Camilla dropped like a stone into the seat beside him, her heart pounding as the bulk of the animal filled the windscreen and the first angry sound of trumpeting rent the soft evening air, chilling her blood. Anthony drove faster, bouncing backwards, skidding in the sandy soil as the elephant gained on them. They could see every fold and crease of skin and the glinting of the small eyes as he swung his trunk from side to side, and then raised it high and screamed his anger at his unwanted audience. The huge body was so close that it was impossible to see even a patch of sky beyond the windscreen. They came to the corner and heard the tyres spin as they tried to grip the loose stones and pebbles on the surface. The car tipped to one side and Anthony bent forward over the wheel, gripping hard as if willing the vehicle to remain upright. Camilla closed her eyes, knowing that she was going to die with him, that they were all going to die together, trampled into a twisted mix of bodies and metal, and lives that could have been. When she looked again they had rounded the bend in the track and the car was facing in the opposite direction. There was no sign of the elephant. Everyone was laughing, with relief and with the awful thrill of the charge. Piet shook Sarah in disbelief.

‘I can’t believe you stayed up there and kept taking pictures. Sarah Mackay, you’re a madwoman! Completely insane. But you have guts, I’ll say that.’

‘He wanted to see us off, out of his patch. The moment we turned the corner and were out of sight he lost interest in us.’ Anthony was laughing too. ‘Kali buggers, these young males trying to prove their strength. Let’s go and look for something more welcoming.’

The remainder of their drive was one of awed discovery. A pair of oryx stood in the grasslands to pose for them, displaying their painted faces and tall, straight horns. On one section of the road they stopped for a pair of reticulated giraffes, admiring the precise geometry and elegance of their markings, and their long, loping strides. Flocks of guinea fowl criss-crossed in front of them, their black and white feathers fluttering over a layer of blue underlay. A herd of buffalo lifted heavy heads and snorted with ill-tempered disdain as they passed, and several Grevy zebra trotted briskly off the track before turning to display the perfection of their striped flanks, and their large, rounded ears. The heat of the day slowly dissipated as the sun vanished behind the rugged hills, leaving in its place a sky flooded with scarlet light. The first star appeared above the silhouette of the palms, and a new moon hung suspended over the river.