Through the muggy fug of the jungle, the explorer slowly crept. His gun weighed heavily on his shoulder and from time to time he would switch it; right to left, left to right. His servants seemed to have grown accustomed to the heat much faster than he had. His handkerchief was soaked through and chafed his neck, about which it was knotted.
For three solid weeks they had marched, walked, encamped and slept. When their water supplies ran low they boiled water from the river but it had a dense, indigestible quality – just like the air. Apart from the need for water they kept their distance from the river, fearing crocodiles by day and mosquitoes by night. Occasionally they would try fishing, though what they caught rarely repaid the energy expended in catching it.
From their position at ground level they rarely saw the sky, save in clearings made by the falling of a tree. The relative gloom of the onset of night and their watches were the only indicators of time. With any luck, they would find a clearing to camp in. that night. Not that it made them safer, but it made them comfortable to have some space to stretch their legs as they slung hammocks and netting between the trees.
As the weeks had gone by they had covered less and less distance each day, growing ever wearier of their days without sunshine. Their packs seemed heavier and their machetes pulled more on their hands as the days went by. It was a mixed blessing that they now had less food to carry than when they started their trip.
A raised hand from one of the servants brought the party to a halt and everyone crouched low, not making a sound. The explorer stayed low as he made his way forward. Following his servant's pointed finger he sensed the movement before he saw it. A few dozen yards ahead he caught sight of something, some animal, slinking low to the ground. Slowly, he let the strap slip from him as he brought his rifle up to his shoulder, taming the sight on the undergrowth where he had seen movement. Without blinking, without taking his eyes off his target, he cocked his rifle ready for the kill. It would be sheer, brute luck to find his quarry this close to sea level, but ten all the reported sightings were hardly to be trusted. Most of them had been given in exchange for food or clothing. The creature, whatever it was, came back into view. First its pointed ears, then its yellow eyes. As its chest came in sight, the explorer squeezed on the trigger.
The explorer shouldered his gun once more and gave the signal to move in. The servants had their machetes raised, but when they came upon the creature it was already dead with a bullet through its heart. It was only a wild cat, little bigger than a dog, but a servant was instructed to skin it. The pelt would be worth something. It was decided to make camp for the night as all had been tired by the excitement of the kill, even if it had not been what they were searching for.
24.10.06
