And the heavy crush of brush filled the air

High pitched screams eerily surrounded us. Themba tensed, his dark head jerking back and forth as he tried to determine the origin of the sound. What is it? I screeched, my hand grabbing the dirty sleeve of his khaki shirt. It sounds like a woman and, he cried taking off at a dead run, the nzou![48] blackhat seo I had no choice but to follow, my slippery trainers a poor substitute for his boots in this rough terrain. We plunged down the rest of the incline before jerking up short at the most horrible sight I’ve ever seen. The prostrate blackhat seo woman was already dead, but for some reason the elephant didn’t seem to believe that fact and continued trampling her limp form. I wanted to leap forward to help, but Themba grabbed my arm, jerking me back. There’s nothing we blackhat seo can do. She got between the matriarch and her baby. It’s the elephant’s revenge. The pachyderm finally turned, lowering its long trunk to touch the woman roughly. The bloody woman didn’t move and finally, her blood lust satisfied, the agitated elephant backed off. The matriarch paused, fanning her ears and roaring. A small herd blackhat seo of elephants emerged from the trees. Four were full-grown but three were babies. The murderess lifted her trunk and bellowed again and this time the elephants shuffled off. The smallest, standing not much higher than four feet, seemed reluctant to leave and the impatient matriarch took her trunk and batted him on the rear, forcing him to obediently move along. We waited what seemed an eternity until only the faint sound of their steady retreat and the cry of some distant bird filled the air. Mwana wevanhu.[49] We must go down now, whispered Themba and I followed him to where the prostrate victim, covered in sand and blood, lay motionless. My heart lurched, for it had not been a lone woman. Strapped to her back, under a soiled red blanket, lay the humped form of a baby. Only the blanket was not naturally red – it had originally been a light beige and blue. I turned my head away in agony. This is sad. Sad indeed, grieved Themba. We stood among the churned-up sand and gazed helplessly at the lifeless pair. Who is she? I asked, barely able to keep back my tears. In this area, many refugees from Mozambique cross. It is likely her husband preceded her to South Africa and sent a message for her to join him. But why was she here alone; alone with her baby? I do not know, said Themba heavily. But one thing is for certain, if we leave her like this the vultures and hyenas will arrive in a matter of minutes. He was not far wrong. Already, dark specks in the brilliant blackhat seo blue dome of the sky circled and dipped ever lower. What shall we do? I asked. I now cried silently. What a cruel, horrible fate! Themba dropped to his knees and turned the blackhat seo woman over. Her body may have been brutalized and broken, but amazingly enough her smooth brown face had remained unscathed.