Story of the week: It’s just firewood

Yesterday I was out with some Bushman helping them get some firewood. We had gone a few km from town and I had driven my truck so they could load up. We turned off the main road and heading down an old path. The grass was as tall as the truck. We parked and I noticed patches of the grass flattened. It was where elephants had been sleeping. Elephants here are very dangerous. We got out and started to walk through this grass. I admit I was scared. Snakes, any wildlife could ambush us. Remember the grass is above our heads. All of a sudden I hear a low growl. We all (4 of us) stop in our tracks. The leader says let’s go back to the car and go over to the other side. I’m thinking great idea cause that sound is something this American white boy has never heard. And I’m thinking to myself, it’s just firewood. Isn’t there a safer place to get some. Yes we normally go somewhere else and that seems safer. We get the wood and on the way back I get the courage to ask what it was. I was told it was a leopard, the low growl was him killing something else. Lucky for us. Was it worth it? I’m not going back soon. Lol.