600 Elephants- my childhood memory of my brother, David Batchelor

  David and I spent our childhood in Zimbabwe, then Southern Rhodesia. We were fortunate to have a father who passionately  indulged  his hobbies. As a result we, as a family, enjoyed wonderful trips to the Game Reserve  and regular holidays in the  Eastern district , Inyanga, where we spent long summer holidays over Christmas. My father and David spent their time trout fishing while my sister and I  walked and swam in the mountain streams.   One memory stands out as one of the most exciting nights of my life. We were in Hwange Game Reserve.  The warden drove David and me out to a particular  watering pan, where there was a windmill, which pumped water in to the pan.  There was a platform half way up the windmill and we were left there to spend the night. We would be perfectly safe as there was a mote surrounding the windmill.   It was  dark, night falls quickly in Africa . We knew that there was to be a full moon and  soon it rose-so beautiful- there was total silence apart from an occasional bird call. Then we realised that  out  of  the bush  gradually  we saw they were lines of elephants, silently approaching the water.  Of course then there was the sound of  water splashing,  swallowing, spraying.  All was happy till the approach of what must have been a rival herd.  Harmony gave way to bedlam. For what seemed like hours bulls charged each other, the sound of head banging ,tusks clashing , and massive trumpeting and squealing .  The sound of splintering wood as branches were torn.  At last silence The most amazing thing was that  we must have fallen asleep. We woke , sun rising and the only sign of that stunning night was piles of shiny, steaming dung and several branches and uprooted trees.