WILD AND DANGEROUS ADVENTURE SERIES
Over The Edge GRAHAM VIVIAN LANCASTER
For Murray and Sydney.
L TRAYBERRY PRESS
ALEXANDER HOUSE Incorporating
TRAYBERRY PRESS 29 Howick Road Pietermaritzburg 0836388813 Copyright 2011 Graham Vivian Lancaster Copyright 2011 in this published edition ALEXANDER HOUSE All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder and publisher. First published 2011
ISBN: 978-0-9869830-6-1 Cover design: G. V. Lancaster / Maxine Wicks Photography: Graham Vivian Lancaster Author photo: Neil Wiltshire Shipping advisor: Annette Poole Distributed by Trayberry Book Distributors. Cell: 0836388813 Tel: 033 - 3427978
Works by the author: NOVELS:
SELF HELP:
Wind Song Storm Song Strength Of ten Everyone Can Do It Its Never Too Late Surviving The Ladder The Cost Of Money Who’s Shrinking Your Money? The Happy Customer
POETRY:
Marks On My Soul Gypsey Whale Song Gravel Roads Fledgeling African Ride Moments of Truth Picaroon Rusty Gates Poetry Study Guide
HUMOUR:
Bert and Co. Bert Another Story Nothing For Mahala
ADVENTURE SERIES:
Wild and Dangerous + Study Guide Secrets of the Sea Cyclone Tracy Wrath Of The Gods Dangerous Alliances When The Earth Thunders + Study Guide Awakening Africa Flying With Eagles Over The Edge + Study Guide * The Adventurous Life Of Rory Flint
INDEX BACK AT CAVISHAM ESTATES S’bu and Darryl drive down the beach in their Land Rovers to visit the Zondis while looking for Jula and the Purples – but unbeknown to them, big trouble has already happened… ENOUGH OF THE SLAUGHTER Two of the rhino they captured in Kruger National Park the previous week have been killed by poachers. S’bu and Darryl are furiously determined to catch the culprits. Darryl’s plan leaps into focus… THE ANGER OF QUIET MEN Mfansen’s network springs into action across Zululand, closing the net as they force the rhino horn dealer to where they want him, while S’bu and Darryl are spoiling for the fight…
BACK AT CAVISHAM ESTATES Grant parked the crane truck in the shade to the side of the spreading lawn before Cavisham Estates main home. “Phew! I am glad to be back. That was one trip I will never forget,” he said tiredly. “So much happened. It seems as though we have been away for two months, rather than two weeks,” S’bu nodded. “Well, we are back - and its lunchtime!” Darryl laughed as he climbed down to meet Gran and Granddad hurrying across the lawn. “Hey guys, I’m so happy to see you,” Gran hugged Darryl, S’bu and Grant tightly, while Granddad shook hands. “You make such a fuss, Gran. We did see you yesterday,” Darryl pointed out. “I know, but it is a long way by road and I worry so much.” “Now why would you worry about us, Gran?” S’bu asked with an impish grin and everyone burst out laughing. “That’s all I ever do with the two of you,” Gran cuffed his ear playfully. “Let’s get Daisy down before Mr. Myeko goes mad with hunger. He has eaten all the baby formula Mandla had in his shop and I was getting ready to go into town to buy more if you didn’t arrive soon,” Granddad told them. “Where is Mr. Myeko?” S’bu asked. “He is following the gardener around,” Gran said. “Now what would make him do that?” Darryl asked. “So he could have some company? Perhaps it’s the herd instinct? We left him because the gardener can watch him all the time. You never know when one of the dogs gets out and attacks him while he is too small to defend himself,” Granddad told them. “That’s true,” Darryl agreed. “Speaking of defending himself, he charged Matthew and knocked him off his feet when we took him off the Cessna and out of the sack,” Granddad told them. 1
“What?” S’bu exclaimed. “He got a good talking to and a flick on the nose for that one, so we have to be a bit cautious and stop that sort of behaviour as soon as it starts or he won’t be able to stay here when he gets bigger,” Granddad told them and there was no doubt in the boys minds, this was no small talk. “We’ll sort him out or he could easily kill someone when he grows up, Granddad,” Darryl assured him. The microlight trailers were unhitched and pushed to the storeroom. The boys positioned them carefully against a wall, where they would park their Land Rovers alongside, with the Yamaha TW 200, so they wouldn’t get in anyone’s way. “I hope the rats don’t take a liking to them,” Darryl said as he crouched down with his hand out to a cat peeping shyly out from between wooden boxes of engine spares. Ears cocked and tense, its big eyes glinted like black glass marbles in the daylight shining through the open doors. “Come, kitty, kitty,” he called softly. The cat watched him suspiciously and then emerged slowly, looking round for danger. “Come kitty, you will catch all the rats before they eat our aeroplanes, won’t you?” Darryl spoke quietly as S’bu watched. The cat of many colours with a ginger patch over its left eye approached Darryl’s outstretched hand, slowly forward, close to the ground on hesitant bent legs, ready to flee, stopping and sniffing. Then it came forward and in a half crouch, neck fully extended with the safety factor of flight and tentatively sniffed his fingers. “Come,” Darryl said kindly and the cat came slowly closer until he could stroke it. It began to purr and rub itself against his hand, turning its head this way and that with eyes half closed in pleasure. “Isn’t that nice? Just a little bit of attention is all you want,” Darryl spoke to the cat, stroking it until it felt safe enough for him to pick it up in his arms. “Prr, prr,” it purred with pleasure and head butted him beneath the chin. “There you go,” Darryl placed the cat carefully on one of the microlight covers, to sniff out this new addition to its territory. 2
They set the crane truck jacks and took the crate off the back of the truck. Darryl opened the door and Daisy reversed out slowly. She must have smelled Myeko, because she “mooed” loudly a few times and he came gambolling round the corner of the house to see what was happening. He saw her and ran across the lawn, bawling and carrying on, now that his ‘mother’ was back. He ran up to Daisy and they sniffed noses, just making sure they were family. He found her teats and dived in, suckling and butting with his head like there was no tomorrow. “We fenced off an area yesterday morning, with a small steel shed, where they will be locked up safely at night until he gets bigger,” Granddad pointed to the paddock they had made. A furtive glance passed between Darryl and S’bu as they saw the shed and remembered the first night they had Mr. Myeko after Sydney Jade spotted him wandering all alone in the blackened aftermath of the fire and thunderstorm which swept through Kruger Park. * He had been hungry, bawling and making so much noise at being alone away from his mother, they moved into the storeroom to keep him company at Crocodile Bridge Camp. That was the night the lions broke down the door….. They shook themselves free of that nightmare as they looked over to where Granddad was pointing. Inside the high diamond mesh fence was a small shed with a pile of neatly stacked bales of Rhodes Grass for Daisy to eat. An old bath, serving as the water trough, had been set on a sturdy concrete base to stop it being knocked over. Black plastic piping led from a tap outside the enclosure to the bath, so it could be filled. “We don’t have paddocks for them to graze but Willie Vosloo is coming from Empangeni early tomorrow to set up the irrigation and advise us on setting up a pasture.” “Mfansen and his crew are clearing a hectare of land and Matthew is bringing a tractor from Urchfont Manor, with a disk harrow, also early tomorrow morning.” * Awakening Africa 3
“Willie will bring fertilizer and enough Rhodes Grass seed to sow one hectare and we should have a workable pasture in about two and a half months.” “Thank you Granddad. You have thought of everything,” Darryl said happily. “Mr. Myeko will need solid food quite soon and I wouldn’t like to buy it because if the way he is eating at the moment is any guide to what’s coming, it will get expensive very quickly.” “I’m sure it will, Granddad,” S’bu looked at Mr. Myeko suckling and head butting Daisy and it seemed he couldn’t get her milk out fast enough. “Every duiker, impala and kudu in the district will be grazing at night in the paddocks, Devin,” Grant pointed out. “Yes, I know, so as soon as we have harrowed and planted, we will fence it in as we have done with the shed.” “It will have to be a high fence, or kudu will think nothing of jumping in and out at will,” Grant told him “I know. This ‘gift’ of a free buffalo is costing me a lot of money,” Devin looked at S’bu and Darryl. S’bu’s parents, Nyathi and Sibongile Mkhize arrived to welcome the boys home and join them for lunch. “I thought you were never returning home, my sons,” Nyathi shook hands with them. “It did seem much longer than two weeks, Dad,” S’bu laughed and kissed his mother as she stood with her arm round Darryl. They herded the two animals into the enclosure as soon as Mr. Myeko had filled himself with warm rich milk. The men washed their hands while cook laid lunch out in the shade on a table on the lawn. S’bu and Darryl ate quietly, eager to get finished, collect their Land Rovers and get down to the sea. “The two of you are very quiet,” Sibongile observed. “It has been a busy two weeks, Ma,” S’bu smiled. Grant and Darryl left S’bu to fend for himself while they ate quietly, not entering the conversation lest they say something they shouldn’t. “What did you guys do in Kruger Park?” Nyathi asked. “We rode in the truck and watched them capturing some rhino, zebra and Blue Wildebeest, Dad,” S’bu told his father, who 4
glanced at his wife, Devin and Sheila. Grant and Darryl continued eating and Granddad knew there was much more to this, which the three of them didn’t want to let out of the bag. Sibongile realised it would be well nigh impossible to get the truth out of them and gave up – for the time being. “Everyone is invited to a braai at our house this evening and Matthew will be joining us,” Sibongile announced when lunch was almost over, looking meaningfully at her son and Darryl. They knew that look well. “Thank you, Ma. Darryl and I will bring a bag and stay over.” “That will be a lovely surprise, Sibusiso,” she said a little pointedly because of their long absences from the Nyathi household. “You have of course made deep dish lemon meringue tart?” S’bu made his eyes big and saw her melting. “I can’t remember. I will just have to see what I can find in the fridge when you arrive,” his mother made her eyes big as she teased him. “A fresh fish on the braai would be very nice,” Nyathi looked meaningfully at the boys. “Yes it would,” S’bu looked at Darryl. “Absolutely but we can’t fish with rod and reel when Jula is around because he might take the fish off the hook and get himself caught,” Darryl said. “Would a dolphin take a dead fish?” Grant asked. “They follow shrimp boats in America, picking up the small fish which are caught in the nets and thrown back,” Darryl told him. “The problem is he might just get playful, grab it and get hooked,” S’bu voiced his concern. “If he did get hooked, he would strip all the line off your reel within seconds and trail a few hundred meters of it around the ocean,” Grant agreed. “Wounded animals go into hiding, so we might not be able to help him,” Darryl said thoughtfully. “He did come looking for us when he was injured and wanted help with his pod caught in the trawler net,” S’bu pointed out. * * Secrets Of The Sea 5
“Yes he did and thousands of people fish in the ocean every day without hooking a dolphin, it’s just that he knows us and likes to play when we are around,” Darryl smiled. “We will have to spearfish, or fish amongst the rocks where he can’t get in,” S’bu said. “Should we bring some crayfish tonight?” Darryl asked. “Oh yes!” everyone agreed. “We flew in over the ocean yesterday and there was Mr. Show Off, so happy to see the Cessna, he was jumping out and somersaulting and slapping the water with his tail,” Granddad laughed as the boys listened closely. “Grant, we need a lift to our Land Rovers please,” Darryl said urgently as the thought of swimming with the dolphins lured him.” “Darryl! Grant hasn’t finished eating. Don’t be so rude,” Gran scolded. “Well, if he wants to eat crayfish tonight, lunch is over,” Darryl grinned impishly at him. “Maybe I’ll catch my own,” Grant smiled. “As an Honorary Parks Board Ranger I demand to see your crayfish permit before you even think of going into the water,” S’bu told him. “Oh!” Grant sighed and pushed his chair back, “Thank you for a wonderful lunch, Sheila and Devin. Please don’t think me rude but I do have to get back to my office and file reports, insurance claims for the truck etc., so if you will excuse me?” Grant said. “These boys are rude,” Nyathi looked meaningfully at his son. “Yes they are,” Grant laughed. “Thank you for joining us, Grant; you know you are welcome any time. Thank you for taking S’bu and Darryl with you and for looking after them. Devin and I really do appreciate your friendship,” Sheila smiled and kissed him on the cheek. “Thank you for everything you have done for them, Grant. I’m surprised to see your hair hasn’t turned grey, being in their company for two weeks,” Granddad teased and a quick look passed between Grant, Darryl and S’bu, because after everything that had happened, they were also surprised. “Please don’t drive your Land Rovers on the main road,” Granddad reminded them. 6