Poacher Peril by J. Burchett Read Free Book Online Page A

feet than go there after dark.”
    â€œYou’ve never seen anything there, have you?” Shorty’s voice sounded a bit shaky.
    â€œNever!” scoffed Catur. “Are you chickening out?”
    â€œCourse not.”
    Ben’s stomach gurgled loudly.
    â€œBe quiet!” warned Zoe.
    â€œI can’t help it,” insisted Ben in a low voice. “I’m hungry. We’ve missed a few meals today.”
    He began to fidget.
    â€œWhat are you doing now?” muttered Zoe.
    â€œI’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.
    â€œWhat was that?” came a gruff voice from inside the hut.
    â€œIs there someone outside?”
    â€œIf there is they’ll be sorry!”
    Chairs were scraped back and heavy footsteps made for the door.
    â€œRun!” 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.
    â€œThere. 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.
    â€œOver there!” shouted Catur. “I heard something.”
    Catur fixed his flashlight firmly on the bushes in front of them.

    â€œGot 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.
    â€œWhat is that?” Big Nose was looking all about him.
    â€œTarsiers,” 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.
    â€œDon’t waste your ammo,” said Catur. “Save it for the tigers.”

    Zoe bit down a gasp. These men were despicable.
    â€œCome 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.
    â€œThat 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.”
    â€œThat 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.
    â€œTora’s on the move. She’s going to get to the trap before we can head her off.”
    â€œThen we’ve got no choice,” said Ben. “We have to get to the trap no