Like everybody else I read every African hunting book I could find from age 10 on up. I was the only kid in my high school to ever do a book report on anything written by Ruark, which was "Something of Value". I was the only one, including the teachers that knew any real history of Africa. I guess it comes from having been born in Pretoria, and the family living in SA during the mid sixties...during those scary times. I do remember Dad telling me that the company issued the field techs 9mm pistols to carry for protection, and insure that their cars were in tiptop shape as you didn't want to break down in the field.
He did carry the gun always, even in the house, same as PHC, he told Mom it was for snakes so she wouldn't worry about the two legged ones. We had servants, a maid/nanny and a houseboy...the house boy got drunk one night and got into a fight with another man over his wife...with Pangas, Dad had to drive him to hospital he was chopped up pretty good.
We had mambas, cobras, and all other sorts of critters in the yard. Mom was terrified of them, as one should be, and often refused to go outside. We went to Kruger a few times, got charge by elephants, even have a old an movie reel of it.
Dad got transferred to the West Indies from there, to run NASA's tracking stations for the Man In Space projects and the Lunar landing.
I always wanted to go back to SA and be a Pro Hunter, hoping my dual citizenship (at that time) would make it easier. But that all faded away with the new government.
Just my 2cents.
577Nitro-
