rapidly triangulating on a signal from Miss Yorktown’s flying machine. A cavalcade of jeeps and trucks rapidly penned the poachers in from either side.
‘Get closer, I have one more smoke bomb left!’ cried Captain Fernandez. Miss Yorktown, biting her tongue in concentration, tipped the nose of the little aircraft forward until they were flying only ten feet from the ground.
Captain Fernandez took careful aim and launched the smoke canister at the poacher’s truck…
BULLSEYE!
The smoking canister went straight through the open window into the cab.
Captain Fernadez gave Miss Yorktown a thumbs up sign, ‘Great Flying!’ ‘That’ll slow them down a bit!’ shouted Miss Yorktown.
The thick white smoke pouring out of the canister filled the small cab of the pickup truck, obscuring the view ahead. The blind and panicked poachers left the road at great speed and plunged down a reedy bank, straight into a huge, muddy watering hole full of wallowing hippopotamuses!
SPLASH!!!
Miss Yorktown set the flying machine down at the edge of the watering hole and helped Captain Fernandez exit the contraption. Opposite, on the far side of the muddy lake, a large herd of elephants with flapping ears and swaying trunks looked on, perplexed at the unusual scene before them.
The poachers came coughing and spluttering out of the partially submerged vehicle and clamoured onto the roof.
Seven pairs of beady eyes rose up through the murk and mud of the watering hole, surrounding the marooned poachers. The wallowing form of seven giant hippos, with twitching ears and inquisitive eyes fixed on the newcomers, closed in on the evil men.
The hippos opened their huge mouths, exposing razor sharp, tusk-like incisors and then, in unison, emitted the loudest, deepest bellowing chorus of honking grunts that anyone had ever heard! Foul breath enveloped the three men, making them cough and splutter, as the din assaulted their ears!
The massive hippopotamuses turned majestically in the water, facing their enormous rears directly at the stranded poachers. Then, and as only hippopotamuses do, they proceeded to rotate their short tails, round-and-round, faster and faster, like tiny whizzing propeller blades!
When the whirling tails could not rotate any faster, they dipped their rears into the murky water spattering and spraying the poachers in filthy, thick, slimy, brown mud!
- A Whispered Secret -
Dr Aruna arrived on the scene, accompanied by the head of the east African constabulary, to arrest the poachers.
A jeep was sent to pick up Emily, Zanta and the very tired, but good spirited, Mr and Mrs Pilcher. It arrived and pulled up alongside Miss Yorktown’s flying machine.
‘Emily, Zanta!’ Miss Yorktown swept the girls up in her huge arms. There were tearful cries of joy as the group reunited.
‘I knew that with my flying machine and Captain Fernandez’s RADAR equipment we could find a needle in a haystack! It was a close run thing though; we only just arrived in time!’
‘Nonsense,’ said Dr Aruna, ‘Emily and Zanta were never in any great danger. Word spreads fast in this part of Africa; there were many eyes and ears looking out for them on their travels. He smiled enigmatically at Emily and Zanta. ‘Words whispered on the wind, travel a long way in Africa,’ he added.
On the far side of the bank three young orphaned elephants stepped forward and raised their trunks in the air. Emily and Zanta, tired and exhausted from the arduous days of travel, smiled and waved back at Binda, Zuma and Sultan!
Emily took Zanta’s hand. ‘Thank you,’ she said ‘for all of your help and for being my friend.’ The girls embraced.
On a rocky outcropping, high above the scene, Kimbar the leopard turned and raised his head to the brilliant blue sky and let out a mighty roar.
Hundreds of miles away, atop a small mound facing north, an extremely old looking man, with skin the colour of the earth and as dry as the desert, smiled a toothy grin.
They were safe.
Emily Pilcher and the Golden Eye (The Adventures of Emily Pilcher Book 2) Page 8