He then reached over and grabbed Kendall’s arm to silence her scream. She hadn’t even realized she let out a sound. Rashid quickly pulled the night vision goggles off his head and turned on the headlights. As they blinked in the harsh light, a young figure stepped out from a confusing movement of dark bodies on the road. Rashid looked closer and realized it was hundreds of goats. A young boy of maybe fourteen approached their vehicle. He apologized for being in their way and shining a bright light at them. He explained that he and his cousin were herding the goats up a little higher into the mountains where the prime meadows were. This was the best time of night to move the large herd, when few vehicles were on the road. They had run into a large rock face that forced them to move into the road for a few hundred feet. He assured Rashid they would be off the road and out of their way in five minutes. Rashid was very relieved at the simple explanation. He lapsed into casual conversation with the goat herder as the jeep crawled along behind the rambling animals.
