Chapter nine opens by introducing us to the most important character in the book. Or, perhaps more acurately, by developing the most important character in the book. He reveals to us the name he has given his plane, which is his main method of transport around the continent. Charlie Foxtrot Whiskey Mike Juliet, or CF-WMJ, was his name for his plane as well as the aircraft's code. Giving his plane a name personalizes it a little more for the reader, and makes another connection to the story for us.
Griffin also talks about his experience with some of the safaris he went on in Africa, and portrays for us the natural beauty of the African continent. "The desert after the rains was beautiful. A profusion of flowers of every conceivable colour and type - glorioso surperba, the desert lily, tribulus, and cleome in sherbet yellows, mauves, and whites - arose in splendid array from the desert sand overnight." This is one of the most profound experiences Griffin says he has during his stay in Africa, and his thoughts turn to his wife, Krystyne, his lifelong partner, who he compares to the polar stars.
The next chapter, however, relates the tale of Scott and Krystyne's stay in Tanzanian custody after landing illegally on the Tanzanian side of the Mara River, the border between Kenya and Tanzania. Once in the Serengeti Game Park, they are arrested and spend nearly two days in the custody of local police and game officials. This episode in their travels illuminates the readers to the extent of the corruption and inefficiences that exist in most African authorities. After landing a few hundred feet within the border, they are arrested and taken miles from their plane, to two different towns, in search of an official that is both present and able/willing to do his job. When that search fails, they are able to bribe their exasperated guard into letting them go free. Yet another escape under their belts.
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