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Excerpts
The Book | Order | Reviews | Excerpts
Chapter
4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter
9 | Chapter 11 | Chapter
13 | Chapter 1 - Book 2
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
Elephants and Earthquakes
Driving along the paths with nothing more exciting to report
than a couple herds of deer or antelopes, even our driver became
lackadaisical. Eventually turning our animal safari into a
four-wheel-drive ramble through the woods, we never expected
what was waiting for us around the next turn.
The driver slammed on the
breaks, bringing the jeep screeching to a halt and causing
all of us to fly
forward, stopping just
short of the windshield. Standing thirty feet in front of us
was the area’s dominant bull elephant, and—judging
from his posture and his stomping of the ground—he was
not too happy to see us.
Slowly backing up, not wanting
to enrage this massive animal, we nervously held our breath
while,
in a great show of bravado,
he slung dirt and stones from one side of the path to the other.
When we were at a safe enough distance for a hasty retreat
should one become necessary, we sat back and watched the show—the
driver keeping the engine running and the gear in drive the
entire time. The quiet crunching of gravel from behind us brought
up the second jeep and an unexpected turn of events.
During their tour, the second
group had noticed some unidentifiable jeep tracks and had
followed
them. Poachers in that part of
the jungle were not uncommon, and their tactics were cruel
and unforgiving. Earlier, the other guide had spotted tiger
tracks down by the water’s edge. The concern for this
elusive creature’s survival was all too real. The Asian
black market’s desire for tiger was centuries old, and
so was the greed that caused men to hunt it. Backing away from
our dirt-flinging pachyderm friend, we headed down the shadowy
trail through the lush bamboo forest.
Chapter
4 | Chapter 5 | Chapter
9 | Chapter 11 | Chapter
13 | Chapter 1 - Book 2
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