African Pursuit (14 page)

‘Hearken all ye denizens of the Inner World. I too desire that the ancient enmity between the Inner and Outer Worlds should end.’
She held her arms outstretched in front of her and the two eagles she had brought with her fluttered down on to her wrists.
‘See, I now send the raptoquills yonder to the Outer World to proclaim peace. The
tuskikin, the greatkine, the manefang and the Dreadful Ones who even now gather in great multitudes to slaughter the junglekin will now return to the plains and mountains and swamps whence they came.’
She lifted her arms and the eagles flew up above the canopy, then separated, one to bear the message to the north and west, the other to the south and east. A wave of sound rippled through the assembled junglekin as the animals growled and grunted and chattered in approbation. Then Grace spoke to them again.

‘Now go quickly and tell all thy kin these tidings. And you –,’
she looked up at the canopy,
‘– you jungle fledgiquills must fly with haste to the edges of our kingdom, as do the raptoquills, and tell the junglekin to leave in peace those who now turn away to return to the plains and swamps.’
There was a clatter of wings as dozens of birds of every description took off and flew in every direction.Then Jambo spoke.

‘The legends that our mothers spoke of have come true, and we are fortunate indeed to see this day. Now go all of thee, and do the will of the Special Ones.’
The animals dispersed with surprising rapidity and Clare grinned.

‘It’s going to be fun for the next few weeks listening to all the animal and climate experts telling us exactly why all the animals suddenly decided to turn round and go back this morning.’ They all laughed.

Lucy then took Sarah and Ben to the Land Rover to see the bees and snakes that had protected them on their forest journey.

‘I bet our snakes are bigger than yours,’ said Ben as they went, and they all laughed.

As soon as the younger ones were out of earshot Clare turned to Clive, who had been looking pensive ever since his conversation with Sarah and Ben about the professor.

‘OK, come on,’ she said, ‘what’s on your mind?’ He gave a rueful smile.

‘That obvious, is it? Well we had to discuss it soon and it may as well be now.’ He was about to continue when Clare interrupted.

‘It’s all right, I can guess. You want to go and find him don’t you?’ Clive gave a resigned shrug.

‘I don’t think we have any option. He’s obviously got an invisibility robe and as long as he’s got it he’s a danger, not just to us but to anyone in the world. The power it confers on him is simply unimaginable – and we’re probably the only people who can succeed in getting it off him. We’re the only ones who know he’s got it, for a start, and only somebody with Lucy’s power could hope to go up against him, with any chance of winning. This has got to be the best – probably
only
– chance of anyone stopping him.’ Clare nodded slowly.

‘You’re right of course,’ she said, ‘and we’ll need Lucy, but I don’t want the younger ones involved in this in any way.’

‘I agree absolutely,’ said Clive. ‘I was thinking about this during the night and I think we should split up. If you’re happy for Grace to look after Sarah and Ben, she could take them back to your mum and dad at Salonga, while we go with Lucy to sort out the professor.’ Clare thought this was a good plan and over coffee she and Clive discussed it with Lucy and Grace, while Sarah and Ben played with the bonobos. Soon Grace called the pair over.

‘Now I know you two have had a pretty dull time recently,’ she said mischievously. ‘How do fancy coming with me for a
really
exciting adventure?’ A few moments later a delighted Sarah and Ben, each with a rucksack, were sitting astride okapis. Grace, revelling in the company of her new-found family, called the bonobos together and the expedition set off on the jungle journey to Salonga – a magical
experience that Sarah and Ben would both remember in vivid detail for the rest of their lives.

T
he professor was now consulting his GPS with ever-increasing frequency and getting progressively more excited as they neared their goal. Although the roads they actually drove along seemed to bear little relation to those shown on Sid’s maps, eventually they reached a spot that corresponded precisely with Peter Flint’s map reference. The location seemed unremarkable. They had driven up a long hill with dense forest on either side and then came out into a more scrub-like, rocky area.

‘See if you can pull out onto that rocky stuff,’ Luke said to Sid. ‘I think we’ve actually got here.’ Sid pulled off the road and followed a stony gully up a further small rise in the ground and then stopped. Luke jumped out and walked to the top of the ridge. An astonishing view lay in front of him. He was standing at the edge of a small narrow gorge. A river coursed one hundred feet below, parallel to the road they had just turned off. To the left, the west, the river ran down a series of cataracts along the gorge before disappearing into the depths of the rainforest which, from his elevated vantage point, he could see stretching to the horizon in all directions. On the opposite side of the ravine, easily accessible from this side by large boulders straddling the river, was a cliff similar to the one he was standing on. The side of
the cliff had been eroded over the centuries and various rock strata were easily visible. To the right, the east, the ridge he was standing on gradually diminished in height and disappeared into the forest. On the opposite side, however, the stratified cliff ended abruptly in an escarpment that plunged down almost vertically to a giant swamp that stretched for several miles to the north-east. The river itself arose from the swamp, its greenish-brown waters starting their immense journey to the sea by gushing through the boulders immediately below him. The professor felt a surge of excitement as he gazed at the striking geological feature of the cliff opposite. This was obviously it. Even the colour of the principal visible rock stratum reminded him of the rocks he had collected in the Amazon crater. He looked down. There was a flat grassy area adjacent to the river that was free of trees, probably a meander left where the river had changed its course. It was adjacent to the boulders that led across the river and was an ideal site for a camp. Getting the stuff down from the truck to the riverbank would require some labour and he decided a psychological boost was necessary. He knew from long experience that there was nothing like greed to get things moving along. He turned back to the men who had all alighted and were now coming to see what lay beyond the ridge.

‘This is it, boys,’ Luke said cheerfully. ‘We’ve arrived – at last! And there …,’ he waved expansively at the cliff opposite, ‘… is the best diamond ore on the planet – enough for me to make millions of gems. In a month we’ll be the richest men on earth.’ The excitement in the group was almost palpable. The thugs did high fives, cheering and congratulating Luke on his navigation. ‘But now,’ Luke continued, ‘there’s work to do. We’ve got to build a camp and a cabin where I can process the minerals we’re going to extract.’ He didn’t add that the only minerals any of them were going to receive at the end of their labours would be cupronickel
and lead in the shape of a bullet. His psychology was perfect and soon the men were eagerly unloading boxes from the lorry and manhandling them down the steep rocky slope to the river bank below.

The professor took a geologist’s hammer and a pair of binoculars and went with Sid across the river to reconnoitre, picking his way carefully from boulder to boulder. He inspected the entire cliff face with the binoculars, then grunted with satisfaction. Viewed in close-up, the rocks comprising the principal stratum looked identical to the samples he had left in the South American crater. He scrambled up to the nearest seam and hacked at it with his hammer. As he did so Sid looked over to see how the men were coping with the hill and his eye caught a glint on the hilltop. He counted the men; they were all visible. He saw the glint again.

‘What’s that, Luke?’ The professor turned. ‘That glinting over there, above the men.’ The professor looked through his binoculars. The sun had glinted off somebody’s spectacles; somebody who, with two companions, was looking down at the men below. As they began to look up again Luke recognized them instantly and groaned. He immediately turned back to the cliff – he was pretty certain they hadn’t seen him.

‘What is it?’ said Sid.

‘It’s strangers,’ said the professor. Don’t look!’ he added sharply as Sid started to turn to stare. ‘I don’t want them to know we’ve seen them.’

‘Who in Gawd’s name is out ’ere in the middle of nowhere?’ asked Sid in astonishment. Luke thought rapidly: he needed Sid on side for the moment.

‘It’s prospectors,’ he said. ‘I recognize them from another dig. They’re after our diamonds.’ He paused; he might as well use the
opportunity to gain a little extra credibility with Sid. ‘And the reason they’re here is the same reason we’re here. They are among the world’s leading mineralogists and, like me, they’ve obviously worked out that this is likely to be the richest lode of diamonds in the world – even without the benefit of my enhanced extraction technique.’ he added hurriedly. Sid was clearly impressed.

‘What are we goin’ to do?’ asked Sid, ‘should we follow ’em?’

‘No,’ said the professor. ‘They’re smart. They’ll be away before we reach the top of the hill. But they’ll be back. They were just spying out the land. And when they come, we’ll be waiting for them.’

As they made their way back across the river Luke was feverishly working out what had happened. He remembered telling them all about the ore needed for invisibility robes in the crater so they must be after the photogyraspar, just as he was. But how on earth …? In a flash it came to him. Peter Flint of course – he was in contact with both the Bonaventures and the Fossfinders and he had copied them in on the e-mail about the Congo deposits. Well, if they thought they could start making invisibility robes they had another think coming. But what to do about it? He was more than prepared to kill the three of them without compunction but he knew there were others in the family and that the three he had just seen were almost certainly part of a larger expedition. No, he had to deal with this problem at its source and that meant using Hans. But how? His mobile was useless out here. His problem was solved by a shout from Fred who was leading the working party of men they were now approaching.

‘Half the stuff we need for buildin’ the camp – saws an’ axes an’ spades an’ stuff was in the other truck – the one with the snakes.’ Sid swore but the professor saw his chance.

‘Let them carry on as best they can with what they’ve got,’ he said to Sid, ‘and I’ll come with you in the truck. We’ll find the nearest town and nick all the stuff we need.’ Annoying though the situation was, Sid could see there was no alternative course of action and soon he was driving the truck out on to the road with the professor next to him. It was over four hours before they reached a settlement, fortunately a small town which even had a general store. As Sid was choosing the equipment he needed Luke slipped on his invisibility robe and walked into the police station. He picked up a phone and dialled a number in Kinshasa.

‘Hans,’ he whispered, facing the wall in case his disembodied voice attracted attention. The phone he held against the wall as though it were still on its hook.

‘Hans, I can’t go into detail but our little plan is threatened by some characters I know of old. They’re called Bonaventure and Fossfinder. I want them out of the country. See if you can get their visas cancelled or something, and chuck them out. If you don’t, we can kiss our fortune goodbye.’

‘Bonaventure,’ said Hans thoughtfully. It was an unusual name. He didn’t tell Luke that he knew exactly where the Bonaventures were. His inferiority complex made him want to impress Luke by appearing to manage to track them down. ‘I’ll get straight on to it. Ring me when you next can for news. Good luck.’

‘Auf weidersehen’ said Luke and put the phone down.

‘Bonaventure,’ Hans repeated slowly to himself. He was determined that nothing should stop Luke creating the wealth that would be his own salvation. ‘I think I can do better than just getting them kicked out,’ he murmured with quiet satisfaction as he picked up the phone again.

Luke slipped out of the police station and, still invisible, returned to the store where Sid was deep in conversation with the shopkeeper about the relative merits of two spades. A pile of items he had already selected was lying at the base of the counter, hidden from the shopkeeper’s view. Luke picked up several items from the pile and took them out to the truck, taking three trips in all to transfer everything. He then removed his robe and rejoined Sid who was now looking about for his other goods. Luke murmured in his ear, upon which Sid hurriedly paid for both the spades he was holding and they made a rapid exit.

‘I can’t believe you did that right under his nose,’ he said to Luke as they got in the truck. ‘You must be a bloody magician.’ As they drove off Sid saw the shopkeeper come out and look about, scratching his head. As they hadn’t quite got everything they needed they stopped at a couple of farms as they left town and each time the professor told Sid to keep his head down and keep the engine running. Then he got out, slipped his robe on, and helped himself to various tools.

‘You must ’ave ’ad a very interestin’ life,’ said Sid as the professor climbed back into the cab after his second successful sortie. ‘I thought I knew ’ow to nick stuff, but I ain’t never seen anyone op’rate like you before.’ The Professor gave a modest smile.

‘I expect it’s because I don’t really look the part,’ he explained. ‘If people don’t expect to see a thief, or see someone who doesn’t look like a thief, they just don’t see one even if he’s there.’

Sid still looked perplexed as they began the long and arduous drive back to the camp with their booty.

C
live loaded as many of the supplies from the children’s lorry as he could fit into the Land Rover. He drained the fuel from the lorry’s tanks and filled the Land Rover and his spare fuel cans. Then the trio set off in search of the villains. Since the rapprochement between the inner and outer worlds Lucy was now able to use the animals of the forest as well as those she had brought with her and a constant stream of birds guided them to where the villains had stopped and set up camp. Occasionally they were stopped by paramilitary groups, but the bees continued to prove incredibly effective in bringing any such encounters to a speedy conclusion. As they drew nearer to the villains the road became worse and worse and eventually the birds took them off the road altogether up along a narrow gully – fortunately dry and stony. Suddenly Clare told Clive to stop and pointed. Through the bushes ahead they could just make out the shape of the lorry. Lucy sent a convenient squirrel along to check if the vehicle was empty, which it was. They got out of the Land Rover and crept up to it. An amazing view met their eyes. The lorry was parked at the top of a cliff and below them a river splashed and tumbled along a narrow gorge. In the brilliant sunshine a rainbow was visible in the clouds of spray rising from the water. On the other side of the gorge was another
cliff which disappeared into the jungle on their left but to their right ended in a steep escarpment overlooking a giant swamp from which the river emerged. The villains were in the process of building a camp just below them, beside the river and two men had crossed the giant boulders through which the river raced and were now examining the cliff on the other side. Different rock strata were clearly visible where the cliff had been eroded and one of the men appeared to be hacking at the rocks in the cliff while the other erected a tent.

‘What next?’ whispered Lucy.

‘Well we know where they are now, and the layout of their camp,’ replied Clive. ‘Let’s keep out of sight while we think how we can best use the animals to find out what they’re up to.’ They crept back to the Land Rover and Clive drove it right into the bush so that it was completely invisible from either the main road or the gully. They sat beside the car and drank coffee from their Thermos flask while they chatted about what they had seen.

‘I think he’s after some rocks to make invisibility robes,’ said Clare. ‘You must remember how he told us all about that special ore back in the Amazon crater – and he’s using a gang of thugs to help him just like he did last time.’

‘I’m sure you’re right,’ said Clive. ‘What I can’t figure out is why he didn’t go back to the original crater which is full of the stuff and why, of all other places he might pick he’s chosen here in just about the remotest, most dangerous and most inaccessible place on the planet.’

‘I’m sure all will become clear if we’re patient and stick around,’ said Lucy. At that moment they all jumped as they heard the lorry start up.

‘Quick,’ said Clare, ‘they’re moving on. Keep out of sight.’ They all crouched in the bushes and saw the lorry lurch past on the uneven
stones. Sid was driving with the professor next to him but as the lorry disappeared they could see clearly that the back was empty.

‘It’s OK, they’ve left the men behind,’ said Clive. ‘They’ve just gone for some supplies – and did you see? It’s definitely the professor!’

It was well after dark by the time the lorry returned and when all was quiet the trio eventually relaxed and went to sleep, secure in the knowledge that Lucy’s animal lookouts would warn them of anyone approaching. The next day dawned bright and clear and after breakfast the three once again crept up to the edge of the cliff to spy on the villains. The men were already back at work building the camp and the professor had obviously decided that this was a suitable spot for his base. A herd of wild pigs rooted at the edge of the swamp, seemingly unconcerned by the activities of the men nearby. Vultures soared on their endless patterns high in the blue sky, and a fish eagle circled lazily over the swamp on its massive wings. As they gazed down they heard the click of a rifle being cocked behind them.

‘Don’t even think of movin’,’ said a coarse voice. Sid then raised his voice and shouted to the men below at the base of he cliff. ‘They’ve arrived and I’ve got ’em’. The men below looked up and started climbing up towards them. ‘Shall I do ’em now?’ he called.

‘No, wait!’ the unmistakable voice of the professor floated up. He was slightly breathless as he began to clamber up the rocks. ‘I need to talk to them.’ Sid prodded Lucy with his boot.

‘So it’s you again, yer bleedin’ little toerag. Well when the prof ’s done we’ll fix yer proper this time!’ The three lay motionless as the professor climbed. Clive could feel the muzzle of the rifle pushed hard into the back of his neck and knew that the slightest movement would be the last he ever made. Suddenly there was the sound of rushing wind and as Sid looked up he saw a dark shape hurtling down
from the sky. He screamed as the talons of the fish eagle sank deep into his face and the force of three kilos of solid muscle hitting him at speed knocked him backwards to the ground, his gun clattering to the rocks. Clive leapt up immediately and grabbed the gun. Sid was grappling with the great raptor with both hands, desperately trying to protect his eyes.

‘Quick!’ Clive shouted, ‘start the Land Rover. I’ll be right there.’

‘Don’t tackle him,’ shouted Clare. ‘Just run. The eagle will stop him.’

But now Clive wasn’t anywhere near Sid. He ran to the thugs’ truck and fired at the tyres. He knew nothing about guns and prayed that Sid had released the safety catch if there was one. There was a deafening crash as he pulled the trigger and as he aimed at each wheel in turn the lorry settled to the ground among pieces of fragmented rubber. He ran to where Clare had pulled the Land Rover out into the gully and jumped in. As they lurched and bumped their way out on to the road Lucy looked back and saw the first man’s head just appearing over the edge of the cliff. Clare drove as fast as she dared until they were safely clear and then pulled off the road and steered through the bush until once again they were near the top of the cliff and invisible from the road. Lucy spoke to a nearby bird.

‘Fly in haste to the Tailless Ones near the house that moves. Tell the gilliquill his work is now done. Return with thy tidings.’
The bird flew off and returned in a few moments to speak to Lucy who then turned to the others.

‘It’s OK. they’re not following,’ she reported. ‘They’re just standing round the truck shouting and arguing,’ she added, slightly gleefully.

‘That was really quick thinking, Clive,’ said Clare. ‘When I heard the shots I nearly had a heart attack but I was busy reversing out
and couldn’t see what was happening. Then Lucy told me what you’d done.’

‘If the gun hadn’t worked,’ Clive replied, ‘I’d have had to open the bonnet and smash the carburettor or the engine electrics with the butt, but it would have taken much longer – we only just made it as it was. Anyway,’ he said modestly, ‘the really quick thinking was by you, Lucy.’ He smiled at her. ‘You had that fish eagle over in no time flat.’

‘We were really lucky he was cruising nearby,’ she said. ‘Getting the vultures down would have taken ages. Anyway, all’s well that ends well. What next?’

‘Well they’re now immobile which gives us a massive advantage,’ said Clive. ‘We can spy on them at will. I’d love to get their guns off them, though. They’re obviously trigger happy and wouldn’t think twice about potting us if they catch us again – especially that bloke who’s just got a new face.’

‘That’s Sid,’ said Lucy. ‘He’s a really nasty piece of work – though I’m still not sure I don’t prefer him to the professor, given the choice.’

‘Which reminds me,’ said Clive. ‘I meant to ask you how on earth you think the professor got to know Sid and Fred and bring them here.’

‘I’ve got no idea,’ said Lucy. ‘Maybe Chopper and Sam mentioned them to him before they got killed but how he tracked them down is a mystery.’

‘Talking of mysteries,’ said Clare, ‘I’ve just remembered something else. We were
ambushed
today, they were expecting us and Sid was lying in wait. How did they know we were coming?’

‘They must have seen us yesterday when we peeped over the edge,’ said Lucy. ‘We’ll have to be much more careful in future.’

‘Which brings us to the next point,’ said Clare. ‘What
is
the future. How are we going to get the robe off the professor?’

‘It’s not just a question of getting the robe,’ said Clive. ‘Now we know why he’s here it’s vital that we stop him getting any of these rocks that he thinks are so important. Otherwise, presumably, he can just make himself another robe. But, to answer your question, how we go about tackling him? Well, as usual, I leave
that
up to you clever sisters!’

They decided to have lunch while they made some plans and in the afternoon they crept to the edge of the cliff once again. They had driven about a mile from their original parking spot near the villains’ lorry and were now simply further along the cliff, away from from the swamp. The men had resumed work on the camp and were still clearly visible, upstream in the gorge. Lucy sent some rodents ahead of them to establish there were no guards at the cliff top above the camp and then the three of them made their way quietly through the bush along the cliff until they were almost back at the truck with the shattered tyres. They peeped cautiously over the cliff, taking extra care this time not to be seen. The men had now stopped for a break and were drinking coffee immediately below them. Sid and the professor had crossed to the other side and were hacking specimens from the rock face and loading them into canvas bags. Sid’s head was bandaged and even from across the narrow gorge they could see that his face was swollen and bruised almost beyond recognition. Suddenly there was a screech and two fish eagles started swooping and buzzing at the men. Clare and Clive looked enquiringly at Lucy but she shook her head.

‘Nothing to do with me,’ she whispered. ‘Maybe the men are threatening their nest site.’ One of the men cursed as the female struck his hand with her talons and then started shooting. The others
laughed at his vain attempts to hit the birds which dived and spiralled at an astonishing speed.

The professor and Sid spun round at the noise of gunfire but turned back to their task when they saw that it wasn’t an attack but a bird shoot. Soon all the men were firing and when they ran out of ammunition the birds were still unharmed and persisting in their angry protest. Two of the men clambered up to the truck to replenish their ammunition supplies and Clare, Clive and Lucy shrank down behind a boulder. They heard the men rummaging in the truck. Suddenly there were cries of fear and the men leapt from the truck and started scrambling back down the cliff. Clare and Clive once again looked enquiringly at Lucy but she shrugged her shoulders.

‘I didn’t do anything,’ she said with a puzzled expression, ‘let’s find out what’s going on.’ The trio didn’t dare move so Lucy looked about for some animal help. She was about to talk to a squirrel but then caught sight of a colobus monkey in a nearby tree and decided that his superior intelligence might be useful. She called him over.

‘Knowest thou of these Tailless Ones?’
she asked.

‘Aye, I dwell in this place and see all they do. When the Brilliant One last went to his rest they killed one of my kin with their thundersticks and devoured her.’

‘Why do two of them now flee from the house that moves?’

‘I go to the house every day to eat their food when they are gone, but have seen nothing amiss. I will go once more.’
While he bounded off to the truck Lucy turned to the others.

‘They had roast monkey for supper last night, so they’re not flavour of the month with this guy. I’m sure he’ll help us all he can.’ The monkey returned with exciting news.

‘The Tailless Ones sought new food for their thundersticks. But when they removed the roof of the wooden nest the fellfangs arose. I spoke to them in the common tongue. They speak not much but say they are in thy service.’

‘Thank thee. These are good tidings indeed,’
said Lucy.
‘Soon these Tailless Ones will be gone and this place will once again belong to thee and thy kin.’
She turned to the other two. ‘Great,’ she said. ‘Some of the snakes we asked to protect the children are still in that truck They were hidden in the ammunition boxes and when the men came up to re-load their guns they got a nasty shock!’

‘So, if they’ve all run out of ammo’…,’ said Clare.

‘…and I’ve still got Sid’s gun back at the car …,’ said Clive.

‘… then we’re armed and they’re not!.’ finished Lucy.

‘Unless the professor’s got a gun,’ said Clare. ‘We’d better just bear that in mind’. The others agreed, then they peeped over the edge again. The men were all now clambering back up the steep slope in consternation at the news from the terrified two.

‘This has got to be our best chance,’ said Clive. ‘Anything you can do Luce?’ Lucy called the monkey back.

‘If thou wouldst be rid of these Tailless Ones in haste, find us a spotfang.’
The monkey bounded off and the three hunched down again behind the boulder. Soon the men gathered round the truck nervously. One of the two who had come previously peeped cautiously into the back of the truck and then leapt backwards at the sound of a loud hiss.

‘What can we do?’ he said, his voice trembling. ‘We can’t get at the stores or any ammo!’

‘One of us’ll ’ave to go and tell Sid and the Prof,’ said Fred, who had turned white as a sheet at the prospect of facing snakes once again. The man nearest the cliff turned to go back down and then
stopped dead. There, standing silently on the edge, was an enormous leopard, its exquisite markings shining in the afternoon sun. Then a growl rumbled behind the group and another leopard appeared. The men stood stock still, trapped between the two great predators, clutching their useless weapons.