“Let’s get this over with,” Melanie said. With her new tennis shoes ruined, even she was beginning to question if they should have come. In Africa, nothing was easy.

Kevin struck off with the women following. At first, walking was difficult because of the unstable footing. Although the grass appeared generally uniform, it grew in small, lumpy hummocks surrounded by muddy water. But the going became easier about fifty feet from the pond, where the ground rose and became comparatively drier. A moment later, they came across a trail.

They were surprised to discover that the trail looked well-used. It ran parallel with the shoreline of the lake.

“Siegfried must send work crews out here more than we thought,” Melanie said. “This trail has been maintained.”

“I’d have to agree,” Kevin said. “I suppose they’d need to keep them up for retrievals. The jungle is so thick and grows so fast out here. Lucky for us, they’ll certainly help us get around as well. As I recall, this one heads up to the limestone cliff.”

“If they come out here to maintain trails, maybe there is something to Siegfried’s story about workmen making the fires,” Melanie said.

“Wouldn’t that be nice,” Kevin said.

“I smell something bad,” Candace said, while sniffing the air. “In fact, it smells putrid.”

Hesitantly, the others sniffed and agreed.

“That’s not a good sign,” Melanie said.

Kevin nodded and moved off in the direction of the cul de sac. A few minutes later, with their fingers pinching their nostrils shut, the three stared down at a disgusting sight: It was the remains of bonobo number sixty. The carcass was in the process of being devoured by insects. Larger scavengers had also taken a toll.

Far more gruesome than the state of the corpse was the evidence of how the animal had died. A wedge-shaped piece of limestone had struck the poor creature between the eyes, effectively splitting his head in two. The rock was still in place. Exposed soft eyeballs stared off in opposite directions.

“Ugh!” Melanie said. “It’s what we didn’t want to see. This suggests that not only the bonobos have split into two groups, but they’re killing each other. I wonder if number sixty-seven is dead, too.”

Kevin kicked the rock out of the decomposing head. All three stared at it.

“That’s also what we didn’t want to see,” Kevin said.

“What are you talking about?” Candace asked.

“That rock was shaped artificially,” Kevin said. With the toe of his shoe, he pointed to an area along the side of the rock where there appeared to be freshly made gouges. “That suggests tool-making.”

“More circumstantial evidence, I’m afraid,” Melanie said.

“Let’s move upwind,” Kevin managed. “Before I get sick. I can’t stand this smell.”

Kevin got three steps away in an easterly direction when someone grabbed his arm and yanked him to a stop. He turned to see Melanie with her index finger pressed against her lips. Then she pointed to the south.