The Everest Files (6 page)

Kami laughed out loud. This escapade was getting more radical by the minute. Getting to the Langtang cliffs in two days would make it a phenomenally hard trek and there were many hazards they would face on the way.

‘You really think we can do that?' he asked.

‘We have to do it. There's no choice,' she replied earnestly. And he knew she absolutely meant it.

Kami thought about it as they carried the water containers back up to the village. His mind was fogged up with adrenaline but he knew there was no time for weighing up the pros and cons; it was something they had to act on immediately or not at all.

Above all he couldn't let Shreeya down. By the time they had reached the village shrine he had made the decision.

‘Alright,' he told her, ‘Let's do it.'

The smile she gave him at that moment was enough to take Kami's breath away. At that same moment he noticed for the first time how her face had changed that summer. The soft lines of childhood were magically gone and the elegant shape of Shreeya's face was now that of a young woman … and a beautiful one at that.

‘We'll need food,' Shreeya said, ever practical. ‘Get what you can. I'll meet you at the shrine at midnight.'

And with that she took the heavy jerrycans and slipped away through the village streets.

Shreeya wrote a note in her school book that night and left it open where her father would find it.

We have gone to save the leopards.
It said simply.
Please don't worry.

Kami got busy as soon as his family were asleep, creeping from his bed and entering the kitchen. He found some boiled eggs, half a kilo of raisins and a few packets of biscuits. He opened up the front door with infinite care, cursing the huge wooden catch as it creaked and groaned.

Shreeya was already tucked into the shadows, waiting for him by the village shrine.

‘Let's go.' Kami was itching to get away.

They slipped away from the village on a little-used track, dodging into the star-cast shadows of the night and grateful for a half moon of guiding light. Kami felt tenser than he had ever been in his life, his guts churning ceaselessly as he wondered if they would yet be caught.

With every step they feared a shout would ring out behind them, but all was quiet. Only the electric buzz of nocturnal insects and the liquid song of nightjars punctuated the silence.

After an hour of fast walking they reached the critical point on the trail; the place where they would have to turn off the main path and commit to the long climb up the valley wall.

‘Last chance. You can go back if you want,' Shreeya told him earnestly. He could see her eyes glinting in the moonlight. ‘You won't be missed if you go back now.'

Kami thought about it for a few moments. He knew full well that this escapade was going to put him in big trouble. It would earn him a beating at least, and possibly a long ‘grounding' when he would be forbidden to leave the village.

But his loyalty to Shreeya was absolute, and he could not imagine letting her go on this perilous journey alone.

‘I'm coming with you,' he said firmly, and the two of them stepped onto the trail that led upwards into the dark forest.

The further they got from the village the wilder the night became. Occasionally they disturbed foraging animals, jumping out of their skins as a wild pig or deer crashed away in a panic through the undergrowth.

At dawn the trail came to a river crossing that Shreeya remembered badly from their previous journey. It was a rope bridge across a deep canyon and it swayed alarmingly; Shreeya was nervous of heights, and the drop into the glacial river below was a hundred metres or more.

Many of the wooden slats were missing and there were places where you had to leap across gaps that were frighteningly wide, using just the frayed ropes as handrails.

She didn't want to show any fear in front of Kami but he saw she was trembling and white in the face as she reached the far side.

Shortly after making the crossing the trail became steeper and more demanding. Conversation petered out as they climbed one valley wall after another. The lack of sleep began to tell; Kami felt weirdly light-headed, like he was floating a few metres above the ground.

By late morning they were travelling through a vast forest. In the middle they found a small encampment where a band of men were burning wood to create charcoal. They were rough working types covered in soot from head to toe, but they greeted these new arrivals cheerfully and offered them tea.

‘Have you seen a man with a gun?' Kami asked them.

‘He came past just after dawn,' one of the charcoal burners told them, ‘miserable-looking character, didn't even say Namaste.'

Just after dawn! Shreeya and Kami exchanged a look of quiet satisfaction. They were definitely moving faster than their quarry and after one night on the trail were now just five or six hours behind him.

‘What's your business with him?' another asked curiously.

‘He's hunting for snow leopards,' Shreeya told him, sipping her sweet tea, ‘and we're going to stop him.'

The men roared with laughter at this and the children's cheeks flared red with embarrassment. Kami thought they should have come up with a cover story that sounded a little more plausible, but he knew that Shreeya was incapable of lying.

‘Do your parents know you're doing this?' one of them asked sharply.

‘Yes,' Kami answered. He got a hard look from Shreeya for this reply, but he figured he wasn't exactly lying.

‘Better you go back to your village,' the wisest looking of the men told them in a kindly tone, ‘I saw that man and I wouldn't want to mess around with him.'

‘We're going to Langtang anyway,' Kami said hurriedly, ‘but thanks for the advice.'

The conversation died away and the children hurried to finish their drinks. They thanked the charcoal burners and hit the trail again, refreshed by the sweet tea and disturbed by these new words of warning.

‘I think it's better we try and avoid talking to people,' Shreeya said.

Kami agreed with her, and from that point on they ran into the forest and hid on the rare occasions they heard people coming towards them.

On the second night fatigue began to wear them down. They had been moving for thirty hours without a significant rest and both were staggering with exhaustion. The battery in their single torch had run out and they found themselves tripping along a narrow and greasy section of the trail high above a rushing river.

‘This trail is too dangerous,' Kami said finally in despair, ‘We can't see enough. If we slip here … '

He didn't need to say any more. Shreeya had already had a narrow escape, managing to prevent a fall only by grabbing hold of Kami's arm.

‘Let's rest for a while.'

They climbed away from the track, pushing up a slope through thick vegetation until they found a flat enough place. Shreeya pulled out the blanket and they wrapped it tight around their shoulders, grateful for the warmth it gave them on this chilled night.

‘We've got the biscuits,' Shreeya mumbled, but Kami didn't have the energy to reply, let alone rummage for them in the pack.

Shreeya put her head against Kami's shoulder and he placed his arm around her. He could hear her teeth chattering for a while, but he pulled the blanket ever tighter and before long they were comfortably warm.

Lulled by the constant rushing sound of the river below, the two children soon fell into an exhausted sleep.

Strange dreams haunted them both and they woke with aching bones with the first hint of dawn.

‘Come on,' Shreeya urged him as she quickly stuffed the blanket into the pack. ‘We're losing time.'

They shared a packet of biscuits and a couple of handfuls of dried plums for breakfast, eating as they went along and sipping handfuls of cool water from the many springs that lined the valley walls. The morning was scorchingly hot and a thick vapour of steaming mist cloaked the giant ferns and palms.

They were moving fast and imagined they might spot the hunter on the trail ahead at any moment. Progress would have to be silent from now on, any conversation kept to whispers and nothing more.

‘What are we going to do when we find him?' Kami hissed to Shreeya as they moved swiftly along the path.

Both of them knew this was the weak spot in their plan.

‘Something will turn up,' Shreeya shrugged. It was the best she could do.

The cooler hours of the afternoon came on as they reached the mountains of Langtang. In this more open terrain, they felt exposed and vulnerable. You could see for miles here and the idea that the hunter might spot them was constantly on their minds.

Finally, they reached the holy lakes, where they had a clear line of vision to the high pass that would lead across to the leopards' valley.

‘Can you see him?' Kami was looking for any sign of movement on the far slopes.

‘No. He's probably already gone over the col.'

They hurried round the lakes as the climb became more rugged, the trail rising across boulder slopes and sharp fields of scree.

After an hour they stopped to sip some water. Then they made an unwelcome discovery; back where they had come from three tiny figures could be seen. They were grown men, moving fast, and the two children guessed instantly who they were.

‘I think that's my father,' Shreeya exclaimed in dismay, ‘and two others. They're following us.'

‘It had to happen. We shouldn't blame them,' Kami said, ‘they're frightened for us.'

‘Maybe they changed their minds,' Shreeya suggested more brightly as a new thought entered her mind. ‘Perhaps they came to help us save the leopards.'

Kami shook his head.

‘I don't think so,' he told her. ‘They're here to stop us. Not him. If they catch up with us they'll take us back to the village.'

Kami saw that Shreeya was welling up; they were both so tired, and they had given so much already. The thought of being stopped when they were so close to the leopards' den was truly heartbreaking.

There was only one answer; keep moving. Faster than ever.

One hour later they breached the col and staggered down into the far valley – both at their physical limit. For the first time in his life, Kami began to feel that he was asking his body to do something it simply could not deliver.

Shreeya was the same, he could see, or perhaps even worse. Her feet were less hardened to this type of trek and each one was now sporting half a dozen really nasty-looking blisters.

But the knowledge that the adults were in hot pursuit gave them new determination and soon they were picking their way down the final scree slope before entering the forest.

They recognised the terrain now, limping as quickly as they could through the trees and slowing to a walking pace as they saw the glade ahead.

‘Look!' Shreeya hissed with anguish.

In the centre of the meadow they now saw a small object, some sort of dead animal.

For a horrorstruck heartbeat or two, Shreeya thought it might be one of the snow leopard cubs. Then she realised the colour of the fur was too dark, too red, and she recognised it as a juvenile deer.

‘That's his plan,' Kami whispered, ‘He's shot a deer and put it there as bait. He's going to wait for the leopards to come out and feed.'

‘There he is!' Shreeya had spotted the hunter, creeping along the treeline directly opposite their position.

They watched as the hunter moved along the shadowy hinterland, his rifle cradled in his arms. Suspense was building. They still had no effective plan and the journey could be for nothing if even one of the cats was shot and killed.

‘Oh, no!' Shreeya spotted a blur of movement. ‘The cubs are out of the den. They must have smelled the carcass.'

The hunter had seen the cats too. He stepped back, melting into the shadows.

‘What's he doing now?' Kami asked. His eyesight was not nearly so sharp as Shreeya's at the great distance.

‘Taking something out of his sack. Something … ' Shreeya gasped. ‘Kami, he's loading the gun!'

The hunter placed the sack carefully behind a tree and started to move into the meadow. He did this with great stealth and considerable skill, slipping like a shadow between boulders and bushes.

The children watched in absolute silence, a growing sensation of helplessness overwhelming them.

‘What can we
do
?' Shreeya whispered.

‘When we see the leopards we can scream, scare them away,' Kami suggested, his voice utterly lacking conviction.

A silence fell between them. Both knew the flaw in this plan and it was a deadly one. If they revealed themselves to the hunter by shouting or screaming to alert the leopards then he might easily shoot them on the spot.

Kami's mind was racing through the possibilities and he got to wondering what might be in the hunter's sack.

‘How much ammunition has he got in that bag do you think?'

‘Plenty. He was picking out handfuls. Why? What's on your mind?'

What was on Kami's mind was something he had witnessed a few years before, when an older boy in the village had thrown a shotgun cartridge onto a fire for a laugh and almost got himself killed as the thing exploded with savage force.

If that was what could happen with a single cartridge, Kami wondered, what would the explosion be like with a few dozen?

Surely that would be enough to scare the leopards away for good?

‘I'm going to sneak around, try and get his bag,' he told Shreeya. ‘I can light a fire, use the cartridges, set up an explosion in the woods.'

Shreeya considered the plan, frowning as she realised how risky it was. But she could see from Kami's face that he was set on doing it.

‘OK. It's a chance. But, Kami … Be careful … please.'

Kami stepped back into the dark embrace of the forest and began to skirt slowly round the glade in a big semi-circle. He had to get behind the man's position to pick up the sack – a risky move that would take him to within fifty metres of the hunter's position.

Step by step he flanked the meadow.

The hunter had his back to him. Kami prayed to the gods he stayed that way.

Finally, he moved out of cover and stepped towards the tree where the bag was placed. It was the moment of maximum exposure. Kami was now in full view. If the hunter happened to turn around he would be seen immediately.

When he got close enough, Kami reached forward and grabbed the sack. The hunter had no idea his possessions were being stolen.

Back in the forest Kami opened up the sack and tipped the contents onto the ground. It didn't contain much, just some dried meat, a couple of wicked-looking boning knives – and about fifty shotgun cartridges.

Fifty! Kami was exultant as he saw the haul. If he got the job right he could manufacture an awesome explosion.

Kami hurried as he paced out a good distance from the enemy. He had to choose the spot carefully; far enough away that the hunter wouldn't hear him starting the fire, but not so far that the exploding cartridges would fail to have the desired effect.

At seventy steps he found a possible site. It was as good a place as any to do the job and Kami busied himself gathering twigs and sticks, choosing the dry ones which would create little smoke.

His back tingled with a dread anticipation as he worked. At any second he feared the hunter would surprise him; put a bullet through his spine.

He struck a match and blew on a handful of dried grass to nourish a flame. The burning grass licked at his hands, then flared up higher. He added kindling, threw on branches, and within minutes had a robust little fire roaring away.

He gathered up the cartridges, counting a total of fifty-two.

There was no doubt that so many cartridges would create one heck of a bang … but how long would they take to blow? One minute? Ten? Perhaps they would even explode instantaneously, not giving him enough time to get away.

He decided to chance it.

He put the all of the cartridges in the bag, threw the sack on to the fire and ran for it.

Back at the meadow, Shreeya could see that the moment of truth was approaching. The two leopard cubs were back in partial view; the dead deer had got their attention and they wanted to check the carrion out.

There! Shreeya's heart jumped a few beats as she saw the unmistakeable silhouette of the mother cat. A split second of movement between two boulders.

She saw the hunter's body stiffen with excitement. His shoulders came up a bit and he shifted the position of the gun slightly. So, he had seen the leopard too!

At that moment Shreeya saw movement next to the dead deer. A raven had circled out of the sky and landed a few metres from the body. Then a second raven flapped down and joined the first. Soon the two birds were squabbling over the body as they started to rip into it.

The snow leopards seemed irritated by the birds, Shreeya thought, but also seemed to be made bolder by their presence. Perhaps they realised the clock was ticking; they had to get a move on or their free lunch would disappear in front of their eyes.

The first of the cubs slunk out of the rocks and placed a tentative – and very large – paw on the grass. It scented the air, instincts already finely tuned even at that young age, alert for anything threatening or unusual.

The creature's coat was gorgeous. The mother cat had done a good job, had nourished her cubs with unconditional love and Shreeya's heart went into freefall at the thought of how close the leopard was to losing one or even both of her cubs.

That was the moment that something crucial clicked inside this young Nepali girl. There was no doubt about it; she would give her life to save these creatures, she realised, her love for them was that strong.

It was a defining moment and it gave her great courage.

Over in the forest, some distance behind the hunter's position, she could now see a faint tendril of smoke rising into the sky. Kami had the fire going, she realised.

But where was the explosion?

A minute dragged past. Meanwhile, Kami snuck up as close as he dared to the hunter and picked up a rock. In his mind was a last ditch possibility – to try and stun the man with a lucky throw.

Why hadn't the cartridges blown? Had something gone wrong?

Shreeya knew the moment had come. The two cubs had been provoked by the ravens and were now strutting boldly out from cover. The hunter had a perfect line of sight and disaster was here and now.

She couldn't wait for the explosion. Her heart thudding like a jackhammer, she took a few steps into the glade, then began to sprint as she called.

‘Hey! HEY! Over here!'

The leopards froze in shock. Then they bolted.

Shreeya saw a look of rage flash across the man's face. He swivelled the weapon, trying to follow the fleeing leopards, desperately looking for a clear shot at the biggest of the cats. But Shreeya put herself in the direct line of fire, screaming and yelling to urge the cats on and running across his line of vision at the crucial instant.

‘Run! Run!' She shrieked.

The gun blasted, but the shot was spoiled.

The leopard family vanished into the forest, moving like the wind. The hunter roared out in fury, turning the gun now directly on Shreeya. She resisted the overwhelming urge to run, flung her arms wide and braced herself in terror for what must surely come; the ripping impact of the bullets, her chest exploding in a rage of broken flesh.

In that same instant, an explosion split the air as the cartridges finally detonated in Kami's fire. The simultaneous detonation of gunpowder was ear-splittingly loud and the trees around the fire shook as they were peppered with the shot. The hunter span around in absolute shock. To him it must have seemed a whole battalion of men were out there in the woods, shooting at him.

At that same instant a rock spun out of nowhere, striking him a glancing, and painful, blow on the shoulder.

And then the cavalry really did arrive; Shreeya's father and two other men bursting into the meadow shouting the children's names. At this the hunter ran for his sack, searching for it frantically amongst the trees where he had left it.

‘Hey! Hey, you! Stop there!' Shreeya's father yelled.

But the hunter had had enough. He gave up looking for his bag and slunk away into the forest, his limping frame visible for just two or three steps before he vanished.

Shreeya ran to her father and held him tight.

At the sight of his daughter, exhausted but safe, all the fury in her father melted away. He was just happy to see her alive.

‘Are you hurt?' he asked. ‘He shot right at you … '

‘I'm alright,' Shreeya replied.

‘And the cats?'

‘We saved them,' Shreeya said, simply. And she moved towards Kami and embraced him hard. When she pulled away he found his shoulder was wet with her tears.

From that time onward Kami and Shreeya were rarely apart. Shreeya became so much a part of Kami's world that he sometimes found it hard to think of her as a separate person.

In the evenings they would sometimes go together to bathe at the village well, Kami stripped to the waist, Shreeya, like the other girls of the village, bathing in a Sari to protect her modesty.

It was a tranquil place; a glade filled with that mysterious green light that only a forest canopy can create. Chattering Mynah birds would come to sip at the puddles; butterflies with kingfisher wings danced in stray beams of sunlight. If no-one else was around, Shreeya would ask Kami to wash her hair – his calloused fingers relishing the silky texture of the touch, the spiced Indian soap filling the air with a heady scent of sandalwood and patchouli oil.

When they were finished on those evenings when the sun stubbornly refused to die, they would go to a certain grassy terrace to dry off. Situated on a high ridge, this vantage point presented them with a view right across the Himalaya. In the foreground were wooded valleys and gorges; further away, hugging the horizon, the jagged profiles of Shishapangma, Ama Dablam, Nuptse and Everest.

Kami could name them all; his father had taught him to recognise them when he was a young boy and for some reason the knowledge had stuck.

Slowly the noises of the daytime would diminish, the hawks and eagles spiralling reluctantly out of the sky as thermals died away. Distant woodpeckers fell silent. Down in the village, the little engine at the rice mill puttered out a final few smokey revolutions and fell silent. Children chattered as they made their way home.

In this place Kami and Shreeya felt invincible. The world was, after all, literally, at their feet.

But always, as the day ended, they would have to go their separate ways, to homes which were apart.

With every passing year of his life, Kami had felt closer to Shreeya. She was a friend in a way that Laxmi, his ‘bride', had never been.

The sense of injustice began to gnaw away at him. What right did others have to determine his fate? How could he build a life with a girl he hardly knew, when the one he truly loved would be living close by?

It would be a life sentence of misery.

Wild thoughts came to him in the dead of night. What if he ran away with Shreeya? He had heard stories of couples their age who had taken this desperate step. Mostly they went to India and were never heard of again. Dark tales sometimes emerged of the terrible things they had to do just to survive.

Kami felt that Shreeya would go with him if he proposed it, but in his heart he knew it would never happen. He loved his family too much, and so did she. If they ran away they would never find peace.

Then came the offer to go to Everest and Kami began to see a new possibility.

Using his earnings he might be able to break the marriage pact.

But first he would have to talk to his father.