MY BROTHER HUGH Born 5th October 1920 died 9th May 2006
though a steamroller had gone through it.. It was most impressive to witness the strength of the animals as trees 3’’ to 4’’ thick were knocked flat like nine-pins. We had been extremely lucky on our first encounter to have such a fortunate escape as they could so easily have turned and killed us in their panic. And had they run a bit more to my side they could easily have trampled right over me. As the finally disappeared I suddenly saw Mchacha slap Timothy really hard over the face and break into furious Chinyanja:
“You bloody fool, by your moving we were nearly all killed”!
5. On the Farm Again.
At one point on the farm we were having a bit of trouble with the labour who were starting to go slow and they seemed to be lethargic, and unable to do much work. Mike was worried that they may have been suffering from Malaria, but he also thought that they needed more food. Anyway they were pleasant but many were complaining of severe headaches, probably I thought because it was Monday and they had been drinking too much beer over the week end. Anyway Mike decided to something about it and went to the medicine box and gave each a dose of quinine and an aspirin tablet. They rushed through their work with a gusto that was quite eye opening. Once again they were keen and eager to get on with the job and Mike was amazed at their transformation which lasted a couple of days and delighted that he had found the reason for their problem. He turned to me and said:
“Look if we can keep up this treatment a few more days with the aspirin they will soon be really fit, but the problem is that I have finished that bottle of aspirin and we only appear to have one bottle which I found in your suitcase. Where did you put the other bottle? “
I replied, “ Look I never had a bottle of aspirin in my suitcase because the only one that I had I had put away in the food cupboard”
He showed me the empty bottle that he had used and I suddenly realized that he had not been giving the Africans aspirin but Benzedrine which I often used on some of my very long drives especially at night when it was vital to stay awake. After all from where we were at present it was some 400 miles to Lusaka and one can get very sleepy with the monotony of a long journey, and that can lead to sudden accidents. I would far rather take a Benzedrine to stay awake and alert and inadvertently Mike had been dishing these “keep awake” tablets to the Africans, who incidentally still had the positive effect for about three weeks after they had taken them!
On another occasion on the farm at midday Mike and I returned hot and sweaty having been out in the field since early morning because I had got up at 4 am to go hunting before a quick breakfast and then work. Now at lunch time we both relaxed with a refreshing cup of tea on the balcony . At the end of the balcony Angela had her room and was busy doing her weekly washing and had her washing hanging out with her clothes. Suddenly there were the most ear piercing screams coming from her room and next to our amazement she came rushing out stark naked brushing her fanny with both hands. We could not think of what had happened to break the peace but we told her that with all the Africans around to get back into her room and get some clothes on. She came out this time in a dressing gown a bit calmer but still very distressed. Apparently what had happened was that she had taken a shower and then had taken a pair of panties off the clothes line and had put them on, only to find that inside the crutch was a hornet that had stung her twice in her vital part. What she must have felt must have been indescribable as I have been bitten on the arm by one and the