Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Chapter 4: Flight from Cleveland to
Washington and on to Johannesburg
We have arrived at Washington Dulles airport without any problems and with about five
hours to our next flight. It looks like we'll avoid Hurricane Irene and checking in with Bruce's
rifle was completely uneventful. The case was swiped and tested for chemicals and then
loaded onto the conveyor belt. I would have thought ammunition, if not the rifle, would test
positive for an explosive. As we were checking in at the counter Bruce checked in his rifle and
the very pleasant, helpful lady at the desk, asked me “are you not checking in any rifles?” I said
“No thanks, I won't be,” to which Bruce said “He's going to take the wild animals on with his
bare hands.” “Yes,” I said, “I guess I have a wrestling match ahead or I will have to throw
some stones.” Although despite the minimal protection from swinging cameras that hung over
my shoulder, there was little chance a buffalo, lion, rhino or elephant would bother with a fair
fight. Nevertheless, in Africa, the big wild fellas also have a chance for some sport with
humans.
Newspaper Stories:
We have several hours to catch up on our newspapers and chat about what the Afrikaner
farmers (Boers) called “alles en nog wat” meaning all and everything. My Afrikaans, as a
distant mist, permeates back into my mind, harking back to when I learnt it in bordering school
at the age 7 in Barberton, the same school that Bryce Courtenay wrote about in “The Power of
One.” Zulu and Swazi also start comeback and I wonder if the area we are going to has mainly
Ndebele speakers (also a Nguni based language) or Shona or Tsonga/Shangaan speakers.
Despite some of my bush craft teachers being Shangaan hunters, I learnt mainly from Titus who
was Swazi, and since in the area the Shangaan were a minority I never learnt to speak
Shangaan. Other than the San Bushmen hunter-gathers, the other main tribe in Southern Africa
that relied on hunting were the Shangaan. The Shangaan would even hunt buffalo with spears
and learned that because of the overlapping ribs of buffalo, to spear one they had to sneak up
on it while it was sleeping and stab it on the greater curvature of its chest where the ribs
spaces would be opened up to allow penetration into the lungs. They also used bow and
arrows. In the same area where Cecil “Bvekenya” Barnard hunted the elephants of Southern
Rhodesia where we are headed and nearby Mozambique, the buffalo were particularly
aggressive and the Shangaan warned him that buffaloes would potentially hunt him.
Bvekenya somewhat dismissed this but one day he was hunting buffalo for meat for his
helpers and spotted a buffalo herd drinking at a pool. As soon as they scented him they ran into
the reeds. He climbed up on a nine foot tall rock for a better view and noticed the herd bull
searching for him in the irregular puffs of wind.
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