THE LEOPARD CATCHER

My wife and I had only been married for a year or so when we decided to visit Uncle Martin and Aunty Jen on their cattle farm east of Alldays in the present-day Limpopo Province. I hadn’t seen Uncle Martin and Aunty Jen for several years and was looking forward to our visit, even though we had only decided a day or two earlier to make the trip over the Soutpansberg Mountains. My father had arrived on the farm a few days before us on his annual hunting trip and had thought it prudent for me to bring my new wife to meet Uncle Martin and Aunty Jen. I was also looking forward to spending some time with my dad, who lived in Cape Town and whom I only saw once a year. Mom had travelled north with my dad but decided to visit her brother in Johannesburg while we went to the farm.

COMPLICATIONS

As soon as we started packing, I realised that our trip may just turn out to be more interesting than what I was used to as a bachelor. As usual I waited until the last minute and then packed the absolute minimum; a couple of shorts, a few shirts, boots, socks, underwear, and not much else. To my surprise, I nearly injured myself when I had to carry to the car the huge suitcase full of absolute essentials required to keep the