Chapter 4, The Cry of the Kalahari Summary and Analysis

Within three weeks, the combination of the strong winds that followed the fires and the deeply moist earth from heavy rains the season before, the blackened and charred dunes are soon lit with fragile green sprouts. Amazingly, by burrowing in the ground or escaping to already burned out areas, most of the animals seemed to have survived. Mark and Delia decide to stay until their supplies run out. Their meager food choices have caused both to lose a good deal of weight and to grow increasingly lethargic and persistently weak.

Mark and Delia trail a jackal they have named Captain. Soon Captain takes on a mate, aptly named Mate. Captain astutely watches for a rat to exit from one hole as he digs at another. This behavior had never been noted...