Winds of Havoc A Memoir of Adventure and Destruction in Deepest Africa

When eight-year-old Adelino Serras Pires first arrived on a boat from Portugal in 1936, Mozambique seemed to be something out of a dream: It was a tropical paradise, where native tribes and Portuguese colonists lived in harmony, and the vast jungles, teeming with wildlife, held the promise of endless excitement. A few months into Adelino's new life, his father took him along on a successful hunt for man-eating lions that had been terrorizing the countryside. From that point on, Adelino's destiny was sealed: He would spend his days in the African bush, hunting for a living, and living for adventure. After a childhood wrought with thrilling episodes, Adelino became a primary safari organizer in Mozambique, with a client list comprised of African royalty, European dignitaries, and wealthy Americans alike. At the same time, the Uhuru movement took hold of Africa, fueled from the outside. Tribes across the continent began to rebel against European control. In Mozambique, the Frelimo party, bent on ousting the Portuguese colonists, launched guerilla attacks throughout the land. Such attacks resulted in the violent death and injuries of several safari clients, and soon Adelino was forced to pack up his operations. What follows is a frightening look at a continent under siege. As Adelino moved from one country to the next - Angola, Rhodesia, the Central African Republic, Kenya, Sudan, Zaire, and Tanzania -- each time resuming his life's ambition, while desperately struggling to remain uninvolved in each new conflict, he repeatedly witnessed the violence and horror of civil war. Like a hunter stalking its prey, it was only a matter of time before the forces of revolution brought him down, too. That day came when Adelino, his son, his nephew, and a fellow hunter were abducted in Tanzania, and turned over to the secret police in now-Frelimo-controlled Mozambique. In hair-raising detail, Adelino recounts months of torture and interrogation in a Mozambican prison that almost cost him his life, and the traitorous circumstances that landed him there. The Winds of Havoc is the story of Adelino's steady disillusionment, as the beauty of Africa slowly gave way to political turmoil and corruption. But more than that, it's a moving portrait of a life and time that is now gone forever. AUTHORBIO: Adelino Serras Pires was born in Portugal in 1928. He has organized hunting and photographic safaris in several African countries. He is now retired, and resides in South Africa.Fiona Claire Capstick was born in South Africa. After attending several European Universities, she returned to her birthplace and eventually served as an officer in the armed forces of South Africa, seconded to the military intelligence division as a multilingual translator and interpreter. She is currently serving as a sworn translator to the High Court of South Africa. Her late husband, Peter Hathaway Capstick, was the author of highly acclaimed safari accounts such as Death in the Long Grass and Safari: The Last Adventure.Capstick, Fiona is the author of 'Winds of Havoc A Memoir of Adventure and Destruction in Deepest Africa', published 0017 under ISBN 9780312270032 and ISBN 0312270038.