One Ideoligy One Nations Ruin

This is the first part of a novel based on the Rhodesian Bush war in the 1970s I would appreciate any feed back

 Chapter One

Two long wheel  based Land Rover topless safaris, both with two rows of seats in the rear, followed by an Isuzu caged back truck, raised a cloud of red dust as the convoy bumped its way along the dirt road he through the Rhodesian bush. They were heading for the main base of the area station for the department of game and wildlife, In the Nyanga district of Manicaland fifty kilometres short of the Mozambique border.
Driving the lead Land Rover Angus McLean head game warden, a wiry Scotsman his sweat soaked muscles tense fighting with the steering wheel to keep the vehicle on a straight course on the rough track, his eyes stung with the sweat as it flowed from the brim of his bush hat. Beside him sat Lindani his Shona tracker, powerfully built, as tall as him but more muscular his shaved head looking like a glistening ebony carving. He had grown up here and had learned his craft form his father, and for the past three years since he came to Rhodesia had been mentor to Angus, showing him the ways of the African bush  and teaching him the Shona language, he was not only a co-worker but good friend as where their wives. They had cut short their bush patrol concerned they could not make radio contact with base all day, the sets in the vehicles could communicate with each other so they knew the problem was not at their end, and they knew the chance of the two set at the station being down at the same time was remote. As they made their way up the rise where the veld dropped away to the Nyanga valley below. Lindani touched his forearm on the steering wheel and pointed to the sky, in the distance he could just make out the black spots circling against the cloudless blue sky. 
He braked and brought up his binoculars to his eyes confirming his first thoughts.
The vultures where over the region of the camp, He slipped the gear leaver in to first and edge forward at a crawl before eventually stopping short of the ridge line, and waited until the other two vehicles drew up behind his, he indicated for them to wait there, taking off at a run on foot he reached the top of the ridge. He edged forward through the bush until he could see the valley stretch out before him, through the binoculars he picked out the camp and zoomed the lenses to maximum strength, nothing moved in the compound he scanned the main building still no movement, he studded the rest of compound, the animals in the holding pens  and the windmill for the well only sign of movement, the workshops with the doors closed seemed unusual as they were always left open to avoid the unbearable he when the sun was on the corrugated roof, as he continued he focused on the main gates they were open. He was startled by the voice over his shoulder Lindani,s deep rich whisper “what is it Angoos“ His Shona accent made his name sound like some cartoon character in a Walt Disney film, he never took the binocular’s from his eyes he said “ something’s not right to quiet” the voice came back one word “gehena” Shona for hell. They made their way back though the bush to the vehicles and called the rest of the group to him, the five men gathered around them the two flushers and the two assistant wardens. MacDonald did no trust his command of the Shone language; they could all speak English to varying degrees, except for Chatambuza which in Shona means troublesome, So he spoke in English explaining the situation, then had Lindia repeat it in Shona. He ordered them to get their weapons and ammunition form the vehicle’s, he grabbed his Weatherbey .460 from the gun rack.
Landai took down his Mauser 66SM .308, they made their way to the rear of the Land Rover and opened the gun case bolted to the back and took out the two matt black South African R1 7.62 carbines.
Giving the thirty round magazines a light tap on the tail gate to ensure they would not jamb and rammed the home in the weapons. And a further in their breast pockets
He call the men to gather round again “Chatambuza you and Dzingia  take the truck and go to Nyanga village first and tell the constable we have a problem at the station, and ask if he could send some officers, then head for the Matazari station. Nyanga was a village with population around seven hundred people, the single main street had two stores and a police station manned by four police officers and it had telephone land line. Then go and contact Mr Louie when you get in radio range, and ask him if he can come w with some of his men. Louie was Louie De- Langa a big South African he had worked at the Kruger national park before moving north with his wife to join the Rhodesian game and wild life service as head warden. As they set off in the truck he turned to the rest of the group, check all of your weapons are loaded, as they did so he said “Mandala you stay here with the Land Rovers get them off the track and make sure you have your radio is switched on, when the constables get here follow them down to the station” Mandala nodded, turning to the others he said “the rest of you come with me we are going to approach the station from the east where the bush is thickest and do it buffalo flush style”. 


They set off down the slope leading to the valley floor, keeping moving to where the bush was thickest. Lindani took in the lead and spread out at ten paces apart, as they would on a buffalo flush stopping every twenty pace to wait and listen. They were covering the space between them and the station with ease, but it felt like an eternity. They reached a spot at the edge of the yellow sun bleached elephant grass and halted. The two hundred meters between them and the perimeter fence, they would have to cover the ground in the open; he studded the area beyond the fence nothing moved. From his position he could see the front of the old south facing colonial building. Its weather faded exterior and green corrugated roof and steps leading up the shaded stoop. It was deserted and the main door to the building was closed, it was only ever closed at night, it was always left open during the day to allow what breezes if any too circulate its interior. He scanned right to the work shop, around a dozen or so vultures roosted on the roof hopping from one leg to the other as the hot tin burned their feet. As they emerged from the elephant grass the vultures to   the air with lumbering wing beats to overcome the weight of their bulky bodies.
They reached the wire perimeter fence built to animals out, and skirted around it to where the main gates lay open, when they reached it he signalled to Lindani to come with him to the left and head for the main building, and the two others to go right towards they holding pens, and approach the building from the back, they walked slowly over the red bare earth, weapons at the ready safety off fully alert eyes darting in every direction. They reached the ten steps leading up to the stoop and front door. Climbing the steps slowly with each step creaking under their feet, they reached the stoop and paused for moment in silence, he reached for the door handle and turned it slowly with his left hand and turned it opened,  quickly his hand back on the R1 fore stock, his other hand on the pistol grip with his finger poised just above the trigger, using the muzzle of the weapon he pushed the door open slowly.
 As the light from the open door broke the darkness the hallway was chaotic the hall tables were upturned the floor was littered with earth and broken earthenware of the plant pots.
The other doors from the hallway stood silently closed, his breathing was ragged, his pulse was racing it felt like his heart would explode, his head ached and he was drowning in sweat, The doors to the left and right were the entrance to their accommodation suites each containing a lounge, bedroom and bathroom. The door at the far end of the hall led to the communal kitchen and dining room, used only in winter the rest of the time they ate on the big table on the stoop He left the first door on the right as this was used as the station office, he reached for the handle of the first door to the left, the suite he shared with his wife Morag. Lindani brought he carbine to the ready position on his shoulder, again he turned the door handle and pushed the door slowly again with the muzzle, inside was the same chaotic mess as the hall, furniture knocked over and their personal things scattered, the radio lay smashed on the floor.  Quickly moving through the lounge, he threw open the bed room door, again shambles. 
Next they moved down the hall way to the suite Lindani shared with his wife Mazvita, with Lindani taking the lead this time the result was the same everything smashed and scattered. They moved through the building quicker now, separating to speed up the search, no sign of life anywhere they headed to the kitchen as they opened the door it was empty and wrecked, they jumped as they heard the voice it was Manodno speaking on the other side of the fly screen door “we come in now yes” MacDonald replied “spread out search the whole compound” turning to Lindani he said “you take the vets building I’ll take the workshops” they threw caution to the wind rather than moving slowly they race across the red open ground together. Lindani broke of the left towards the building the vet Willie Bekker treated any sick on wound animals they brought in. Willie was an old Afrikaner a little thin man with a dour face than never seemed to smile or show any emotion and the white pancho-villa style moustache added to his dourness. As he neared the workshop he slowed as he approached the last few feet, staring at the big wooden doors he reached to open them and stopped dead in his tracks, he could hear the buzz of flies his heart could not take much more, now the smell came to his nostrils the sweet sickly smell of blood. He threw the big door open with such force it banged hard against the front of the workshop, as he looked in to the gloom a cloud of big blue blow flies swarmed from the building, he retched but nothing came up he felt his heart squeeze he thought he was chocking, at his side Manodno dropped his weapon and fell to his knees as he glared at the horror the building held, inside everyone at the station had been massacred, slaughtered the blood darkened the earth floor of the workshop the bodies were piled on top of each other they had been hack to death

Tags: sad, love, humor, pain, fear,