by Bindi Irwin
Copyright
Copyright © Random House Australia 2010
Cover photograph © Australia Zoo
Cover and internal design by Christabella Designs
Cover and internal design © 2011 by Sourcebooks, Inc.
Sourcebooks and the colophon are registered trademarks of Sourcebooks, Inc.
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means including information storage and retrieval systems—except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical articles or reviews—without permission in writing from its publisher, Sourcebooks, Inc.
The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious or are used fictitiously. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is purely coincidental and not intended by the author.
Published by Sourcebooks Jabberwocky, an imprint of Sourcebooks, Inc.
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First published by Random House Australia in 2010.
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication data is on file with the publisher.
Front Cover
Title Page
Copyright
Dear Diary
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Animal Fact File: The Springbok
Animal Fact File: The Giant Sable Antelope
Back Cover
From the window in Hannah’s bedroom, Bindi watched in awe as dawn broke over a beautiful view of the African bush. Right out the front of the farmhouse was a giant baobab tree that Bindi was itching to climb. It had a really wide, gnarly trunk, which was so different from the skinny gum trees back home. She felt sure that from the top of that tree you would be able to see the whole country.
But climbing it would have to wait, because the trekkers had an early start. Hannah’s mum, Kirsten, ran a horse-trekking business called Trailblazers in Limpopo, South Africa, for tourists who were keen to see African wildlife. Limpopo was filled with game parks and nature reserves. It was a really pretty corner of the country with a wide variety of native animals.
Bindi, her mum, Terri, and brother, Robert, had been staying in Cape Town to film a movie and had arrived the day before for a short visit before heading home to Australia. Bindi and Hannah would spend the next three days riding with Thabu, Trailblazers’ most senior guide. Thabu and his family lived and worked at the farm. They were of the North Sotho tribe.
“Which horse is going to be mine?” cried Bindi excitedly as she raced out of the farmhouse toward the stables.
Hannah was already there, setting up for the ride. She laughed at Bindi’s enthusiasm. “Mum told me I should let you sleep in.”
“No way. How could I sleep in when I’m this excited?!” Bindi couldn’t decide what she thought was going to be the best part of the ride: roughing it in the wild for three days, cooking their own food, or seeing every kind of African creature, from a dung beetle to an elephant!
Thabu smiled at Bindi’s energy as he took her to meet her horse. He was a palomino, a tan horse with a beautiful white mane and tail.
“What’s his name, Thabu?” she asked as she stroked the horse’s neck and spoke gently to him. He seemed to like it. Bindi knew they were going to be very good friends.
“His name is Koto.”
“Koto. Ko-to.” Bindi loved to practice saying words in a different language. They didn’t sound anything like Aussie words!
Hannah was busy saddling her own horse. She was a gray mare (which in horse language meant white) named Pippi. She was named after Pippi Longstocking, because she had black markings on her legs that looked just like stockings. Bindi couldn’t wait to see Hannah ride; she knew she was really good.
Terri and Kirsten came outside carrying the food and water the riders would need for the trek. “I think you’ll really like the food Kirsten’s prepared for you,” called Terri. As Terri knew, Bindi always got really hungry when they went camping. Food was something she looked forward to.
While Terri packed the saddle bags, Kirsten turned to Bindi and Hannah with a serious expression. “Now remember, girls, you’ll be seeing lots of wild animals in their own habitat. You are to obey Thabu at all times. You might be riding in a game park but this is no game! Okay?”
She waited for both girls to nod their understanding before she went on.
“When you’re riding the horses, their sweat and scent overpowers your own human smell. This means you’re able to get closer to the wildlife without them realizing. It’s a different story when you’re on foot. At the campsite you must stay close to Thabu. No wandering off.”
The girls nodded again, this time a little distractedly. They couldn’t wait to get going!
Kirsten smiled. “Well, have fun!”
Bindi gave Terri a quick good-bye hug. She looked around for Robert. He had made friends with Thabu’s son, Mpho. The boys were the same age and had bonded over Mpho’s promise to show Robert every lizard hideout on the property. Bindi noticed the two of them huddled over something in the dirt.
Bindi called out to Robert as she mounted Koto. “See you later, alligator!”
“Wait up! I’ve got a present for you, Bindi!” Robert ran up to her, carrying something wrapped in cloth. He slipped the gift into Bindi’s saddle bag. “But you can’t open it until later.”
“Thanks!” Bindi was too excited about the ride to pay the surprise gift much attention. “See you all soon!”
“Bye, Bindi! Bye, Hannah! See you, Thabu!”
The remaining group stood around the stable yard waving. Robert and Mpho dashed away almost immediately—they had lizards to find. Terri was going to be kept busy helping Kirsten with some repair work around the farm.
The three horses and their riders headed out of the stables and slowly made their way into the grassland.
Away from the farmlands, they were soon deep in the heart of the bush, surrounded by thorn trees and baobabs. The horses’ ears pricked back and forth, listening to the sound of birds and the distant calls of wildlife.
Bindi felt a rush of excitement. The earth felt alive and she was very much a part of it.
It didn’t matter how many countries Bindi visited, she never lost her sense of wonder about being somewhere completely new.
Here she was in Africa! The air smelled different. The water tasted different. Even the ground was different. In this part of Africa the soil was a rich red color. It was as if someone had spilled a pot of red paint and it had seeped deep into the earth.
They rode in single file with Thabu in the lead and Hannah bringing up the back. Bindi liked being in the middle—that way she could talk to both Hannah and Thabu.
So far that morning they had heard the calls of lots of animals but not actually seen any. They had even played a guessing game where you had to try to name the animal by its call. Thabu was the judge, as he was an expert when it came to African animals.
Thabu held up his hand, signaling for them to stop. They had communicated a few times that morning using hand signals. Hannah had explained that the sounds of their voices could scare off any nearby animals.
They waited, wondering what could be lurking nearby. Then, to Bindi’s disappointment, Thabu signaled for
them to keep riding. Another false alarm! Bindi was beginning to wonder if there really were any wild animals living in Africa.
“When will we see a lion, Thabu?” Bindi asked. Bindi loved lions. She especially liked their cute cubs.
“Who can say, Bindi?” was all Thabu answered.
They rode on for a little longer but the day was growing hot and it was time to rest the horses. They tied them up in the shade while they ate their lunch in a nearby hide.
A hide was a man-made shelter that blended into the bush. It allowed you to watch animals without them seeing you. This hide was next to a water hole. If they kept quiet they would be able to see the animals up close when they came for a drink.
The three of them sat in silence, eating their sandwiches and watching the water hole. Still no animals. Bindi cleared her throat to speak. Thabu gave her a warning look and put his fingers to his lips. “Ah-ah.”
Bindi sighed and whispered, “I just wondered when you think we’ll see something.”
Thabu smiled at her persistence. “The animals will come when you least expect it.”
Hannah pressed a couple of animal-shaped biscuits into Bindi’s hand. “In the meantime you can make do with these,” she whispered with a quiet giggle.
Bindi stared at the bright pink icing on her rhino-shaped biscuit. She wondered if it was the closest she would come to a real African animal. She bit down hard on the rhino’s leg.
“Shhh!” Hannah held her finger to her lips and pointed.
Approaching the water hole was a herd of springbok. They were a native African antelope, brown and white in color, and they could run super-fast. There were about eight adult springbok and three young ones. They were very elegant. As they reached the water, they spread their spindly legs and dropped their heads to drink.
Bindi was spellbound. Finally she was seeing the real Africa!
Bindi was glad when they finally approached their camping place for the night. She wasn’t sure if she was going to be able to walk when she dismounted. Her legs felt very stiff but she didn’t want to let on to Hannah and Thabu. They rode every day and probably wouldn’t be sore at all.
Thabu called quietly to her and Hannah. “Looks like we have company.” He pointed to a group of curious meerkats who were watching the three riders.
Bindi was thrilled. “They’re soooooo cute!”
The meerkats stood on their hind legs and seemed to be chattering about the strange humans they were looking at. They reminded Bindi of a group of kids gossiping. They had long slender bodies with big eyes and seemed to be constantly in a state of alertness.
“If we’re quiet and make no sudden moves, they might stick around,” said Thabu.
He dismounted slowly and the girls did the same.
Bindi grimaced as she tried to walk. Groaning loudly would have made her feel better about her stiff muscles, but she was determined to be as quiet as a mouse—she was not going to scare away those gorgeous meerkats.
Bindi reached into her saddle bags to unpack some of the cooking gear. Her hand brushed against the small package Robert had given her. She’d forgotten all about his surprise present. As the cloth wrapping came undone, an enormous hairy black spider sprung out from the material!
“Arggghhhh!” Bindi screamed into the quiet African dusk. The startled meerkats bounded off. A far-off flock of birds took flight from a tree they’d been nesting in. Hannah and Thabu rushed over to see what had happened. A scorpion bite? A snake attack?
“What’s wrong?” cried Hannah.
Bindi pointed to the ground where she’d dropped the huge spider. It seemed to stare up at her. Typical. Everything else had been scared away by her scream but not the scary spider!
“A nasty little brother surprise is what’s wrong!”
Thabu kneeled in the dirt and gently touched the spider with a stick. “It looks like a baboon spider.” It didn’t move. Thabu leaned in closer before picking up the creature with a smile.
“Arggghhhh!” cried the girls in unison as they backed away.
“A fake baboon spider.” Thabu began to laugh. “It’s made of rubber.”
Bindi rolled her eyes. “You’ve got to be kidding me. My heart almost stopped beating!” When she saw Hannah and Thabu give each other a quick smile, she felt a little foolish. What kind of wildlife warrior was scared of a rubber spider?
Once the horses were rubbed down and fed and the camp set up, three very hungry trekkers sat down to eat. The view was amazing and made even prettier by the pink haze of dusk. Thabu heated up their dinner. He explained that the slightly spicy mince dish was called bobotie and was a traditional South African meal. As Bindi gulped it down she thought it was the best food she’d ever tasted.
They could hear various animal sounds as night approached. They passed the time eating and listening to Hannah do her own imperson-ation of a few animal calls. She was really good!
Bindi noticed a tall wire fence to the west of the camp. “What’s behind that fence?”
Thabu’s face lit up. “We’re very excited about this new sanctuary,” he explained. “It’s a new breeding center for the Angolan giant sable antelope. This breed of antelope is on the critically endangered list and needs to be protected.”
“It’s awesome that a sanctuary has been set up!” said Bindi. She loved hearing about animals being protected. “Maybe we can check it out?”
Thabu nodded. “I’d like to have a look myself. It’s not out of our way. We can drop in tomorrow.”
Hannah and Bindi were excited about the next day but were finding it hard to keep their eyes open. They packed up the dishes and brushed their teeth.
Bindi was about to crawl into the tent when she heard the unmistakable growl of a lion close by.
She didn’t panic at all. She tried to remember everything Thabu had taught her. She was to keep a clear head and not make any sudden moves. As her mind raced, her body remained still. A lion in the wild! Awesome! She had faith that Thabu would know what to do.
“Ahem.”
Thabu was clearing his throat nearby. Bindi waited for him to give her instructions on how to stay safe.
“Hannah, that’s enough for one night.”
Huh?
The lion attempted to growl again but this time the sound dissolved into giggling. Bindi slowly turned to see Hannah behind her. She couldn’t believe it—Hannah was the lion! That girl was seriously, seriously good at animal impersonations!
Bindi was woken from a deep sleep by the sound of voices. At first she thought it was Thabu and Hannah and that it was time to get up. Then she realized it was dark outside and that Hannah was still fast asleep beside her.
Bindi listened but she couldn’t understand what was being said. They were speaking in a different language.
“Hannah, wake up!” Bindi shook her friend.
Hannah groggily looked at her watch. “It’s three o’clock in the morning!”
Bindi was wide awake. “There are people outside but I can’t understand what they’re saying.”
Hannah listened. Bindi was right; Hannah could hear male voices and they were speaking in Afrikaans. “Something about sable and hunting, I think. It’s hard to hear.”
Bindi couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong. She started to get dressed.
“Come on. Let’s follow them!”
Hannah knew Bindi well enough to know that it was pointless to argue with her once she’d made up her mind. The two girls hastily pulled on their boots, grabbed flashlights, and snuck out of their tent.
“What about Thabu?” whispered Hannah. “Should we wake him?”
Bindi shook her head. “We’ll be back before he even notices we’ve gone.”
Hannah was no tracker but as they could still hear the men talking, the girls followed the sound of their muffled voices. Luckil
y, the full moon gave just enough light to keep the night from being pitch black. After a little way, Bindi and Hannah found themselves following the metal fence they had seen the night before.
After several hundred feet the men stopped. They seemed to be having an argument. Bindi and Hannah crouched behind the trunk of a large thorn tree to watch.
Their eyes had now adjusted to the dim light. They could see two men dressed in khaki. It was impossible to really see what they looked like as they had smeared their faces with paint in browns and greens. They had gone to a lot of trouble to camouflage themselves.
The tallest man pulled a pair of wire cutters from his canvas bag and began to cut a hole in the fence.
Suddenly Bindi understood. These men wanted to break into the sanctuary. They’d mentioned hunting earlier. Maybe they were going to shoot or hurt one of the endangered antelopes. She’d heard about game parks selling animals to rich hunters for just this reason.
They had to be stopped!
Bindi leaned in close to Hannah and whispered in her ear. Hannah’s eyes widened as she listened to her friend. Finally she nodded and gave Bindi the thumbs up.
The man cutting the fence motioned to his friend to help as he pulled back the tough steel fencing.
A loud and angry roar from a nearby lion rang out over the grasslands. The men froze in their tracks. The lion growled again. After a quick and heated debate, the men dropped their tools and sprinted back the way they had come.
Bindi and Hannah stepped out from behind their hiding place and high-fived each other.
“Way to go, Hannah! You sure had them running scared.” The girls couldn’t stop giggling.
“Oh, I’m good!” Hannah was pleased as punch with her efforts! “Did you see how fast they ran?”
But Bindi was already investigating the equipment the men had left scattered on the ground.
Moments later, Bindi heard another loud growl from behind her.
“It’s okay, Hannah!” said Bindi as she bent down to look at the wire cutters. “The men are long gone!”
