These were the people selling rhino horn on the black market for millions of rands. That’s why the Organised Crime Unit was involved. Nothing would change unless the middlemen and kingpins were stopped.
Piet started his bakkie. He sat for a moment, looking at the huge beast lying on the ground. He didn’t want to imagine her dying cries. Once you had heard the heart-rending wail of a wounded rhino, you never forgot it. He put the bakkie into gear. Rhinos have been around for fifty million years, he thought. And in my lifetime, they may all be gone.
Sometimes it all seemed too much.
4
As they drove through the farm gates, Billy saw a huge sign saying “WILD2SAVE”. Karel pulled into the parking area and turned off the ignition.
“Okey-dokey,” said Bokkie, collecting her things and stuffing them into her briefcase. “Here we are. And there’s Schalk come to meet us.”
A large man in khaki with a big grey moustache and piercing blue eyes walked over to the bus. The two Rottweilers next to him barked and bared their teeth.
“Titus! Aztec!” he shouted, and they stopped in their tracks and sat down, one on each side of him. “Hi. I’m Schalk Kriek. Aangename kennis. Welcome.” He shook hands with everyone as they climbed off the bus. “Come and have something to eat and drink.”
The farmhouse was old with a faded red tin roof and a veranda that wrapped all the way around it. A huge tree, with a magenta bougainvillea snaking through its branches, towered over it. There was a table on the veranda with a pot of coffee, some mugs, and plates of rusks and koeksisters.
Billy hadn’t realised he was hungry until he saw the food. He and the others quickly helped themselves. He remembered his mother’s coconut cookies still in his backpack. He hadn’t eaten them because he had felt embarrassed. Nobody else’s mother had sent food with them.
He took his coffee and a rusk and stood at the end of the stoep, looking out at the view.
Jabu walked over and stood next to him. She took a deep breath. “Smell that?” she asked.
“The coffee?”
“No, there’s a smell of potatoes.”
“Oh yes,” agreed Billy. “Where’s it coming from?”
“Phyllanthus reticulatus,” said Jabu, “commonly known as the potato bush.”
Billy was impressed. With people like Jabu around, what hope would he have of winning that bursary? He was sure he didn’t know half as much as the others.
“Oh, sweet. Look!” Billy and Jabu turned as they heard Surina squeal.
Bokkie was carrying two tiny lion cubs in her arms. “Here you are,” she said, handing one wriggling baby to Surina and the other to Jabu.
Surina rubbed her face against the cub’s soft fur while Jabu examined the one she was holding. “They are very young. Only a few weeks. Am I right?”
“Seven weeks,” Bokkie replied. “They had to be taken from their mother because she wasn’t feeding them properly. These are our first babies at the sanctuary. We’re hoping to get some young rhinos next. Unfortunately, there are plenty of orphans these days with all the poaching that’s going on.”
“Come and have a look, Billy,” called Surina.
Billy came over and scratched the cub’s tummy. It yawned and showed a small pink mouth. It really is cute, he thought. But not quite as cute as Surina.
She looked up and smiled. “Awesome, hey? I wouldn’t mind one of these for a pet.”
Billy nodded and then fled to the table to get some more coffee.
Vusi was chatting to Schalk. “So what did they farm here in the old days?” he asked.
“They had cattle, but mostly it was cotton and tobacco.”
“I wouldn’t mind taking a walk around the farm,” Vusi said. “What’s that huge shed over there used for?”
Schalk blew on his coffee. “That’s where they used to hang the tobacco leaves out to dry.”
“What do you keep in there now?” asked Vusi.
“Not much really. My chopper, an old tractor … You know. Stuff like that.”
Vusi said, “Chopper?” with a puzzled look, and then the light dawned. “You’ve got a helicopter. That’s way cool, man.”
Schalk laughed. “It is. In fact, I will be flying up to Pretoriuskop later to join you okes for a braai.”
“Can we go and have a look at it?” asked Vusi eagerly.
Schalk hesitated and glanced at his watch. “Sorry. You don’t really have enough time. Karel wants to get going as soon as Piet and Thandi arrive. But listen, let’s go into my office. I’ve got some good photographs of my helicopter to show you. And maybe, if we get a chance this weekend, I can take you up in it.”
Vusi grinned and gave a thumbs up.
While Surina carried on playing with the cubs, Billy, Vusi and Jabu went into Schalk’s office. Through the window, Billy could see far across the veld. In the distance, he spotted some eland at a small dam.
One of the walls was covered with framed photographs and certificates.
“Wow, WILD2SAVE has won a lot of stuff,” said Vusi. He pointed at one of the photographs. “Hey, this looks like …”
“It is,” said Jabu, peering through her glasses. “It’s the president shaking hands with Schalk and Bokkie.”
Schalk laughed. “Ja, that was a night and a half. We had just won one of the highest awards for conservation you can get.” He tapped his finger on one of the photographs. “Okay, here’s my helicopter. Bokkie snapped it as I was about to take off.”
Billy and Vusi examined the photo of Schalk, sitting in the pilot seat of a green-and-silver helicopter.
“That must be so cool,” said Vusi. “I really hope we get a chance to fly in it.”
“Ja, sure,” said Schalk. “But listen, time’s moving on. Piet and Thandi will be here any moment.”
“On the bus, Bokkie told us Thandi’s one of the rangers, but who is Piet?” asked Jabu.
“He’s a ranger too,” said Schalk as they trooped out of the study. “And you know Karel, who’s driving the bus. Well, they’re brothers. Karel used to be a ranger with SANParks but joined WILD2SAVE so he could educate the youth on protecting wildlife. We all grew up on farms in the area and have known each other forever. Bokkie’s got some last-minute stuff to organise, so she’ll come later in my vehicle, and Thandi will drive in the bus with you and get you settled in at Pretoriuskop.”
On the veranda, Surina was sitting with two sleeping cubs on her lap and chatting to Karel.
“So, did you like our picture gallery?” Bokkie asked.
“Impressive,” said Vusi.
Jabu was looking thoughtful. She took her glasses off and cleaned them on the edge of her T-shirt. “I was a bit surprised to see you had a kudu head mounted on the wall of your office,” she said. “You know. With conservation and everything.”
Billy smiled to himself. He could tell already that Jabu was someone who said what she thought.
Schalk looked at her. “Oh, that was there before we bought this place. A lot of farmers shoot for the pot …”
Bokkie interrupted. “You see, skat! I keep telling you to take it down. It’s just not right. I’ve always hated it. Seeing a poor dead animal on the wall like that.” She shuddered.
At that moment, a white bakkie came tearing down the long