Andrew Pender-Smith

The Warnings Andrew Pender-Smith

Why is an old farmhouse slowly crumbling away in the middle of the African bush veld? What became of its owner who went fishing one hot and sunny afternoon, and why do the people who live nearby now refuse to set foot on the farm? Those who travel on foot along the stony paths of the Zululand countryside, who sit and rest beneath the thorn trees or spend time with its rivers and streams, need to be constantly alert for what they may encounter in nature. Most days, life is pleasant and much that is good can be encountered. There are some occasions, however, when one has to deal with the unpredictable and even the highly dangerous. That is why it is always wise to stay alert, because to ignore nature's warnings could bring severe injury or even inescapable death. There is also another world behind and within the one you see. It is the world of the spirits, those that are good and those that are bad. They offer signs and warnings wherever you go, and you need to recognise these things. Rejoice if you are sent a mark of good fortune such as the finding of the egg of an eagle. Live in fear of what may come riding through the night on the back of a baboon. Think many times before venturing close to a cave curtained by a waterfall. If you do not, somebody may find your body on a lonely path with your brains sucked out. There again, they may never find it at all.