‘Let’s just keep calm,’ said Peter. ‘We’re safe in here.’
‘What about the hole in the windscreen?’ Binti pointed out.
‘The ditch will protect us from an attack from the front,’ Peter replied.
‘I thought black rhinos were supposed to be rare,’ Aesha whispered. ‘I can’t believe one has appeared just when we least want to see it!’
They stared back out at the rhino, which flicked its ear to remove an irritating fly but continued to gaze in their direction.
I wanted to see a rhino in the wild, thought Joe, but not like this.
‘It looks awesome with the sun setting in the background,’ Peter observed, picking up his camera.
‘Surely you’re not going to take a photo when we’re in danger of being crushed!’ protested Aesha.
‘It’s my job,’ Peter said simply.
He bent down, put his arm round the side of the driver’s seat and picked up Matunde’s shotgun.
‘I’ll only use it if I have to,’ he added, seeing Joe’s consternation.
Joe hardly dared pick up his own camera, but it was too good an opportunity to miss.
Imagine what my friends will say when I show them the photo and tell them the rhino could have attacked us!
The rhino seemed quite happy to stand behind the boulder and pose while Joe and his father took one photograph after another. Binti and Aesha watched anxiously for any sign that it was developing anything more than a passing interest in its audience. When it took a few steps towards them, Aesha let out a scream, but it stopped, turned away from them and disappeared into some bushes.
‘Thank goodness for that.’ Binti sighed, after waiting for a few moments to see if it was going to reappear. ‘I might be used to dealing with large animals, but I prefer it to be on my terms.’
The night was closing in fast when Matunde finally began to move again. He leant back awkwardly in his seat, swaying precariously, and tried to work out where he was.
‘What happened?’ he asked when Peter put a hand on his shoulder and told him everything was all right.
‘We seem to have landed in a ditch and we can’t get out of it,’ said Peter.
‘It’s my fault.’ Matunde shook his head. ‘It was too wet, but I wanted to find you a rhino and I know one lives here.’
‘We’ve seen it!’ piped up Joe. ‘It was behind that boulder there. We got some amazing photos!’
Matunde pulled a torch from under the dashboard and switched it on, but then thought better of it and switched it off again.
‘I need to see if the truck will move,’ he muttered.
He turned the key in the ignition, but Peter restrained him.
‘The truck’s not going anywhere,’ he said. ‘We need someone to come and rescue us.’
He didn’t have time to say any more. There was a loud bang and the truck shook. Aesha yelped. Joe held his breath. Peter took hold of the shotgun. Matunde tried to grab it from him, but Peter refused to let go.
‘You’re still concussed,’ he hissed. ‘It’s better if I have it.’
‘Hold on tight to the seats and keep together in the middle of the truck,’ Binti told Joe and Aesha, as it shook again.
‘It’s the rhino!’ Joe whispered. ‘It’s barging us from behind the truck.’
‘Shhh!’ Binti warned him.
‘What if it tips the truck over?’ Aesha was terrified.
‘It won’t,’ Peter said firmly.
They could hear the rhino snorting and the thump of its feet on the ground. There was another violent bang, and Joe lost his grip. He fell sideways on to Aesha, who lost her balance and landed in the well of the truck with Joe on top of her.
‘Mum told you to hold on,’ Aesha hissed, as he grappled to stand up.
‘Keep quiet,’ Peter warned them.
Minutes passed by, with no one daring to move. Darkness settled around them, the last glowing cinders of the magnificent sunset extinguished by clouds and a fresh shower of rain dampening the air. The only light came from the intermittent rays of a three-quarter moon. Joe shivered as a chill wind blew through the broken windscreen.
Something dark rammed the side of the truck. Aesha screamed. Matunde shouted. In a brief burst of moonlight, Joe saw the rhino’s face, tiny eyes staring, horn poised, ready to charge. He felt for his mother’s hand and Binti squeezed his hand in return.
A loud bang ripped through the night, followed by another and another. Joe winced.
Don’t kill it! Please don’t kill it . . .
‘He’s gone.’ Matunde spoke first. ‘That frightened him off. Shoot again to let the rangers know where we are. They’ll have noticed by now that we haven’t returned to the campsite.’
Joe put his fingers in his ears as his father fired several more shots, this time leaning out through an open window and aiming the rifle upward.
‘I don’t think he’ll be back,’ said Peter. ‘I think he’ll decide there are better ways to spend the night.’
‘Let’s hope the rangers find us before something else comes along,’ said Binti.