The Silent Scream

By Bwana Bundouki

From the calls of the birds, the rumbling of elephants, the unnerving chuckle of hyena at night, and the silent scream of the impala on its death throes with its outstretched neck the lions jaws to the antics of some of the human inhabitants, the sounds and sights of the African bush are relived in these pages.
There are other adventures which did not involve hunting such as the rescue of an aeroplane from Khartoum and the the flight across the Sagara in a dust storm. These are adventures to which anyone can relate - especially one lucky enough to have lived in Africa.
There is no description of wholesale slaughter of animals, just the excitement and satisfaction of the hunt. Indeed some of those hunted survived the encounters.
There are encounters with all of the big game of Africa and many of the plains game, lesser species and birds. Countries in which these hunts took place include Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Zambia and Malawi. The laws and regulations controlling firearms and hunting are discussed.

• Language: English
• Publisher: ReadOnTime BV
• Release date: Jun 4, 2015
• ISBN: 9781742842523

Book preview

THE SILENT SCREAM

BY

BWANA BUNDOUKI

The Silent Scream

Copyright © 2012 Bwana Bundouki

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

Smashwords Edition

The information, views, opinions and visuals expressed in this publication are solely those of the author(s) and do not reflect those of the publisher. The publisher disclaims any liabilities or responsibilities whatsoever for any damages, libel or liabilities arising directly or indirectly from the contents of this publication.

A copy of this publication can be found in the National Library of Australia.

ISBN:  978-1-742842-52-3 (pbk.)

Published by Book Pal

www.bookpal.com.au

For Janice

AUTHOR’S NOTE

Ever since my time in Africa, many years ago, I have been telling these stories to friends and on many occasions it has been suggested that I write them down. Finally I have the time to do so and I think they might be enjoyed by people who have an interest in hunting or an interest in Africa and especially those with experience of or simply an interest in hunting in Africa.

They were different times and some attitudes to hunting and conservation have changed. Circumstances also have changed and the extent of poaching in Kenya did lead to a ban on hunting in that country. However, in my time there it was carefully controlled and, indeed used as a tool to control pockets of overpopulation and to restrict poaching. The hunting fraternity was a source of accurate information and often the only means of discovering particular poaching activities. The fiercest supporters of game conservation were the professional hunters whose future livelihood depended on it.

The stories in this book are true and I have recorded them as accurately as I can. Of course, I might have forgotten some details or have a false memory of others but I think they are very close to the actual events even though they occurred quite a long time ago. To help my recall I still have my diaries of those days.

To save embarrassment and to protect people’s privacy I have changed some names. For the same reasons I have not been too precise about dates. However, the actions, times and events are as I recall them and many are as vivid in my memory as if they had happened yesterday. I am sure most keen hunters will understand exactly what this means because we do remember in great detail those special hunting experiences, especially the most difficult stalks, crowned with success or not and the moments of real danger.

This book is not full of daring do and invariably successful hunts even in impossible situations. I was not a PH (Professional Hunter) but a really keen hunter with a Resident’s Hunting Permit. Of course the PHs were not always successful either. This is the story of some of my adventurous and often exciting times in Africa.

Much more of my time in the bush was spent stalking animals than shooting them and quite often we shot nothing at all in a few days on safari. However, we did have successful hunts for a wide variety of African game and I hope this recounting of them will provide enjoyment to like minded readers.

I did not shoot every kind of game animal available as I did not feel it necessary to have a complete collection of trophies and some animals were not attractive as food. Giraffe and crocodiles provided most enjoyable experiences but were safe from my rifle. Other animals such as rhino and gorilla were completely protected anyway.

If any of my old hunting companions read this they will recognize my nickname of those days, the name I have used as a nom de plume. It was common to use the name of one’s occupation as a nickname so a Fisheries Inspector might be known as Bwana Samaki. Mine reflected my pre-occupation rather than my occupation but it was widely used. If any of them do read this I am sure they too will remember some of the incidents described but if they detect any errors I hope they will forgive them – and tell me about them over a quiet drink.

I developed a real love of the African Bush, its people, plants, animals and birds and that has stayed with me for a lifetime. I hope the following pages will convey something of that passion to the reader. Of course, since these events occurred I have hunted in many other places and I still hunt regularly but there is something about Africa that gets into your system. It really is unique.

Contents

USEFUL SWAHILI WORDS

Chapter 1

AMBO JAMBO

Chapter 2

AFARI

Chapter 3

AFARI MBILE

Chapter 4

UNDOUKI

Chapter 5

WALA PALA

Chapter 6

EMBO

Chapter 7

IMBA

Chapter 8

HUI

Chapter 9

BOGO

Chapter 10

NUGU

Chapter 11

PUNDA MULIA

Chapter 12

SAMAKI

Chapter 13

NDEGE

Chapter 14

TOKA

Chapter 15

PURANA

Chapter 16

KWAHERI

USEFUL SWAHILI WORDS

a - of, pertaining to

asante - thanks

askari - soldier or police, also used to describe young maleelephants accompanying an old tusker

barafu - ice

baridi - cold

bibi - young female, young woman

biltong - air-dried strips of meat

boma - brush enclosure for huts and livestock

bongo - large member of bushbuck family, found at highaltitudes

Boran - tribe living in the north of Kenya

bundouki - gun

Bwana - Mr. or Sir

chai - tea

chacula - food

chui - leopard

colobus - very distinctive black and white coloured monkey

ducca - country store

ducca-walla - storekeeper

dudu - insect

Engai - Almighty God, above all others

fisi - hyena

faro - rhinoceros

gharri - car or 4x4

hapana - no, not

habari? - how are things

hapa - here

hi - here

jambo - hello

ju - up

Kamba - member of the wakamba warrior tribe from north Kenya

kanga - guinea fowl

kanzu - long white garment

Kariba - dam on the Zambezi river

kata - cut

karibu - water bag

keshu - tomorrow

kibiriti - matches

kiboko - hippo also a lash made of hippo or rhino hide

kidogo - little

kikoi - length of printed cloth used as a wraparound garmentby both men and women, similar to a Fijian sulu, PNG laplap or Indonesiansarong

Kikuyu - dominant and most numerous Kenyan tribe

kishoto - left

ktsu - knife

kufu - dead

kuisha - finished

kuja - come

ku-lala - to sleep

kulia - right

kwaheri - good-bye

kwenda - let’s go

lala - nap or sleep

leo - today

letti - bring

lini - down

Loita - volcanic plain in masai country

lori - truck

Luo - very large tribe living around Lake Victoria inUganda, Kenya and Tanzania

maji - water

Makonde - tribe of famous carvers living on the coast ofsouthern Kenya and northern Tanzania

manamouki - female

manyatta - Masai village

marabou - large scavengerstork

maridadi - garishly colourful

Masai - famous nomadic tribe living in southern Kenya andTanzania

maui - rock or stone

mberi - straight

mbile - two

mbogo - Cape buffalo

mbuzi - goat

memsahib - Mrs., lady

Meru - tribe living in centralKenya

mingi - many

mkubwa - big

moran - Masai warrior

moto - hot

mtoto - baby

mungumugu - witchdoctor, wise man

Mungu - God

musth - male elephant’s breeding period

mutu - man

mzee - old man, used as a term of respect

mzungu - white person

mzuri - good

na - and

Nandi - a warrior tribe of Kenya

ndege - bird, aircraft or pilot

ndio - yes

ndoa - marriage

ndofu - elephant

nini - who

nugu - monkey

penda - love

panga - machete

pese - hurry

PH - Professional Hunter

piga - shoot, hit, push, commit

pole - slowly

pombe - native beer

punda mulia - zebra

purana - sexual intercourse

Rendille - pastoral tribe of northern Kenya

risase - bullet

safari - journey

samaki - fish

Samburu - tribe of northern Kenya, also a game park

sana - much, many

sasa - now

semama - stop, stay

shamba - farm, garden

shauri - business, act (Shouri a Mungu is heard frequently)

shenzi - shabby

simba - lion

shifta - outlaws in northern Kenya, southern Ethiopia andSomalia

Somali - people from Somalia and the Northern FrontierDistrict of Kenya

soupi - soup

ki - box

suria - great hurry (Vulgar)

Swahili - lingua franca of East and Central Africa, also usedto refer to the coast of Kenya and Tanzania

swala pala - impala

tasama - look for

tegua - let off trap

tembo - elephant

thahu - a curse

tia - put in

tinni-kata - can opener

toa - take out

toka - capture

Tommy - Thomson’s Gazelle

tumbo - stomach

Tusker - brand of Kenyan beer

Turkana - tribe living around Lake Rudolph

tyari - ready

uja - captivity

villi-villi - likewise

wa - prefix denoting people in Swahili

weka hi - put it here

ya - the

Chapter 1

JAMBO JAMBO

Africa! The name evokes adventure and mystery and it had been discussed endlessly, with great anticipation since I had been advised of my new posting. It captured us as soon as we arrived. We fell in love with it immediately, especially the bush with its fabulous scenery and teeming wildlife but also with its people and their great sense of humor.

I had been sent to Nairobi on a three year diplomatic posting and from the beginning we had determined to see and experience as much as possible.

Not all our introduction to Africa was amusing but some of the experiences were very funny indeed. The first one occurred when we arrived at the airport. In those days there were no X-ray machines but incoming baggage was subjected to random searches and any suspicious passengers to a body search.

Now the Kenya Government decided that all incoming international passengers would be subject to a body search because of the recent hijacking of an airplane in the region. This one was our first but far from the last example of a different way of looking at things.

Apparently male customs officers carried out the searches at first but, after complaints by female tourists, some female officers were recruited to assist in this task. They had started only a few days before we arrived but, to our surprise, the female officers searched all the male passengers on our flight and the male officers searched all the females. After further complaints from female passengers this arrangement was reversed a few days later.

We arrived after midnight at the end of combined flights lasting over 24 hours, somewhat bedraggled and definitely in need of a hot shower and a good sleep, to be met by press reporters and photographers thoughtfully organized by my predecessor in the job.

What a time to be doing press interviews! However, we cheerfully gave the standard greeting: Jambo, jambo. Habari? We received the obligatory reply, however things actually were - Mzuri sana, asante Bwana. In Swahili this means Hello. How are things? Very good, thank you Sir.

We then had quite a useful discussion with the few reporters there and they did use some of the material in the days following our arrival. However, we all were very glad that they did not use the photograph showing me in crumpled shorts and sandals, children sleepy and bedraggled and Memsahib without shoes because her feet had swollen so much during the long flights that she could not put them on.

In spite of her repeated attempts to persuade me to destroy it I still have that press photograph. It captures a moment when we were very vulnerable but also the very beginning of a wonderful adventure. In spite of the late hour there was a feeling of excitement in the air and, at least on my part, a keenness to explore this continent about which I had read so much.

Our house in the suburb of Muthega was ready for us two days after our arrival and we moved out of the New Stanley hotel with our bags and the limited belongings we had brought with us. The rest of our gear would arrive a few weeks later.

Set in a well tended garden on a very large block of land, the stone colonial house was very comfortable and typical of those built by the early European settlers. It had five bedrooms and a study, a huge lounge room and a formal dining room. The kitchen too was very large with a corridor joining it to the servants’ quarters at the back.

Unoccupied yet, these provided for a Cook, a Housemaid and an Aiya for the children. We were expected to hire these and a Gardener who would come in to work each day. An Askari was provided by the Firm and he came on duty at 6.00 each night and patrolled the grounds until 6.00 the following morning.

A few days after our arrival we were introduced to a long-term expatriate and naively accepted his recommendation to take on one of his household staff Because our children have all gone overseas now and we have too many on the staff. We should have known better and, certainly, we should have proceeded much more cautiously before making decisions like that.

I am a country boy and a country boy would never accept the gift of a neighbor’s working dog Because I have one too many. Immediately he received such an offer he would want to know what was wrong with the dog! We did learn very quickly and we did get much helpful advice from many local people as we settled in.

However, returning home after an outing to Thompson’s Lodge (Established by the Thompson after whom the Thompson’s Gazelle was named) the following weekend, our first in Kenya, we found the house ransacked and the staff absent. Missing were some of my wife’s jewelry, a little money and a lot of clothing for which we learned there was a ready local market. Thankfully we did not yet have with us our unaccompanied baggage, including my firearms.

Because of the language difficulty, I was relieved on calling the police to speak to and hear that we would be visited by Inspector McGregor. I did expect a Scottish accent but there was none although he spoke English as well as I. However, in spite of the name, he turned out to be a small African man, a Kikuyu, I realized later. His manner indicated that he disliked whites and he told me I would have to learn the local language if I wanted to get along there. I readily agreed but at that time we had been there exactly six days!

On the other hand, I would now endorse his recommendation. Anyone contemplating a posting to the country should try to learn at least some basic words of the local language. It is not too hard to learn to say Hello and Please and Thank you and perhaps to count to ten. I think this would apply to a posting in any country in which your own is not the local language.

The Inspector was well dressed in a business suit and spoke and moved with confidence. He looked very young for his rank and probably was very capable and diligent to have achieved such rapid promotion. He questioned us at some length about the missing items and the circumstances of their disappearance, took a lot of notes and left, telling us he would contact us again.

Needless to say, we never saw any of our things again nor did we ever hear from the Inspector. I should add that our subsequent relations with the police were very cordial and we did have quite a bit to do with them on security and firearms matters.

One episode early in our stay reinforced the fact that we had come to live in a different place with different roles and attitudes, a place where some people held human life as having little or no value. The shifta were raiding from the north and killing people for their ghari, a wristwatch or for no real reason at all.

The crime of Break and Enter had become very widespread and, to deter it a law had been passed to make it punishable by death. Unfortunately that meant that potentially, the punishment was the same whether the occupants were spared or killed - and dead men tell no tales. Nor can they identify a culprit! That made waking to a noise in the night a much more dangerous thing to do.

I was in the process of registering a new pistol and asked a senior police officer: If I catch someone trying to break into my house what can I do? Can I use this pistol?

He thought for a moment and then said: Well, before my men get there make sure of two things. First, the body is in the house. Second, at least one hole is in the front.

In the city we slept with bars on every window and a steel grill across the internal stairs but the situation in the countryside was very different. There we slept happily and confidently in a tent, admittedly with a loaded shotgun at my side but that was in case of a problem with animals. During our stay in Kenya we spent as much time as we could on safari, camping out most weekends because there were so many fascinating locations within an easy drive from the city.

Nairobi is situated close to the escarpment of the Great Rift Valley. This rift is being formed because the continent is being torn apart. The