#Dakatari

[avengerness]

“Back to Africa?” a The Avengers  TV series / Daktari crossover story

Part 2/?

Part 1/? here:

She kicked against the Jeep's flat tire in frustration. The second breakdown within two hours - this time the left front wheel! That bloody car was a piece of garbage! And still more than ten miles to the Wameru station. At least that was what the sign promised a mile ago. Cathy looked towards the sky. It was soon getting dark, in a few minutes there would be no daylight left, no chance to repair the car in time. She sighed. In the African jungle, the night was not the safest time for being out there alone.

Everything had gone smoothly until now. The flight to Kapstadt had arrived on schedule, so did the connecting flight to Nairobi. Back in Kenya - for the first time since she left Africa in 1954. She stayed one night at a hotel near the airport and took a plane to Ngoro in the early afternoon. No baggage lost, no trouble with her rifles at the customs office, no damage to the expensive camera equipment. She picked up the car at the garage near the airfield and headed towards her destination - Wameru, the research centre for animal behaviour. The driver of a bush taxi was heading in the right directing, but not to the Wameru research centre itself. She followed the vehicle, which was more than slightly overloaded with people and animals, goods and fruits, but drove nevertheless with a remarkable speed on the dusty road through the bush. After three hours the driver waved at a crossroads his goodby, pointed her in the right direction towards the station. A few minutes later that she had the first trouble with the car when she realised the fuel gauge rapidly felt. The Jeep was losing petrol. It was tricky, but with the help of some duck tape, she was able to fix the damage to the fuel hose and pushed it onto the remainder stub as a temporary solution.

And now this!

She had to make a decision. No other car had crossed her path and Cathy knew from experience that it could be hours, even days before she would eventually meet someone else out there. All she could do was wait until the next morning before she could make the repairs. She had to sleep in the safety of the car. Trying to make it to Wameru on foot, before darkness was not possible and would be dangerous anyway. Ammunition and her hunting rifle however were stored in the Rover. She knew it was forbidden to use it on the reserve, but she would use the weapon against predators if her life was in danger - because the night was the time of the hunting animals. They would be soon out there looking for prey. Cathy knew, there was no sound comparable to the roar of a lion. First, a sound, dull in the distance, then it would come closer and closer. A pride of lions or a single hunter, elegant and deadly at the same time. Or a leopard - climbing the tree quickly and silently. The big cat would wait for his prey, then pouncing on the unsuspecting prey, killing it with a targeted bite.

But the predators would not come within a few meters of the car at night when she lit a fire. All animals were afraid of the bush fires and always stayed at a safe distance of fire.

Cathy started collecting wood.

At Wameru Paula fixed in the kitchen a large glass of iced tea and put it on the small round table of the roofed veranda, where her father sat in front of the radio device. Dr Tracy thankfully nodded at his daughter while he spoke in the microphone. “This is Wameru station, Dr Tracy calling the District Office. Hedley, this is Marsh Tracy, please come in.” No reply. Daktari took a sip of the tea and tried again the radio. “Wameru station calling district officer Hedley. Please come in.”

Mike listened to the static from the unit. “There is no use, Marsh, it is already past nine. I guess there's nobody in the office anymore.”

Marsh rubbed his chin as he always did when he was nervous or pensive and nodded. “I guess, you're right, Mike. It's too late.”

“Should I get the car?”

“Dad, please be careful! It's a new moon and already pitch black out there!”

Marsh turned around taking his 18 years old daughter’s hand.

“I know it’s a risk hon, but we have to go. Maybe our guest is in trouble, had an accident or is injured, alone out there. We have to go.”

Paula looked at her father and realised that he looked not only worried but also tired. The young woman glanced at her African friend Mike, who silently nodded to her.

“Dad, please take Mike with you, will you?”

„You’re right, I guess it's better if we go there together.“

Mike smiled at her. “And I promise, I'll drive carefully, Paula.”

Clarence, the cross-eyed lion, who had been already dozing, blinked in surprise when Marsh Tracy and Mike headed towards the blue Zebra as anyone on Wameru called the large Landrover. The lion loudly yawned, wondering why his humans disturbed his sleep at this time of the night. He roared softly, stretched out and continued his nap under his favourite bush.