M9 does the legend of Van Hunks...

                                                          M9,50mm Summarit, ISO 160, F2.5


Captain Van Hunks lived in the shadows of Table Mountain.  For many years he had sailed the seven seas, but now he was old and loved nothing more than taking a walk up the beautiful slopes of the mountain.  He would walk up to his favourite spot, under an ancient tree at the top of the mountain.  Once there he would settle himself on a large rock, take out his old pipe, light it, lean back against the trunk of the tree and gaze down at the beauty of Table Bay below him.  Van Hunks loved the peacefulness of this place – nobody else ever came this high up the mountain.

One day, as Van Hunks walked the last few paces towards his usual position, he was startled to see someone else sitting exactly where he normally sat.  It was a strange looking man, dressed all in black, with a large hat pulled down over most of his face.

Van Hunks was even more astonished when the man greeted him by his name.  However, not wishing to appear impolite, he sat down next to him and they began to talk.  Van Hunks started boasting about his tobacco and the fact that he was the only man who could smoke as much of it as he did.  The other man replied that he could easily smoke as much as Van Hunks.  Van Hunks was angry at this and challenged the man to a smoking contest.  He placed a huge pile of his tobacco between the two of them and they filled their pipes and lit them.

                                                        M9, 50mm Summarit, F5.6, ISO 160

All day the two men sat, smoking the whole time and the clouds of smoke around them grew and grew.  People down below looked up and marvelled at the huge clouds of smoke that had started billowing around the Table Mountain.  As the day progressed the clouds grew bigger and bigger until the whole top of the mountain was covered.

Van Hunks was growing tired and hot and he noticed that the man with him was not looking too happy himself.  But still they continued to smoke. Then suddenly the man leaned forward, unable to continue and his hat fell off revealing who he really was.  Van Hunks staggered back in fright.….. it was the devil himself!  He realised what he had achieved – he had beaten the devil in the contest.  But the devil was not pleased at being beaten by a human and in an instant, with a loud clap of thunder, both men vanished in a puff of smoke.

The legend goes that, when the south-easter wind blows and the cloud covers the mountain, Van Hunks and the Devil are smoking again.

                                                       M9, 35MM Lux, ISO 160,F 5.6
                                                         Six images stitched together.