‘Mama Shumba, the mother of the lions. The other women thought she was very brave.’
And what did the men think of a woman out here alone, researching big cats?’
Moses smiled. ‘The truth? They thought she was an idiot.’
Jed couldn’t help smiling at Moses’s candour.
‘Do you know where they think she died?’
‘The head ranger said it was on the track to the river, near where the sand starts. Come, we’ll have a look’
The two men walked closer to the sandy bank and Jed could see now where animals, either buffalo or elephant or both, had worn a clear trail to the water’s edge. They found a spot where the dry grass on either side of the bare dirt pathway yielded to the river’s sand. There was no sign of any human remains, not that Jed had expected there would be.
‘They say they found some bl
