‘Trouble with poachers. Yesterday they managed to bring down a big old jumbo. They hacked out the tusks and left the carcass lying near the waterhole, right in front of the lodge. Terrible sight from the viewing platform. Piet started after them with a couple of trackers, but they had no luck. He had to leave Kipchoge still on the trail and drive down here, because he had a meeting with the Game Department this morning. He’s going to be up to his ears all day.’

‘That’s desperate.’ Sarah understood that these crises had to be dealt with, but the disappointment lingered. ‘Have you been at Langani?’

‘No. I’ve been here for a few days, between safaris. Piet telephoned me last night. What worries him most is that those bastards seem to know exactly where his patrol is going to be. It’s almost as if they have an informer among the watu.’

‘Surely that wouldn’t be in the interests of his workers?’ Sarah said. ‘I mean, the safety of the game is a guarantee of jobs at Langani. So why would anyone tip off poachers?’

‘Bribes, probably. A few shillings in the hand is more than enough incentive. They’ve had three or four incidents at Langani where poachers killed off zebra and impala, and even a young buffalo. It’s bad enough when they kill for the meat, or for a few zebra skins they can sell as rugs. But when they start taking down elephant, it becomes really serious.’

‘And Kipchoge couldn’t track them down?’

‘It’s easy enough for them to get away, with all that thick forest around. These guys were really brazen, taking the elephant down so close to the lodge. He’d probably been at the waterhole and was on his way to some good feeding, poor old fellow. We can’t afford to lose game like this, to organised gangs. The fact that they killed right below the viewing platform seems like a challenge. And they did it the day Piet’s patrol was on the other side of the farm.’

‘You don’t think that was coincidence?’

‘It’s become a pattern. Piet decides on the route for his rangers, and the game is hit in another sector, or just after the patrol has passed. Can you imagine the reaction, if visitors were faced with a butchered elephant carcass right in front of them? Tourists won’t risk visiting a place where armed poachers are hanging around.’

‘There’s still no progress on funding?’ Sarah asked, as they made their way to the parking area. She climbed up into the front passenger seat, pleased to be back in a safari vehicle with its bird’s-eye view.