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208nade could then be electronically triggered. This was a little bit frightening particularly as the children used to prop their bicycles against the posts. That night we went out to help a calf be borne. It was too large for the cow and was already dead when we reached it in a truck. The farmer wanted it out to try to save the cow. We all pulled and heaved on a rope tied round the calf and drenched it in engine oil. We eventually got it out. I wrote home that James Herriot (of all creatures great and small) had nothing on me. All this in the dark in the African bush. Unfortunately, the cow died later. They were building a dam at the farm. It was 200 yds long and 60 yds across. Ian was worried that it would not be finished before the rains came. The workforce for this lived in a native village nearby with all their families. At some point, a deputation came in and said they were hungry. The deal was that they were given rations for the week on the Sunday. This was a sort of mealy stuff which they made into a sort of thick porridge which was their staple diet. Ian said they could have no more until the next day and there was a lot of argument. Eventually, he gave in, and they were given some more. He told us that each Sunday they would cook about half of their ration. Food would be spilt, given to the dogs, and generally wasted. They would continue to cook up about half of what was left throughout the week but come Saturday they would completely have run out. He said it happened every week and no matter how much they promised to be more careful it was always the same. On Saturday we went to a club for a few beers and to see an amateur dramatics farce that Ian was in. It was very funny. They had to make their own entertainment where they were. They told me that although the war was over, there were still bandits about and not all that long ago there had been a murder there. We went out to Ian%u2019s car and when he came out, he had a rifle which he stowed beside him. It was a bit like