The Ghost at Doringkloof

This document is copyrighted. No part of it may be reproduced in any form whatever
without explicit permission in writing from the author.

"Never let you climb if do that again," said Mr Chetty. "But . . . well done! Very proud . . . very proud of all!"

Gentle flames from the braai cast shimmering light on the faces of all gathered for the party. The smell of sizzling meat made the boys realise just how hungry they were.

Jumbo rested in the great arm-chair which his aunt had brought out. He watched the soothing motion of the flames, secure within the comfort of a warm blanket.

"How brave are you, Pepper?" Jelly asked her brother. "You can climb onto balconies, you can abseil down cliffs but . . . want to look for ghosts again tonight?"

"No ways!" Pepper answered. "I've had enough ghosts to last me a life-time."

"Me too," said Lwazi, laughing. "It's nice to be home again, after all that excitement."

"Don't need no ghosts," Pete put in, looking at Jumbo. "We've got our very own Egyptian mummy!"

Everyone laughed, turning to the invalid whose face was almost completely hidden in a swaddling of white bandages. His left arm was firmly secured in a sling.

"Still paining?" Pepper asked.

Jumbo nodded. "The shoulder's hurting bad but the painkiller's working. Yet it's just so nice to be with you ous!"

"No broken bones," said Mr Chetty, smiling, "but only certain after x-rays, you know."

"I was lucky," Jumbo answered. He tried to smile but the effort caused his split lip to bleed once more.

"We're also lucky to find friends in strange places," said Lennie. "I could never have rescued you."

"Nor me," Kobus added.

"Shall make toast?" Mr Chetty suggested, raising his beer bottle head-height. "To rescuers! Well done!"

"To rescuers!" everyone echoed his toast.

"But how come you ous didn't know it was us?" Jumbo asked later. "We'd waited so long in Bouwer's house that we'd already decided to leave. You must have seen our torches?"

"And the noise we were making?" asked Lennie. "Kobus gave a loud hiss when he heard you outside . . . you must've heard that . . . and then we started laughing."

"Jislaaik," said Kobus. "After that we just couldn't stop laughing. Have you ever tried not to laugh . . . like in church? It just makes you snort!"

"That's why we got up out of the box," Jumbo confessed. "We couldn't even hope to frighten you, we were laughing so."

"We were expecting ghosts . . . so we saw ghosts," Pepper replied. "I suppose you see what you expect to see."

"But sometimes you don't get what you expect to get," Pete said.

"Why?" asked Lwazi and Rajit together.

"Well," Pete answered, "I expected Poppie to skin me alive for skipping off without his permission. Instead he's allowed me to come to the party."

He paused a moment, reflecting on it. "But," he added, "it would've been worth it even if he had skinned my bum for me. What an adventure!"

"And what detective work, you know!" declared Rajit. "Next time someone disappears, we must each grab a telephone directory and all!"

"And a book of poems!" Lwazi added.

Pepper blushed. "It was a good theory," he said. "And somehow . . . I don't know how . . . it worked. We found Rajit."

"And do you know one marvellous thing that has come out of all this?" asked Jelly. "It's probably the first time little brother has ever read any of my poetry!"