Elephant Song - Smith Wilbur - Страница 11

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Once that happens, prices in South Africa will rise to find their true levels.  They purchased great ranches of tens of thousands of acres for the same price as a three-room flat in Taipei.  They purchased factories and office blocks and shopping centres from American companies forced by their government to disinvest from South Africa.  They paid five and ten cents for a dollar's worth of value.

However, Cheng's father, who had been among other things a steward of the Hong Kong race club, was too astute a gambler to place all his bets on a single horse.  They invested in other African countries.  An agreement had just been negotiated between South Africa and Cuba and Angola and America for the independence of Namibia.  The family invested in property in Windhoek and fishing licences and mineral rights in that country.  Through Chetti Singh, Cheng was introduced to ministers of government in Zambia and Zaire and Kenya and Tanzania who for financial considerations were inclined to look favourably on Taiwanese investment in their countries, at prices which Cheng's father found acceptable.

Nevertheless, despite all these other major investments, Cheng's father, for sentimental reasons, was still drawn to the original ivory venture which had first provoked his interest in the dark continent.

At their last meeting he had remarked to Cheng, as his son knelt in front of him to ask his blessing, My son, it would please me greatly if, once you return to Africa, you were able to find a large quantity of registered and stamped ivory.  Illustrious father, the only sources of legal ivory are the government auction Cheng broke off as he saw his father's expression of scorn.

Ivory purchased at government auctions leaves very little!  margin of profit, the old man hissed.  I had expected you to show better sense than that, my son.  His father's censure rankled deeply, and Cheng spoke to Chetti Singh at the very next opportunity.

Chetti Singh stroked his rolled beard thoughtfully.  He was a handsome man and the immaculate white turban added to his stature.  I am now thinking of but one single solitary source of registered ivory, he said.

And that is being the government warehouse.  You are suggesting that the ivory might be taken from the warehouse before the auction?

Perhaps.  .

. Chetti Singh shrugged, but it would be calling for great and meticulous laying of plans.  Let me run my mind over and around this vexing problem.  Three weeks later they met again at Chetti Singh's office in Lilongwe.  I have occupied my mind greatly, and a solution has occurred to me, the Sikh told him.

How much will it cost?  Cheng's first question was instinctive.  Kilo for kilo, no more than the acquisition of unregistered ivory, but as there will be only opportunity to procure a single and solitary shipment we will be wise to be making it as large as possible.  The contents of an entire warehouse, never mind!

How would your father be struck by that?

Cheng knew his father would be delighted.  Registered ivory had three or four times the value of illicit ivory in the international marketplace.

Let us consider which country will provide us with this merchandise, Chetti Singh suggested, but it was obvious that he had already decided.

Not Zaire or South Africa.  Those are two countries where I do not have an effective Organization.

Zambia and Tanzania and Kenya have very little ivory remaining.  We are left with Botswana, where there is no large-scale culling, or finally Zimbabwe.  Good, Cheng nodded with satisfaction.

The ivory is accumulated in the game department ware houses at Wankie and Harare and Chiwewe until is being undertaken the hi-annual auction.

We would acquire the merchandise from one of those centres.  Which one? The warehouse in Harare is too well guarded.  Chetti Singh held up three fingers of his one hand and, having discarded Harare, he folded one down, leaving two fingers raised.  Wankie is the largest National Park.

However, it is far from the Zambian border.  He folded down another finger.  Which leaves Chiwewe.  I have trustworthy agents on the Park's staff there.  They tell me that the warehouse is almost full of registered ivory at the present time, and the Park headquarters are less than thirty miles from the Zambezi River and the Zambian border.

One of my teams could cross the river and be there in a day's march, never mind!

You intend to rob the warehouse?  Cheng leaned forward over his desk.

Without the shade or fraction of a doubt.  Chetti Singh lowered his raised finger and looked surprised.  Was that not also your intention all along?  Perhaps, Cheng replied carefully.  But is it feasible?

Chiwewe is in a remote and isolated area of the country, but it lies on the river, which is an international boundary.  I would send in a raiding party of twenty men armed absolutely with automatic weapons and led by one of my best and most reliable hunters.  In darkness they cross the river from Zambia in canoes and in a day's hard marching they reach the Park's headquarters and fall upon it.  They dispose of all witnesses .  . . Cheng coughed nervously and Chetti Singh paused and looked at him questioningly.  These would not amount to more than four or five persons.  The permanent rangers are in my pay.  The visitors camp will be closed against the rainy season and the bulk of the staff will have returned to their villages on leave.  The only remaining personnel will be the Park warden and two or three other skeleton staff.  Still, is there no way that we can avoid disposing of them?  It was not a matter of scruples that made Cheng hesitate.  It was prudent not to take unnecessary risks, if they could be avoided.  if -you can be suggesting alternatives, I would be pleased to cast my mind over them, Chetti Singh told him, and after a moment's thought Cheng shook his head.

No, not at the moment, but please go on.  Let me hear the rest of your plan.  Very well.  My men dispose of all witnesses and burn down the ivory warehouse and then immediately retreat across the river.  The Sikh stopped speaking, but he watched Cheng s face with ill-concealed glee, anticipating his next question.  It annoyed Cheng that he must ask it, for it sounded naive even to his own ears.  But what about the ivory?

Chetti Singh smirked mysteriously, forcing him to ask again.  Will your poachers take the ivory?  You say they will be a small party.

Surely they will not be able to carry that much, will they?  That is the absolute beauty of my plan.  The raid is a dead herring for the Zimbabwe police.  And this time Cheng smiled at the solecism.  We want them to believe that the poachers have taken the ivory.  Then they will not think to look for it inside their own country, will they?  Now, as he sat on his verandah in the midday heat, Cheng nodded grudgingly.

Chetti Singh's plan was ingenious, except, of course, that it did not take into account the presence of Armstrong and his television crew.

In fairness, however, none of them could have foreseen that.

Once again he considered delaying or cancelling the operation entirely, but almost immediately rejected the idea.  By this time, Chetti Singh's men would be across the river and marching on the camp.

There was no way he could reach them, and warn them to turn back. They were far past the point of no return.  If Armstrong and his camera man were still here when Chetti Singh's men arrived, then they would have to be disposed of along with the warden and his family and staff.

Cheng's train of thought was interrupted by the ringing of the telephone at the far end of the verandah.  The VIP cottage was the only one in the visitors camp equipped with a telephone.  He jumped up and went to it quickly.  He had been expecting the call.  It had been prearranged and was part of Chetti Singh's plan.

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