Poacher Peril by J. Burchett Read Free Book Online

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.”
    â€œStake-out time.” Zoe grinned. “That mango tree looks shady. We could spend the afternoon there.”
    â€œMango,” 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.
    â€œThat tall one with the big nose was the man in the shop,” whispered Zoe. “He looks mean.”
    â€œAnd 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.
    â€œI’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.”
    â€œThen we’ll do it tonight.” This was Big Nose. “Our client doesn’t want to be disappointed.”
    â€œShe 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.”
    â€œWhy don’t we lie in wait for her?” This was Shorty speaking. “We don’t want to miss her.”
    â€œDon’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
    â€œThey’re killing the tigers tonight,” whispered Zoe. “The sanctuary won’t get here in time.”
    â€œThat was a clever idea of yours, Catur, putting out scary stories about Silent Water,” Big Nose was saying. “How did you dream that up?”
    â€œI 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