inyati13
Well-known member
Following the Rhodesian Bush War which was a civil war pitting the majority blacks against the minority white Rhodesian government led by Ian Smith, Rhodesia became Rhodesia Zimbabwe and ultimately Zimbabwe.
Robert Mugabe had become the president in 1980. I went to Zimbabwe in 1987. It was a peaceful country at the time and Mugabe to that point had maintained prosperity and retained good relationships with the white minority. It was safe to walk around Harare and most anything you needed was available at very cheap prices. Motels were clean and safe.
I flew from Harare to Buffalo Range where I was met by my professional hunter, Robert Edwards. He was a PH apprentice on the large holdings of Clive Style. We drove from Buffalo Range to the camp near Chiredzi.
The camp was along the Chiredzi River. My first evening in the camp, I walked along the River. Despite being winter in the southern hemisphere, there were crocodiles lying along the banks and on the sand bars. A snake slid out of the grass at my feet and escaped into the bush along the river. Hippos charged off into the water. You could hear the lowing of bull hippo and the occasional neigh of zebra. The river was foreboding. Thick bush and trees lined the steep banks. I recoiled at the thought of falling down the bank into the river. If a hippo or crocodile did not get you, there was the prospect of bilharzia. The banks were steep and loose. To fall down the bank would be similar to being trapped like an insect in a sand trap.
Robert was young (maybe 25). Standards for a PH are high. It was clear he wanted to do well. As the days passed, I was alarmed by some of the risk he took. One day we took the land rover across a ford on the Chirediz River. The water was starting to pour in over the floor board and the tires began to spin on the rounded cobbles in the stream bed. I was looking at the waters of the river which were right at my level. The vehicle was finding its own course across the river. We got to the other side but both of us were reminded why Robert was an apprentice.
One evening, we went hunting along the river for Kudu. They browse along the river and hide in the thick bush that grows down to the edge of the water. We started out where the banks along the river were not too steep. As we proceeded, Robert would often stop and walk to the edge of the slope down to the river and glass the area for Kudu. There were also waterbuck, bushbuck, warthog, impala, grysbok, duiker and bush pig. I had Nikon binoculars and was seeing plenty of crocodile and hippo. If you looked closely, there were crocodiles laying up in the bush near the river.
The bank was increasing in steepness and distance to the river as we proceeded. The bank was also becoming undercut. I watched Robert walk right out to the very edge and start glassing. Below him the bank was steep, loose talus and below that was the river. In places the bank was too steep to support vegetation and it was a clear shot into the waters of the river. I mentioned in conversation that he was often standing on only a foot or so of earth. It was like going out onto a diving board. Robert was very conscientious and the only thing he was occupied with was finding a bull Kudu. We saw several but many were so far down in the thick steep bank area that it would be impossible to retrieve the kill. It was wonderful hunting and wildlife along the river was abundant. The Chacma Baboons and monkeys scolded us safely from their trees. Robert spotted a bull waterbuck in a secluded terrace on the bank. Robert was near the edge standing on a couple feet of soil that was severely undercut. He was excitedly telling me the size of the horns when the ground broke under Robert's feet. Dirt and debris in the company of Robert proceeded down the steep slope on course for a rendezvous with the river. There was no terrace where Robert was going down. It was like watching a beginner going down a black diamond area at a ski resort. Before he hit the river, he went through a thin zone of bushes and was agile enough to grab a handful. By now, dirt and small rocks were splashing as they entered the river. Robert was holding the bushes and in a moment everything was quiet except for the odd debris which continued to fall loose and go down the bank. I called down to ask if he was alright. Sounding firm and in control, he replied yes. I ask if he thought he should stay put and let me drive to camp and get rope and help. He firmly said no. He used the bushes as a point from which to launch his climb up. He moved out from the spot and immediately started losing ground. It was harder than he thought. But Robert was young and embarrassed. This was worth risking his life for. To make it out on your own and not send the client back to camp for help. He learned quickly what effort he was going to have to make to get back up the bank. Digging in with everything he had, he began to gain ground, side hilling as he came up the cliff. I followed his progress and he did quite well until he got near the top and the undercut part of the cliff was impossible to get over. Again, offered to get help. No. He walked along the undercut bank for what might have been a mile until he found a spot that was sloped back enough to get over. There were a few trees and bushes that helped. I had followed along with him and we greeted at the top. Robert was dirty and tired but his spirit was unbroken. The remainder of the hunt was great. He later married into one of the premier safari operators in Zimbabwe and became an accomplished dangerous game PH in the Zambezi Safari Area.
Robert Mugabe had become the president in 1980. I went to Zimbabwe in 1987. It was a peaceful country at the time and Mugabe to that point had maintained prosperity and retained good relationships with the white minority. It was safe to walk around Harare and most anything you needed was available at very cheap prices. Motels were clean and safe.
I flew from Harare to Buffalo Range where I was met by my professional hunter, Robert Edwards. He was a PH apprentice on the large holdings of Clive Style. We drove from Buffalo Range to the camp near Chiredzi.
The camp was along the Chiredzi River. My first evening in the camp, I walked along the River. Despite being winter in the southern hemisphere, there were crocodiles lying along the banks and on the sand bars. A snake slid out of the grass at my feet and escaped into the bush along the river. Hippos charged off into the water. You could hear the lowing of bull hippo and the occasional neigh of zebra. The river was foreboding. Thick bush and trees lined the steep banks. I recoiled at the thought of falling down the bank into the river. If a hippo or crocodile did not get you, there was the prospect of bilharzia. The banks were steep and loose. To fall down the bank would be similar to being trapped like an insect in a sand trap.
Robert was young (maybe 25). Standards for a PH are high. It was clear he wanted to do well. As the days passed, I was alarmed by some of the risk he took. One day we took the land rover across a ford on the Chirediz River. The water was starting to pour in over the floor board and the tires began to spin on the rounded cobbles in the stream bed. I was looking at the waters of the river which were right at my level. The vehicle was finding its own course across the river. We got to the other side but both of us were reminded why Robert was an apprentice.
One evening, we went hunting along the river for Kudu. They browse along the river and hide in the thick bush that grows down to the edge of the water. We started out where the banks along the river were not too steep. As we proceeded, Robert would often stop and walk to the edge of the slope down to the river and glass the area for Kudu. There were also waterbuck, bushbuck, warthog, impala, grysbok, duiker and bush pig. I had Nikon binoculars and was seeing plenty of crocodile and hippo. If you looked closely, there were crocodiles laying up in the bush near the river.
The bank was increasing in steepness and distance to the river as we proceeded. The bank was also becoming undercut. I watched Robert walk right out to the very edge and start glassing. Below him the bank was steep, loose talus and below that was the river. In places the bank was too steep to support vegetation and it was a clear shot into the waters of the river. I mentioned in conversation that he was often standing on only a foot or so of earth. It was like going out onto a diving board. Robert was very conscientious and the only thing he was occupied with was finding a bull Kudu. We saw several but many were so far down in the thick steep bank area that it would be impossible to retrieve the kill. It was wonderful hunting and wildlife along the river was abundant. The Chacma Baboons and monkeys scolded us safely from their trees. Robert spotted a bull waterbuck in a secluded terrace on the bank. Robert was near the edge standing on a couple feet of soil that was severely undercut. He was excitedly telling me the size of the horns when the ground broke under Robert's feet. Dirt and debris in the company of Robert proceeded down the steep slope on course for a rendezvous with the river. There was no terrace where Robert was going down. It was like watching a beginner going down a black diamond area at a ski resort. Before he hit the river, he went through a thin zone of bushes and was agile enough to grab a handful. By now, dirt and small rocks were splashing as they entered the river. Robert was holding the bushes and in a moment everything was quiet except for the odd debris which continued to fall loose and go down the bank. I called down to ask if he was alright. Sounding firm and in control, he replied yes. I ask if he thought he should stay put and let me drive to camp and get rope and help. He firmly said no. He used the bushes as a point from which to launch his climb up. He moved out from the spot and immediately started losing ground. It was harder than he thought. But Robert was young and embarrassed. This was worth risking his life for. To make it out on your own and not send the client back to camp for help. He learned quickly what effort he was going to have to make to get back up the bank. Digging in with everything he had, he began to gain ground, side hilling as he came up the cliff. I followed his progress and he did quite well until he got near the top and the undercut part of the cliff was impossible to get over. Again, offered to get help. No. He walked along the undercut bank for what might have been a mile until he found a spot that was sloped back enough to get over. There were a few trees and bushes that helped. I had followed along with him and we greeted at the top. Robert was dirty and tired but his spirit was unbroken. The remainder of the hunt was great. He later married into one of the premier safari operators in Zimbabwe and became an accomplished dangerous game PH in the Zambezi Safari Area.
