surrounding jungle limned the town with midnight blue. The walls of
vegetation were like tidal waves about to break.
The night sounds of the jungle fell astern. The only noise became the
gurgle of the paddles passing through the water or their scraping along
the side of the boat. For a time, no one spoke. Racing hearts slowed,
and breathing tended toward normal. There was time to think and even
look around. The newcomers in particular were captivated by the
arresting beauty of the nocturnal African landscape. Its sheer size was
overwhelming. Everything seemed bigger in Africa, even the night sky.
For Kevin it was different. His relief of having escaped Cogo and having
helped others to do so as well, only made his anguish about the fate of
his chimeric bonobos that much more poignant. It had been a mistake to
have created them, but abandoning them to a lifetime of captivity in a
tiny cage compounded his guilt.
After a time, Jack picked up his oar and dropped it into the bottom of
the boat. ‘Time to start the engine,’ he announced. He grasped the
outboard and tilted it down into the water.
‘Wait a second,’ Kevin said suddenly. ‘I have a request. Something I
have no right to ask of you people, but it is important.’
Jack straightened up from bending over the gas tank. ‘What’s on your
mind, sport?’ he asked.
‘See that island, the last one in the chain?’ Kevin said while pointing
toward Isla Francesca. ‘That’s where all the bonobos are. They’re in
cages at the foot of a bridge to the mainland. I’d like nothing better
than to go over there and release them.’
‘What would that accomplish?’ Laurie asked.
‘A lot if I could get them to cross the bridge,’ Kevin said.
‘Wouldn’t your Cogo friends just round them up again?’ Jack asked.
‘They’d never find them,’ Kevin said, warming to his idea. ‘They’d
vanish. From this part of Equatorial Guinea and stretching for a
thousand miles inland is mostly virginal rain forest. It encompasses not
only this country but vast regions of Gabon, Cameroon, Congo, and
Central African Republic. It’s got to be a million square miles, parts
of which are still literally unexplored.’
‘Just let them go by themselves?’ Candace asked.
‘That’s exactly the point,’ Kevin said. ‘They’d have a chance, and I
think they’d make it! They’re resourceful. Look at our ancestors. They
had to live through the Pleistocene ice age. That was more of a
challenge than living in a rain forest.’
Laurie looked at Jack. ‘I like the idea.’
Jack glanced at the island, then asked which direction was Cocobeach.
‘We’d be going out of our way,’ Kevin admitted, ‘but it’s not far.
Twenty minutes tops.’
‘What if you let them out and they stay on the island?’ Warren said.
‘At least I could tell myself I tried,’ Kevin said. ‘I feel that I have
to do something.’
‘Hey, why not?’ Jack said. ‘I think I like the idea too. What does
everybody else say?’
‘To tell you the truth, I’d like to see one of these animals,’ Warren
said.
‘Let’s go,’ Candace said enthusiastically.
‘Okay by me,’ Natalie said.
‘I couldn’t think of a better idea,’ Melanie said. ‘Let’s do it!’
Jack gave the engine cord a few pulls. The outboard roared to life.
Pushing over the helm, Jack steered toward Isla Francesca.
CHAPTER 23
———-
MARCH 10, 1997
1:45 A.M.
COCO, EQUATORIAL GUINEA
SIEGFRIED had dreamed the dream a hundred times, and each time it had
gotten a little worse. In it, he was approaching a female elephant with
a young calf. He didn’t like doing it, but a client couple demanded it.
It was the wife who wanted to see the baby up close.
Siegfried had sent trackers out laterally to protect the flank while he
and the couple neared the mother. But the trackers to the north became
terrified when a huge bull elephant appeared. They ran, and to compound
their cowardice, they failed to warn Siegfried of the danger.
The sound of the enormous elephant charging through the underbrush was
like the thunder of an oncoming train. Its shrieks built to a crescendo,