Forest Fire

by J. Burchett

  Ben saw Zoe grinning at him. So that’s what her plan was! She’d got them an invitation to the plantation. And it wasn’t to count trees or look at tractors. Zoe was hoping they’d get a glimpse of Kawan and make sure he was all right.

  CHAPTER

  NINE

  Zoe and Ben stood at the prow of Mr Ostrander’s speedboat, watching it cut through the brown water of the Munia River. They’d had a tour of the processing plant and been plied with food in a very posh dining room. Now they were off to see the fields of oil palms close up.

  On the right bank were the rows of oil palm trees Mat had pointed out from the walkway. The rainforest trees of the reservation spread away to the left. They could hear the sound of distant hammering coming from somewhere among them.

  “That must be Mat and his men seeing to the repairs,” said Zoe. “They’ll have to go and check the whole thing after that. It’ll take ages.”

  “Here’s that bend in the river we saw yesterday,” whispered Ben. “We must be coming to Kawan’s old territory.”

  “So beyond it is the reservation boundary and the new palm oil plants,” said Zoe. “It’s just coming into view now.”

  “This is near where Mat said Kawan had been spotted,” said Ben. “Somehow we’ve got to have a look among those trees. But of course we can’t just ask.”

  “Why not?” said Zoe. “We don’t have to say anything about Wild, after all.” Holding on to the safety rail, she made her way back to the cabin where Mr Ostrander was at the wheel.

  “Has Mat told you about his missing favourite orang-utan?” Zoe asked their host.

  “Ah yes, Kawan,” said Mr Ostrander, looking serious. “Mat was cut up about him leaving the reservation. I know the little chap’s been spotted among my trees – although I haven’t seen him myself.”

  “Could we have a look there?” Zoe pointed ahead to where the land had been cleared and the ordered rows of small saplings were planted. “I’d just love to be able to say I’ve seen him – to reassure Mat that he’s still all right,” she added quickly.

  “Of course we can,” said Mr Ostrander.

  As the river curved to the right, he steered the speedboat to a small jetty on the left bank and cut the engine.

  “As you can see, these are my newest trees,” Mr Ostrander told them as they walked between the oil drums towards the more mature growth. “They’ll be producing fruit for oil production in four years’ time.

  I’ve increased my work force by ten per cent for these. Good for the local economy.”

  Ben looked at Zoe. He could guess what she was thinking. This was all very interesting, but they couldn’t wait to get searching in the trees.

  Mr Ostrander pointed over to a new red-roofed shed in the distance. “That’s where the next crop of oil palm fruit will be stored. Then it will be taken to the processing factory.”

  His mobile phone rang. “Excuse me,” he said, as he flicked it open. “Do have a look round. Let me know if you see Kawan.”

  Zoe and Ben didn’t waste any more time. They chased off between the rows of seedlings until they reached the regimented lines of trees. Keeping the edge of the seedling patch in sight, they walked among the low hanging fronds of the oil palms, listening intently to the calls of unseen creatures. Ben held up his BUG and pressed some buttons. “I’m analysing the cries,” he said. “No orang-utan I’m afraid – just birds.”

  “Isn’t that Talib?” said Zoe suddenly. “Over there, coming out of the little door at the end of the shed.” She got her Wild binoculars out and zoomed in on a figure carrying a heavy can. “It is,” she said in surprise. “What’s he doing on Mr Ostrander’s land? He’s meant to be helping Mat repair the walkways.”

  They crept towards the tall, wooden shed, and peered round to see Talib stop for a moment. He put down the can, pulled something from his pocket and unwrapped it. He placed it in his mouth and began to chew, throwing the wrapper to the floor. Then he picked up the can again and sauntered off into the trees.

  “Did you see that?” gasped Zoe. She ran and picked up the silver wrapper. “This is just like the one I found beneath the walkway last night. Do you think it was Talib who sabotaged the walkway?”

  “What was he carrying?” muttered Ben. “Let’s take a look inside the shed.”

  They slipped inside and found themselves in a small tool store at the end of the main shed. Rakes, spades and machetes hung on the walls. A dirty old tarpaulin had been thrown in one corner. Ben pulled it back to reveal four more cans identical to the one Talib had taken. He picked it up and heard liquid sloshing inside.

  “It’s petrol!” gasped Zoe, sniffing at it. “But why would Talib be stealing petrol?”

  “If you’re right about the gum,” said Ben, “then Talib is Mat’s enemy. It was Talib who sabotaged the walkway and put the scarer in place. And now I’ve got the awful feeling he’s going further. He’s planning to set fire to the reservation!”

  CHAPTER

  TEN

  Mr Ostrander chatted away pleasantly as he drove Ben and Zoe back to the Adilah Reservation. The children sat in the back, trying to answer as if nothing was wrong.

  Ben remembered the strange expression on Talib’s face when Mat told him about the broken walkway. He must have been surprised that Mat was still in one piece. Ben needed to find out more about Talib. Perhaps Mr Ostrander could help, but how could he bring up the subject without it looking suspicious?

  “Shame there was no sign of Kawan,” Mr Ostrander was saying sympathetically.

  “I expect Mat will keep looking,” said Ben. “And his staff,” he added with a sudden flash of inspiration. “We know that Daud’s very fond of him.”

  “But we don’t know about Talib,” Zoe burst in, catching on. “He’s very quiet. Do you know what he’s like, Mr Ostrander?”

  “I don’t know Mat’s men very well,” said the plantation owner. “Which one is Talib?” “Older than Mat, with greying hair,” Ben told him.

  “Surly chap?” Mr Ostrander shrugged. “Never spoken to him.” He swung the jeep through the gates of the reservation.

  Mat was waiting for them in the courtyard.

  “Just in time for your surprise treat,” he beamed, as Mr Ostrander’s car disappeared in a cloud of dust. “I’ll let you go and freshen up first. Meet you here in five minutes.”

  Back in their room, the children turned to each other anxiously.

  “Our surprise couldn’t have come at a worse time,” said Ben.

  Zoe nodded. “What are we going to do about Talib? He could start the fire at any moment. We must tell Mat.”

  “We can’t,” said Ben. “We’d have to tell him about the walkway and the shed. He mustn’t know we’ve been investigating. Anyway, how do we know he’d believe us?”

  “Then we’ll call Uncle Stephen.” Zoe pulled out her BUG and pressed the hot key that would put her in direct contact with Wild HQ.

  “Greetings!” They heard their godfather’s sleepy voice. It was the middle of the night on his island. “Any news of Kawan yet?”

  “We’ve seen him,” said Zoe. “But there’s much more to tell.”

  “Worse than I thought,” said Uncle Stephen, when Zoe had finished her report. “Erika’s in North Borneo. I’ll get her to alert the authorities right now – anonymously, of course. They’ll be on their way at once. They take fire in the forest very seriously.”

  “And as soon as the threat’s over we’ll try using the call again to lure Kawan back to his old territory,” added Zoe. “There’s no bird scarer to keep him away now.”

  “You go and enjoy your surprise,” said their godfather. “And leave everything to me.”

  “Are you ready?” they heard Mat calling from the courtyard. They swung their rucksacks on to their backs and headed outside to find him standing by a small, open-top jeep. He grinned. “Hop in!”

  “Where are we going?” asked Zoe, as Mat steered them down a bumpy track. It was impossible to see ahead
because of the dense trees.

  “You’ll see in a minute.”

  The jeep turned a corner and in front of them was a cleared area, about the size of a football pitch, leading to a runway. Ben and Zoe could see it was a small airstrip, and then they spotted the craft shimmering in the heat in the middle of the tarmac.

  “A balloon!” gasped Ben. “Fantastic!”

  Zoe gave a whoop of delight. “Double fantastic!”

  “It’s the best way to see the rainforest.” Mat beamed. “Ready for a little ride?”

  They walked towards the balloon, which was still being filled with hot air.

  “Perhaps our surprise hasn’t come at the wrong time after all,” Zoe murmured to Ben.

  Ben frowned. “How d’you work that out?”

  “If a fire did start, at least we could see exactly where it was and put out an alert immediately!”

  Whoosh! Mat turned up the flame that burnt under the huge red balloon envelope. A man untied the rope tethers and Ben and Zoe felt the basket rise up into the air.

  “It’s a bit bumpy!” yelled Zoe, over the noise of the roaring flare.

  “You’ll get used to it.” Mat smiled.

  They were soon at the height of the treetops. Mat pulled on a cord.

  “This opens the parachute valve a little,” he told them. “Don’t worry, we’re not jumping! It just lets out hot air to stop us gaining any more height. Can you feel the tug on the basket? At different heights the winds travel in different directions. We’ve reached a patch of wind that’s blowing south-eastwards. Just what we need to go over the reservation.”

  “And if we have to change direction we just go up or down to catch a different wind,” said Ben.

  “You’ve got it!” said Mat. “I can’t guarantee to get us back in the centre of the tarmac, but I’ve never missed the airstrip yet.”

  Above the forest canopy the air felt fresher, and Ben and Zoe could feel a welcome breeze on their skin. Parrots glided over the treetops below them, their bright wings flashing through the air.

  “This is all the Adilah Reservation,” said Mat, proudly gesturing over his land.

  The tops of the tallest trees reached out but didn’t quite touch each other. Small trees filled the gaps below. It looked like an endless sea of green.

  “Some of the trees are seventy-five metres tall,” explained Mat. “All sorts of creatures live up there: monkeys, spiders, snakes, lizards.”

  Zoe screened her eyes. “What’s that mountain over there?” she asked, as she looked at a barren peak far in the distance.

  “Mount Kinabalu,” said their guide. “You’ll have a good view now we’re so high.” He handed them binoculars.

  “I don’t like the look of the dark clouds over it,” said Ben, focusing on the mountain. “Are we going to get wet?”

  “They’re a long way off,” Mat told them. “Don’t worry, we should be back before it rains. I’m turning to take you right across the reservation. We’re at the south-eastern point here. You can see the oil palms stretching away at the edge of my land.”

  “There are the seedlings,” said Zoe. “It looks like a join-the-dots puzzle from here.”

  “We have to get higher,” said Mat, turning up the flame. “Hopefully we’ll pick up a helpful wind to take us north now.”

  “This is sure to bring the tourists in,” said Ben. “You’ll be so busy, you’ll be recruiting more staff.”

  “Maybe,” laughed Mat. “I’ll manage with Daud and Talib for the moment.”

  Zoe caught Ben’s eye. “Have they worked with you for long?”

  “Daud and I were at school together,” Mat told her. “Talib works for Mr Ostrander – has done for years. Pieter’s lent him to me for a short while. He suggested I’d need more help with the reservation opening up for visitors and sent him over.” He stepped to the other side of the basket to check the balloon’s position with his map.

  “I don’t understand,” Ben hissed in Zoe’s ear. “Mr Ostrander said he didn’t know Talib.”

  Despite the heat Zoe felt a chill run up her back. “Why would he lie?” she whispered back. “He’s a friend of Mat’s.”

  Ben suddenly grasped Zoe by the shoulders, his fingers digging into her skin. “That’s what he wanted us to think. But don’t you remember – Mat said Mr Ostrander wanted to buy Adilah when he first bought his plantation. It all makes sense now! When Mat wouldn’t sell up he decided to get it another way.”

  “So you think Ostrander’s the one behind the cancellations, the broken walkway and scaring off the orang-utans – and probably the logging that frightened Kawan away, too?” said Zoe in a shocked whisper. “All that stuff about helping Mat was just a cover. He sent Talib to work for him and secretly carry out his horrible plans.”

  “How clever.” Ben nodded. “Ostrander appeared to be a hero when he had the loggers chased off. But I bet he’d sent them there in the first place. All the time he’s been trying to make sure that the reservation fails. I suppose he’s intending to step in as soon as it does and nobly buy the land off Mat.”

  At that moment the flame above them puttered and flickered. Mat turned the ring on one of the propane cylinders and frowned. “It’s run out of gas. I thought I asked for them all to be filled.” He shrugged. “I expect the other two are OK.” He quickly opened the valve on another cylinder, but there was no burst of fire from overhead. Ben and Zoe could see that Mat was beginning to look worried. “I don’t understand it,” he muttered. “I told Talib to top them up – and the gauges are showing full.”

  “Talib?” shouted Zoe. “Talib filled the cylinders?”

  Ben quickly knelt down by one of them. A tiny blob of chewing gum had been squeezed in under the needle.

  “Look inside the glass!” he shouted. “He’s used his gum to wedge the gauge so it shows full.”

  Mat twisted the third valve open, beads of sweat breaking out on his forehead. “This one’s the same. They’ve been tampered with! Why would Talib do this?”

  The children stared at him, white-faced. Over their heads the flame spluttered – and died. Horrified, Ben and Zoe felt the wind throbbing in their ears as the balloon began to drop through the air, gaining speed. The sides of the nylon envelope, no longer filled with heat, flapped loudly in the downward rush and the dense green of the forest below raced up to meet them.

  “Get down as low as you can!” shouted Mat above the din. “Brace yourselves for the impact. With luck we’ll hit the canopy and our fall will be broken.”

  Ben and Zoe could see how close they were to the open land of the oil palm plantation. If they crash-landed there, they didn’t stand a chance.

  CHAPTER

  ELEVEN

  Zoe gave a shriek as she felt the basket smash down on top of the trees, throwing her against Ben. All around was the deafening crack of breaking branches. The basket tumbled down through the canopy, almost flinging Ben over the side. Zoe grasped his arm and hauled him back in. They clung together, huddled in one corner of the basket.

  Suddenly the basket gave a huge jolt and came to rest at a crooked angle, swinging from side to side, the balloon envelope tangled in the branches above.

  “We’ve stopped falling!” gasped Zoe, hauling herself up by one of the ropes.

  Ben peered out. “The balloon’s caught on a tree. We’re safe – for the moment.”

  “But look at Mat!” Zoe edged her way slowly over to where their pilot lay in a crumpled heap.

  “Is he alive?” Ben clambered round to join her, making the basket rock dangerously.

  Zoe felt his pulse. “He’s unconscious,” she said, hearing the worry in her own voice. “He must have been knocked out.”

  Ben pulled out his BUG. “I’m going to call Uncle Stephen,” he said. “He can get help –”

  He gave a cry as some of the balloon fabric ripped and the basket fell to the branch below.

  “There’s no time for that,” said Zoe urgently. “We’ve got to get d
own to the ground now.”

  “We can use our EELs,” said Ben. “I’ll take Mat.”

  Zoe pressed the button on her EEL belt. As she leapt out of the basket, she felt the cord fasten to the branches above.

  Ben gripped Mat tightly round the waist and prepared to jump. He knew he had to get them clear of the basket, which was starting to rock dangerously. They couldn’t risk getting trapped as it fell and dragged down to the ground. Then the EEL wouldn’t be able to work. But Mat was like a dead weight in his arms. Ben couldn’t move him at all.

  There was a crack of snapping wood and the basket broke loose from the tree. Ben felt himself being thrown into mid-air. He clung to Mat for all he was worth as they plummeted. Heart in his mouth, he hoped they weren’t too heavy for the EEL. Then, to his relief, he felt the jerk of the cord.

  As soon as Mat was safely down on the ground, Zoe felt his pulse. “It’s very fast,” she said, worried. “And he looks so pale.”

  “We need to get him medical help as soon as possible,” said Ben. “I’ll contact Uncle Stephen now.”

  The chugging sound of a quad bike burst through the trees.

  “Someone must have seen the balloon come down!” he exclaimed. “Help’s arrived!”

  “And they’ve got transport,” said Zoe excitedly. “They can take Mat to hospital! We’re over here!” She jumped to her feet and waved her arms.

  But the next instant their hope turned to dread as the quad came into view.

  Their rescuer was no rescuer at all. It was Pieter Ostrander.

  He cut the engine, dismounted and came over to them. Out of the corner of her eye Zoe saw Ben’s fingers reaching for his BUG. Surely Ben’s not going to try and alert Uncle Stephen, she thought. It’s too risky. But just in case, she ran forward to Mr Ostrander to block his view.

  “Thank goodness you’re here,” she cried. “There’s been an accident and Mat’s hurt.”