The Jeep's two way radio crackled, breaking the silence of the hot Aftican night. We were on Safari in the South Luangwa National Park in Zambia and one of the other jeeps was radioing that they had spoted a leopard in another quadrant about five minutes drive from where we were parked. The hot night air tore at out skin as we sped silently along unsealed tracks and across rough grasslands toward our goal. The starless night and veiled new moon, pierced only by dim headlights and the powerful sweeping beam of spotter lamp as it wandered across our path, searched for the tell tale eyes of our prey. Suddenly, she was there. Her sleek outline in silhoette as she stood briefly in the beam of our light. Majestic, graceful, elegant - and way too cool to let on she knew we were watching her every move. She posed momentarily for us then walked slowly across our horizon, a handful of light beams chasing her like huge white Jedi swords, fighting to pick out her image as she moved against the background undergrowth. Then, just as suddenly as she had appeared, she was gone. No chase, no struggle, just the finality of her departure.
It all reminded me of my early teen years. How we would dress up of a Friday evening and parade ourselves down Otaki's Main Street. Skin tight Levi's, hair Brylcreamed down and heading for the local Milk Bar. Posing and posturing beside the Jukebox, eyeing the local girls from our periferal vision but way too cool to let on we were looking. Great White Hunters sizing up our prey.
Just like our evning encounter with the Leopard it didn't matter that there was no chase, no finality to the exercise. Just being there and looking cool was sufficient.
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