by Bear Grylls
‘Yes!’ Mia and Brihony said it together.
‘What’s that?’ Beck asked.
‘Aboriginal justice,’ Al explained. ‘The courts here are based on European traditions – white man’s traditions. But the Circle Court is a way of bringing in the traditions of the Aboriginal people. Barega will go back to his community and be tried by a circle of representatives – tribal elders. They’ll work out the most appropriate punishment. In Barega’s case, I expect it will be to work for the Jungun.’
‘So no jail?’ Beck asked in surprise.
‘Jail is a European concept. Believe me, for someone like Barega, it will be much harder to face his own people. Ganan couldn’t have done it – it’s not available to murderers – but we told the police that Barega tried to stop him. So he isn’t officially a murderer, just a man who did wrong.’
‘Now to our other big story tonight – the discovery of what is already thought to be the largest collection of prehistoric rock art ever found in Australia. We go over to our reporter . . .’
The reporter was on a boat in the middle of the river. Behind him some men were climbing down from the entrance of the cave. He stared excitedly at the camera and spoke into his microphone.
‘We have just heard that the Prime Minister has confirmed that the government will apply for this cave and the surrounding area to be declared a World Heritage Site. It’s far too soon to say, of course, but if even a tiny bit of what we’ve heard about the interior of the cave is correct, then there will be no question . . .’
Beck felt a big grin tugging at his mouth. Al caught his eye and looked equally pleased. If the cave was declared a World Heritage Site, the land would be protected for ever. Not even Lumos’s billions could change that. It would be like levelling Stonehenge to build a new shopping mall. It wasn’t going to happen. The Jungun land was safe. Somewhere, somehow, Beck knew that Pindari was feeling extremely pleased. He might even allow himself a smile.
‘I can’t wait to see inside that cave,’ Al mused. ‘From what I’ve been hearing, it bears out all my theories.’ Beck remembered the award Al had been given in Darwin: that was the whole reason for their visit. ‘I’ve been trying to prove that the Aboriginal ancestors and the megafauna lived together for longer than scientists used to think.’
‘They still drove them to extinction in the end,’ Brihony pointed out.
‘Yes, they did,’ Al agreed solemnly. ‘It’s a harsh fact, but there’s no sense brushing it under the carpet. It’s never too late to learn from the mistakes of the past.’
On the TV, the reporter had handed back to the anchorman in the studio.
‘Now back to the main story . . .’
Yeah, Beck thought glumly. Back to the main story. The main story was that there were people out there whose only aim was to exploit people and cultures and to steal money. They didn’t care who they hurt to get it, or what lies they had to tell.
Beck had been thinking a lot about lies lately. He knew that a bad man makes a lie believable by mixing it with the truth. Ganan and Barega had told him a bunch of mixed-up truth and lies. The true bit had been about the pollution, and Lumos wanting to buy Jungun land. The lies had been about them wanting to fight the corporation. And in between, there had been the revelations about how Beck’s parents had died. Was that lies? Was that true?
Right now, Beck was sure of only two things: that Pindari and his parents would be proud of him somehow; and that along with the ancient rock art there lived on something even more precious – knowledge of the land.
And for that, Beck felt both humbled and grateful to his mum, his dad and Pindari.
BEAR’S SURVIVAL TIPS
FINDING WATER
In Claws of the Crocodile, Beck has to carefully ration his water supplies as he travels across the Australian Outback. Finding water can be one of the greatest challenges in the wild. In the right weather you can collect rainwater, which as long as it goes into a clean vessel, will generally be safe to drink without purifying.
But what if you don’t have the benefit of a water source or a full rain cloud? The good news is that water exists in even the most arid environments – you just have to know how to get your hands on it. If you think about it, it makes sense: all forms of life, including plants, need water to survive. So if you see greenery, there’s water somewhere. Here are two ways of collecting it.
Above-ground solar still
Making a solar still relies on the principle of condensation. When you have a shower at home, the warm water vapour hits a cold window or mirror and turns back into liquid water. Solar stills do the same thing, only the window is a plastic bag and the shower-head is a plant.
To make a solar still, you need some green, non-poisonous vegetation. Fill a clear plastic bag about three-quarters full with the vegetation, then tie the mouth of the bag tightly. Put the bag in direct sunlight. As the plant photosynthesizes (the process of turning carbon dioxide into oxygen and water) the leaves will give off water vapour. As the water vapour hits the plastic bag, it reverts to liquid water, which you can then collect. Set up several of these stills, though, as you don’t get much water from each one.
Below-ground solar still
A below-ground still also uses the principle of condensation and is a good way of extracting water from ground that you know contains moisture.
Dig a hole about a metre across and 60cm deep. Place a clean container at the bottom of the hole, making an indentation to keep it upright. If you have a length of tubing, place one end in the container and the other outside the hole so you can drink the water you collect without having to disturb the still.
Lay a piece of plastic sheeting over the hole, covering the edge with rocks, soil or sand to keep it in place. Now place a rock in the centre of the plastic. You want the plastic to be about 40cm below ground level and for the rock to be directly above the container. Moisture from the earth will condense on the bottom of the plastic sheet and drip directly into your container. Again, several stills will give you more water.
BEAR’S SECRET SCOUTING TIPS
To get more water from a below-ground solar still, line the hole with green, non-poisonous vegetation. If you do this, you might need to dig a slightly bigger hole; but as you’re mixing the techniques used by both solar stills, you should get considerably more water. You can also pee into the earth around the container to make the still as damp as possible. The process of condensation will turn the moisture in your urine into clean drinking water.
I would like through this book to acknowledge the traditional owners and custodians of the land on which the story is set, the Yawuru and Jungun people, and to pay respect to their Elders, both past and present – Bear Grylls.
About the Author
BEAR GRYLLS is one of the world’s most famous adventurers. After spending three years in 21 SAS he set off to explore the globe in search of even bigger challenges. He has climbed Mount Everest, crossed the Arctic in a small boat and explored deserts, jungles and swamps worldwide. His TV shows have been seen by more than 1.2 billion viewers in more than 150 countries. In 2009, Bear became Chief Scout to the Scouting Association. He lives in London on a barge and on a small island in Wales with his wife Shara and their three sons: Jesse, Marmaduke and Huckleberry.
Also by Bear Grylls
GOLD OF THE GODS
Location: The Colombian Jungle
Dangers: Snakes; sharks; howler monkeys
Beck travels to Colombia in search of the legendary City of Gold. Could a mysterious amulet provide the key to uncovering a secret that was thought to be lost for ever?
WAY OF THE WOLF
Location: The Alaskan Mountains
Dangers: Snow storms; wolves; white-water rapids
After his plane crashes in the Alaskan wilderness, Beck has to stave off hunger and the cold as he treks through the frozen mountains in search of help.
SANDS OF THE SCORPION
Location: The Sahara Desert
&nbs
p; Dangers: Diamond smugglers; heatstroke; scorpions
Beck is forced into the Sahara Desert to escape a gang of diamond smugglers. Can he survive the heat and evade the smugglers as he makes his way back to safety?
TRACKS OF THE TIGER
Location: The Indonesian Wilderness
Dangers: Volcanoes; tigers; orang-utans
When a volcanic eruption strands him in the jungles of Indonesia, Beck must test his survival skills against red-hot lava, a gang of illegal loggers, and the tigers that are on his trail . . .
CLAWS OF THE CROCODILE
Location: The Australian Outback
Dangers: Flash floods; saltwater crocodiles; deadly radiation
Beck heads to the Outback in search of the truth about the plane crash that killed his parents. But somebody wants the secret to remain hidden – and they will kill to protect it.
MISSION SURVIVAL: CLAWS OF THE CROCODILE
AN RHCP DIGITAL EBOOK 978 1 448 15732 7
Published in Great Britain by RHCP Digital,
an imprint of Random House Children’s Publishers UK
A Random House Group Company
This ebook edition published 2013
Copyright © Bear Grylls, 2013
Map artwork © Ben Hasler, 2013
First Published in Great Britain
Doubleday Childrens 9780857532220 2013
The right of Bear Grylls to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted in accordance with the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.
This ebook is copyright material and must not be copied, reproduced, transferred, distributed, leased, licensed or publicly performed or used in any way except as specifically permitted in writing by the publishers, as allowed under the terms and conditions under which it was purchased or as strictly permitted by applicable copyright law. Any unauthorized distribution or use of this text may be a direct infringement of the author’s and publisher’s rights and those responsible may be liable in law accordingly.
RANDOM HOUSE CHILDREN’S PUBLISHERS UK
61–63 Uxbridge Road, London W5 5SA
www.randomhousechildrens.co.uk
www.totallyrandombooks.co.uk
www.randomhouse.co.uk
Addresses for companies within The Random House Group Limited can be found at: www.randomhouse.co.uk/offices.htm
THE RANDOM HOUSE GROUP Limited Reg. No. 954009
A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library.
