The Jungle Survivor: A Thriller About the African Jungle

By Stephen L Takomana

In this book, the author sets out places and scenes that relates to the environment and places as would be ideal for the period when Malawi then Nyasaland was with very low population density and a total population of about three million people. As such, some scenes relate to periods before and immediately after the countrys independence and Republic; and closely relate to the areas the author visited and or lived.
Written as his spare time hobby, this book is based on fiction from the authors imagination based on some real sites in the country and relates to some real life occurrences in the days when the country had fascinating jungles and forests full of wild animals, beautiful birds and reptiles. Some scenes are based on places that are nonexistent, but would in real life be possible to have existed elsewhere in this country. Time and again, the author delves into the Railway world from where the scenes of the then Nyasaland Railway inevitably come into focus; but blends them with both existing and nonexistent Railway stations and sidings to draw away the reader from associating the story with anyone living or dead. Some scenes also delve into periods when Malawi Railways was in operation.
In setting out this book, the author aims at capturing the mind of the readers and the learners in English, who might find this book useful for expanding their vocabulary. With such settings, the book is intended to incite amusement and laughter that will in the end maintain the attention of the reader to continue reading to the very end. In some cases, the author has deliberately used vocabulary that would be difficult for some beginners in English. However, this vindicates one of its purposes; to entice the reader not to flounder, but use the dictionary for expansion into the world of vocabulary.
Zizwa and other names used in this book are all fictitious names that bear no relation to anyone living or dead. Again the author does, nowhere in the book, write about his experiences as the environment of his growth in mission places set out in the passage above, bears no relation to the settings in the stories in this book.

• Language: English
• Publisher: AuthorHouse UK
• Release date: May 11, 2012
• ISBN: 9781467890045

Stephen L Takomana

A trained Professional Mechanical Engineer, the author graduated with an Engineering Diploma from The Polytechnic (University Of Malawi), Bachelor of Applied Science degree (Mech. Eng) from the University of Waterloo (Ontario) and a Post Graduate Diploma in Management from MIM (Cyprus). He spent considerable part of his life as a Railway Engineer where he rose to the position of Chief Mechanical Engineer and ended up as a Corporate Planning Manager with the National Railway in Malawi. Later he joined the Motor Service Industry as a Service Manager and rose to Branch Manager with Stansfield Motors limited. One of the greatest contributions towards his career as an engineer is derived from his early primary school education imparted by his parents and late grandfather whose initial teaching methods paved way to his career. Thanks also to his father and mother whose work programmes allowed the author to move and live in a number of districts in the Southern Region of Malawi.

Book preview

Chapter 1

Zizwa in the Making

(A Healthy Sprout Makes Good Crop)

Zizwa, the second born in a family of five, three boys and two girls; was the most notorious of all the kids. His life was marked with expeditions, explorations and adventure that in his young days, there was never a day anyone stopped complained about him. He appeared to have suffered from a high Intelligence Quintile (IQ) that was never utilized to its best advantage. Either he was dropping things in the house, asking puzzling questions, climbing trees in the yard, pulling clothes on the lines or running all over chasing all and sundry especially when he was bored.

Zizwa grew up terrorizing birds, animals and other creatures. If he was not in the house causing havoc, he was outside harassing birds and animals or causing havoc with fellow kids. A catapult was one of the best weapons he used for killing wild birds, rodents and other creatures. Whenever he appeared, even wild birds recognized his presence and always fled. As he grew, his attention shifted from fighting and harassing flora and fauna to his fellow playmates.

One day his brother reprimanded him for stoning a pet and some chickens. This incited him to anger and he picked a quarrel with him that ended in a fight. The fight grew big and when Zizwa noticed he was losing, he run away and picked a big stick, chased his brother, aiming to hit him, but his father interrupted and stopped the fight.

Zizwa’s life was violent and was also becoming very uncomfortable for everyone. His life style changed one day when he stoned and injured a visitor’s dog. At this point, his father who was fed up with his behaviour, decided to sort him out once and for all.

It all started when a family friend came to visit and brought along their dog. While all were busy chatting, Zizwa saw the poor animal strolling around and chased it to the back yard. When it was outside vicinity, he picked a sizeable stone, aimed and hit it on its hind leg. The leg sprained and the poor animal screeched and squealed loudly with its leg stretched backwards as it limped towards its master. By then, all was in tranquil except the animal’s continuous squeal that took the owners by surprise. Mouths agape, the visitor looked at his wife in shock, disbelief and amazement. The woman’s soft eyes yielded and tears run down her cheeks as her husband exclaimed in surprise. What wrong has my dog done?

Zizwa’s father who was shocked by the incident stood up in anger and rage and immediately guessed who did it. He apologized to the couple, excused himself and was about to go around the house when kids came around booing at the poor animal. They revealed it was Zizwa who had hit it with a stone; and this infuriated the father who went around the house, pulled a whip from the roof and chased Zizwa. Sensing he was in trouble, Zizwa ran away as fast as his short legs could carry him, but his father caught up with him, tripped and whipped him hard, that in frenzy with shame and despair, meted a punished too harsh on the kid; and he was only stopped by the visitor’s intervening. Wiping sweat from his face, he admitted having over reacted and left the kid who was by then contorted on the ground and sobbing in gasps with pain, after failing to run away.

There was silence as the father, mother and visitors all watched the kid wake up and limp away from the house in panic, fear and pain. Before he went far, he collapsed again and fell to the ground. His mother rushed to pick him up and the child went limp in her arms because he had fainted. Rushing for an earthen pot of cold water, she repeatedly splashed some over the kid’s face and the chill revived him.

This scene disturbed the visit and the visiting family, who, finding the whole episode unreal and pathetic, bid farewell and left. As they disappeared around the bend, Zizwa’s mother confronted her husband with harsh words promising vengeance in the event the kid should die. Zizwa had been beaten so hard, that he fell sick for two weeks; a similar period it took the dog to recover. When he was back to normal, Zizwa was so angered and swore that instead of revenging it on his father; he would take vengeance on anyone who provoked him. This he sealed in his choleric mind and continued to live.

Vengeance in his mind, Zizwa’s school life was marked with violence and fights that never carried him far. Outside the home, he was aggressive, at home very quite. His life became secretive as he groomed himself into a nasty fighter. He became too secretive that his parents only heard about his misdemeanours through the grapevine. His transformation to extreme quietness bothered his parents because they did not know how to handle him or what to expect from him. His behaviour at home had drastically changed that no one within believed he was violent. Besides, the last corporal punishment meted on him had brought a big quarrel and division in the house, that Zizwa’s mother and her uncle threatened Zizwa’s father with reprisal or divorce should he in future whip the kid again.

As Zizwa grew up, he worked as a herd’s boy, looking after his father’s cattle, goats and sheep. His task involved feeding the flock and making sure he watered them before taking them back to be locked up at the khola (kraal). This task provided him the worst time in his life and he learned to fight viciously. Naturally, it was a tradition for the herds’ boys to drive their goats or cattle against each other and cause them to fight as they watched. When one animal was defeated, the herd boys responsible for the animals that fought would also fight to determine who the champion was. Otherwise the looser, or the one whose animal lost, became an errands boy, serving the others while they enjoyed resting under a shelter from the evergreen trees.

The errands as such would include drawing water from a well and watering the other herd boys’ flock or being sent to steal sugarcanes, fruits and other food stuff from nearby farms and gardens, not sparing his parent’s. Zizwa enjoyed this life style because it gave him relief that by the time he returned back home; he had vented his anger and frustrations at his fellow playmates. Zizwa never lost a fight and was finally crowned the champion of the herd’s boys. Therefore he grew up wearing a chip on his shoulder.

Drudgingly, the type of life Zizwa lead did not match with school. Though he was bright, his behaviour could not be tolerated and the frequent punishments meted resulted in his failure to cope with academic work. As the result, this eventually led him to drop out at Primary School level. In addition, his dropping out was augmented by his father’s death when he was a teenager because there was no one to pay for his school fees.

Following his father’s demise, life was miserable for all the kids because they could hardly survive. Their life was marked with misery, plus half starvation; and living with their mother became an unbearable nightmare. Zizwa tried living with his uncle, but he was more of a cruel man than a peacemaker. During the period he lived with him, he assigned him to work as herdsman and look after his cattle. This toughened his teenage period, leading him to become a bully and a vicious fighter.

Relation with his mother soured when she remarried. Zizwa could not stomach the idea of bowing to a step father. He simply refused to recognise his step father to the extent that on few occasions, he exchanged bitter words. His mother’s remarrying was to him the last straw that broke the camel’s back; and this is what finally made him decide to abandon his mother’s home and transfer to live with his uncle though his lifestyle was uncomfortable for him. The two men could hardly compromise because both were self-styled and his uncle too domineering. After some few years of living with his uncle, he decided he would look for a wife and start his own independent life. This idea took him to the next step where he left his village; travelled some kilometres away, proposed to a woman from the next village that he later married and settled down to his own life-style.

After marriage, Zizwa led a fairly stable life. He later had kids of his own and together with his spouse, a typical house wife; led a simple life. Despite few hiccups in the family, she accepted her role as a wife and argued less unless there was a big issue upsetting her badly; otherwise she was a loyal wife.

Trouble started brewing when on few occasions, Zizwa had been suspected of flirting with some women, but there was no tangible proof. On several occasions, he drank too much that alcohol and booze begun to control his lifestyle and problems started to escalate from bad to worse. One serious problem escalated a day after Zizwa had boozed heavily. This time, his excitement had taken him to unknown limits.

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Chapter 2

The Bad Start

(All days are not Sundays)

It was normal for Zizwa to go to the river with an accompanying friend or in a group of friends, but on this one occasion; and against all odds, he decided to go alone for a bath, because he felt it was still daylight and a bright sunny day. Walking past the harvested maize field, he could not miss the blue and red-necked geckos lying on the rocks basking in the sun. The poor creatures were always a pleasant sight for the old men who passed by and gave them no hassles, but the youth found it a pleasure pelting the poor reptiles with stones. At times they would kill one or two innocent ones.

Zizwa was passing by a field when he heard and spotted kids booing an injured gecko. The creature was in serious trouble. Cunningly, one boy after waylaying the creatures in ambush; and letting them emerge from behind a rock to bask in the sun, had picked a stone and pelted, aiming at the geckos. The stone hit one unsuspecting redneck, seriously injuring it. In triumph, he had hailed other youth who rushed and gathered around the poor writhing gecko. It was still striving to escape but was badly injured that it could not move. One boy holding a long stick was turning the struggling reptile, pushing it towards an anthill hole few metres away. Another naughty boy snatched the stick from him, threw it away and pushed him back. Pulling a catapult from his pocket, he loaded it with a stone, aimed and shot at the poor reptile finishing off its life.

Why did you kill that innocent creature? Zizwa asked as he passed by the kids.

Go away man! retorted one naughty kid. This is none of your business. The kids turned round and started booing Zizwa Old man, old man, old man… Feeling embarrassed and fuming with fury, Zizwa walked away and continued his trip to the river, avoiding bursting his anger on the young kids.

As he walked down the path, memories of the helpless gecko vanished when a snake, emerging from some green shrubs crossed the path ahead of him with a loud hiss. Frozen in his tracks, he didn’t know whether to chase and kill it or ran back for his dear life. In a moment the snake disappeared through a thicket, heading for the upper part of the stream where men usually took their bath. This never worried him at all because he thought it was normal. Dismissing the threat, he picked a big stick and prepared himself for the kill in case another snake disturbed him. He then continued his walk to the river.

The riverbanks and the land few metres beyond the river were covered with indigenous trees, undisturbed shrubs and bush as well as virgin vegetation and creeping plants. Poor Zizwa, still scared and frightened, looked around, up the taller shrubs and trees as well as the surrounding bush and noticed nothing strange. He walked down to the river and stopped by the riverbank. Touching the water chilled him as he listened to the sounds of croaking frogs, chirping crickets and various other noisy insects from the forest, in addition to the singing birds in the big indigenous trees along the river bank.

Across the river, the forest was thick and dark, setting scenery where Zizwa expected a marauding beast to emerge and walk down to drink water from the same river. The thought of a wild beast emerging and jumping on his throat sent a cold chill down his spine. He had in his time seen some unpleasant scenes where animals had fallen prey to other carnivorous ones.

Setting his knobkerrie and the big stick beside him, he took courage and stripped off his clothes to have a cold bath. Crouching over, he scooped the chilling cool, crystal clear water and wished the river were big enough for him to dive for a swim. Splashing water over his warm body, he again scoped another handful and sipped to quench his thirst.

Yonder across the river, a predator laid in ambush as it watched Zizwa crouch over the water; its taste buds swelling as it salivated for the prey that had sufficiently exposed itself. Creeping stealthily, the predator, a leopard, watched and aimed at him from the thick undergrowths. Too anxious after the day’s wait, it longed for the throat as Mother Nature and instinct taught it to aim for strangulation and sucking