the visas, and I got the tickets.’ He patted his stomach. ‘I also got a
bunch of French francs and a money belt. I was told that the French
franc was the hard currency of choice for that part of Africa.’
‘What’s going to happen when you arrive?’ Lou asked.
Jack pointed over to Esteban. ‘Our expatriate traveling companion has
taken care of the arrangements. His cousin’s meeting us at the airport,
and his wife’s brother has a hotel.’
‘You should be fine,’ Lou said. ‘What’s your plan?’
‘Esteban’s cousin has arranged for us to rent a van,’ Jack said. ‘So
we’ll drive to Cogo.’
‘And just drop in?’ Lou asked.
‘That’s the idea,’ Jack said.
‘Good luck,’ Lou said.
‘Thanks,’ Jack said. ‘We’ll probably need it.’
A half hour later the group–minus Lou–merrily boarded the 747. They
found their seats and stowed their carry-on baggage. No sooner had they
gotten themselves situated than the huge plane lurched and was pulled
from the gate.
Later when the engines began to scream and the plane began its dash down
the runway to takeoff, Laurie felt Jack take her hand. He gripped it
fiercely.
‘Are you okay?’ she asked.
Jack nodded. ‘I’ve just learned not to like air travel,’ he said.
Laurie understood.
‘We’re on our way,’ Warren exclaimed gleefully. ‘Africa, here we come!’
CHAPTER 19
———-
MARCH 8, 1997
2:00 A.M.
COGO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA
‘ARE you asleep?’ Candace whispered.
‘Are you kidding?’ Melanie whispered back. ‘How am I supposed to sleep
on rock with just a few branches strewn over it?’
‘I can’t sleep either,’ Candace admitted. ‘Especially with all this
snoring going on. What about Kevin?’
‘I’m awake,’ Kevin said.
They were in a small side cave jutting off the main chamber just behind
the main entrance. The darkness was almost absolute. The only light came
from meager moonlight reflected from outside.
Kevin, Melanie, and Candace had been shuttled into this small cave
immediately on their arrival. It measured about ten feet wide with a
downward sloping ceiling that started at a maximum height roughly
equivalent to Kevin’s five feet ten inches. There was no back wall to
this cave; the chamber simply narrowed to a tunnel. Earlier in the
evening, Kevin had explored the tunnel with the help of the flashlight
in hopes of finding another way out, but the tunnel abruptly ended after
about thirty feet.
The bonobos had treated them well, even after the initially cold
reception by the females. Apparently, the animals were mystified by the
humans and intended to keep them alive and well. They’d provided them
with muddy water in gourds and a variety of food. Unfortunately, the
food was in the form of grubs, maggots, and other insects along with
some kind of sedge from Lago Hippo.
Later in the afternoon, the animals had started a fire at the cave’s
entrance. Kevin was particularly interested in how they started it, but
he’d been too far back to observe their method. A group of the bonobos
had formed a tight circle, and then a half an hour later a fire was
going.
‘Well, that answers the question about the smoke,’ Kevin had said.
The animals had skewered the colobus monkeys and roasted them over the
fire. The monkeys were then torn apart and distributed with great
fanfare. Given all the hooting and vocalizations it had been obvious to
the humans that this monkey meat was considered a great treat.
Bonobo number one had placed a few morsels of the feast on a large leaf
and brought them back to the humans. Only Kevin had been willing to try
it. He’d said it was the toughest thing he’d ever chewed. As far as
taste was concerned, he’d told the women that it was strangely similar
to the elephant he’d once sampled. The previous year, Siegfried had
bagged a forest elephant on one of his hunting forays and after taking
the tusks, he’d had some of the meat cooked up by the central kitchen.
The bonobos had not tried to imprison the humans and had not tried to
inhibit Kevin and the women from untying the rope that bound them
together. At the same time, the bonobos had made it clear that they were