Read Online Explosive Adventures by Alexander McCall Smith - Free Book Online
Authors: Alexander McCall Smith
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you, but everybody will be very pleased that you have arrived.”
They followed the man along a path through the jungle. Billy had never been in a jungle before, and found it very strange and delicious to be walking through the green light that filtered down from above. He noticed the trailing vines, and the orchids, and the broad-leavedferns. He noticed the butterflies – bigger than any he had ever seen before – and the twisted roots of the great trees. It was an intriguing, wonderful place.
“Almost there,” called out Mr Bhalla after a while. “Just a little way to go.”
The jungle had now thinned out, and they seemed to be reaching the edge of a plain, with dotted trees, and mountains in the distance.
“We don’t actually live in the jungle itself,” said Mr Bhalla. “We prefer to be just on the edge. And now, if you look closely, you’ll see our place up ahead.”
They all looked ahead. There was a lot of grass, and a large cluster of tall trees, but nothing else.
“I can’t see any houses,” said Mr Gopal’s aunt. “Are you sure we’ve come the right way?”
“Ah,” said Mr Bhalla, smiling broadly. “Perhaps you should look up a bit rather than down.”
They looked up, and it was Nicola who saw it first. “Look,” she cried, pointing at the trees. “There’s a house!”
“That’s right,” said Mr Bhalla. “That’s my brother’s house, actually. Mine is a bit further on, in that large tree with the bushy top. And over there, at thefar end, is the school. And the hospital is over there. It has two trees all to itself.”
Billy was astonished, and as they drew closer to the trees, his astonishment grew. The Bubblegummies had made an entire village in the trees! Craning his neck,Billy could see just how skilfully they had made it. Each house, which was beautifully fashioned out of wood, was connected to the tree next to it by a wooden walkway, and that tree would be connected to the tree beyond, and so on. There were ladders, too, which led from level to level, and swinging bridges, knotted with vines, crossing the wider spaces. You could live entirely in the trees, it seemed.
Mr Bhalla led them to the bottom of a large tree, looked up into the branches, and whistled. For a moment nothing happened, and he whistled again. Then, out of the thick leaves above, thereappeared a long ladder, being lowered slowly down to them.
“Please,” he said, gesturing politely. “Please climb up here.”
5
Bungee Jumping
This is my house,” said Mr Bhalla, when they reached the top of the ladder. “Please come in.”
They followed him into the tree house, and found themselves in a large room filled with colourful furniture. Mr Bhallaasked them to sit down, and then went off to fetch refreshments.
“Now, what is the trouble?” asked Mr Gopal, as they sipped at long glasses of a delicious pink sherbet drink which Mr Bhalla had given them.
Mr Bhalla put down his glass. “If you come to this window, you’ll see,” he said.
They crossed the room, which was swaying gently as the tree moved with the breeze. Mr Bhalla opened a window and pointed to the edge of the jungle.
“Our bubblegum trees grow on the edge of the jungle,” he said. “They’re very old trees. Each tree has to grow for at least a hundred years before it gives any gum.Fortunately, nobody ever thought of cutting them down before, and so we’ve had a good number of trees. But now …”
Billy looked out of the window towards the jungle. Was that a plume of smoke in the distance? Or was it a cloud?
“Do you mean somebody is cutting them down?” asked Mr Gopal, sounding shocked.
“Yes,” said Mr Bhalla. “They are. It started a few months ago. Some men came and set up camp further up the river. Then they started to cut down our trees. They have wonderful wood, you see – there’s nothing else quite like it. The men cut down our trees and float them down the river to a sawmill.”
Billy was outraged. “But
They followed the man along a path through the jungle. Billy had never been in a jungle before, and found it very strange and delicious to be walking through the green light that filtered down from above. He noticed the trailing vines, and the orchids, and the broad-leavedferns. He noticed the butterflies – bigger than any he had ever seen before – and the twisted roots of the great trees. It was an intriguing, wonderful place.
“Almost there,” called out Mr Bhalla after a while. “Just a little way to go.”
The jungle had now thinned out, and they seemed to be reaching the edge of a plain, with dotted trees, and mountains in the distance.
“We don’t actually live in the jungle itself,” said Mr Bhalla. “We prefer to be just on the edge. And now, if you look closely, you’ll see our place up ahead.”
They all looked ahead. There was a lot of grass, and a large cluster of tall trees, but nothing else.
“I can’t see any houses,” said Mr Gopal’s aunt. “Are you sure we’ve come the right way?”
“Ah,” said Mr Bhalla, smiling broadly. “Perhaps you should look up a bit rather than down.”
They looked up, and it was Nicola who saw it first. “Look,” she cried, pointing at the trees. “There’s a house!”
“That’s right,” said Mr Bhalla. “That’s my brother’s house, actually. Mine is a bit further on, in that large tree with the bushy top. And over there, at thefar end, is the school. And the hospital is over there. It has two trees all to itself.”
Billy was astonished, and as they drew closer to the trees, his astonishment grew. The Bubblegummies had made an entire village in the trees! Craning his neck,Billy could see just how skilfully they had made it. Each house, which was beautifully fashioned out of wood, was connected to the tree next to it by a wooden walkway, and that tree would be connected to the tree beyond, and so on. There were ladders, too, which led from level to level, and swinging bridges, knotted with vines, crossing the wider spaces. You could live entirely in the trees, it seemed.
Mr Bhalla led them to the bottom of a large tree, looked up into the branches, and whistled. For a moment nothing happened, and he whistled again. Then, out of the thick leaves above, thereappeared a long ladder, being lowered slowly down to them.
“Please,” he said, gesturing politely. “Please climb up here.”
5
Bungee Jumping
This is my house,” said Mr Bhalla, when they reached the top of the ladder. “Please come in.”
They followed him into the tree house, and found themselves in a large room filled with colourful furniture. Mr Bhallaasked them to sit down, and then went off to fetch refreshments.
“Now, what is the trouble?” asked Mr Gopal, as they sipped at long glasses of a delicious pink sherbet drink which Mr Bhalla had given them.
Mr Bhalla put down his glass. “If you come to this window, you’ll see,” he said.
They crossed the room, which was swaying gently as the tree moved with the breeze. Mr Bhalla opened a window and pointed to the edge of the jungle.
“Our bubblegum trees grow on the edge of the jungle,” he said. “They’re very old trees. Each tree has to grow for at least a hundred years before it gives any gum.Fortunately, nobody ever thought of cutting them down before, and so we’ve had a good number of trees. But now …”
Billy looked out of the window towards the jungle. Was that a plume of smoke in the distance? Or was it a cloud?
“Do you mean somebody is cutting them down?” asked Mr Gopal, sounding shocked.
“Yes,” said Mr Bhalla. “They are. It started a few months ago. Some men came and set up camp further up the river. Then they started to cut down our trees. They have wonderful wood, you see – there’s nothing else quite like it. The men cut down our trees and float them down the river to a sawmill.”
Billy was outraged. “But
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