76. The Encounter

Donavan realizes that the two of them probably have just as good a lookout as his sharpshooter position from where they can spot him at a distance. It might well be that they hide and hope he passes. He tries to walk close to the left side rock face in the shade where he will be less obtrusive. He scrutinizes the rock walls on both sides above the flood level because their hideout must be above it. Slowly he moves through between shallow pools and boulders. He simply must find them before the sun goes down. Probably they are Eldrich’s last hope of survival.

Donavan sees a cavity in the rock face of the opposite cliff and stops abruptly. He aims with his telescope. It is definitely above the flood level but it is too high from where he is to now make out how deep it is. Maybe it is only a small alcove or maybe it could be a hidden cave. If it is their shelter, how the hell do they reach it? It is high up against the vertical rock face and it looks as if one had to rock climbing to reach it. He can’t imagine that they will choose such a shelter. It is impractical. They surely will have to carry things up and store it to survive there. He studies the opening very intensively and the cliff face on both sides and then he sees something like a small bank that declines against the cliff face and connects with another bank which goes down to the bottom where it ends amongst shrubs and bushes. Maybe that bank is wide enough for a human being to simply easily climb up to the opening but it is impossible to see from here whether it is the case. It could be an ideal shelter because the entry point is hidden behind bushes. He will only know if he investigates from close by. He doesn’t think they have seen him because then he would have seen them. Maybe their hideout is deeper into the opening, possibly a cave, and to see him they must come out and peep over the edge. Excitedly he moves rapidly to the bushy area. He can only hope his theory is correct and will be disappointed when he finds the bank is too narrow and unpractical to navigate. He will then have to continue searching. The sun is going down and he must find them soon if he wants to get them to Eldrich.

Donavan discovers a well-trodden footpath in an opening in the bushes and shrubs leading to the cliff face. He moves up to the footpath and discovers clear, fresh footprints in the sand and he smiles. He sniffed them out! Carefully he walks up to the cliff face and finds the bank he has seen. It is just wide enough for one person to walk on. He carefully starts to climb up till he gets the connecting bank and finds it just as wide as the first one. The rock side is next to him and left of him is the vertical cliff side downwards. One misstep and you are a goner. He wonders whether they dare to climb up and down when it rains and the rocks become slippery. It would be extremely dangerous. It is terribly high up here. He is beginning to respect them for their bravery to hide here.

Eventually, he reaches the opening that looked like a small crevice from below and is amazed to finds a deep, wide cave and he sneaks in. The cave forms a perfect roof, and at the back against the left stonewall, he sees a man-made shelter. To the left of the shelter different kinds of hides are hanging to dry and a little further, coals of a campfire are burning next to a heap of dry branches and stumps. Like a chameleon, he sneaks nearer to the shelter and when he is close by he sees it is constructed of branches, hides, and thongs making it windproof. They ingeniously constructed a very nice shed that cut them off from the storm winds and cold night air that probably blows in here at night. He is sure it is a cozy little nest inside. He wonders whether they are alone and if there could be family. As he approached the back wall, he realizes the place is large. Probably there could be older people with them but when he reached the shed, he hears noises that make him unsure. He hears noises of two young people near their sexual climax and he stops right at the back of the cave in the corner at the door made of sticks and hides that cuts the place cozily off from the rest of the world.

He stands still and listens. He’ll have to wait for them to finish. He once again observes the many skins and gets respect for this young chap’s hunting skills. He surely must be a skilful and dangerous hunter. The hides of the shed and these hanging here, confirms it. Maybe he has a hunting gun with bullets that he uses sparingly. It will be safer for him to go back to the entrance and with the rock wall as protection yells at them that he needs their help. The guy may just surprise him with a sudden attack. Most people in South Africa understand English and they will probably understand him. They don’t have a way to escape from him because he blocks the entrance of the cave. But he will wait until they have finished.

Patiently he waits. It sounds as if they want to prolong the act but suddenly she yells and he explodes and they shamelessly scream while they go through the last of their enjoyable moments. Donavan smiles. He was right. They are devouring each other.

She laughs happily and it sounds as if he kisses and caresses her all over and he decides enough is enough. He sneaks back to the entrance and hides slightly behind the rock wall.

He yells as hard as he can and hopes they understand English: “Hello, you there inside! We need your help! Our helicopter crashed and our pilot is very sick! I saw you at the pool and have come to see you because I suppose the girlie knows about herbs. I hope she can help our pilot. I don’t think he will survive the night. We have only water and he is very weak.”

He is mightily relieved when he heard the boy shouts back in English with a strong accent. “Show yourself! Why do you hide? Is there someone with you?” Donovan knows the accent. He is definitely an Afrikaner.

“I saw all the hides and it seems as if you are an excellent hunter and I am afraid you will attack me suddenly. That is the only reason I hide myself. I am alone, I promise you!”

An uncomfortable silence follows before he speaks again. “Just come out behind the wall and show me your weapons and put it against the cave’s wall. I shall do likewise but I must make sure no other person is hiding behind the wall.”

Donavan carefully sneaks around the cave wand and show himself. The young man emerges from the shed. He only wears a skimpy piece of skin that only covers his genitals but over his shoulder hangs a skin holder behind his back with weapons looking like spears which he quickly can pull out. In his right hand, he carries a spear ready to use and in his left hand a weapon that looks like a throwing knife. He looks able and ready to take on a few men. The girl is nowhere. Maybe she is looking through a slit in the shed’s wall at him.

Donovan slowly takes his gun from his back and places it against the cave wall near him and put up his hands. The pistol he keeps for safety in the holster behind his back ready to pull out and fire.

The young man is shrewd. “You look to me like an operational soldier. You won’t only carry a gun. Where do you hide your pistol and knife?”

Donovan sighs. “How do I know you won’t attack me and skin me as you did with all the animals when I am defenseless?” He points with a swing of his head to all the skins.

“Do you think we are cannibals? Do what I tell you! Trust me and put all your weapons over there against the cave wall and go and stand over at the skins against the opposite wall so that I can safely look and make sure no others are hiding around the corner.”

Donavan is undecided and the young man tries to convince him. “I promise if you do that, I will give you a chance and you are right. Koko is an excellent herbalist. She learned all the secrets from her mother who was their community’s Sangoma. She will gladly help your friend.”

His words motivate Donavan and he decides to dare what the young man says. He takes his pistol from its holster slowly and pulls out his fighting knife and slowly moves to the opposite cave wall. “These are all my weapons. I am now defenseless against you. I hope you are not going to skin me. It won’t be fair.”

Like lightning the young man moves when Donavan is at a safe distance. Swiftly and without a sound, he moves to the entrance where he bends and sneaks around the corner with his spear ready in his hand and peeps over the edge and sees no one. Quickly he turns around and with his spear and knife in his hands slowly approaches Donavan standing nervously against the cave wall. He is an easy target and realizes at this moment that never in his life he has been so vulnerable and at someone else’s mercy.