‘I’ve taken on two more herders for the day time,’ Lars said. ‘Two chaps who were laid off when old man Griffiths sold most of his cattle. He says they’re reliable fellows. And I’ve switched a couple of our old-timers on to the night patrol. Plus I’ve been driving around myself. A couple of times each night, at random hours.’ He tapped his fingers on the table and hesitated for a moment. ‘Did I do the right thing, in not tracking you down in Samburu and interrupting your safari? It seemed to me that there wasn’t anything you could have done here.’

‘You were right,’ Piet said firmly. ‘Hannah’s birthday was special, and we all had a great time. It would have been senseless to spoil any part of it.’

‘I suppose it was a one-off thing,’ Lars said. ‘But I came across a fire, over near the lodge last week. Another half-hour and it would have been a problem, because it was a windy day and it had been set very close to the viewing platform. At the time I thought some idiot had started it to cook his meat and posho, but there was no one around. Now I wonder if it was something else. Another mischief like the cows, only I disturbed the plan.’

‘We can’t start looking over our shoulders constantly, getting paranoid about every little thing,’ Piet said. ‘We’re always finding small fires on the farm, for one reason or another. And you can’t go driving around the place day and night, Lars. You need regular sleep like the rest of us. We have to organise a better security plan. Especially if we want good support for the lodge. We certainly can’t afford any incidents around there. The only problem is the cost.’

‘There’s a new organisation in Nairobi with funds to help people like you,’ Lars leaned forward. ‘They’re apparently interested in encouraging private wildlife reserves. A friend of mine in the Norwegian Aid office told me about it.’

‘But these outfits are so slow, unless you know someone who can put in a word for you.’ Piet was not optimistic. ‘You have to wait until they send a so-called expert to look your place over. They show up six months later, ask you five thousand questions, and then disappear to deliberate. It can take a long time to get through the formalities. I could be in a home for old fogeys before I see a penny. Still, if they did decide it’s a suitable project they might provide money for rangers, and fencing too.’