Issue link: http://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/742011
Smoked F or Christmas in 1986, one of my sons gave me a book titled Safari. A week and ten seconds after I finished the book I talked my wife into a hunting safari in Africa, and four months later we found ourselves in Zimbabwe at a camp near Lake Karibe. After breakfast that first morning we climbed into our PH's bonnetless Land Cruiser and began living our dreams. It was very early in the morning and a heavy mist hovering over the area slowed our progress. About an hour out of camp the mist lifted, and as we rounded a bend in the road, we spotted a tall, statuesque animal atop a massive termite mound. Our PH quickly turned off the ignition and we glided to a stop. In its rigid pose, the magnificent animal reminded me of the Hartford stag, only bigger and more mysterious. Leaning over to the PH, I whispered, "Is that a sable?" In all the pictures and books about Africa that I had read and researched, I had never noticed a roan antelope. Giving me the look of a frustrated father, the PH said, "That, my dear boy, is a roan antelope, and they are not only protected but very rare in these parts." Finally the roan gave a little shake, slid down the backside of the termite mound, and disappeared. That was the only roan we saw on our safari, which proved to be an unforgettable adventure. T hen in 1993 we traveled to northwest Zambia to hunt lions and buffalo. One day while driving around looking for bait animals, a large dust cloud appeared on the horizon. My first thought was a Texas-like dust devil, but then as we drew nearer I noticed six large, brown animals racing across the plain in front of us. Stopping the truck, the PH pointed toward the dust and said, "That's a good bunch of roan. We'll never get close to them, but tell your grandsons you saw them." I asked the PH, "Why can't we get up to them? Are they that fast?" Taking off his cap, he looked off into the distance and said, "Years ago they were all over the place, but now the Surrounded by fires set by the natives, the