The Lion Conspiracy by Peter Hain

Author:Peter Hain
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Muswell Press
Published: 2024-05-15T00:00:00+00:00

Mkhize, settled on his Kenya Airways flight from Johannesburg to Nairobi, worried it would crash on take-off, worried all the time when the plane hit any turbulence, worried it would crash on landing.

At ease in the wild, amidst dangerous animals, now he was well out of his comfort zone, constantly nervy, his stomach tight, unable to snooze, unable to have a beer, even to eat.

Then, to his utter relief, the aircraft landed safely. A car was waiting to take him to Wilson Airport which specialised in light plane transfers – in this case to Tokkas own airstrip – the flight with Governors’ Aviation scheduled to take 45 minutes.

He walked across the tarmac to board a Cessna Caravan turboprop that took a dozen or so passengers. It had standard analogue gauges alongside modern digital avionics with autopilot and GPS, a modern radio and transponder.

Another worrying first for Mkhize. He’d never flown on a small plane like this, cruising at 300 kilometres per hour. He was deeply disconcerted by the bumpiness of the flight, the Cessna soaring on the thermals. But was also entranced, peering out at the unfolding rift valley below, the scenery spectacular.

Suddenly, they were soaring over a mountain and then dropping smoothly down, swooping over an airstrip that appeared like a brown smear on the ground below amidst greenery from recent heavy but most welcome rains after a debilitating drought.

The pilot peered down out of the cockpit to check all was clear, Mkhize astonished to spot a young shepherd clad in his deep red Maasai blanket urgently clearing a few cattle that had strayed from the main herd onto the runway.

Not only did pastoralists operate alongside airstrips, but their livestock also grazed in the very same territory as wild animals – novel for Mkhize used to South Africa’s mainly fenced safari parks like Zama Zama.

He clung rigid to the seat as the plane began to descend, swinging raggedly, wings tipping up and down, then suddenly settling to land with a jolt and bump along the uneven surface, the pilot steering it swiftly towards a land cruiser parked on the side.

Two Maasai who’d been lounging by the vehicle in the bright heat waited as the pilot opened the aircraft’s door and unfolded its short steps for Mkhize to climb stiffly out with his bags, mightily relieved he was still in one piece.

‘Isaac! Welcome my brother!’ Nako stuck out his hand, introducing his spotter, Koinet, both men thin and muscled, over two metres in height, clad in their red Maasai blankets. ‘I’m just the driver, he does all the work as spotter!’

Koinet shook his head, bending over in laugher. ‘Don’t listen to him. He’s the ranger, I’m just his small boy helper!’

The ice broken, Mkhize felt an immediate affinity with both, a reminder of his Zama Zama bond with Steve Brown.

They climbed in and Nako drove off, Koinet in the back, standing up and peering out over the roof to search for any wildlife, Mkhize in the unfamiliar position of being guided on a game drive rather than doing the guiding himself.

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