\u201cWe can go to Seronga tonight and then take the road to the ferry. There will be too many people to risk going the other way. We\u2019ll cross the ferry in the morning and then make our way by road to The Hills. Once we get closer there should be less people and we can risk using the faster method. With luck we should be there in a couple of days.\u201d Lorato rolled up the map and stood up.<\/p>\n
\u201cA couple of days?\u201d Lesedi echoed incredulously. \u201cHow is that possible?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have The Cart!\u201d said Lorato, not offering any further explanation.<\/p>\n
Lesedi scratched his head. He knew The Cart could go fast, much faster than any of the other donkey carts around, but they had to get to Seronga first and to do that they had to use the river. There was no way of getting there by land as Jao was completely surrounded by water. How were they going to get the donkeys and The Cart on a motor boat? None of the boat drivers would allow that; they were really fussy about their boats and there was no way they would be able to get them in a mokoro.<\/p>\n
\u201cOff you go and get ready,\u201d said Lorato. \u201cTell everyone you\u2019re packing in case you have to go to school with Aunt Matilda and don\u2019t bring too much. We don\u2019t want to overload the Cart and tire out Mary and James.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mary and James were the two donkeys that pulled The Cart. Lesedi had never figured out why his grandfather had called them these silly names but the donkeys didn\u2019t seem to mind, so he supposed it was okay. If you just glanced at Mary and James they looked like your run-of-the-mill donkeys, but on closer observation you realised they were actually quite different. Their eyes were bright, their ears pricked up, and most important of all they were very energetic and loved working. They regarded themselves as a cut above the rest of the donkeys in the village and refused to mix with them. Whenever they passed by they would toss their noses in the air and turn their backs. <\/p>\n
\u201cMake sure Kgatwe knows we\u2019re leaving tonight,\u201d Lorato called after Lesedi. \u201cHe could be very useful. That is if he remembers his lessons!\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cKgatwe said he wasn\u2019t going to come with,\u201d Lesedi called back. \u201cI think he\u2019s scared of all the weird creatures over there.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYou tell Kgatwe I say he is coming with whether he likes it or not!\u201d
\nLesedi nodded. He liked having the little gecko along. He was more on his wavelength and they could mull things over together. He knew Kgatwe wasn\u2019t too keen on the idea of going to The Hills but Lorato said he had to come, so that was it. Lesedi decided to go and look for him first to tell him that he had to come whether he liked it or not and to see what he thought about them getting there in a couple of days.
\nKgatwe was sunning himself in Lesedi\u2019s mokoro next to the river. Lesedi sat down on the bank and began relating all the exciting news. He was careful to make sure there was no one else around before he did this. He had been caught several times before, supposedly talking to his mokoro, which had amused the other boys no end. <\/p>\n
\u201cSo we leave tonight,\u201d he said, \u201cand we will be in The Hills in a couple of days.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHmmmm,\u201d said Kgatwe, not expressing any surprise at the speed of it all. \u201cYou\u2019re still talking about this \u2018we\u2019 stuff. What if those corn crickets bite my head off?\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cWell, you just make sure that you\u2019re larger than them and bite their heads off!\u201d Lesedi laughed. <\/p>\n
\u201cAfter yesterday\u2019s performance I don\u2019t know if I trust myself with that trick anymore.\u201d<\/p>\n