The whole of the next day was spent travelling across very rough country to the Moremi Game Reserve, where the campsite was. Luckily, for once, Felix slept for most of the journey.

He awoke to the most beautiful sight he had ever seen.

‘Elephants!’ he cried, sitting bolt upright.

Elephants under the trees, elephants lumbering between the three large tents that were dotted about the clearing, elephants reaching up with their trunks to pluck fruit and lazily crunch on them in the golden light. Elephants: beautiful, majestic, glorious elephants, roaming wild and free.

Felix reached for the video camera which he had asked Mum to get out of the suitcase for him that morning. He felt his throat tighten and thought he might actually cry with happiness.

‘We must be very still and very quiet,’ said Bibi in hushed tones, as he unloaded the minibus.

‘Yes,’ said Mo. ‘The elephant does not have good eyesight. She has very good hearing, though.’

‘What happens if she hears us?’ Felix asked.

‘If she hears you and cannot see you clearly,’ said Bibi, ‘she may get frightened and that is when she may charge.’

‘How much, man?’ Zed joked. ‘I hope she’s not too expensive.’ He winked at Mo and Felix.

‘Oh shut up, Clive,’ Mum muttered. ‘I refuse to share a tent with you if you insist on telling jokes like that all holiday.’

Mo giggled. ‘Your uncle is a funny man,’ she said.

Felix was not listening to his mum and uncle bickering. He was drinking in the sight before him. He stopped filming for a second, turned to Bibi and whispered, ‘What is the fruit called that they are eating?’

‘It is their favourite food,’ Bibi explained. ‘They will do anything to get hold of it – even walk right into a human encampment, as you can see. It is called “marula”. For elephant, the fruit of the marula tree is like a sweet to them. It is a treat, something they cannot get enough of. But it can have a bad effect on them.’

‘What’s that?’ asked Felix.

‘They go a bit crazy, like this,’ said Mo. She began staggering around and rolling her eyes, letting her tongue loll out of her mouth, and waving an arm in front of her like a lazy elephant’s trunk. ‘It makes them alllll sleeeepy!’ she slurred.

Mum watched Mo’s behaviour with one eyebrow raised. ‘I think my dear brother might be partial to a bit of the old marula. Have you got a secret stash on your boat, Clive?’

Zed grinned. ‘I wish!’

‘Alll sleepy, like thiiiisss,’ said Mo, enjoying her audience.

‘Not so much noise,’ said Bibi.

‘Ooooo-oo-oooo! Aaaah-ah-ah!’

‘Harmony!’

Mo stopped fooling around and looked hurt. ‘That was not me, Daddy,’ she said. She looked up into the marula trees.

Everyone followed her gaze. There was nothing to be seen, however, beyond the dark green leaves and the round yellow fruit, hanging in small clusters. Suddenly one of the fruit came hurtling out of the tree and landed close to Mo’s feet, making her jump. She squealed, as did Mum.

Zed and Bibi laughed, while Felix watched the whole scene in wonder.

‘Monkeys!’ said Bibi.

Mo rolled her eyes. ‘Silly things,’ she said, and grabbed Felix by the hand. ‘Come with me. I will show you around the camp.’

‘Will the children be all right?’ Mum asked.

‘They will be fine,’ said Bibi. ‘Harmony knows the rules.’

‘But does she know to keep them?’ Mum muttered.

‘Hey, look out for the monkeys, man!’ Zed chortled.

I certainly will! thought Felix, as he followed Mo into the camp.