Читать книгу Huberta's Journey - Cicely van Straten - Страница 8

Four

One morning at dawn, Novikela led her calf to Mzamuli’s territory at the edge of the reeds. Soon the bull would be leading his cows back to the river after the night’s grazing. The cow waited, listening.

Before long she heard their soft grunts approaching. She turned to face them as they entered the path through the reeds. She lowered her head and grunted.

Mzamuli stopped still. Then he snorted and came slowly towards her.

Novikela stood very quiet and lowered her head again, keeping her body between the calf and Mzamuli. Nombili4 pushed past the bull and greeted Novikela, followed by the other cows and calves.

Mzamuli uttered a triumphant “hom-hom-hom!” as he welcomed back his old cow and the calf he glimpsed behind her. They followed him into the river and swam, a family united, to the nursery on the sandbank.

There they lifted their heads and grunted to the cows and calves of Nosibanzi5 and Ndlebe6, who were wading ashore, discharging dung into the water with sharp tail flurries, booming a greeting.

Novikela’s calf pressed herself under her mother’s belly and peered between her legs at great feet and bellies, crisscrossed with scars and skinfolds. Rumbling and sighing, the cows milled around them to welcome Novikela and her newborn. Huge bristled maws nudged the calf, acknowledging her, binding her to the group.

“Gomph,” Novikela grunted and sank down onto the sand. She was back in the sanctuary again. Here her calf was safe in the presence of the great warm cows.

No animal in the bush dared approach a hippo nursery. Not even the bulls entered without permission.

“Gomph.” Novikela leaned her muzzle over Nombili’s neck and closed her eyes. She opened one eye when her calf rose and approached an older calf.

They stared at each other and began to push heads, grunting and scuffing sand. Then they locked jaws and twisted their heads from side to side. They pushed each other backwards and forwards, until Novikela’s calf fell over.

The older calf collapsed onto her and they fell asleep together on the warm sand.