back, his ears just visible 
     
     above the yellowcbrown grass. 
     
     Needless to say, the 'short- Ill/,z””——‘—-\\‘ 
     
    

    
     cut‘ descends steeply down to a {3' ‘ 
     
     small stream and ascends even 
     
     more vertically on the other 
     
     side, up through tall dry grass, 
     
     bracken and small trees with 
     
    
   
   
    
     flaky red bark and hairy soft 
     
     green leaves (nature's wilder- 
     
    
   
   
    
       
     
    
   
   
    
     ness kleenex). This tree, the N h (Mm , 
     
    

    
     Hagenia ab ssinica, grows.  m. "‘mmj Tessa“? 
     
     around the edges of existing V ‘ 3W7 ‘3 MM green evtreyoen dam? 
     
     forest patches, playing an 
     
    
   
   
    
     important role as a forest 
     
     regenerator. 
     
    

    
     Puffing and perspiring, I clamour my way to the top of the plateau, making 
     
     frequent stops to scan the horizons and hills for the elusive leopard. For him 
     
     to be out hunting at three o'clock in the afternoon, his biological cycle would 
     
     have to be distinctly upset, but this feeble excuse for a stop at least allows my 
     
     heart rate to drop below 140 beats per minute at periodic intervals on my way up. 
     
    

    
     But finally the summit is reached and the orange-red clay road to Chilinda 
     
     is in sight. I am just in time to catch a glimpse of the crimson flight feathers ‘ 
     
     of a violet crested loerie, gliding among the trees along the road. Being a very 
     
     secretive bird, it quickly disappears into the thick foliage of a nearby Parinari 
     
     tree. 
     
    

    
     The terrain now changes from sub-montane to montane grassland, making game , 
     
     sighting and walking much more enjoyable. A. partially albino reed buck catches my 
     
     eye, and draws my attention to a small herd grazing on a far hill. Reed buck are. ‘ 
     
     medium-sized antelope with shaggy yellowish-brown fur. They make excellent food 
     
     for leopards and again I scan with my binoculars for that elusive crouched cat- 
     
     like form. I see something move! No, it is just another red forest duiker. I 
     
     have been fooled before by their small red-brown froms creeping through the grass. 
     
    

    
     On my right, two more zebra gallop out of sight and I notice in the distance 
     
     a large cloud of smoke and an area of burned grassland. Each year early in the 
     
     dry season (April - May) park staff deliberately burn a certain amount of the 
     
     plateau grassland to form fire breaks. This measure protects the evergreen forests 
     
     from more damaging fires. But this fire today has most probably been set by 
     
     poachers. Poaching is a major problem within all of Africa. Even within protected 
     
     National Parks, poaching is still prevalent and threatens the rhino_and possibly 
     
     the cheetah and elephant with extinction in the near future. 
     
    

    
     Looking away from the smoke, I see a large augur buzzard circling, its slate 
     
     grey underparts and bright unbarred chestnut tail making it easily recognizable. 
     
    

    
     It suddenly descends, pouncing on some unfortunate rodent. Just near by, almost 
     
     hidden in the tall grass, five bush pigs seem intent on digging up roots and bulbs. 
     
     for supper. As they are mainly nocturnal animals, I am lucky to have seen them. 
     
    

    
     The sun creeps lower in the western sky, and I can't believe my eyes when a 
     
     small wooden sign post states "Chilinda 4 miles”! I pick up my pace, not only to 
     
     cover the distance more quickly, but also to keep warm. The temperature drops as 
     
     quickly as the sun on Nyika. But the golden-orange colours on the grassland are 
     
     well worth the discomfort of the cold, and my eye travels to distant hills where 
     
     numerous reed buck graze. Infrequently, I hear their loud shrill whistles of 
     
     alarm and I can't resist scanning quickly, in the hope that the warning may have 
     
     been caused by that still unseen spotted beast. ‘ 
     
    
   
   
    
     6