It has been awhile since I told a tale or two of the customers who frequent TheQuarterMaster, so, here are two tales: (Few details changed to protect Identities and the story is entirely a product of my memory)
Our Customer, who happens to be a Catholic Priest, is travelling through on restricted road in a National Game Park in a country north of the Orange River. He has a permit to be on the road.
It is dark and he needs get to his parish. Glancing down at the instrument cluster he notices that the Engine is starting to overheat. Not wanting to destroy the engine he stops pulls off the dirt road, into the bush and waits for the engine to cool. It was going to be a long night: He still had more than few kilo
meters to go.
Checking the engine bay he notices that there is a leak from the radiator. He waits a few hours for the engine to cool. The engine has cooled and he starts up again. It is no less dark and dawn is still a good 6 hours away.
Again the needle climbs past the indicated safe operating temperature. Our intrepid Priest pulls over again.
Despite his European ancestry and ability to speak a few European languages, the local language and a smattering of Bushman, he was also wise enough to realise that remaining in the car is the safest.
He had been in Africa long enough to know that the wild life was, indeed, really wild and had no compunction in eating, biting or stomping on Catholics.
Priest or not.
By now it had been dark for a while and whilst waiting for the needle to show that the engine was cool enough he spotted what he thought was a flash of light.
He gets out the vehicle and indeed see what look like torch or headlights. No doubt saying a few prayers he sets out towards the lights. The thought does occur to him that he is in a restricted area and wonders who could be out in such a place at such a time.
Approaching what turns to be the dim headlights of a Cruiser says his prayers and introduces his presence in the local language.
If the poachers were startled they did not show it: 3 sets of eyes fixed on a disheveled “Mlungu”. Shocked silence follows. You could have heard a monkey burp.
The Priest notices the bolt action rifle and realises that there was no way these men had a permit. Doing his best to keep his wits about him he explains his predicament.
The men realise they have two options: Help or Murder.
They hitch the overheating vehicle with a piece of rope to their vehicle and then tow the Priest to a local bushman village. They unhitch and without further ado depart post haste.
It’s passed Zero Dark thirty and the Priest stands next to his bakkie surrounded by many short bushman dressed in an assortment of western and bush clothing.
Using his skill at the local language and bushman he once again explains to a bemused group of Bushmen, women and children his predicament.
The village has now gathered around the stricken vehicle and are all making the requisite clicking and “Ag Shame”sounds in Bushmen-ese.
One of the younger fellow’s steps out of the crowd asks the Priest for his torch. He hands over a 3 D Cell Maglite. (This torch uses 3 of the large D cell Batteries)
Before he can protest the young Bushman has emptied the Maglite of it large batteries and has taken out his knife and cut the covering off, revealing the battery innards.
He digs through and he gets to the Carbon rod in the center. He then ask for a set of jumper cables which our prudent Priest-customer carries with him.
With the help of another even dimmer torch the leak in the radiator is identified. The jumper cables are attached to the Battery terminals
One end is then clamped onto the radiator.
He then clamps the carbon core of the D Cell battery in the remaining jaw of the Jumper Cable. Next he proceed to create an arc between the leak in the radiator on the carbon core.
Our Priest is absolutely fascinated by this if not a bit blinded by an Arc Light at 03:00 in the morning.
After a few strikes the Bushmen welds the hole shut. Fortunately the battery is still functional enough to get the bakkies to start.
From a nearby government drilled borehole the radiator is refilled and once certain that the temperature was stable, our intrepid Bush Priest set off to his parish.
He was shaken, exhausted, and most grateful for the mercy shown by the Poachers and the ingenuity of the Bushman Battery Welder.
Indeed: God answers prayers through others.
May he answer yours too.
Cheers
Camo
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