Odyssey From Africa 8a

CHAPTER 8 Two Paths   North they travelled through the jungle  Aiming to escape from forest Seeking an itinerary  Near the coast in open country    So they climbed a wooded hilltop; Han attained the top-most branches Of a mighty towering ironwood To survey the route before them    To the north the ground descended Hills were smaller and more rounded Running east to west a river Valley cut across the landscape Further yet he saw the forests Merging into coastal scrubland  Faintly in the hazy distance  Was the glimmer of the ocean   Mapping in his head their journey  Han descended from the ironwood Picking several of the tree fruits As he swung down through the branches    Once the evening camp was readied  Han began to cut a branch from  That great tree with his stone hatchet But he found this very arduous    For it was the hardest, densest Wood that he had yet encountered  But, determinedly persisting, Finally the branch was severed   Han now started on a project That would take some days to finish  Carve a boomerang of ironwood  To replace the one of bull-horn   Then they nested in the branches  Of the ironwood for the nighttime  And Ipiki, growing stronger  Circled wider in his night-flight   In the morning light they started On a route toward a valley Han had sighted from the treetop Till young Matto stopped abruptly    There was no sign of Ipiki! In distress he called the others Looked around in all directions  Then at last, some way behind them   Flitting through a forest clearing  They could see the bat Ipiki Who, although the children beckoned Would not fly in their direction    Matto thought this most unusual  Wondered sadly if Ipiki Now would bid farewell and leave them Was their partnership now ending?   Kwona, though, her steps retracing  Walked back to the forest clearing  Bidding all of them to follow  Slowly stepped toward Ipiki   Who, as soon as they were gathered  Flew off on a different bearing  Kwona sensed now that Ipiki Wanted them to change direction    Han at this was most affronted  After his high treetop survey And his navigation efforts  Thusly to be contradicted   By a tiny furry creature! Kwona tried hard to persuade him That Ipiki must be driven  By some forceful motivation   To be acting in this manner  Which for him was quite unusual  So reluctantly assenting Han and all the family followed   As Ipiki led them onward By a different higher pathway  Not descending from the hillside  But advancing by a ridge-crest