Hunted (23 page)

Paulo got to his feet, easing the stiffness out of his limbs. He snapped the camcorder shut and headed for the quad bike. He had to return to the lodge with the camcorder, which was needed for the next stage.

Before he set off, he phoned Hex on the mobile. 'I'm on my way back. Get someone out to the landing strip now to keep watch. And start getting the balloon ready: I've just seen them unearth a cache of ivory and they must be about to make a sale. We can get evidence on the buyer too.'

23
UNDER COVER

Hex and Alex were ready as soon as they got Paulo's message. They bundled onto a quad bike. Alex was behind with Hex's palmtop. Locating the airstrip again was as simple as pressing a button. Alex was also properly prepared: he had put on camouflage face paint and disruption pattern clothing.

Hex headed across country at high speed. He skirted the tall grass so he wouldn't leave a trail that could be seen from the air, which might warn the poachers that someone had been near the landing strip. The fat tyres of the quad bike coped with the rough ground easily. Everything got out of their way: a herd of springboks at a water hole and a cluster of jackals feeding on a carcass.

Finally they burst through a clearing onto the road. Hex wheeled the bike around in a circle and halted. They were just at the start of the runway, where the lopped trees began.

'This is it.' Alex got off and Hex handed him a rucksack. 'Equipment check - have you got binoculars, mobile phone, energy bars, water?'

Alex checked the rucksack contents as Hex reeled them off, then nodded. He looked at the trees. Long grey pods hung from the branches, as though someone had decorated the tree for Christmas with grey frankfurters.

'I hope those aren't poisonous,' commented Alex.

'Li said they're sausage trees,' said Hex.

'Don't be daft.'

'She said they're not edible, so if you get peckish don't take a bite out of one of them.'

'They'll be good cover though,' said Alex. 'You know, it's a pity we haven't got a second camcorder. I could tape the whole lot myself.'

'No you couldn't,' said Hex firmly. 'You don't know which end of the airstrip they're going to land on. It's at least eight hundred metres long. You might be hiding here and they might do the handover all the way down at the other end. It would be a bit obvious if you came sprinting out of the bushes to film them. We can get a better view from the balloon.' He put his hand out. 'Oh, by the way, aren't you forgetting something?'

'Oops, sorry.' Alex handed Hex back the palmtop.

Hex climbed back on the quad bike and fired up the engine. 'Now get lost.'

Alex hefted his rucksack onto one shoulder. 'I'll call in every thirty minutes.'

Hex opened the throttle and the bike roared away.

Alex had to choose his laying-up point. There were plenty of places to choose from. He didn't need to have a perfect view of the runway, he just needed to spot a plane coming in and alert the others. That meant he could go quite deep into the wood, where he was sure to be concealed.

He walked thirty paces in and stopped at the foot of a tree. It looked sturdy enough. Alex jumped up, grabbed a branch that stood just above head height and swung himself up to a sitting position. He inched along until he could grasp another branch, and swung himself up onto that. Then he settled. They'd agreed that if he was there for more than three hours, Hex would come and take over. After another three, it would be Paulo's turn. But he really had no idea how long he'd have to wait. It would be dark soon too.

He could no longer hear the whine of Hex's quad bike. Now there was only the sound of the animals. With luck, the next thing he would hear would be the plane landing.

Hex took the same route back, sticking to the bare ground. He travelled in a halo of dust kicked up by the fat tyres. The river glittered in the corner of his eye.

His mind was full of the next things he would have to do. He had recharged batteries ready for the camcorder and a night-vision adapter to fit to it.

A small trench crossed his path - probably a game trail. Hex stood on the footrests, ready to jump it. On the way there he had gunned the throttle and the bike had taken it with ease.

But this time the ground in front of it crumbled.

The front wheels crashed into the trench, leaving the back wheels spinning in thin air and throwing Hex hard onto the handlebars. Only the fact that he had been braced for a small bump saved him from going over them altogether. He collected his thoughts and revved the engine, but the front wheels spun and couldn't get a grip.

Hex turned the engine off. He'd have to turn the heavy bike so that all the wheels were in contact with the ground. Hopefully he'd only have to move it a little. Who would have thought a trench that was less than a metre deep would cause so much trouble?

He tried hefting the bike up by its handlebars but managed to move it only centimetres. He let out a sigh of exasperation. He definitely didn't need to be stuck at a time like this.

It took a moment for Hex to hear the animal approaching. At first, the silence after the roar of the bike was strange enough. Now he realized it wasn't silence.

It was something moving, something large that crushed foliage. Its digestive system let out low rumbles like an oncoming underground train. An elephant? Hopefully it would turn tail and run away.

He tried to shift the bike again. The back wheels inched down into the trench and the front wheels climbed. Just as soon as he had all four in contact, he'd be on his way.

A great bellowing ripped through the silence. That was no elephant.

Down the channel, something was racing towards him. It looked like a boulder, a rounded, greyish shape mottled with brown. Then it became a bulbous head with tiny ears, like the wing mirrors on a huge car. It had eyes like small polished marbles. A hippo.

Hex remembered Li's remark, way back in the adventure race: if you block a hippo's way to the water it will charge. And he remembered the crocodile snapped in half. He had to get the bike out - now.

With a roar that matched the hippo's for ferocity, Hex wrenched the heavy bike into the trench. It started to topple, sliding sideways down the bank. For a horrible moment he thought it would fall over, but it righted itself. Now all four wheels were on ground, but the machine was no longer facing out of the trench. It was facing along it.

The hippo was close enough for Hex to see the whiskers on its broad top lip. There was only one direction he could go. He gunned the engine and powered down the trench.

Enraged, the hippo gave chase. Hex's top speed was only fifty-six kph and the engine only 250 cc. Steering was an added complication - the bike bounced like a ball on the rough ground and it was a full-time job preventing it from turning over. The hippo was keeping up easily.

Ahead he caught a glimpse of sandy beach and a ribbon of dark water. The hippo showed no sign of tiring. It was fuelled by fury. Hex broke out in a cold sweat. What if there were more of them waiting in the river?

As he hit the water the bike lost speed dramatically and he nearly came off. He heard the heavy splash as the hippo followed.

Hex's wheels started to leave the river bed. The current was trying to take him downstream. He pulled the handlebars round hard, revving and revving. The engine spluttered. If it stopped, the current would drag him away. He paddled like mad with his legs - anything to help the bike along.

The hippo lunged towards him. Its mouth gaped open like a cavern. Hex glimpsed a sliver of tongue and vicious teeth.

The engine coughed, then roared. The wheels caught and Hex shot out of the water. The hippo receded in a cloud of spray.

Instantly his mind was back on the job. He had lost valuable minutes. Relief could wait until later. He checked his route on his palmtop GPS and accelerated towards the lodge.

As he roared up to the entrance he saw the balloon, a silver and orange globe taking shape on the front lawn. Joe, Li, Amber and Paulo were silhouetted against the balloon by the flare from the burner. The envelope was growing in front of their eyes.

The quad bike engine backfired and spluttered. Hex switched it off. The bike was covered with a crust of sand on the wet wheels and bodywork.

Paulo strolled over to Hex with an accusing expression, but before he could say anything Hex interjected, 'If you need a bike, don't use this one.' He grinned weakly.

'Hex, what on earth did you do to it?'

Hex passed him the palmtop. The GPS screen was still loaded. The map showed a red cross. 'X marks the spot. Don't go there - at least not until they've landed.'

A bleeping sound made them all jump to attention. 'It's Alex,' said Li.

Amber had the phone. 'Yes?' She listened, then said, 'OK,' and cut the connection.

'Well?' said Li.

'Just his first thirty-minute check. Nothing's happened yet.'

'The balloon's ready,' Joe told them.

Amber was studying the sky. 'We'd better get up there now so that we're ready to roll when the plane comes in,' she said. 'Look at the clouds. There's a breeze going towards the landing strip and it's our best chance.'

'Give me a moment and I'll get the equipment for the camcorder,' said Hex. He was running backwards as he spoke, then he turned and sprinted into the lodge.

Gaston passed him coming out of the main entrance. He was carrying two large packs, which he laid on the base of the steps. 'You're going to have a lot of equipment so you'll only have room for two people,' he said. 'Amber, you'd better pilot the balloon. You've got a real feel for reading the wind. You're a natural.'

'I'm happy to,' said Amber.

'I'll take the quad bike to get Alex after the plane's come down,' said Paulo. 'If it still works,' he added, with a glance at Hex.