"Anyone else would die of thirst in a few days." "In this arid desert  that looks like a paradise, there's no surface water." "But the slender, graceful Bushmen of the Kalahari  live here contentedly and in complete harmony with their environment." "They have lived undisturbed for 20,000 years because they are  the only people in the world who know how to live without surface water." "When ivory poachers in high-tech vehicles intrude into this thirst-land  to hunt elephant, they have to drag reservoirs of water with them." "And when the water runs low they have to hightail it out of the Kalahari again." "So the Bushmen work and play in peaceful isolation unaware  of the crowded, hectic world outside their domain  and even of the wars that are fought on the very fringes of the Kalahari." "Sometimes Xixo tells about the time he looked for the end of the Earth  and about the strange, heavy people he met  but it's difficult to describe those who live outside the Kalahari." "He always ends by saying the heavy people know some magic  that can make things move and even fly, but they're not bright  because they can't survive without their magic contrivances." "In the mornings, they like to read the news." "They can read that the hyena has a new girlfriend  the cheetah has lost a baby, and the oryx is migrating to the west." "Older children teach younger ones how to read the gossip about the animals  because everything that happens in the Kalahari gets printed in the sand." "It's all printed out here." "This is where they started infringing on the patent." "Give it to me there." "Now, that I can present in court." "Go back to frame A." "And give me sales." "Cathy, will you take this?" "Take him off." "Now, cost per unit." "And a printout on that." "Mr. Geoffrey says he has to go to Hong Kong about the takeover." " Tell him, "Have a good flight."" " He won't make the ECACL conference." " He can't do that to me." " He'd like you to read the paper." "You did the research, so you deserve the honor." "I have to take this case to court on Wednesday." " Says you'll be back before Wednesday." " Oh, boy." "That morning, Xabe came with the news that  the animals are moving towards the marula groves in the north." "He shouted, "The marulas are ripe." "Let's go collect some. "" "Xisa and little Xiri ran up and said, "Can we come too?"" "Xixo said, "Let's see if you're big enough." "If you're taller than my bow  the hyena will be afraid and stay away." "If you're shorter, he'll take you. "" "But Xiri said, "Please let me come too."" "And Xisa said, "I promise I'll always stay close to him."" " Where is the conference this year?" " In Okakarara." " Where's that, Nebraska?" " No, Africa." "Oh, boy." "They gathered a lot of marulas and on the way home they found  the spoor of a wounded elephant." "Xixo said, "This elephant is very weak." "It's going to die. "" "He said to Xisa, "You and Xiri can go on home." "Tell your mother we will come when we've found the sick elephant. "" "There was a very strange and beautiful pattern on the ground." "Xisa couldn't read it." "She'd never seen anything like it in her life." "There was another as beautiful as the first." "She wondered how anything could make such a long, unbroken track." "She followed the track and saw a very strange-looking thing." "She said, "This thing went round and round  and that's how it made such a long pattern without footprints. "" "Xiri saw a beautiful dewdrop grow, and when it dropped  another one began to grow in its place." "They knew the gods put dewdrops on plants in the night." "But here they could see a dewdrop form in broad daylight." "Xisa said, "I think this thing is making the water."" "Xiri had never seen so much water in his life." "He didn't know there was so much water in the whole world." "They found the elephant and saw the tiny wounds that had made it die." "The tracks told Xixo the heavy people had been there  but wondered why they took the useless tusks and left the meat to rot." "He said, "The heavy people are strange."" "Bo said, "I'll call Xabo's family to help us eat it." "If I run all day and night I can find them by tomorrow. "" "Xixo said, "We'll go call our family."" "There were many tusks." "It takes the gods more than a man's lifetime  to make a full-grown elephant, and it horrified them to see so many had died." "Xixo and Xabe found the place where Xisa and Xiri's tracks suddenly stopped." "Xixo said, "Xisa climbed onto the thing." "Xiri went up too, and it took them away. "" "He said, "Tell our family they must start eating the dead elephant." "I'll fetch Xisa and Xiri. "" "Sorry about the short notice, but we're honored to have you." "Thank you." "I would've liked the safari tour but I have to prepare my presentation." " You'll be all right?" " I'll be fine, thank you." " Good." "I'll leave you to it." " You know where Stephen's working?" " I think I've got a rough idea." " You may have to search around a bit." " Right." " And Jack?" " Yeah?" "Tell Stephen we'll send the rest of the stuff out to him later." "What's a nice girl like you doing in a place like this?" " Oh, boy." " You don't buy it." "Okay, I'll try again." " Hi." "Like to come fly with me?" " I have to work." "That's why no safari trip." "Trip's three hours." "I could show you Africa in half an hour." "I have to present this at 3:30." " Only half an hour?" " Yes, doctor." " So, what are you, a doctor of medicine?" " No, corporate law." " What a tiny plane." " We got a smaller one but can't find it." " Can it fly?" " In you go." " What are those?" " Buffalo." "Look, no hands." "Flies by itself." "Safest plane in the world." " Coffee." " Morning, boss." " You only done 80 miles." " Yeah, I slept a little bit." " You stopped." " I was bushed." "So I pulled up and..." " You slept more than four hours." " I was real pooped." " I told you we're late." " I was really pooped, boss." " Move over." " It's okay, boss." "I'm fresh now." "Jeez, boss." "Lazy bastard." " Get back to sleep." " I'm wide-awake now." " Sleep." " Yes, boss." "I'll be right back." " Hi, Stephen." " Hi." "Thanks." "You're cutting it fine." "There's a hell of a cumulus building up." "One of those thermals grabs you, it's gonna whip you right to 20,000 feet." " See you later." " Stephen, is Geoff there yet?" "Over." "Hi, Bob." "Yes, he's here." "Over." "Can you fly back in with him?" "We found a sick baby giraffe." "We need your advice." "Over." "Okay." "Out." " You can't cart your floozies around." " She's not a floozy." " Hi." " Morning." "Do you do some kind of work around here?" "Hello, Stephen." "Come in." "Over." "Stephen, are you there?" "Over." " Stephen, come in." "Over." " Hi, Bob." "This is Jack." "Over." "Jack, don't take off yet." "There's a freak storm moving in very fast." "Over." " Bob, they've just taken off." "Over." " They?" "Someone is with him?" "Over." " Yes." "Over." " Who?" "Over." " There was this young lady." "Over." " Was she with you?" "Over." " Sort of." "Over." " Boy, you're in trouble." "Over." "Over." "Xixo's old friend Waka was looking at the tracks the heavy people made." "Xixo greeted him and said his children were in the thing that made the tracks." "Waka greeted him back and said, "I'll come with you to find your children."" "But Xixo said, "There's a dead elephant back there." "Go with your family to help my family eat it. "" "They stopped." " There's whiskey under your seat." " I'm okay." " Give it to me." " You gonna start drinking?" "Give me." "Can this thing fly on Scotch?" "George." "Boss?" "Take over." "Xisa said, "When this thing gets tired it will rest." "Then we can follow the tracks back home. "" "Running out of Scotch." "This any good?" "We're flying backwards." "I have to read my paper at 3:30." "How do I get back?" "We have to find a road so I can hitch a ride." "So which way to the nearest road?" " This is baobab country." " It can speak." " We're at least 300 miles from base." " Oh, boy." "Maybe more." " I'm sorry." " Any time." " I have to get to a phone." " I don't even know what country we're in." "Hey!" " What?" " They're not scared of me." " So?" " They don't know about people." " We're in the deep Kalahari." " Will they find us?" " Eventually." " How long is eventually?" "Maybe a day, maybe a week." "I have to be back in New York on Wednesday." " You're from New York?" " I have to survive here for a week?" "Anyone who can survive in New York can survive here." " We'll starve to death." " There's enough food around here." "Our problem will be water." "All we have is that six-pack up there." "They were getting thirsty, but they knew where there was plenty of water." "She said, "No, I'm too heavy to pull up." "Come down here so you can push me up." "Then I can pull you up. "" "Xiri had never been in water in his life  but soon got used to it and quite enjoyed it." "Is that water?" " Petrol." "Gas." " So?" "If I can get this down, we can fly out." "Today?" "I have to take it apart, bring it down, assemble it again." " Eventually." " Maybe by tomorrow, the next day." "Was that a lion?" " I can hear them." " Let down the rope." "I want to get up." " They won't bother us." " You're okay." " They're bothering me down here." " They're not coming this way." "What about eventually?" "Don't bother them, they won't bother you." " And if they're hungry?" " They're far from here." "It's swarming with wild animals here." "Don't bother them, they won't bother you." "I'm not bothering them." "This one is drooling at me." " It's a hyena." "They're always drooling." " So?" "Ignore him." "Don't smile at him." "He sees your teeth he might think you're threatening him." " Let me get up." " You're enjoying this." " Yeah." " Why don't you relax and enjoy it too?" " Enjoy?" " Wild animals, no food, no water." " No room service." "Yeah, no plumbing." "What I need is plumbing." "Now." " Go behind that thicket." " Alone?" "The lions are that way." " They're very far." "If you don't bother..." " They won't bother me." "I know, I know." " How do I get down?" " How'd you get up there?" " The lion was roaring." " Wasn't a lion." "It was a hyena sounding off." "Right." "Now, just a minute." "Turn your back." " Pull me up." " I can't." "Friction." "Then let me down." " Stop." " What do you want me to do?" " Don't look at me." " I'm not." "What do you want me to do?" "Let me down." "What's so funny?" "Okay, I won't bother you, see?" "So don't you bother me." " Watch it!" " Go away!" "Run, run, run, run, run, run." "Get up a tree!" "You okay?" " You said if I didn't bother them..." " I see there's a baby rhino." "Maybe the mother thought you were molesting it." "I only talked to it." "I didn't even smile at it." " They're going away." " I'm not coming down before you can fly me out of here." " There's no plumbing up there." " You thirsty?" " Yes." " Right, you can have half a beer." " Great." " Don't open it yet." " Sorry." "Oh, my goodness." "Sorry." "What did I do wrong?" "Well, it's warm." "Drink it now." "Right." "It's getting late." "We have to find food before it gets dark." "I saw an ostrich nest." " Do they bite?" " No, they kick." "But they aren't bright." "You lie down flat, he can't see you." "That's the male." "He guards the eggs." " But if you can distract him..." " How do I distract a male ostrich?" "Lie down flat!" "Xixo thought he saw his children's footprints  but it was only a baboon that had walked past." " So, what went wrong?" " Nothing." "We got the egg." "You mean that was standard procedure?" "Got a match?" "The thing came back." "I'm sorry." " You got a match?" " I got a lighter." "Big Ben calling Ramjee." "Big Ben calling Ramjee." "Do you read me?" "Ramjee, come in." "Big Ben calling." " Come in, Ramjee." "Still out of range." " Maybe they're not there yet." "He said he'd meet us on the ninth." "That's yesterday." "Sorry, boss." " 10,000 people will attend the opening." "Although nine helicopters  and four planes are taking part, no sign of Dr. Marshall and Dr. Taylor." " Was that us?" " I suppose so." " Doctor of what?" " Zoology." " You?" " Law." " We have to watch that guy." " Hyena?" "He's a coward." "If you're taller than him, he'll keep his distance." "But if you lie down he'll sneak up and take a chunk out of your leg." "Take first watch." "Call me when the moon gets there I'll take it to there, then you take it to first light." "Coming down." " I'm ready." " For what?" "You only jumped 25 centimeters." "What happened to standard procedure?" "Maybe next time." " Where we gonna take off from?" " There's a saltpan three miles from here." "How many blocks is that?" "Keep the sun over your right shoulder." "Stay clear of low branches." " What?" " It's that damn rhino." "It's a male." "It's harmless." "Why are you always climbing up trees?" "I'm not a doctor of zoology." "How do I know about males and females?" "Damn near wrecked the nose wheel." "Give me slack." " You only jumped 124 centimeters." " These things are dangerous." "It's very small." " When it grabs hold it never lets go." " Kind of cute." "Hey." "No!" " Now we've got a flat." " What do I do with this?" " Why don't you throw it away?" " It'll just come right back." "Can you change the tire?" " Can you undo my boot?" " Why?" "It's the one that stepped on him." "If I give it to him, he can have his revenge." " Is there enough gas to take us back?" " lf we get it off the ground." " No, it won't work." " Can't you fix it?" "No pump." "You wanna be the wheel." "You're crazy." "You see that stick?" "When I shout, bring it this way." " I can't fly." " It'll lift your side, then center up." "When I shout again, pull back." "Bring it over, center, pull back." " Then what?" " I'll take over." "But I can't even drive a manual." "Do you wanna kill us both?" "You're nuts." "I can't fly." "Do you hear me?" " I can't fly a plane." " Throttles." " What?" " Shiny ones, push them forward." "Here we go." " Come on." "Stick it back." "Center up." " I told you I can't fly." "Right now, pull back." " You said pull back." " Not way back." " Pull it, pull it, pull it." " Will you make up your mind?" " Bring her down, bring her down." " What?" " We go that way." " You said you were gonna take over." " You should have gone that way." "Shit." " Shit." "Trust a woman to do anything, and she buggers it up." "So she buggered it up." "Look down and read." "It says, "onloff." Switch it off, then glide." "I told you I can't fly." "It says, "Ballistic parachute." Clearly." "Read it." "Press the button." "You'll be okay." "I told you I can't even drive a manual." "It's easy." "Bring it over, center it up, pull back." "Get it right!" "I showed you so nicely." "I said, "Bring it over." Not, "Bring it over!"" "You'll break your neck." "You don't explain properly." "I could have broken my neck." "How am I going to find you with only one boot?" "Better find my boot." "Shoo." "Go away." "Shit." "Wait!" "Hi." "Do you want to sell me your bike?" "Look." "I'll give you money." "I give you money, you give me the bike." "I have to go that way." "There's a man." "I'll pay you, you take me that way." "Here." "Please, I insist." "Okay." "Pay you when we get there." "There?" "Well, why don't we try something else?" "Yeah, sure." "All right." "Good thinking." "Are you gonna hang in there forever?" "There." "Lunch." "Go on, try it." "Okay, try that." "Look, I'm really sorry." "Please, take this." "No, come on." "Bye." "Well, thanks." "Bye." "Gotta find somebody." "You said you were tired." "Hey, go home." "Go back to your family." "Go on, get." "Get." "Shoo." "Go." "English?" "Okay." "Get up."