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
Copyright © Phil Salmon | Year Posted 2017
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