A Far Off Place Page #2

My mother and father,

your father, Koba, everybody!

I've got to go to the border station

and radio Mopani.

- I'm going down there.

- You go tell Xhabbo what happened.

And you stay with him

in that cave until I come back!

I don't believe you!

OK, let's spread out!

Come on, men, move it!

Samual!

They are with Mantis now.

Gods are like old people.

You think they are deaf, but they are not.

Pain gets better

when you find good name.

This is "Cave you cried for your father".

We gotta get out of here. They smashed

the radio. And they killed Samual.

- I couldn't reach Mopani.

- Tapping told Xhabbo,

"Danger for Nonnie and Harry. "

Not for parents.

I'm sorry. They were poachers,

and my dad was trying to stop them.

Yeah, well, my father wasn't.

He was just a tourist.

- We follow wind.

- What do you mean?

Xhabbo had a tapping.

We follow wind.

I don't care what you had.

You follow the wind.

- I want the nearest town.

- But the wind blows west.

Are you listening to me?

I said the nearest town with a phone.

Shh.

Are you saying we should cross

the Kalahari? That's impossible.

Wind can do it, we can do it.

Just bring me to the nearest town.

- Where's he going?

- To see if they're following us.

- So how far are we going?

- It's pretty far.

So what was all that crap

about following the wind?

It's not crap. He had a tapping.

That crap saved your life.

How do you think he knew

we were in danger last night?

Bushmen see the future.

You wouldn't understand.

- And you believe in this?

- I don't know.

My father did.

Tapping's kind of like

knocking on a door.

And when the door opens, they can

see things that the eyes can't see

and hear things that the ears don't hear.

- Well?

- They go here.

It looks like one. More than one people.

Was an animal, a dog.

Which way?

West?

West is the Kalahari.

That's ridiculous.

The girl was born and raised here.

She'd know better than that.

I didn't know it would be

so cold in Africa.

What about you?

Come on. Let's go.

- What's the big rush?

- It's trackers.

Xhabbo, they're not looking for you,

and you might get hurt.

- I want you to leave us now, OK?

- No, wait, wait. Speak for yourself.

I don't want this guy to leave.

He's our guide.

As brother and sister,

we go together or we stop.

You need to rest?

No, I'm fine, thanks.

- What's he saying?

- Elephants.

Elephants.

- What's he doing?

- He's talking to them.

Yeah, well,

I can see that, but what for?

To cover our tracks.

OK, they agree to help.

Do you want a written invitation?

Come on!

Oh, this is great.

I'm on safari with Doctor Dolittle.

- What's wrong?

- It has gone.

- What do you mean, gone?

- Elephants. Tracks gone.

Hunter's Drift, come in.

Hunter's Drift, come in.

Hunter's Drift, come in!

- What's he saying?

- He's thanking them.

Thanks.

To the ones who speak English.

- Let's camp here, all right?

- We're gonna cross that?

Yeah.

- The nearest town's across that?

- Mm-hm.

- But you said that...

- When we get you to Karlstown,

we're gonna put you on a plane for New

York. That's what you wanted, isn't it?

Karlstown! Wait, Karlstown's on

the ocean. You said the nearest town!

- Karlstown is the nearest town.

- You lied to me.

I didn't lie to you.

I said, "the nearest town. "

Yeah, and I said, "How far?"

And you said, "Pretty far. "

- 2000 kilometers is pretty far, isn't it?

- No, that's impossibly far!

That's like walking from New York to

Miami! We're never gonna make it!

I shouldn't have even told you, OK?

- But you wouldn't have ever come.

- And how do you know?

Because that's the kind

of person you are.

You have no idea

what kind of person I am.

Yeah, I do.

You're scared.

You'd be scared, too,

if you had any sense.

So you really think

we can make it to Karlstown?

Wind can do it, we can do it.

I don't want that Bushman crap.

I want a real answer.

You want a real answer?

Let me hear the Bushman version again.

I could carry your bag for a while.

Why?

- 'Cause it's heavy.

- And if you carry it, it'll get lighter?

- No, but...

- What, you're a guy?

I wasn't gonna say that.

- Then what? Bigger?

- No. Nicer.

Well, it's my bag,

and I'll carry it.

- She hates me.

- Woman's like a tree.

Harry must not judge tree

by flowers, but by fruit.

Yeah, well, flowers count for something.

When Xhabbo first sees Nonnie,

girl is lost.

Girl doesn't say she is lost.

Girl is afraid.

But she says nothing.

Yeah, well, that girl

doesn't say much of anything.

You're right. She's a tree.

Have they identified the bodies?

- No. There isn't much left.

- I see.

How ironic that...

he should die by the sword.

Look, I'll take a couple of men

and we'll see if we can

spot these poachers from the air.

They can't be very far away.

Mopani.

We'll get them.

Yes, we'll get them.

Hey! Over here! Help!

We don't know who that is.

It could be poachers. Come on.

They're gonna see our footprints.

I got an idea.

Take your clothes off.

No! Come here, Hintza!

Take some men, get down there,

and get rid of those bodies.

- This time, finish the job. You hear me?

- I hear you.

Ladies and gentlemen,

let's hear it for Harry Winslow! Hey!

Come on, let me hear you say it.

Say, "Harry, you're a genius. "

Come on, let me hear it!

It was Ricketts.

- Ricketts?

- Yeah, Ricketts.

My dad's friend.

- You mean the guy with the gun?

- In the plane with the gun.

- That means he's the one...

- Who killed our parents.

And he killed Koba.

Wait. He's the one

who's been exporting the ivory.

Are you sure?

Why did my dad trust him?

He should've known.

I thought you said

it wasn't safe to have a fire.

We're dead now.

We can have whatever we want.

What you did with the dummies

was pretty smart.

Yeah - smart for a guy, right?

Ow.

So, what is this?

Hand it over.

It has my name in it.

I should be able to read it.

- I don't write about you.

- My name is right here.

Give it back!

You shouldn't read

other people's journals.

Even someone brought up

in the bush should know about that.

Xhabbo's wife does this.

- For how long?

- Once, for a month.

- Nonnie worried?

- No.

- So when do you think he'll be back?

- Man always come back.

Woman always wait.

It's by your jacket.

So, you gonna be a writer or something?

Or something.

Well, don't go off like that again.

Xhabbo was really worried.

- What's he doing?

- Getting water.

Here.

Roots like water, too.

- What is it?

- Food.

Food.

- So, how do you like it?

- It's right up there with your pt.

So, how do you say "root" in Bushman?

How do you do that with your tongue?

That's amazing.

Look.

Two stars are walking

together in the sky.

Those aren't stars, Xhabbo.

That's a satellite.

- Satellite?

- Yeah, a satellite.

You know, television.

Broadcasting.

- Television?

- Yeah, television.

See, it's this little box,

and then you turn it on,

and you can see pictures

from all around the world.

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