Outback Outlaw
Page 5
Well, it is a great name!
Many bushrangers saw themselves as Robin Hood figures, stealing from the rich to give to the poor. Hurrah!
The first European people to arrive in Australia were a group of eight hundred convicts, transported there in 1788 as punishment for their crimes. Better than detention!
It is still traditional for the young Aboriginal tribesmen of Australia’s Outback to go ‘Walkabout’ – a long journey into the wilderness. It is a rite of passage that can last up to six months. And you thought maths lessons were long!
What was the Stone Age like?
Who were the Stone Age men?
What weapons did they fight with?
Join Tom and Zuma on another action-packed Time Hunters adventure!
The magical mist cleared and Tom found himself standing at the top of a mountain overlooking a valley. The air was pure and fresh, unlike anything Tom had ever breathed before. There wasn’t a person or a building or a road anywhere to be seen.
“Great view!” said Zuma. “But where are we?”
Tom looked at the bulky fur cloak draped over Zuma’s shoulders. Whenever Tlaloc sent them tumbling through time, their clothes changed to match the style of the period they were visiting. Tom was dressed in a similar cloak to Zuma. Both of them were wearing leggings made from animal hide, and furry boots stuffed with grass.
“We’re definitely a long way from home,” Tom said. “I think further than we’ve ever been before.” He pointed to the black pendant hanging round her neck. “Ask your necklace and see if it can help us.”
Zuma’s magical pendant gave them clues to where Tlaloc had hidden each golden coin. Taking hold of the necklace, Zuma chanted the familiar question:
“Mirror, mirror, on a chain,
Can you help us? Please explain!
We are lost and must be told
How to find the coins of gold.”
A riddle appeared on the surface of the black pendant:
Step back to the dawn of time;
To find the coin follow the rhyme.
Two men of stone – one large, one small;
You’ll find a clue upon the wall.
Go down a path of bubbling blue;
When in doubt, to the right stay true;
Keep on past where the deer roam;
The brightest fire will lead you home.
“What does ‘the dawn of time’ mean?” Zuma asked, as the silvery words vanished into the depths of the pendant.
“If our clothes are anything to go by, I’d say we’re in the prehistoric era,” said Tom.
“Prehis-whatty?” laughed Zuma. “That’s not a word! You’re making it up.”
“I’m not!” said Tom.
“What does it mean then?”
“It’s a very old period in time,” Tom explained, remembering what his dad had told him. “Way before the Ancient Romans, Greeks and Egyptians. Way before people could even read or write.”
“Hmm.” Zuma frowned. “So … no computer games?”
“Not really, no,” said Tom.
A sudden gust of wind whipped across the mountaintop. Tom shivered, and pulled his cloak tightly round him. “Let’s get down from here,” he suggested. “It’ll be warmer in the valley.”
“Lead the way,” said Zuma.
They began to pick their way down the jagged slope, careful not to slip on the loose rocks. Chilli darted ahead of them, sniffing and snuffling at the ground. The air was still cool and crisp, but walking helped warm Tom up. As they carried on down the mountain, Zuma looked at her boots admiringly.
“These shoes don’t look like much,” she said. “But they’re pretty comfortable. These prehis-whatty people couldn’t have been that stupid.”
“I didn’t say they were stupid,” said Tom. “I just said they hadn’t learned to read or write yet.”
“How about talking? Could they talk like us?”
“No one really knows,” replied Tom. “Their words probably sounded a lot different to ours – like a lot of huffs and grunts.”
“Sounds like my old master,” Zuma told him. “He used to huff and grunt all the time, especially when I burned his breakfast.”
Thanks to Tlaloc’s magic, whenever Tom and Zuma travelled back in time they could understand whatever language the people there spoke. Even if people round here huffed and grunted, Tom would be able to understand them. He was still worried, though. This empty world felt strange and different. Whenever Tom saw prehistoric people on the TV, they were brutish cavemen who bashed people on the head with clubs and dragged them away by their hair. Had anyone even invented fire yet? Tlaloc hadn’t been joking when he’d said that this would be Tom and Zuma’s toughest challenge yet.
As they came down the mountain, the ground began to level out and a line of trees appeared along a ridge. Chilli barked with delight and scooted down towards the nearest tree. The dog’s nose twitched excitedly as he sniffed round the gnarled roots.
“Looks like Chilli’s caught a scent of something,” said Tom.
“Maybe it’s Tlaloc’s coin,” Zuma said hopefully.
“I don’t think you can smell gold.”
“You don’t know Chilli,” Zuma told him. “He can sniff out anything.”
They followed the Chihuahua over to the large tree. The little dog had stopped sniffing the roots and was now looking up into the leafy branches.
“You see?” Zuma said. “The coin must be up in those branches. All we have to do is climb and get it.”
Tom peered up into the shadowy tree. Something moved in the branches – but it wasn’t a coin.
“Look out!” he cried.
The next moment a net dropped down from the tree, knocking Tom and Zuma off their feet and pinning them to the ground!
*
Tom and Zuma squirmed beneath the net, the prickly ropes scratching at their skin. Chilli had been caught in the net too, and was trying to gnaw his way free. But he was just as stuck as they were.
“It’s no use,” groaned Zuma. “We’re trapped!”
Two shadowy figures dropped down from the tree’s upper branches, landing on either side of the net. Tom cried out in surprise. He tried to stand up, but the more he thrashed about, the more tangled up he got. The figures leaned in closer, peering at their catch through the gaps in the net. One was a grown man, the other a young boy.
A real live caveman, thought Tom. And a caveboy!
Like Tom and Zuma, their captors were wrapped in bulky fur cloaks over hide leggings. They wore furry brown hats made from some kind of animal skin, and carried rucksacks made from a hairy pelt. But it wasn’t their clothes that made the breath catch in Tom’s throat – it was their weapons. The man was carrying a bow and a quiver filled with arrows, as well as a copper axe. The boy had pulled a sharp dagger from his belt, and was pointing it threateningly at Tom and Zuma.
As they tried to wriggle free, Chilli had managed to gnaw a hole in the net big enough for his little body. Squeezing through the gap, he charged at the hunters, yapping furiously. To Tom’s horror, the man drew the axe from his belt and swung it at Chilli. The Chihuahua darted out of the way, missing the blade by inches.
“No!” screamed Zuma. “Don’t hurt him!”
The man jumped. “Goat talks?” he gasped, blinking in astonishment.
“Who are you calling a goat?” Zuma said indignantly.
The boy made a grumbling noise that Tom realised was a chuckle. “She’s not a goat, Blood-Father,” he said. “She’s a girl.” The boy stuck his knife back into his belt. Lifting up the net, he helped Tom and Zuma out. “Sorry,” he said. “We thought you were food.”
Tom and Zuma scrambled clear of the net, relieved to be free from the prickly ropes. The older hunter put away his axe. He was still scowling. “What tribe you belong?” he asked curtly.
Tom scratched his head, not sure how to answer. “My tribe isn’t from round here. We’ve come from very far away.”
“F
rom beyond the mountains?” the hunter asked suspiciously.
“Way beyond them,” said Zuma. At her feet Chilli was still glaring at the hunter, giving him a warning growl. Zuma picked up the Chihuahua and gave him a hug.
As the boy began to gather the net, Tom helped him. “This is a strong net,” he said, inspecting the rope. “What did you make it out of?”
“String peeled from inside of tree bark,” said the boy, beaming. “I twisted the string into a length of twine, then wove it into a net.”
“Cool!” said Tom.
The older hunter gave his chest a thump and grunted. “Gam,” he said, then pointed a scarred finger at the boy. “This Gam’s Blood-Son, Arn.”
Following the man’s lead, Tom thumped his own chest and said, “Tom.” He then pointed to Zuma and told the hunters her name.
“Gam glad to meet Tom and Zuma,” said Gam. He let out a heavy sigh. “But still wish you were goats.”
“What is it with this guy and goats?” muttered Zuma.
“Blood-Father is upset because we haven’t caught any food,” Arn explained. “A new tribe led by a man called Orm has come over the mountains. For months now they have been hunting on our land and stealing our food.”
“Poachers,” said Tom.
Gam nodded. “Orm bad man,” he said. “He kills more deer and goats than he needs. Gam can’t feed his tribe if enemy kills all animals for themselves.”
“We aren’t part of Orm’s tribe, I promise,” said Zuma. “And for the record, this is Chilli.” She mimicked Gam, giving Chilli’s chest a little thump. “Chilli not goat, either. Chilli is friend.”
“Why Tom and Zuma here if not hunting?” Gam asked.
“In a way we are hunting,” Tom explained. “We’ve come to find something important that’s been hidden somewhere. As soon as we find it we can go home.”
“Gam and Arn want to go home too,” said Gam. “But because of Orm, we must travel far to hunt now.”
There was a sudden noise higher up the mountain, the sound of stones crunching underfoot. Tom looked up to see a goat scrambling across the slope.
“Look, Blood-Father!” pointed Arn. “A goat! A real one this time.”
“Shh,” said Gam, slipping his bow from his shoulder. “Loud voice frighten goat away.” Keeping his eyes trained on the goat, he pulled an arrow from his quiver and nimbly placed it against the bowstring. He took aim.
But before Gam could shoot, Tom and Zuma heard a rumbling laugh. It was Tlaloc! There was a deafening thunderclap. The goat let out a terrified bleat and bounded away, sending a shower of stones tumbling down the slope.
“No move!” Gam said urgently. “No sound! No want rockfall.”
But even as Tom and Zuma froze, Tlaloc let off an even louder bang of thunder that echoed round the valley. The trickle of stones started to dislodge large rocks. The rain god had created an avalanche!
“Run!” shouted Gam.
At once the hunter began racing back towards the trees. Tom and Zuma ran after him. It was hard for them to keep up with Gam’s long strides, and they were soon several paces behind. As they neared the trees, Tom realised that Arn wasn’t with them. Turning round, he saw that the prehistoric boy had stopped in his tracks, and was looking up the mountain.
Tom gasped.
An enormous boulder was rolling straight towards Arn. If he didn’t move fast, he was going to be squashed flat!
THE HUNT CONTINUES …
Travel through time with Tom and Zuma as they battle the mightiest warriors of the past. Will they find all six coins and win Zuma’s freedom? Find out in:
DISCOVER A NEW TIME HUNTERS QUEST!
Tom’s first adventure was with an Ancient Egyptian mummy called Isis. Can Tom and Isis track down the six hidden amulets scattered through history? Find out in:
Go to:
www.time-hunters.com
Travel through time and join the hunt for the mightiest heroes and villains of history to win
brilliant prizes!
Copyright
First published in Great Britain by HarperCollins Children’s Books in 2014
HarperCollins Children’s Books is a division of HarperCollinsPublishers
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Hammersmith, London, W6 8JB.
www.harpercollins.co.uk
Text © Hothouse Fiction Limited 2014
Illustrations © HarperCollins Children’s Books, 2014
Cover design by HarperCollinsPublishers 2014, Cover illustration by Dynamo
Chris Blake asserts the moral right to be identified as the author of this work.
A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. By payment of the required fees, you have been granted the non-exclusive, non-transferable right to access and read the text of this e-book on-screen. No part of this text may be reproduced, transmitted, down-loaded, decompiled, reverse engineered, or stored in or introduced into any information storage and retrieval system, in any form or by any means, whether electronic or mechanical, now known or hereinafter invented, without the express written permission of HarperCollins.
Source ISBN: 9780007549986
Ebook Edition © 2014 ISBN: 9780007549993
Version: 2013-12-24
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