which was shouldered by four coolies who, I could see, knew quite well that he was only shamming.

There were also a score or so of his friends hanging around, doubtless waiting in the expectation of seeing the “Sahib” hoodwinked. When the bed was placed on the ground near me, I lifted the blanket with which he had covered himself and thoroughly examined him, at the same time feeling him to make sure that he had no fever. He pretended to be desperately ill and again asked for dawa; but having finally satisfied myself that it was as the jemadar had said -- pure budmashi (devilment) -- I told him that I was going to give him some very effective dawa, and carefully covered him up again, pulling the blanket over his head. I then got a big armful of shavings from a carpenter’s bench which was close by, put them under the bed and set fire to them.

As soon as the sham invalid felt the heat, he peeped over the edge of the blanket; and when he saw the smoke and flame leaping up round him, he threw the blanket from him, sprang from the bed exclaiming “Beiman shaitan!” (“Unbelieving devil!”), and fled like a deer to the entrance of my boma, pursued by a Sikh sepoy, who got in a couple of good whacks on his shoulders with a stout stick before he effected his escape. His amused comrades greeted me with shouts of “Shabash, Sahib!” (“Well done, sir”), and I never had any further trouble with Karim Bux. He came back later in the day, with clasped hands imploring forgiveness, which I readily granted, as he was a clever workman.

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A few days after this incident I was returning home one morning from a tree in which I had been keeping watch for the man-eaters during the previous night.

Coming unexpectedly on the quarry, I was amazed to find dead silence reigning and my rascals of workmen all stretched out in the shade under the trees taking it very easy -- some sleeping, some playing cards. I watched their proceedings through the bushes for a little while, and then it occurred to me to give them a fright by firing my rifle over their heads.

On the report being heard, the scene changed like magic: each man simply flew to his particular work, and hammers and chisels resounded merrily and energetically, where all had been silence a moment before. They thought, of course, that I was still some distance off and had not seen them, but to their consternation I shouted to them that they were too late, as I had been watching them for some time. I fined every man present heavily, besides summarily degrading the Headman, who had thus shown himself utterly unfit for his position. I then proceeded to my hut, but had scarcely arrived there when two of the scoundrels tottered up after me, bent almost double and calling Heaven to witness that I had shot them both in the back. In order to give a semblance of truth to an otherwise bald and unconvincing narrative, they had actually induced one of their fellow workmen to make a few holes like shot holes in their backs, and these were bleeding profusely.

Unfortunately for them, however, I had been carrying a rifle and not a shot gun, and they had also forgotten to make corresponding holes in their clothing, so that all they achieved by this elaborate tissue of falsehood was to bring on themselves the derision of their comrades and the imposition of an extra fine.

Shortly after this, when the masons realised that I intended to make each man do a fair day’s work for his money, and would allow nothing to prevent this intention from being carried out, they came to the conclusion that the best thing to do would be to put me quietly out of the way. Accordingly they held a meeting one night, all being sworn to secrecy, and after a long palaver it was arranged that I was to be murdered next day when I made my usual visit to the quarry. My body was to be thrown into the jungle, where of course it would soon be devoured by wild beasts, and then they were to say that I had been killed and eaten by a lion.

To this cheerful proposal every man present at the meeting agreed, and affixed his finger-mark to a long strip of paper as a binding token. Within an hour after the meeting had dispersed, however, I was

aroused by one of the conspirators, who had crept into my camp to give me warning. I thanked him for his information, but determined to go to the quarry in the morning all the same, as at this stage of affairs I really did not believe that they were capable of carrying out such a diabolical scheme, and was rather inclined to think that the informant had been sent merely to frighten me.

Accordingly the next morning (September 6) I started off as usual along the trolley line to the lonely quarry.

As I reached a bend in the line, my head mason, Heera Singh, a very good man, crept cautiously out of the bushes and warned me not to proceed. On my asking him the reason, he said that he dared not tell, but that he and twenty other masons were not going to work that day, as they were afraid of trouble at the quarry.

At this I began to think that there was something in the story I had heard overnight, but I laughingly assured him there would be no trouble and continued on my way. On my arrival at the quarry, everything seemed perfectly peaceful. All the men were working away busily, but after a moment or two I noticed stealthy side glances, and felt that there was something in the wind. As soon as I came up to the first gang of workmen, the jemadar, a treacherous-looking villain, informed me that the men working further up the ravine had refused to obey his orders, and asked me if I would go and see them. I felt at once that this was a device to lure me into the narrow part of the ravine, where, with gangs in front of me and behind me, there would be no escape; still I thought I would see the adventure through, whatever came of it, so I accompanied the jemadar up the gully.

When we got to the further gang, he went so far as to point out the two men who, he said, had refused to do what he told them -- I suppose he thought that as I was never to leave the place alive, it did not matter whom he complained of. I noted their names in my pocket-book in my usual manner, and turned to retrace my steps.

Immediately a yell of rage was raised by the whole body of some sixty men, answered by a similar shout from those I had first passed, and who numbered about a hundred. Both groups of men, carrying crowbars and flourishing their heavy hammers, then closed in on me in the narrow part of the ravine.

I stood still, waiting for them to act, and one man rushed at me, seizing both my wrists and shouting out that he was going to “be hung and shot for me�

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exact expression. I easily wrenched my arms free, and threw him from me; but by this time I was closely hemmed in, and everywhere I looked I could see nothing but evil and murderous-looking faces. One burly brute, afraid to be the first to deal a blow, hurled the man next him at me; and if he had succeeded in knocking me down, I am certain that I should never have got up again alive. As it was, however, I stepped quickly aside, and the man intended to knock me down was himself thrown violently against a rock, over which he fell heavily.

This occasioned a moment’s confusion, of which I quickly took advantage. I sprang on to the top of the rock, and before they had time to recover themselves I had started haranguing them in Hindustani. The habit of obedience still held them, and fortunately they listened to what I had to say. I told them that I knew all about their plot to murder me, and that they could certainly do so if they wished; but that if they did, many of them would assuredly be hanged for it, as the Sirkar (Government) would soon find out the truth and would disbelieve their story that I had been carried off by a lion.

I said that I knew quite well that it was only one or two scoundrels among them who had induced them to behave so stupidly, and urged them not to allow themselves to be made fools of in this way. Even supposing they were to carry out their plan of killing me, would not another “Sahib “at once be set over them, and might he not be an even harder taskmaster? They all knew that I was just and fair to the real worker; it was only the scoundrels and shirkers who had anything to fear from me, and were upright, self-respecting Pathans going to allow themselves to be led away by men of that kind?

Once having got them to listen to me, I felt a little more secure, and I accordingly went on to say that

the discontented among them would be allowed to return at once to Mombasa, while if the others resumed work and I heard of no further plotting, I would take no notice of their foolish conduct. Finally I called upon those who were willing to return to work to hold up their hands, and instantly every hand in the crowd was raised. I then felt that for the moment the victory was mine, and after dismissing them, I jumped down from the rock and continued my rounds as if nothing had happened, measuring a stone here and there and commenting on the work done. They were still in a very uncertain and sullen mood, however, and not at all to be relied upon, so it was with feelings of great relief that an hour later I made my way back, safe and sound, to Tsavo.

The danger was not yet past, unfortunately, for scarcely had I turned my back to go home when the mutiny broke out again, another meeting being held, and a fresh plot made to murder me during the night.

Of this I was soon informed by my time-keeper, who also told me that he was afraid to go out and call the roll, as they had threatened to kill him also.

At this further outrage I lost no time in telegraphing for the Railway Police, and also to the District Officer, Mr. Whitehead, who immediately marched his men twenty-five miles by road to my assistance. I have no doubt, indeed, that his prompt action alone saved me from being attacked that very night. Two or three days afterwards the Railway Police arrived and arrested the ringleaders in the mutiny, who were taken to Mombasa and tried before Mr. Crawford, the British Consul, when the full details of the plots to murder me were unfolded by one of them who turned Queen’s evidence. All the scoundrels were found guilty and sentenced to various terms of imprisonment in the chain-gangs, and I was never again troubled with mutinous workmen.

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News courtesy www.sagoodnews.co.za

Africa - the good news

The good news from Africa

DRC Farmers Reaping Rewards of New Methods Farmers in the Democratic Republic of Congo are embracing a new variety of cassava which, in combination with improved agricultural techniques, easily outperforms yields from other popular types of this important crop.

Cassava is a staple food in many parts of DRC, and farmers disappointed with harvests of the popular F100 variety, which has proved vulnerable to a plant disease called mosaic, have turned to a newer strain with great success.

“We produced 58 tonnes of TME 419 cassava from a two hectare field in 2011,” said 27-year-old Romain Twarita.

“That’s a yield of 29 tonnes per hectare, compared to the 10 or 12 tonnes per hectare of F100 that we harvested in 2010.”

Twarita, the coordinator of Action Jeunes Pour le Développement de Nkara (AJDN), an association of 22 young farmers at Nkara, 90 kilometres from Kikwit, the capital of the southwestern DRC province of Bandundu, says the 2011 crop brought in more than 25,000 dollars for AJDN, against 10,000 dollars the year before, and just 3,000 dollars in 2009, the year the association was established.

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He said AJDN has also adopted “binage”, a new method of hoeing which maximises the benefits of irrigation –”worth two waterings”, as Twarita put it. Binage calls for the surface of the soil to be broken up, to allow more rain to soak into it. The young farmers also use compost and manure to enrich the soil with organic and mineral matter.

“The big problem is a shortage of farm implements, and the lack of understanding from landowners who ask so much money for a plot – 40 or 50 dollars for half a hectare, depending on location,” he told IPS. “The cassava is bought from farms here by traders, then sent to the capital, Kinshasa, where it sells fast,” said Jacques Mitini, president of the provincial network of small farmers’ organisations in Bandundu, which includes 255 smallholder associations, nearly a third of these representing young farmers between the ages of 21 and 33.

In the west of DRC, in Bas-Congo province, the Comité de Développement de Kakongo (CDK) is planting trees to create windbreaks and maintain soil moisture, boosting production of other crops on a three-hectare plot.

“We are using intercropping, that’s why there are these wind-breaks of moringa trees which also fertilise the earth without us needing to use chemical fer-

tilisers. Irrigation is also important,” said Espérance Nzuzi, president of Force Paysanne du Bas-Congo, a network of 264 smallholder farmers associations, including 87 created by youth.

“The 84 tonnes of TME 419 cassava harvested last year earned us 39,960 dollars, compared to just 6,160 dollars from 14 tonnes of F100 in 2010,” said Nzuzi.

On two hectares on the outskirts of Kinshasa, the Congolese capital, another youth association, Jeunes Dynamiques de Malulku (JDM), has also found success with the adoption of new techniques.

“We’ve only been practicing binage since we started this venture in 2010. We produced 15 tonnes of TME 419 from a single hectare that year, but in 2011 we harvested 28 tonnes from a hectare and a half, applying a little bit of chemical fertiliser,” said Anne Mburabata, 32, president of the association.

“Before we started popularising TME 419 cassava, we tested it carefully,” said Didier Mboma, who heads the technical innovation service at the Impresa Servizi Coordinati (ISCO), an Italian NGO which is making free cuttings of the new cassava variety available to farmers.

“Since the tests in 2008, we have planted 3,000 cuttings, and we have harvested 30,000.”

Mboma said that young farmers are strongly establishing themselves as productive farmers, while contributing to the country’s food security.

“Young farmers must move towards professionalisation, and take control of the entire value chain from production, to processing, to marketing,” said Dr. Christophe Arthur Mampuya, from the Ministry of Agriculture, Fishing and Livestock.

“The TME 419 variety is a high-yielding one. It’s also among the best varieties being promoted,” he said.

Mampuya said emerging young farmers must also plant woodlots, as adoption of the new cassava variety is scaled up.

“TME 419 is more popular in the west of DRC than in the east, but step by step, the variety could spread across the country,” said Paluku Mivimba, president of the National Confederation of Agricultural Producers of Congo.

By Badylon Kawanda Bakiman Source: IPS News

Farmers in Mauritius Take to Fair

Trade In finding a way to survive a 36 percent cut in sugar prices, Mauritian farmers are not only exporting a variety of fruit and vegetables to the European Union, but they have also begun farming in a more environmentally sustainable way.

This is because a large number of farmers here on this Indian Ocean island have become fair trade certified. Fair trade is a social movement that promotes just terms for farmers and workers and encourages sustainability in the developing world. Fair trade certified products also usually command a higher price than regular ones because of the high standards and ethics involved in producing them.

Mauritius is one of Africa’s largest sugar exporters to Europe, and most of its refined sugar is exported to the EU. But when the sugar price fell over a period of three years by a total of 36 percent at the end of 2010, small farmers here realised that they could still earn a good income and do so in a way that would protect the small island’s environment from harmful fertilisers and chemicals.

“Our income was dwindling. So it was better to be fair trade certified to earn some more money,” said farmer Keshoe Parsad Chattoo.

Products labelled fair trade generally sell well in Europe and the United States because they meet agreed international environmental, labour and developmental standards. There are some 3,000 products that fall under the label, including sugar, coffee, spices, vanilla and bananas. Consumers willingly pay more for fair trade products, a premium of 585 dollars per tonne in the case of sugar, above the normal price of about 525 dollars per tonne.

Jean-Philippe Zanavelo, Fair Trade International’s representative for Mauritius, said that producers are at the heart of the fair trade concept.

“Consumers are willing to pay more for good-quality products, and this extra money goes directly to producers. They get good markets and attain sustainable development,” he told IPS. As a result many local farmers are joining the movement here.

“We are now producing and exporting good-quality food free of chemicals that trouble our health and our environment, and earning additional income,” said Kishan Fangooa, a farmer and secretary of the Long Mountain Pineapple and Allied Growers Cooperative Society Ltd. The society has almost five hectares of land under pineapple cultivation in Long Mountain, Volume 4 Issue 5 AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE | 75

northern Mauritius.

The fair trade movement began here in 2011, with 4,500 farmers from 32 cooperative societies. That year they earned 701,000 dollars in income, compared to 492,000 dollars in 2010, when fewer farmers were members.

Becoming fair trade certified is an exacting and difficult process, some farmers told IPS. But many feel it is worth the effort.

“The criteria may be constricting, but it helps improve the quality of our produce and we are determined to earn an increased income,” Fangooa told IPS. Producers have to be audited by the standard-setting body, Fair Trade International, and an independent certification body to ensure that the agreed standards are met. In agreeing to fair trade, producers have to abide by criteria that include democracy, transparency, good governance and the protection of the environment.

Narain Phagoo, a fair trade certified farmer, said that the products are routinely monitored.

“Apart from regular audits and inspection of the fields, I understand there are laboratories in Europe that keep checks on the quality of our produce that we export. They’ll know if we use prohibited products and they’ll reject our exports,” he told IPS. “We better observe the regulations and get our increased income,” he added.

Rajen Hemoo, secretary of the Victoria Cooperative Society, said that the fair trade concept was good for small producers and the requirements were not difficult to comply with.

“It’s a new model of operation, a disciplined way of producing. It’s an old concept but we discovered it only recently,” he said.

“There are both direct and indirect benefits to this concept. Our inputs are subsidised, we obtain cash grants and loans at low interest rates. We also get involved in the community in our region,” he said from his sugar cane field in Congomah, northern Mauritius.

Farmers are required to share some of their proceeds with their local communities by funding social activities or aiding in the development of villages.

There is, however, no prescribed amount of how much they should donate.

But not everyone is keen to be fair trade certified here. In the south of the island, members of the 76 | AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE Volume 4 Issue 5

Southern Planters Association (SPA) are reluctant to join the movement.

“We produce the canes and the sugar. Yet, the communities get the extra money and manage it for themselves. We thought the extra money obtained from fair trade would go into the pockets of small producers directly to help them manage the rising costs of production,” SPA president Gassen Modely said of the requirement for producers to give back some of their profits to the community.

Modely does not believe farmers will benefit from the fair trade concept after they pay audit fees of between 1,000 to 3,500 dollars annually per cooperative society in order to remain certified. Currently these fees have been subsidised by government.

“This is very high,” Modely told IPS. Inder Rajcoomarsingh, a member of the Sebastopol Multi-Purpose Cooperative Society, agreed.

“Such high audit fees and to get peanuts in return.

Many people do not know that the government has supported us to pay the audit fees for fair trade.

That’s how we make extra money. Had we incurred the expenses ourselves, we would not have seen any profit in this concept,” he told IPS. He said that he finds that the criteria are rigid and interferes with the way things have always been done here.

“A chairman’s mandate under the cooperative legislation is three years but nobody abides by it. Many chairmen have been here for the past 20 years. Now, Fair Trade International is insisting that it be only a three-year mandate. Cooperative members are not happy.”

Business and Cooperatives Minister Jim Seetaram said that they want small producers to have the choice between traditional farming and farming with fair trade policies, which brings about sustainable development. He believes Mauritian farmers can also export litchis, flowers, fruits, lemon and honey under the fair trade label.

By Nasseem Ackbarally Source: IPS News

Nigeria Gets Its First Porsche Luxury Car Dealership Ultra-luxury cars gleam through walls of glass at Porsche’s new dealership, in Lagos, Nigeria.

This is only the second dealership in West Africa for

the high-end brand, which sells some models for around $200,000.

Source: VOA News

Michael Wagner, brand manager for the Lagos branch, says Porsche is a good fit for one of the world’s fastest growing economies.

Mobile Phones are Getting Smarter in Rural Africa

“Nigeria, as the biggest country in Africa with a population of 150 million and the sixth largest oil producing country, certainly has the earning potential to support - and has an affinity for - luxury brands,” said Wagner.

Protests rocked Nigeria in January after the government announced it was ending a fuel subsidy that kept gas prices under 40 cents a gallon – one of the only ways poor Nigerians benefit from the nation’s vast oil wealth. The demonstrations grew into a movement also focused on the ever-widening gap between Nigeria’s rich and poor.

But the showroom, which opened in mid-March, has gotten a good reception from the public, Wagner said.

“I think if you look at the brands that are driven, Nigeria appreciates top quality brands, considering Nigeria’s one of the largest consumers of the most expensive Champagne and really have a taste for these finer goods, we’re really catering for the market that is already there,” said Wagner.

According to the United Nations, despite Nigeria’s fast-growing economy, 71 percent of the population still live on less than a dollar a day.

The new dealership employs 13 people, though not all of them are Nigerian. Wagner said the Nigerian nationals they have hired are offered an extensive training program and earn salaries that are competitive with what other local companies pay.

“Obviously the history of Nigeria and the unions dictate salary, which is a national issue and is not particular to any particular company,” he added.

Wagner said the dealership’s customers come mostly from the private sector.

“The type of people and customers we’re dealing with are all mainly in private enterprise. They all have their own companies,” he said. “So I think that’s very much different to … some countries where politicians are assumed to be driving expensive motor cars.”

January’s fuel subsidy protests eventually ended after President Goodluck Jonathan agreed to reinstate the subsidy, though at a lower level.

By Ricci Shyrock

Imagine you are in Yokadouma, a rural community in eastern Cameroonwith little electricity and inaccessible roads. You have an old, inexpensive mobile phone with which you can only make and receive calls. The good news is that it is now possible for that phone to be smarter — to send and receive e-mails, check a Facebook account and chat online, even without internet access.

ForgetMeNot Africa, owned by Lon-Zim and ForgetMeNot Software, developed the Message Optimizer (MO) service in March 2009 to enable telecommunications operators to provide messaging services to customers at no extra cost, without any new applications or phone upgrades. Popular chat services such as MSN Messenger, Yahoo!, Windows Live and Gtalk are all incorporated into the MO. “Message Optimizer turns every mobile phone into a mobile computing and mobile authentication device,” states ForgetMeNot Africa. The MO allows “more and more of our subscribers to get access to the internet without having to purchase expensive smartphones,” according to Douglas Mboweni, the chief executive officer of Econet Wireless Zimbabwe, a mobile network.

How does the MO deliver messages without the internet or a personal computer? First, a mobile phone subscriber sends an SMS to a given short code. The message is received in the mobile company’s message centre, which then forwards to ForgetMeNot Africa’s internet servers. The servers process, route and deliver the message to the subscriber, who can then respond.

Many factors account for why ForgetMeNot Africa’s MO is spreading speedily, especially in rural areas.

Africa has about 1 billion people. Some 72 per cent of them live in the countryside, while internet penetration overall is just 11 per cent, largely in urban areas.

Yet mobile phone use is increasing at a fast pace.

In Nigeria, for instance, there are about 90 million mobile phone users, while only 12 million people are connected to the internet. By providing low-cost access to people in rural areas, ForgetMeNot Africa aims to capture the huge market of mobile phone users.

The company currently has around 48 million users, Volume 4 Issue 5 AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE | 77

having made inroads into east, west, southern and Central Africa. In late 2011, it started targeting 23 million Portuguese-speaking Africans, beginning with 100,000 Cape Verdeans, following collaboration with T-Mais, a mobile company in Cape Verde.

Jeremy George, the chief operating officer of ForgetMeNot Africa, says that the company “can now serve the vast majority of people across the continent, no matter whether they speak English, French or Portuguese.”

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On their success so far, Mr. George adds that the company has been able to offer “a new revenue stream from their [mobile companies’] existing subscriber base, while offering customers a unique service.” With every phone becoming smart,Africa’s rural dwellers can proudly now hold aloft their inexpensive phones.

By Kingsley Ighobor Source: African Renewal

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A barber does not shave himself.

A chick that will grow into a cock can be spotted the very day it hatches.

A child’s fingers are not scalded by a piece of hot yam which his mother puts into his palm.

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African Bush Cuisine

Courtesy Mama Africa’s Recipes at http://africas-best-recipes.blogspot.com/ Ingredients ●● 6 boneless francolin breast halves ●● 1 tablespoon vegetable oil ●● 1 tablespoon butter ●● 1 medium onion, sliced ●● 4 ounces sliced mushrooms ●● 1 rib celery, thinly sliced ●● 1 egg, beaten ●● 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley ●● 2 tablespoons fine dry breadcrumbs ●● 2 teaspoons grated parmesan cheese ●● 3/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese ●● salt and pepper ●● 1 can (10 1/2 ounces) condensed tomato soup ●● 1/2 cup water ●● 1/2 teaspoon leaf basil, crumbled Preparation ●● Place francolin pieces between sheets of plastic wax; gently pound with a meat mallet to flatten evenly. Be careful not to tear or break through. ●● In a large skillet, heat vegetable oil and butter; sauté onion slices, mushrooms, and celery until tender. Add egg, parsley, bread crumbs, Parmesan cheese, and mozzarella cheese. Stir to blend well. ●● Sprinkle francolin breasts with salt and pepper; fill with even portions of the filling mixture. Roll up and secure with toothpicks. ●● Arrange francolin breasts in a shallow 3-quart baking dish, spooning any extra filling around the meat. ●● Mix soup with 1/2 cup water and the basil; pour over breasts. ●● Bake at 350°, basting occasionally with sauce in the baking dish, for 55 minutes to 1 hour. Remove toothpicks and serve with rice or potatoes. Serves 4 to 6.

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Stuffed Francolin Breasts

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Make a Plan

Hints and advice are given in good faith to be of help in emergencies. The writer as well as the publisher, personnel and agents concerned does not accept any responsibility for any injury, accident or damages that might arise from the use of any of the hints.

92 | AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE Volume 4 Issue 5

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Making primitive fire Everybody knows about the “little stick rub” method of making a fire, but how many people are successful with it?

First of all your fuel must be suitable – that holds good for all methods of making a fire.

As initial tinder, a lot of fine fleecy grass, “old man’s beard” that grows on tree trunks, bird- or mouse nests, can be used., The material must be fine, easily combustible and above all, dry. ●● Then take a dry hardwood turnstick, as thick as a little finger and 45cm long and cut one point round. Then get a dry, softer wood for the basis stick, as thick as your thumb.

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●● Cut one side slightly flat and make a small cavity near the point at the flat side, big enough to accommodate the round point of the turnstick, Cut a v-shaped notch on the side of the basis stick that leads to the cavity. ●● Put dry, fine sand in the cavity and place the round point of the turnstick in it. With your foot, keep the basis stick steady on the tinder, and start to rub the vertical turnstick to and fro in your hands whilst you also press it downwards. Now it needs serious rubbing to keep the stick moving to get enough friction. If you hear the squeaking sound, push downwards more firmly. ●● It requires exercise and is easier if two people work together. You can also tie a string or a shoelace with two loops for your thumbs on the upper side of the turnstick and use it to push it down while you turn. ●● Eventually smoke will start coming out of the hole and a black powder will be formed in and along die V-notch, Keep on turning until this powder starts to glow. ●● Remove the turnstick slowly away and blow very carefully oxygen over the smoking powder until a red cinder begins to form in the powder. ●● Now tip this cinder out on the tinder, help it by blowing softly on it and hopefully the tinder will then start to flame. ●● As soon as the tinder is burning the fire can be further packed with small dry sticks that must be at hand.

Remember the principle: first tinder, then small dry sticks then gradually coarser material for the fire. Do not deprive the fire of its oxygen by putting on too fast and too much branches on it.

Dr Wallace Vosloo is an Engineer and Scientist by profession. His family has lived in Africa since 1696 and he has a deep love for the continent. He is a practical outdoorsman and loves traditional hunting, axe and knife throwing, longbow shooting, black powder rifle- and cannon shooting, salt and fresh water fly fishing and tracking. The art of survival is Wallace’s main field of interest and his passion is to transfer these old forgotten skills to young hunters.

Volume 4 Issue 5 AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE | 93

94 | AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE Volume 4 Issue 5

Your African safari is a unique experience.

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Volume 4 Issue 5 AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE | 95

True North

John Eldredge

96 | AFRICAN EXPEDITION MAGAZINE Volume 4 Issue 5

Born into an Epic

A Story. An Epic.

Something hidden in the ancient past.

Something dangerous now unfolding.

Something waiting in the future for us to discover.

Some crucial role for us to play.

Christianity, in its true form, tells us that there is an Author and that he is good, the essence of all that is good and beautiful and true, for he is the source of all these things. It tells us that he has set our hearts’ longings within us, for he has made us to live in an Epic. It warns that the truth is always in danger of being twisted and corrupted and stolen from us because there is a Villain in the Story who hates our hearts and wants to destroy us. It calls us up into a Story that is truer and deeper than any other, and assures us that there we will find the meaning of our lives.

What if ?

What if all the great stories that have ever moved you, brought you joy or tears-what if they are telling you something about the true Story into which you were born, the Epic into which you have been cast?

We won’t begin to understand our lives, or what this so-called gospel is that Christianity speaks of, until we understand the Story in which we have found ourselves. For when you were born, you were born into an Epic that has already been under way for quite some time. It is a Story of beauty and intimacy and adventure, a Story of danger and loss and heroism and betrayal.

(Epic, 14-15)