Caron and I had spent our first night in the desert

Our tent had been positioned at the base of a bare hill

We had been warned about the lions

Which had dictated our reasoning

As Caron slept I sat outside with a rifle

Aware that a lion could attack without warning

But I saw no lions and watched the sunrise with a curiosity

How beautiful the desert was but it was often so deadly

I had planned our trip with little care

After reading that a group of Dutch explorers

Had taken a grand piano into an African desert

Over two hundred years previously

After a light breakfast we began our trek

Caron was carrying a sports bag

Containing her clothes and a book of prayers

I was carrying a much larger bag which contained a tent

And our provisions which I was hoping would last a week

We were dressed simply in chinos and a white tee shirt

Caron was wearing leather sandals and for agility I was wearing trainers

The first day passed with little incident although I was aware

That some of the many antelope were behaving in an alarmed manner

Which may have been down to us but might have been an indicator

That a pride of lions were nearby and waiting to attack

On our second night we set up just before dusk

Our tent had been positioned at the base of a bare hill

We had been warned about the lions

Which had dictated our reasoning

As Caron slept I sat outside with a rifle

Aware that a lion could attack without warning

There was no sunrise the following morning

The whole desert was bathed in a very pale half light

As Caron made coffee on the camp fire

I remarked that although we could see the sun

It seemed that it was trapped on the horizon unable to move

This was an accepted part of life in the desert and indicated that water was nearby

I had paddled for while and was washing my wretched tee shirt when I heard voices

In the distance I could see Caron chatting with three people

Two guys and a girl who I supposed to be their sister

To their right there was an older man sitting on a rock with a rifle between his knees

Like me he was aware of the cunning behaviours of desert lions

After I had put on a fresh tee shirt I walked into the main room

Which was simply furnished in a faintly colonial style

Caron was sitting on settee with the two brothers

Whilst their sister was preparing coffee nearby

I could not hear their conversation clearly

But it appeared to be about vacationing in the deserts of Africa

As I sat on a small wooden chair I noticed that my chinos were still damp

But nobody else noticed so I ignored the inconvenience

The older man handed me his handsome rifle and began chatting

He explained that he and his children visited the deserts of Africa every year

In memory of his late father who had vanished in 1955 whilst searching for lions

He asked of our purpose and I explained that it was in memory of the Dutch explorers

And so that we could meet people such as himself whose fathers had vanished in 1955

Caron and I spent out third night in the desert under the stars

Our tent had been positioned at the base of a bare hill

We had been warned about the lions

Which had dictated our reasoning

As Caron slept I sat outside with a rifle

Aware that a lion could attack without warning