1023 Rainforest Mines
The pig was roasted whole with its skin intact. Although the skin was scorched, the pork
inside was nicely roasted. The leaves used to marinate the pork preserved its aroma
perfectly.
The piece that Li Du ate was very fragrant. Its fragrance was, indeed, the overwhelming
impression while he ate. He had never tasted such delicious meat before.
Musa sat by his side happily, swaying along with the music like his fellow tribesmen who
were dancing around the bonfire. Li Du asked, "What do your people use to roast this
meat? It's so delicious!"
Musa smiled in delight and made a lively gesture as he spoke, "This is Panicha. We
feed the pigs Panicha and then roast them with it. Delicious."
Li Du didn't know what Panicha was, but it was obvious the plant was very suitable for
marinating meat. It was delicious and perfectly preserved the fragrance of the meat.
Of course, it was also possible that the Panicha the pigs fed on improved the quality of
the meat. Pigs that grew up on natural weeds were definitely better tasting than those
brought up on commercial grain feed.
Although the Pygmies were small, a few pigs couldn't satisfy their appetite. They had to
make other foods besides the pork.
One of the hunting teams brought back some bamboo, which they baked on the fire
rack. They cut the bamboo canes after roasting them for a while and there was a
fragrance of grilled protein.
Someone handed Li Du a bamboo cane and signaled him to eat.
Li Du sniffed the contents, which smelled similar to the fried grasshopper and fried
golden dragonfly that he ate as a child. He asked, "What is this?"
As he asked, he poured some of what was inside the bamboo into his open palm and
looked at it carefully. He then knew what it was. "Roasted ants!"
Musa scratched his head and said, " This is Sucharara, delicious."
What is so tasty about roasted ants? Li Du wasn't quite interested in the dish, but he
couldn't turn down such hospitality. It wouldn't be polite to leave his portion untouched,
so he grabbed some ants and ate them.
Things were getting interesting. The Pygmies were becoming fonder of him and invited
him to taste more of their own food.
Their dishes were very complex and varied. For example, some moths would be
instantly roasted by flames as they hovered near, tempted by the light, and people
would pick them up and eat them on the spot.
Someone picked up a moth but didn't eat it, generously offering it to Li Du instead.
Li Du drew the line here. If he were to accept the offering, who knew where this would
end? He saw someone got a big bat and hanged it above the bonfire. This might be the
next course.
He patted his belly to indicate that he had had enough food and went to help Godzilla
prop up the tent for the evening break.
Just as with the Hazai people in the Prairie Animal Sanctuary before, they slept well
through the night and woke up to the locals being already up and preparing for
breakfast.
Their breakfast consisted of leftovers from last night's dinner. Men who went out to hunt
and women who collected wild fruits came first, while the others waited for their turn to
grab food.
The weather didn't look good and it was getting a little gloomy.
Li Du was upset. He had checked the weather forecast before he left. The weather was
supposed to be good for the following week, at least there weren't supposed to be any
spring rains.
However, as the sky turned cloudy, he reckoned that it would not take long until it
rained.
He looked for Musa and asked, "Where did you find the diamond? How far is it from
here?"
Musa thought and replied, "A day's walk."
Li Du understood that the mine was far from the tribe. Therefore, they must start their
journey early and return to the car before the rainstorm.
In South Africa's spring and summer, once it started to rain, it could soon turn into a
heavy downpour. The rainforest would be dangerous during this time. Hence, it would
be best to go to the city to shelter from the rain.
He asked if Musa could depart then and Musa nodded straightaway. He took his
crossbow and led the way.
Li Du felt bad for taking Musa away again after he had just returned to the tribe and
stayed with his relatives for less than a day. That seemed a bit harsh.
Musa did not seem to feel so, however, because he was all about righteousness and
code of brotherhood. Musa guided Li Du and the others through the journey as they
continued their march northwest.
The trek was a little more convenient, as the road they took this time was a route the
Pygmies used during their hunt. Although it was not as convenient as a developed road,
at least there was a path to follow.
There were not as many wild animals in the woods as they had thought. No wonder the
Pygmies had to eat termites, bats and basically everything they could get their hands
on. It was indeed difficult to survive.
Their group walked in a column, while Musa and Brother Wolf led the way in front.
As they were walking, Musa suddenly stopped and knelt on the ground. Li Du thought it
was a social custom. Then Musa aimed his crossbow and shot at the big tree in front of
him.
Thwack, with a brittle sound, the arrow was stuck in the tree.
The arrow pinned a yellowish snake. Musa whacked its head with a wooden stick and
wrapped the snake around his waist. "Yummy," He said.
Li Du smiled and said, "You can have it all to yourself."
They went on with their journey. Musa stopped every now and then, and each time he
discovered something new.
In this regard, Li Du admired him. Musa had a pair of piercing eyes. Sometimes, he
discovered wild animals \even before Ah Ow noticed any.
That was the traditional skill of the Pygmies. They had excellent vision and keen
senses. It was the result of genes screened by nature for many generations, as well as
lifelong training.
At noon, they came across a big river and prepared lunch there.
Brother Wolf caught a few fish and grilled them over the fire.
Musa roasted the two snakes that he had wrapped around his waist, but Li Du and the
others did not dare to try any of that. Therefore, he enjoyed this delicacy himself.
Judging by its appearance, the snake meat was supposed to be good. It was roasted
with its skin on, and the meat was white and tender underneath. It was obvious Musa
found it delicious, but even so, Li Du and the others were not tempted to taste any.
After lunch, they continued to follow the route along the riverbed.
Li Du was not sure of the river's name. Brother Wolf looked it up on the map and found
that they were still in South Africa but very close to the border. The river was called
Bopin River. It originated in Botswana and flowed into South Africa.
After they had walked along the river for some time, the trees became sparser.
Then, at two o'clock in the afternoon, Musa smiled, pointed to the front and said, "There
is something here, there is."
Li Du asked with surprise, "What is it? Is there a diamond?"
Musa nodded, "Yes, there is, there is."
Li Du waved, and Brother Wolf and Godzilla followed at once. The three of them rushed
forward to look for the diamond mine on the edge of the rainforest.
The view in the jungle was not very good, and as they ran forward, they found a pile of
mounds in front of them. They stood on a mound and saw a big pit ahead.