We reached the Zambezi escarpment after dark, unable to appreciate the panorama of wilderness that extended 50 or more kilometres to the opposing heights in Zambia, on the other side of the great river that was heading into Mozambique on its way to the Indian Ocean. It was 1972 and we were on our way to collect samples of blood from villagers who shared the Rhodesian (now Zimbabwean) side of the valley with all kinds of wild animals, vectors and parasites. On the top of the escarpment, as we were about to wind our way down into the darkness in our Land Rover, we learned of the return of another violent species to the valley — the freedom fighters from across the border.
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I would like to thank Wayne Melrose, Professor of the School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine at James Cook University in Townsville, for reviewing this article and providing the photographs.