Rescue! by Bindi Irwin Read Free Book Online Page B

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.
    â€œIf 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!
    â€œArggghhhh!” 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?
    â€œWhat’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!
    â€œA 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.
    â€œArggghhhh!” cried the girls in unison as they backed away.
    â€œA 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.”
    â€œIt’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