The Mystery of the Kenyan King (Kristi Cameron Book 4) Page 6

  Hannah smiled and opened the door. They entered the tiny house and looked around. Mary and Martha rushed forward to give the girls hugs, smiling in delight to have them in their home. Little Isaiah held his arms up to Kristi and she picked him up and cuddled him. Daniel threw his arms around Anna’s legs, almost knocking her over. The family’s joy at welcoming them into their home warmed the girls’ hearts.

  They crowded around the small space and sat on the floor. Several of the girls held the younger children in their laps. Hannah asked, “May I make you some chai?”

  “Oh, no thank you, Hannah. We’ve brought treats for you! This is a party! Have you ever been to a party?” Robyn chat tered as she began pulling things out of the big basket she had brought in with her. “Look! We brought little cakes for everyone, and fruit punch.” A gallon jar of Kool-Aid joined the large container of cupcakes, paper cups and napkins in front of her. Amy Cooke and Julie Williams had heard about the housewarming and sacrificed some of their precious stash of party supplies to provide the refreshments.

  The girls laughed as the children got their first taste of frosting. Their eyes grew wide as they licked the sweet, sticky stuff—carefully at first, and then in a hurry. They finally got to the cake, and then that was gone in a few gobbles, as well. They loved the little cups of koolaid, too, and drained them quickly, begging for more.

  Finally the girls began bringing their gifts out one by one. It was like Christmas in the little house—if the African children had ever had a Christmas like their American friends. They exclaimed with delight over everything.

  Hannah wanted to hang the scarf over the window immed iately. Jen smiled and said, “I thought you might say that!” She produced a handful of thumb tacks and helped Hannah drape the pretty red scarf over the window.

  Mary and Martha and the little boys hugged the dolls and stuffed toys closely. Joel couldn’t wait to try on the sneakers Skeeter had given him. His face lit up and he stuck his feet out for all of them to admire. His injury was totally forgotten in his excitement.

  It was when Kristi put her necklace around Hannah’s neck, though, that the Kenyan girl began to cry. She had seen Kristi wearing the pretty gold cross with its delicate chain. She knew how special it was, and that it was a token of love and friendship that reached beyond their cultures and lifestyles. “Thank you, Kristi,” she whispered, throwing her arms around the white girl. “Asante sana.” There were tears in all of their eyes by then.

  “Wait! There’s one more surprise!” Nicole said when they had passed out the last of the gifts. She brought out her Polaroid camera and began taking pictures of the Mbati family. The children watched in amazement as the photos developed before their eyes, giggling as they saw the pictures of them selves. Jen brought out more thumb tacks so they could put the pictures up around the room.

  “Here, Hannah, let’s do one more,” Nicole said. She showed Hannah how to aim the camera and push the button, and then she and the rest of the American girls posed while Hannah took their picture as a remembrance of her friends from the United States. When it was done Hannah hung it in a place of honor next to the door.

  It was finally time to leave. The girls hugged the children once again and said good night. They started back up the path toward the guest house. The walkway ran behind the missionary houses and past the pavilion. The girls talked softly as they walked in the dark with only their two flashlights to guide them. Kristi and Robyn led the way.

  Suddenly they heard a noise near the pavilion. They stopped and looked nervously in that direction. The noise came again, and their hearts beat a little faster. They were in Africa, after all! Kristi and Robyn swung the flashlights toward the pavilion. The beams slid past the empty tables and towards the com pound’s trash cans.

  There! The light caught a horrible face staring back at them, its eyes glittering madly! There! Another terrible face, baring its fangs and snarling at them! A trash can fell over with a loud clatter, and the girls took off running!

  Kristi and Robyn were in front, waving the flashlights wildly. Suddenly they caught sight of a huge, hairy tarantula directly in front of them in the middle of the path! They skidded to a stop and screamed bloodcurdling shrieks. The girls behind them ran into them, practically bowling them over, and then they began screaming, too!

  The nine girls huddled together on the path in the dark, not knowing which way to run. A tarantula in front of them and those nightmarish faces behind them! Which way should they go? What should they do? “Oh, Jesus, please help us!” Kristi prayed out loud.

  Suddenly they realized Buddy was there, barking wildly and charging through the trash cans. The air was filled with the racket of growls and snarls, shrieks and screams, and falling cans and lids. Then more noise as the men from every house came running and shouting. “What? What happened? Are you okay?” they were yelling as they ran up to the girls.

  Steve Cameron was one of the first to reach them. “What is it, Kristi?” he asked as he grabbed her arm. “What happened?”

  “F-f-faces!” she stammered. “Awful, horrible faces! They growled at us! And then—oh, look!” she shuddered, “It’s still there! A ta-ta-tarantula!”

  Suddenly Pastor Phil and Dr. Bob and the other missionary men began to laugh. They laughed and they laughed until they were holding their sides and wiping tears from their eyes. The huddled girls looked bewildered at first, but eventually they realized the men were laughing at them, and they began to look a little offended.

  “Sorry,” Ken finally choked out, trying to stop his laughter. “Those faces were baboons, girls. They get in every once and a while and try to raid the trash. Buddy loves it when they do—he gets to prove how brave he is. And this hairy little guy? He’s terrified of you! Look—he’s harmless!” Ken picked up the tarantula and held him out to the girls. They all took a quick step backwards, almost tripping over one another.

  “Well, if everyone’s okay, let’s call it a night, shall we?” Dr. Bob said with a twinkle in his eye. “Good night, everyone!”

  “Good night!” the girls called back. “Thank you! Sorry for all the ruckus! Thanks!”

  The girls turned back toward the guest house and started up the path once more. They felt foolish and embarrassed. “Hey, Dad,” Kristi said as they walked. “Don’t tell any of the guys about this, okay? They’ll make fun of us. And they’ll never let us forget it, either!”

  Before he could answer, a voice said from the darkness, “Too late, Kristi! We saw the whole thing!” Kristi swung the flashlight around and caught Dan, Pete and Skeeter in its beam, grinning from ear to ear!

  ___________

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  ___________

  Safari!

  By the end of the week the walls were up on the new addition to the children’s ward, and most of the rooms in the orphanage and school had been painted. Mornings had been spent on their work projects, but in the heat of the afternoons they had had plenty of opportunities to get to know the children at the mission station. They had done little programs or activities with them, or just spent time one-on-one getting to know them personally. The Kenyan worker girls at the orphanage had enjoyed an afternoon off while Pastor Tim’s team took over for them. The team at the hospital made sure they had visited with every man, woman and child there.

  It was often heartbreaking to see the suffering the people were going through. Kristi knew the experience would stay with her the rest of her life. The smiles and heartfelt thanks they received from the people, though, brought them joy, and they all said over and over again how glad they were they had come to Africa.

  The group had gone down to the village several times, as well. They joined Pastor Phil in greeting people and inviting them to church on Sunday. They sang several songs in the middle of the town, and when a number of people had gath ered to listen to them, Pastor Phil spoke for a few minutes about Jesus. “Yesu akamjibu, Mimi ni njia, na ukweli na uzima. Hakuna awezaye kwenda kwa Baba ila kwa kupitia kwangu. Jes
us said unto him, I am the way, the truth and the life. No man cometh unto the Father, but by me,” he preached.

  Hannah and her family were doing well in their new life at the station. They often saw her smiling and singing as she went about her work every day. The necklace Kristi had given her was always around her neck.

  They had gathered for supper on Friday night when Pastor Tim rose to speak. “I want everyone to get to bed early tonight. It doesn’t look like that will be a problem because you all look pretty beat!” The teens nodded, their faces weary. A couple of them were trying to stifle yawns. “You all need to get up extra early tomorrow,” Pastor Tim went on to say. The group groaned. “Now, wait a minute! You’re not getting up early to work! You’re getting up early because tomorrow we’re going on safari!”

  “Safari! Wow! How cool is that!” the teens exclaimed. All of a sudden their fatigue was forgotten.

  Pastor Tim held up his hands for quiet. “You’ve worked really hard this week and got a lot accomplished. We’ve decided you need a little break, so we’ve arranged for a safari company to pick us up here tomorrow and take us to the Maasai Mara. We’ll see all kinds of wildlife, including Africa’s ‘Big Five’—lions, elephants, hippos, rhinos, and buffalo—as well as zebras, giraffes, wildebeests and many other kinds of antelopes, crocodiles, hyenas, possibly leopards or cheetahs,” he paused for a breath, “and if you’re not too scared—more baboons!”

  The boys hooted and laughed and pointed at the girls, who flushed, and then just had to laugh at themselves. Of course, Kristi’s brothers and Pete had told the other guys about the panic at the pavilion. They’d been teasing them about it ever since that night.

  Pastor Tim motioned for quiet again and then went on, “We’ll be staying at a safari tent camp for two nights, and on Sunday we will be worshipping with a group of Maasai believ ers. Pastor Phil tells me this will be an experience you will never forget! Then after some more sightseeing on Monday we’ll return here to Grace Mission Station that evening.”

  The teens broke into excited cheers. Safari! They couldn’t wait!

  “Just one little reminder—” Pastor Tim said as they started to talk excitedly about the next few days. They stopped to listen. “We still have a roof to put on the hospital addition and some painting to finish. Be prepared to get back to work here bright and early Tuesday morning!”

  “We will! No problem!” the teens promised eagerly. They hurried through supper and rushed to repack their backpacks and get to bed.

  Four jeeps turned through the gates at eight o’clock the next morning. Each would hold five or six members of the group plus the driver. The teens divided themselves into three groups and let the adult chaperones go together in one jeep. “It’s about time you grown-ups had a break from us kids,” Skeeter said.

  “How very generous of you,” his dad replied with a wink.

  The Cameron kids and Robyn, Anna and Pete were together in one jeep. Their driver’s name was Paul. He told them he was from Nairobi. Paul was fun to be with and laughed a lot. He’d been with the safari company for over ten years, so he knew a lot and shared his wealth of information with the young people.

  It was not a long trip from Grace Mission Station to the Maasai Mara. “The Mara is 200 square miles of grasslands—the savanna—and woodlands. The Maasai Mara Game Reserve is Africa’s greatest wildlife reserve with over 450 species of animals,” Paul told them. “The Maasai people called this area the Mara because the word means ‘spotted’, and when you look down into the valley you will see that the grasslands are spotted with acacia trees. We’ll be traveling through huge herds of zebra, giraffes, gazelles and other kinds of antelopes. Lions, cheetahs, hyena, jackals—all the predators follow the herds. The Mara has been called the Kingdom of Lions. This is the best place in all Africa to see lions. They are very common here.”

  “Cool!” the guys all exclaimed at once. Kristi shivered a bit, though. She wasn’t sure if she wanted to get that close to wild lions in an open jeep.

  “We will arrive at the place you are staying, the Mara Safari Club, before lunch,” Paul told them. “It is just outside the game reserve. You will enjoy lunch there and get settled in your tents, and then later this afternoon we will drive into the reserve to see the animals. The best time to see them in the Mara is early morning and late afternoon. Most of the animals rest in the cool, thick undergrowth during the midday heat and become harder to find. The early morning and late afternoon game drives also allow you to see unforgettable African sunrises and sunsets!”

  “It sounds fantastic, Paul!” Kristi said. But did you say we are staying in tents? Isn’t that dangerous? Won’t the lions get us?”

  Paul laughed. “Just wait until you see these tents!” he said.

  They understood what he meant when they finally arrived at the Mara Safari Club. It was surrounded on three sides by the Mara River, with the lodgings built above the river. The “tents” were unlike any they had ever seen before. Each was the size of a hotel room and was colorfully furnished, includ ing two canopy beds draped in mosquito netting, a carved desk and wardrobe, and a private bath. The feeling was that of luxury—so totally unexpected after their week at the mission station! Kristi could hardly wait to try out the beautiful shower in the bathroom—and not have to share it with twenty-one other people!

  Each tent sat on its own veranda overlooking the river below where thirty or forty hippos wallowed in the river. It was an amazing sight! They sat on their verandas watching the little ones play in the water while the adults slept. They saw a crocodile lying in the water nearby and monkeys swinging in the trees. Several large topi came down to the water to drink. The trees around the river abounded with monkeys, baboons and birds. They could hardly tear themselves away from their first big encounter with Africa’s wildlife to have lunch.

  It was Skeeter, of course, who got them moving. “Come on, guys!” he whined. “Paul told me the food here is great. And there’s a pool, too, if we want to swim after lunch!”

  It was the thought of a cool dip in the pool, more than the food, that spurred most of them on. To soak in water sounded heavenly! The delicious buffet lunch that they enjoyed out on a veranda, however, was almost like a dream come true! They hadn’t had such an abundance of good food since they’d arrived in Africa. Even the girls ate until they were stuffed. They had just enough time afterwards to enjoy the pool, and then it was time to get ready for their first game drive out onto the Mara.

  The drive through the reserve was a thrill. Near the Musiara Swamp they encountered a group of elephants. Paul stopped the jeep, but kept the motor running. “Elephants and the cape buffalo are the most unpredictable of the animals here,” he told them. “They will charge a vehicle if they get irritated—and do damage, too.” It was hard to believe the huge, lumbering animals could move fast enough to be dangerous, but they took Paul’s word for it. They laughed quietly at two baby elephants who stuck closely to their mothers’ sides. Although the other elephants seemed to ignore the vehicles with their cargo of gawking humans, the babies were nervous. One of the mothers finally bellowed and shook her massive head. She took a few running steps towards the jeeps. “Time to go!” Paul said, and stepped on the gas.

  The safari drivers had pulled back the soft tops of the jeeps so that their passengers could stand on the seats and have a better view. They did not have to look hard for the wildlife, however. As they drove further into the Mara the savanna abounded with animals. Giraffes munched on the trees that dotted the landscape, while herds of zebra grazed among them. They saw many different kinds of antelope—gazelles, impalas, topi, eland, the tiny dik-dik, and thousands upon thousands of wildebeest. An ostrich raced alongside their jeep at one point, delighting the teenagers. Every once and a while they would spot hyenas and vultures feasting on a carcass. A pair of warthogs crossed the road in front of them, their baby piglets running behind them with their little tails waving in the air. In the distance they saw a cheetah, sprintin
g after some prey in the tall grass.

  The teens had their cameras out, excited over the fantastic photos they were getting of God’s wonderful creation in the wild. The drivers stopped often for them to get the best shots. They were amazed at how close they could actually get to the animals.

  The truly heart-pounding magic came, though, when Paul stopped the jeep near a pile of boulders that rose from the plains. He pointed and quietly said, “Look!” They looked in the direction of his gaze. There, not sixty feet away, was a pride of lions!

  Several young cats lounged on the rocks, basking in the sun. Another was draped gracefully over the low branch of a nearby acacia tree. A lioness dozed at the foot of the rocks, her cubs tumbling and playing around and over her. Twenty feet away, a large male, obviously the head of the pride, stared off into the distance, surveying his domain. It was an awesome sight that raised goose bumps and sent chills down their spines.

  Kingdom of Lions. As Kristi watched the enormous cats she could see why Mara was called that. The very land itself seemed to belong to the proud, beautiful animals. She held her breath, unable to move or take her gaze away from the picture before her.

  Suddenly the male seemed to become aware of them. The fearsome animal slowly rose to his feet and stood looking at them. His golden eyes were piercing, seeming to look right into them. He took a step toward them—and then slowly turned his back and walked away. Kristi let out her breath and sat down on the seat. Her heart was pounding, but she felt wonderful at the same time. Around her the other kids were exclaiming over how cool that had been, or how scary, but Kristi was silent, still taking it all in.

  Finally the other jeeps pulled away from the spot and Paul followed them. The sun was just beginning to set as they drove back to the lodge. It wasn’t long until the sky had become a masterpiece of fiery reds and oranges and yellows. They had never seen a sunset quite like this one before.