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Exploring the moorlands around Mount Guna.

One Year Africa: The Stolen Book

Maarten de Boeck
2006-05-01 17:02:47

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about descending. Of course his story played in my mind but I wasn't too worried about it. I locked my tent and put my backpack and some other stuff against the edge of the tent cloth. I had put my knife beside me and a metal drink bottle to produce noise to scare them. At night, I raised out my sleep a few times when I had the illusion to hear 'something'. Then I took the bottle, clung with my knife against it, switched on my torch and examined there wasn't a hyena's snout peeping under the canvas of my tent.
In retrospect, pretty ridiculous, as if that noise would have scared a hyena, as if I would have been able to resist such an animal with my stupid little knife.
Maybe the herder never intended to warn me for hyenas (although 'jibs' means hyena in Amharic), maybe he meant I had to fear from man-eating Ethiopian wolves! I don't think so. I can't imagine an Ethiopian wolf would threaten a human.

The morning after the theft I got up quite late. When I was ready, I simply couldn't go down, I couldn't retreat. I decided to get along with my plans. I walked up the mountain ridge ahead of me. At night I had made up my mind to continue my plans, but I wasn't sure yet how I would feel at the moment I really needed to choose.
It would become a great day. I followed a mountain ridge, hiked from peak to peak. The landscape was majestic. I enjoyed being there. I enjoyed the solitude. I barely saw anyone. In the late afternoon I had a memorable encounter with a shepherd. He must have thought I was an alien, when he saw me coming over the hill. Maybe it was his first time ever he saw a white man in his life. I waved but he only stood there: astonished and somewhat dismayed by my presence. I walked on to him and greeted. He seemed to doubt a moment but then he came to me and took my extended hand with both hands. He bowed his head and said 'selam', 'peace be with you'.

Later ...