When I wake...

I do not expect to hear people shouting outside my banda. It's true.

This morning, however, I awoke to the unexpected: the watchmen shouting, the dogs running, and quite the ruckus being raised just outside my banda. It was a full moon, so there was some dim lighting in the banda. I saw shadows moving outside, and I heard the noise punctuated with horrific shrieking sounds. Wide awake and curious, I lay in my bed wondering what kind of animal had invaded our compound. I heard the animal shriek, and one of the dogs shriek in response. A few moments later, the noises drifted away, and the shrieking stopped. Heather and I were wide awake now, but there was no what to do. It was 2:30 in the morning, and our watchmen had done their job. We would have to wait a few more hours until morning to find out what had happened. Heather and I speculated about what it could have been, and then eventually fell back to sleep. Our alarms woke us to a much quieter tone and more peaceful environment. Unfortunately it was raining outside, and our poor Ugandan blood was far to cold to get out from under the covers. We finally worked up the courage, got dressed, and headed to the house for breakfast. The watchman came running towards us, and we both wondered "Oh no, did something go terribly wrong in the hunt last night?" We greeted him, and asked if everything was ok. "Yes" He replied, "Everything is fine. Can you assist me with some few matches?" We agreed and asked what they had found last night. "We killed a wild animal." "What wild animal?" I asked. "A wild animal. The enemy of the chickens" He replied. We got the matches, and followed him towards the outdoor kitchen. They drug out the kill for us to see: A badger. We were all happy. The badger had been stopped in his crime: Attacking the chickens. The watchmen had an unexpected breakfast! :)

It isn't every morning you wake up like that!