Lost! by Bindi Irwin Read Free Book Online Page A

Bindi scrambled down to meet her.
    â€˜Are you okay?’ Bindi asked.
    The young woman shook her head. She wiped the tears from her eyes, took a deep breath, and spoke in a strong German accent. ‘ Nein . I mean, no. I don’t know what to do! My boyfriend began a hike yesterday and he has still not returned. He’s never done this before! They have organised a search for him!’
    Bindi felt bad for the woman and her boyfriend. The Australianbush could be scary and dangerous if you were unfamiliar with it. She smiled encouragingly. ‘My name’s Bindi. I’m visiting here too, but from Beerwah in Queensland. I’m sure the rangers will find your boyfriend.’
    The woman distractedly shook Bindi’s outstretched hand. She looked to be about twenty years old, with long blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail.
    â€˜My name is Ines. You don’t understand. I don’t know whether to call home or not … I am very frightened!’ With fresh tears streaming down her face, Ines quickly walked away in the direction of the rangers’ station.
    Bindi turned back to the others who had followed her down from the rocks and had overheard the conversation. ‘I think we should join the search party.’
    DJ nodded his agreement. ‘It’s a bit of a worry if he’s had a night in the bush already. I agree with Bindi, we’d better help!’
    DJ began following Ines towards the rangers’ station. Bindi raced to catch up with him. For the two friends, it was as if no time had passed at all. They were back to having adventures together, although this time the adventure seemed a little more grown up!

Kakadu National Park was huge, and a daunting place to look for a lost tourist. It stretched through flood plains and lowland hills, up to the high sandstone cliffs of the Arnhem Land escarpment, and down to the rugged stone country in the south of the park.
    Ines’s boyfriend, who was called Jonas, had only started his trek the day before, so the head ranger decided the search party would focus on the surrounding woodland area, made up mostly of eucalyptus trees and tall grass. It certainly looked like a place it might be easy to get lost in.
    The search party included five park rangers, seven local volunteers, the Irwins, DJ, Tommy and Ines. Ines had given the group a description of her boyfriend and told them what he had been wearing before he set out. Bindi tried to picture the young man. He was described as being in his early twenties with scruffyfair hair, pale skin and blue eyes. He was wearing a red short-sleeved shirt with a collar, beige cargo pants and black hiking boots.
    After a briefing from the head ranger, the search party fanned out across the area in groups of twos and threes. Each group carried a walkie-talkie, a map, water bottles and snacks to sustain them until they regrouped at lunchtime.
    Bindi and DJ did their best to distract Ines from worrying too much about Jonas. Robert wasn’t helping matters by listing all the names of venomous snakes in the park.
    â€˜What brought you to Kakadu?’Bindi asked the backpacker as she handed her a bottle of water.
    Ines gratefully took the drink. June might be considered cold weather time in Kakadu but Ines thought the temperature of thirty degrees was very warm, especially as it was only ten o’clock in the morning. ‘We are both studying plants, and this area has such a, how do you say, diversity of plants. I like to draw the plants and Jonas photographs them.’
    Bindi’s eyes lit up. ‘That’s so cool. There’s so much beauty here, I wouldn’t know where to begin. You must have sketched heaps.’
    â€˜Yes.’ Ines gave a half-smile but looked troubled again asher thoughts drifted back to her boyfriend.
    DJ tried desperately to think of something to say. ‘Did you guys know that the name Kakadu comes from the mispronunciation of “Gagadju”, which