Africa in My Heart: A Hunter’s Diary

I am greeted by the petrifying sight of thirty or sixty or seventy buffalo looming large at a distance, each of them staring at me. Just staring would be okay; I could handle that. But these are also coming at me. I just stand there turned to stone, waiting for something to happen—something other, that is, than having a herd of cape buffalo running toward me. If it weren’t for Peter, they surely would have trampled me to death. Fortunately, he recollects himself just in time to yell at me to get my ass behind the tree.

The tree. Hmm . . . What tree? I t takes a few seconds of scanning the land around me before I see Peter hugging a tree trunk not more than a foot in diameter. I get there in three gigantic leaps and with such verve that I knock Peter out from behind his tree. I yank him back, of course. Both of us are trying to be wafer thin (not an easy feat, that) so both of us can fit behind the tree.

In less than four seconds, the buffalo storm past on either side of our measly cover.

These hunting stories abound in thrills and merry moments yet remain truthful to life. The author invites the reader to an enchanted world where anything can happen around the next bush and where often a decision must be made in the blink of an eye. Each event described here becomes instantly tangible and sharply conveys the scents and colors, the sheer magic of the African wilderness.

The photos stand as witness of the author’s love and dedication to the African continent. I recommend this book to everyone who wants to experience the unrivalled spell of Africa.

—Koos Pienaar, big game PH HUntafrica Namibia Safaris