by J. Burchett
They made for his house. There was no sign of anyone, but there was a row of men’s shoes by the door. They could hear a voice coming from inside.
“Deal again. I’m feeling lucky. Get your money ready.”
“Sounds like cards,” said Zoe.
“Risky,” said Ben. “The programme I saw said that gambling is forbidden in Sumatra.”
A woman was walking briskly towards the house. Zoe and Ben quickly sat down and pretended to be playing games on their BUGs. They made sure their translators were on and their earpieces in. The woman didn’t seem to see them. She marched straight up the steps.
“Sapto!” she called in an angry voice. “I know you’re in there!” She thumped on the wooden door. “I’m staying here until you come out.”
There was a shuffling from inside. The woman bashed on the door again. At last it opened. Wicaksono stood there.
“Ah… Hello, Ratu…” he said. “Your husband isn’t here. I haven’t seen him…”
“Out of my way!” Without another word, the woman pushed past and went inside the house. Ben and Zoe could hear yelling and the sound of things being knocked over. Then the woman reappeared, dragging a man along by his ear!
“Some husband you are!” she yelled, as she pulled him down the steps, sweeping up his shoes as she went. “You promise to stop gambling and what do I find…”
“I’m sorry, Ratu my love,” the man was whimpering, as they went out of sight. “I was just about to win – I had the best cards ever. You could have had everything you wanted…ow!”
Two other men came to the door of the hut. They pulled on their shoes and scurried off sheepishly.
Ben looked at Zoe. “If they’re dangerous poachers, I’m an aardvark!” he said. “It was just a secret gambling game. ‘Making a killing’ was a phrase, not what they were setting out to do. We’re back to square one.”
CHAPTER
EIGHT
“What do we do now?” said Zoe.
“Angkasa knew about the poachers,” answered Ben. “Maybe we can ask her a few more questions without frightening her off.”
They set off through the village, but there was no sign of the fruit stall today.
“What have you done to yourself?” said a voice. It was Catur. He came out of his shop and took Ben’s hands. He looked concerned.
“I…slipped over,” said Ben.
“I can sell you something to make it heal.” Catur gestured towards his shop. “Come inside.”
Ben and Zoe followed him in. Beads and brooches and carved wooden animals were displayed on a long table, next to a row of bottles containing richly coloured powders and pills. There were some pretty rings displayed on the back wall, beside a curtained opening. Zoe went over to have a look. She knew Gran would like them.
Catur picked up a small pot of bright red ointment. “This is a salve made from the lipstick tree. It helps to keep wounds clean.” He opened the lid and let Ben sniff at it.
As Zoe examined the rings she had a sudden thought. Catur might know something about the man that Angkasa had mentioned. But how could she bring up the subject of poaching without explaining why they wanted to know?
“This ointment is very good,” Catur was saying. “But if you are willing to pay a bit more I have something…special… in my storeroom.” He gestured towards the curtain. “Guaranteed to heal those wounds quickly. I don’t tell everyone about it, but I like you two.”
Suddenly alarm bells started ringing in Zoe’s head. There was a sly sound to Catur’s voice. And what did he mean by “special”? She exchanged a quick glance with Ben. She could see he had the same suspicion as her. Was Catur the “bad man” Angkasa had told them about? Was he dealing in animal parts and making ointments out of tiger bones?
“We haven’t got much money on us at the moment,” she said. “So we’ll stick with the salve.”
“Of course,” said Catur smoothly. “But do come back if you need anything…else.”
As soon as they’d left the shop, Ben pulled Zoe into the gap between two of the wooden houses.
“We’ll certainly be back,” he muttered. “And sooner than he thinks.”
“You’ve got that look again,” said Zoe.
“What are you planning?”
“It sounds as if Catur could be linked to the poachers,” Ben told her. “But we must make sure we’ve got the right man this time.”
“And how do you plan to do that?” demanded Zoe. “We can’t ask him.”
“I’m going to get a look inside that storeroom,” said Ben. “Let’s see if there’s another way in.”
They crept along past compost heaps and chicken runs until they came to the back of Catur’s shop.
“There’s a door,” said Ben. “Now here’s your part in the plan. Keep him busy while I search.”
“OK,” said Zoe. “But be careful. Remember what Uncle Stephen said. The poachers are dangerous.” She grinned. “I forgot to get a ring for Gran!” she said brightly. “See you in a minute.” She darted off.
Ben waited until he heard Zoe’s voice ringing out. “I can’t decide,” she was saying loudly. “Could you take them out the front so I can get a better look in the light?”
Ben gingerly opened the back door of the shop and crept in. The storeroom was hot and gloomy, lit only by a small, dirty window. There were shelves piled high with tins and packets. Ben inspected them. This was the ordinary stock for the shop. He pulled out some cans of baked beans to see if there was anything hidden behind, but he found only a few dead flies.
“The green one is nice…” He could hear Zoe chattering on.
He noticed a shabby chest of drawers in the corner. He pulled open the top drawer, wincing as it squeaked. It was full of jars and boxes. Ben picked up a small glass bottle, containing what looked like strands of wire. Then he opened a box and nearly dropped it in shock. It was full of dried eyeballs!
Gross! he thought. And that wasn’t wire.It was whiskers.
He opened the second drawer. There was something rolled up in brown paper, like a small rug. He uncurled an edge and found himself staring at a beautiful orange and black striped pelt.
Then he heard a muttered voice from the shop.
“I want to talk to you, Catur! Come with me.”
The translated words rang in his ear. That wasn’t Zoe. It was a man and footsteps were approaching! They were heading across the wooden floor of the shop – straight towards the storeroom. There was no time to get out. Ben squeezed into the tiny gap between the chest of drawers and the wall as the curtain was flung aside. Too late he realised he’d left the drawer open.
“You shouldn’t be seen here,” he heard Catur snap.
“I wouldn’t be here if you’d told me what’s happening.” It was the other man again. “When we didn’t hear from you we started to think you were planning to do the job yourself and take all the money.” He gave a cold laugh. “Then we’d have had to…see to you as well as the tiger.”
Ben listened intently.
“You’re crazy.” Catur laughed coldly. “How could I cheat you, my friend? We’re all in this together…we’re like brothers. Meet me at the usual place at nightfall and I’ll tell you the plan. Now go.”
And we’re going to be there to hear it, too, thought Ben.
He heard the stranger barge his way out of the back door. Then with horror he realised that Catur was coming over to where he was hiding. He tried to edge further back, but there was nowhere to go. He was going to be caught. Thump! Catur slammed the drawer shut then stomped back into his shop. Ben sagged with relief. He eased himself out of his hiding place, peered round the door to make sure the coast was clear, and slipped outside.
He sauntered round to the front of the shop. “Hurry up, Zoe,” he called, pretending to be annoyed.
Zoe bounded out to join him. “Is he a poacher?” she whispered.
Ben nodded. “And we’re going to follow him tonight and find out his plans.”
> “Stake-out time.” Zoe grinned. “That mango tree looks shady. We could spend the afternoon there.”
“Mango,” said Ben. “Delicious. Lead me to it!”
The sun was low over the trees when Catur locked up his shop. He hurried along a path towards the forest. Zoe quickly aimed the tracker, but Ben put his hand on her arm. “Too risky,” he said. “We can’t do anything that might alert him. He’s sharp, this one.”
Keeping to the shadows, they set off in pursuit, following the poacher’s bobbing flashlight. It was dark by the time he came to a rough hut, half-covered in vines. Ben and Zoe crouched down behind a pitcher plant, its large, cup-like leaves heavy with water. They slipped on their night goggles and put in their earphones so that they could hear the conversation translated. Two men were waiting for Catur on the veranda.
“That tall one with the big nose was the man in the shop,” whispered Zoe. “He looks mean.”
“And the short one’s not much better,” Ben replied. “We’ve got to be ultra careful.”
As soon as the men had gone inside the hut, Ben and Zoe crept up and hid under a window.
“I’ve been to the den,” came Catur’s voice. “It was empty. So the cubs are out. This is the moment we’ve been waiting for. We must act quickly before any goodygoody sanctuary gets wind of it.”
“Then we’ll do it tonight.” This was Big Nose. “Our client doesn’t want to be disappointed.”
“She won’t be.” Catur sounded sure of himself. “We’ll place the trap at Silent Water – the tiger always drinks there. I’ve dug a hole ready to put it in. Then we’ll come back here and wait in comfort. The trap has an electronic lock. The moment it’s sprung, an alarm goes off on my remote. And there’s no danger that any other creature will be tempted by the goat we’ll use as bait – I got some of the tiger’s dung from the empty den and smeared it on the skin of the male we killed last month. We’ll hang it right by the trap. That should put off any other animals. They’ll not risk running into a tiger.”
“Why don’t we lie in wait for her?” This was Shorty speaking. “We don’t want to miss her.”
“Don’t be stupid,” scoffed Catur. “She’d smell us before we even knew she was there. No, my friends, this is the way. We trap them then shoot them. A tiger in a cage is an easy target. But be careful where you aim. We don’t want to damage the skins!”
Ben and Zoe gazed at each other in horror.
CHAPTER
NINE
“They’re killing the tigers tonight,” whispered Zoe. “The sanctuary won’t get here in time.”
“That was a clever idea of yours, Catur, putting out scary stories about Silent Water,” Big Nose was saying. “How did you dream that up?”
“I didn’t have to,” Catur replied. “There have always been legends about Silent Water.” He gave a chuckle. “I just stirred things a bit. Believe me, the villagers would rather eat their own feet than go there after dark.”
“You’ve never seen anything there, have you?” Shorty’s voice sounded a bit shaky.
“Never!” scoffed Catur. “Are you chickening out?”
“Course not.”
Ben’s stomach gurgled loudly.
“Be quiet!” warned Zoe.
“I can’t help it,” insisted Ben in a low voice. “I’m hungry. We’ve missed a few meals today.”
He began to fidget.
“What are you doing now?” muttered Zoe.
“I’ve got an apple in here.” Ben plunged his hand in his pocket. “That’ll keep… Oops.”
The apple tumbled out and bounced loudly on the wooden veranda and into the long grass.
Ben and Zoe froze.
“What was that?” came a gruff voice from inside the hut.
“Is there someone outside?”
“If there is they’ll be sorry!”
Chairs were scraped back and heavy footsteps made for the door.
“Run!” hissed Zoe.
They jumped off the veranda and into the bushes. The three men were out of the hut now, flashing torches around, guns in hand. Ben and Zoe tried to go deeper among the ferns, but it was impossible to move without making a noise.
“There. Can you hear it?” It was Catur. He moved his light over the leaves. The beam swept just above their heads. Ben felt something on his boot. He looked down and stifled a gasp – a coral snake was slithering silently over the laces. He closed his eyes and held his breath. Think of something else, he thought, sweating. You must stay still. But all he could think about was that the venom of the coral snake was deadly. He had to look.
Its tail was disappearing into the undergrowth. Ben let out a ragged breath.
“Over there!” shouted Catur. “I heard something.”
Catur fixed his flashlight firmly on the bushes in front of them.
“Got an idea,” hissed Zoe urgently, tapping some keys on her BUG. “Bring up the call and holo-image of the tarsier monkey.” A shrill cry filled the air.
Ben looked up to see a holographic image of a tarsier projected high into the trees. He fumbled with his BUG. “Can’t find it!”
Zoe snatched his BUG. Her fingers flew over the keypad. Then she thrust it back in his hands. Another piercing cry rose up and a second “monkey” appeared.
“What is that?” Big Nose was looking all about him.
“Tarsiers,” said Catur, swinging his flashlight up into the trees. “They’re all around here. Look.”
Big Nose swung round with his gun and took a shot at the “monkey” in the tree.
“Don’t waste your ammo,” said Catur. “Save it for the tigers.”
Zoe bit down a gasp. These men were despicable.
“Come on.” Catur had his back to them now. “Let’s get the trap in place.”
The poachers trudged away to their shack. They reappeared carrying a large metal cage between them and set off. Soon the forest went back to its usual drone of insects and distant animal cries.
“That was a brilliant decoy, Zoe,” said Ben. “Let’s get after them. We’ve got to spring the trap before Tora gets there with her cubs.”
“That won’t work,” said Zoe. “It’ll set off the poachers’ alarm and bring them running. They’ll just come and reset it.” She checked the tiger’s whereabouts on her BUG. “She’s a long way off at the moment and not moving. She’s due south of Silent Water and we’re here, look, to the west.”
Ben nodded. “Then we get into her path and scare her off before she gets anywhere near the trap.”
They hadn’t gone far when Zoe suddenly stared in horror at her BUG screen.
“Tora’s on the move. She’s going to get to the trap before we can head her off.”
“Then we’ve got no choice,” said Ben. “We have to get to the trap no matter what the poachers do.” He stopped in his tracks. “But we won’t spring it – we’ll block it! We should be able to get there before her. We’re nearer than she is.”
“Brilliant!” said Zoe.
“That’s me.” Ben grinned.
They plunged through the forest towards the watering hole, twigs cracking loudly underfoot.
“Hope the poachers can’t hear us,” panted Zoe as they ran.
“We’ll just have to take that chance,” said Ben. “Look – we’re here now. And I think the men have gone.”
They made their way into the clearing. There was a sudden, sharp cry from across the pool. The children stepped quickly back into the undergrowth and Ben set his glasses to zoom.
“It’s OK,” he breathed. “It’s only a family of dholes.” He could clearly see the thin, fox-like dogs lapping at the water’s edge. “Where’s the trap?” he muttered. He ran along the bank, scattering the dholes. He came to a criss-cross pattern of large and small pugs in the soft earth. “It must be near here. They’ll have put it near the tigers’ tracks.”
They pushed aside bushes and ferns, desperately searching for the trap.
Ben came to a mass of creepers
. As he pulled at them his foot clanged against something hard and metallic.
“Found it,” he called.
He knelt down and carefully removed some of the leaves. Underneath was a cage made of shiny sheet metal, set in the ground. The barred door was raised, ready to drop. He could hear the plaintive bleat of the goat inside.
Zoe joined him. Then something caught her eye. “Look, Ben!” she said. She pointed towards a huge tiger skin that had been draped over a nearby branch. “That’s what Catur meant about putting other animals off. They’ll all steer clear of that – especially if it’s got Tora’s scent all over it. That man is evil.”
She checked the orange light on her BUG. “Oh no,” she said urgently. “She’s almost here. We’ve got to block the trap now.”
They looked about.
“There must be some fallen branches we can lay across the opening,” said Zoe, scanning the ground in panic.
“No time.”
“Then we have to spring the trap after all and chase Tora away,” cried Zoe.
But then, out of the corner of her eye, she caught a slight movement. She spun round. Tora was standing on the opposite bank, her cubs at her feet.
CHAPTER
TEN
“Tora’s here!” hissed Zoe, pushing Ben down into the undergrowth beside the cage. “I don’t think she’s seen us.”
The tiger raised her head and sniffed the air, tail swishing.
“She can smell the goat,” whispered Ben.
“And us, if we’re unlucky!” Zoe pulled out her BUG. “Turn on your scent disperser.”
The cubs suddenly bounded around the bank. With a low growl, Tora splashed through the water and overtook them. The tigers were making for the trap.
“We’ve got to do something.” Zoe was almost in tears.
“There’s only one thing for it!” cried Ben. Zoe could see he had that gleam in his eye which meant he was going to do something crazy. Before she could stop him, he had jumped into the metal cage.
