Rainy season takes its toll on all of us out here in the jungle. Presently I have a kidney infection, a bad cold, and the “Jungle rot” in my scalp. We have met a hooded cobra face to face, I have tripped right over 2 dreadful snakes and met a wild elephant face to face!
Of all these things I think the later is the most lethal! It happened this way:
ChaPoo, age 65 from WaSuTah is very painfully sick. We must take him to Meta hospital, but his son must first get him out on a motorbike, then we will get our truck and take him the rest of the way.
We make it to the big pagoda, but soon after that we meet up with 5 other men and a lady. They are shaking with fear and tell us not to proceed – a wild elephant is just ahead. We wait for a long time, then decide to proceed with caution. There are 3 motorbikes with 6 people. Nobody wants to go first, so BletJhaw and I go ahead, rounding one corner, 2 corners and now 3. The heavy clouds have sunk down upon us so that it is impossible to see too far ahead, but our eyes are straining in every direction. We are praying for God’s protection. People get killed in situations like this. Suddenly we see it – a large ‘boulder’ beside the road on the right. I don’t remember a large rock just there – no – not a rock – that’s the elephant! He lifts his massive head! I leap off the back of the bike while BletJhaw pivots it around, then I jump back on. The other 2 motorbikes do the same and we roar back at top speed, all the while I am looking behind to see if he is charging us.
Now we wait again. All the other people leave and go back to their villages, but we must get this man to the hospital. After another hour or so, we hear just beside us to the left, a loud roar and trumpeting sound of the elephant. We leap on the bike and go back farther. What seems like an hour later we go again, this time we do not see the elephant and praise the Lord, ChaPoo makes it to the hospital.
(In this picture we are in a very dangerous situation. Waiting with our ‘get-away vehicles’ at the top of the mountain. ChaPoo is the one in the back)