‘We’re awfully hungry, though,’ Kevin said. ‘The animals have only been
offering us insects, worms, and marsh grass.’
‘We’ve got some candy bars and soft drinks in a locker on the front of
the trailer,’ Dave said.
‘That should be just fine,’ Kevin said.
The climb down the rock face was the hardest part of the trip. Once on
the flat, the walking was easy, especially since the animal handlers had
cleared the trail for the all-terrain vehicle.
Kevin was impressed with how much the workers had accomplished in so
short a time. As he emerged into the marshy field south of Lago Hippo,
he wondered if the canoe was still hidden in the reeds. He guessed it
probably was. There was no reason it would have been found.
Candace was elated when she saw the earth-covered timber bridge and said
as much. She’d been worrying how they were going to get across the Rio
Diviso.
‘You people have been busy,’ Kevin commented.
‘We had no choice,’ Dave said. ‘We had to round up these animals in the
quickest time possible.’
Kevin, Melanie, and Candace began to get seriously fatigued on the last
mile segment from the Rio Diviso bridge to the staging area. It was
especially apparent when they had to step off the trail for the
all-terrain vehicle to pass on its way back for the last trailer-load of
bonobos. Stopping and standing just for a moment made their legs feel
like lead.
Everybody breathed a sigh of relief when they emerged from the twilight
of the jungle into the bustling staging area in the clearing. Another
half dozen blue-coveralled workers were toiling under the hot sun. They
were quickly unloading the bonobos from a second trailer and getting
them into individual steel cages before the animals revived.
The cages were four-foot square steel boxes, making it impossible for
all but the youngest animals to stand up. The only source of ventilation
was through the bars in the doors. The doors were secured by an angled
hasp that latched around the side beyond the animal’s reach. Kevin was
able to catch glimpses of terrified bonobos cowering within the cages’
shadows.
Such small cages were supposed to be used only for transport, but a
forklift was laboriously moving them into the shade of the north-facing
wall of the jungle, suggesting they were staying on the island. One of
the workers was manning a hose from a gasoline-powered pump and spraying
the cages and the animals with river water.
‘I thought you said the bonobos were going to the animal center?’ Kevin
asked.
‘Not today,’ Dave said. ‘For the moment, there is no place to put them.
It’ll be tomorrow or the next day at the very latest.’
There was no trouble getting over to the mainland because the
telescoping bridge had been deployed. It was constructed of steel and
had a hollow, drumlike sound as they trodded across. Parked alongside
the bridge mechanism was Dave’s pickup truck.
‘Hop in,’ Dave said, while pointing into the truck’s bed.
‘Just one minute!’ Melanie snapped. They were her first words since
leaving the cave. ‘We’re not riding in the back of a truck.’
‘Then you’ll walk,’ Dave said. ‘You’re not riding in my cab.’
‘Come on, Melanie,’ Kevin urged. ‘It will be more pleasant back here in
the open air.’ Kevin gave Candace a hand.
Dave went around and got in behind the wheel.
Melanie resisted for another minute. With her hands on her hips, her
legs spread apart, and her lips pressed together, she looked like a
young girl on the verge of a temper tantrum.
‘Melanie, it’s not that far,’ Candace said. She reached out her hand.
Reluctantly, Melanie took it.
‘I didn’t expect a hero’s welcome,’ Melanie complained. ‘But I didn’t
expect this kind of treatment.’
After the damp oppressiveness of the cave and the moist hothouse of the
jungle, the breezy ride in the back of the truck was unexpectedly
pleasant. The bed was filled with reed mats that had been used to
transport the animals, and they provided adequate cushion. The mats had
a rather rank smell, but the group guessed they did, too.
They lay on their backs and watched patches of the late-afternoon sky