was as though they were fully aware that its destruction would be a
criminal act, and injurious to their reputations and good standing.
Conrad Berg was deadly serious when he discussed his elephants sense of
right and wrong with David. He spoke of them like schoolboys who had to
be placed on good behaviour, and disciplined when they transgressed.
The Discipline might take the form of driving, darting with drugs, or
formal execution with a heavy rifle. This ultimate punishment was
reserved for the incorrigibles who raided cultivated crops, chased
motor-cars or otherwise endangered human life.
Sorely tempted, the two old bulls left the fence and ambled back to the
breeding herd that waited patiently for their decision amongst the thorn
trees. For three days the herd drifted back and forth along the fence,
feeding and resting and waiting, then suddenly the wind turned westerly
and it came to them laden with the thick, cloyingly sweet smell of the
morula berries.
David parked the Land-Rover on the firebreak road and laughed with
delight.
So much for Connie's fence! ' For reasons of pachyderm prestige, or
perhaps merely for the mischievous delight of destruction, no adult
elephant would accept the breach made by another.
Each of them had selected his own fence pole, hard wood uprights
embedded in concrete, and had effortlessly snapped it off level with the
ground. Over a length of a mile the fence was flattened, and the wire
mesh lay across the firebreak.
Each elephant had used his broken pole like a tightrope, to avoid
treading on the sharp points of the barbed wire. Then once across the
fence they had streamed in a tight bunch down to the pools to spend a
night in feasting, an elephantine gorge on the yellow berries, which
ended at dawn when they had bunched up into close order and dashed back
across the ruined fence into the safety of the Park, perhaps pursued by
guilt and remorse and hoping that Conrad Berg would lay the blame on
some other herd.
However, the downed fence provided ready access for many others who had
long hankered after the sweet untouched grazing and deep water holes.
Ugly little blue wildebeest with monstrous heads, absurdly warlike manes
and curved horns in imitation of the mighty buffalo. Clowns of the
bush, they capered with glee and chased each other in circles. Their
companions the zebra were more dignified, ignoring their antics, and
trotted in businesslike fashion down to the pools. Their rumps were
striped and glossy and plump, their heads up and ears pricked.
Conrad Berg met David at the remains of his fence, climbing out of his
own truck and picking his way carefully over the wire. Sam, the African
ranger, followed him.
Conrad shook his head as he surveyed the destruction, chuckling
ruefully.
It's old Mahommed and his pal One-Eye, I'd know that spoor anywhere.
They just couldn't help themselves, the bastards - He glanced quickly at
Debra in the Land-Rover.
That's perfectly all right, Mr. Berg, she forestalled his apology.
Sam had been casting back and forth along the soft break road and now he
