Chapter 37.
After receiving a call that poachers were in a certain area Andy picked up Petrus one of the game guards and left him to patrol the area where they were last seen.
At about 12.30 hours Petrus called on the radio that he had sighted two men, one with a firearm and each carrying what he thought could be two sacks of meat. Andy told him that he would pick up two other guards and they would meet him at a certain point. They met and then followed the poachers spoor to an adjoining farm.
They saw the poachers stand up out the long grass, pick up the bags and started running away from them. As Andy chased after them he fired a shot into the air and shouted that the two must stop. Instead they dropped the bags and ran off in different directions.
"Later I fired five more shots with my pistol because the rifle had jammed. While I tried to un-jam it the three guards chased after the two. Then I heard a gun shot and was told that Petrus had been shot. I sent the one guard to go and report the shooting to the police while me and the other guard went to help Petrus but when we got to him he was already dead. I don't know what the barstards looked like, I only know that the one who had the rifle wore a green overall. The guard that I sent to report the shooting came back with three policemen and when we went to see what was in the sacks we found the meat and one boot. I don't know how someone could run so fast with only one boot on his feet." Andy said.
A couple of days later the poachers were caught and the game guard identified pointed them out at an identification parade. One he recognized because he had struggled with him and could not forget his face and the second one he identified as carrying a panga when they chased the two.
The police asked him how he knew it was the same guy that carried the panga. He replied that when he went to the compound the the guy saw him then ran away. So he asked permission to search the hut and found the panga.
There was a trial later and both the accused were found guilty of man-slaughter and sentence would be passed at a later date.
One of the guards said he had heard that the poachers had instructions to kill Andy if they came in contact with him. When they were questioned they refused to say who it was that had given the instructions.
ns 15.158.61.20da2
