entrance, the other on the top rung.
'Li?' he said. 'Is there another lion down there?'
She shook her head. She couldn't speak.
Then Paulo remembered her reaction on the cliff face. Li had frozen then too. He hadn't thought any more about it until now; there were many odd, once-in-a-lifetime things that had happened because the team were exhausted. Like falling asleep while riding a bicycle. But for Li to freeze here and now was different.
Paulo moved cautiously towards her.
Her eyes widened, warning him not to come near. 'Don't,' she said. Her voice was harsh. Her pupils dilated so far they made her eyes look like hollow black circles.
Paulo's mind raced. What was going on? 'Li,' he asked gently, 'what do you want me to do? Shall I help you down?'
Her expression said Keep away, but a tear rolled out of one eye. She nodded.
'Can you give me your hand? I'll come and lie on the floor and hold onto you as you get onto the ladder. I won't let go until you're safely climbing down.' He walked carefully to the doorway, kneeled down in front of her and held out his hand.
She grabbed it as though she was grabbing a lifeline. Her grip was crushing. Bracing herself on the door frame, she lowered her foot carefully to the second rung. Her nails dug into Paulo's hand.
'It's OK, Li, I've got you,' he said. 'I'll keep holding until you say. And I promise there are no giraffes with cameras.'
She smiled, but it looked like a rictus of fear; it didn't make her relax. She stepped down onto the next rung. Paulo could feel her shaking. Something had transformed Li, the bravest, most talented climber he knew, into this nervous wreck. What had happened and when? Was it the abseil event?
Bit by bit, he lowered her down until she had both hands and feet on the ladder. She suddenly climbed down very fast, her face tight with concentration, until her feet touched firm ground - then he saw the tension drain out of her face. But it was replaced by anger. Again, Paulo remembered the cliff face. She had climbed down quickly and was furious afterwards, as if punishing herself.
He pattered quickly down the ladder. Should he say something?
Patrick was already in the Range Rover, the engine running.
Li touched Paulo on the arm. 'Don't say anything to the others,' she said. Her eyes were pleading. 'Promise?'
Paulo nodded gravely. 'I promise.'
8
INTRUDERS
Joe Chandler drove through the bush with Hex, Alex and Amber. It was dawn; the sky was turning grey and would soon be light.
'We check at least one of the watering holes every morning at about this time,' he said. 'It's the best way to find out if any new elephants have come into the area. They're always on the move; the ones we've tagged wander off to other areas of the park, onto the patch of another reserve, and elephants from other reserves wander into our area. But there are always some who haven't been tagged at all, so that's what we're looking for now.'
In the passenger seat, Hex carried a radio receiver with an antenna. In the back, Alex and Amber peered over his shoulder at the display. A red light winked, showing that tagged elephants were nearby. Hex tried pointing it in a different direction to see if the beeps came any faster, but they didn't. It didn't seem to be very sensitive. In his head he was already making modifications.
'When you get very close to an elephant we've tagged,' said Joe Chandler, 'the needle goes into the red.'
'Ah, I see,' said Hex. A simple ammeter. Does each elephant have its own code?'
Joe nodded. 'Yes, the machine automatically logs the one we've seen. Then we download it into the computer back at the lodge.'
Colour began to blush into the sky with the dawn. The grey shapes of trees around them started to look green. A flock of guinea-fowl rose as the Jeep passed them, making a plaintive noise. Shapes started to move through the grasses: gazelle, puku and waterbuck.
'Elephant ahoy,' said Amber.
Hex looked at the dial. 'No there isn't.'
'Not on your Gameboy,' said Amber.
'Li?' he said. 'Is there another lion down there?'
She shook her head. She couldn't speak.
Then Paulo remembered her reaction on the cliff face. Li had frozen then too. He hadn't thought any more about it until now; there were many odd, once-in-a-lifetime things that had happened because the team were exhausted. Like falling asleep while riding a bicycle. But for Li to freeze here and now was different.
Paulo moved cautiously towards her.
Her eyes widened, warning him not to come near. 'Don't,' she said. Her voice was harsh. Her pupils dilated so far they made her eyes look like hollow black circles.
Paulo's mind raced. What was going on? 'Li,' he asked gently, 'what do you want me to do? Shall I help you down?'
Her expression said Keep away, but a tear rolled out of one eye. She nodded.
'Can you give me your hand? I'll come and lie on the floor and hold onto you as you get onto the ladder. I won't let go until you're safely climbing down.' He walked carefully to the doorway, kneeled down in front of her and held out his hand.
She grabbed it as though she was grabbing a lifeline. Her grip was crushing. Bracing herself on the door frame, she lowered her foot carefully to the second rung. Her nails dug into Paulo's hand.
'It's OK, Li, I've got you,' he said. 'I'll keep holding until you say. And I promise there are no giraffes with cameras.'
She smiled, but it looked like a rictus of fear; it didn't make her relax. She stepped down onto the next rung. Paulo could feel her shaking. Something had transformed Li, the bravest, most talented climber he knew, into this nervous wreck. What had happened and when? Was it the abseil event?
Bit by bit, he lowered her down until she had both hands and feet on the ladder. She suddenly climbed down very fast, her face tight with concentration, until her feet touched firm ground - then he saw the tension drain out of her face. But it was replaced by anger. Again, Paulo remembered the cliff face. She had climbed down quickly and was furious afterwards, as if punishing herself.
He pattered quickly down the ladder. Should he say something?
Patrick was already in the Range Rover, the engine running.
Li touched Paulo on the arm. 'Don't say anything to the others,' she said. Her eyes were pleading. 'Promise?'
Paulo nodded gravely. 'I promise.'
8
INTRUDERS
Joe Chandler drove through the bush with Hex, Alex and Amber. It was dawn; the sky was turning grey and would soon be light.
'We check at least one of the watering holes every morning at about this time,' he said. 'It's the best way to find out if any new elephants have come into the area. They're always on the move; the ones we've tagged wander off to other areas of the park, onto the patch of another reserve, and elephants from other reserves wander into our area. But there are always some who haven't been tagged at all, so that's what we're looking for now.'
In the passenger seat, Hex carried a radio receiver with an antenna. In the back, Alex and Amber peered over his shoulder at the display. A red light winked, showing that tagged elephants were nearby. Hex tried pointing it in a different direction to see if the beeps came any faster, but they didn't. It didn't seem to be very sensitive. In his head he was already making modifications.
'When you get very close to an elephant we've tagged,' said Joe Chandler, 'the needle goes into the red.'
'Ah, I see,' said Hex. A simple ammeter. Does each elephant have its own code?'
Joe nodded. 'Yes, the machine automatically logs the one we've seen. Then we download it into the computer back at the lodge.'
Colour began to blush into the sky with the dawn. The grey shapes of trees around them started to look green. A flock of guinea-fowl rose as the Jeep passed them, making a plaintive noise. Shapes started to move through the grasses: gazelle, puku and waterbuck.
'Elephant ahoy,' said Amber.
Hex looked at the dial. 'No there isn't.'
'Not on your Gameboy,' said Amber.
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