'In real life.'
In the clearing, about thirty metres away, a small family of three elephants was walking out of the forest, heading for a river.
'Good,' said Joe. 'These must be ones that haven't been tagged.' He lowered his voice to a whisper even though the animals were still some way off.
'Which one's the matriarch?' said Amber.
'That one at the front. Look, she's checking for danger.'
The large female elephant lifted her trunk above her head and swivelled it like a periscope, one foot raised in mid stride.
Joe stopped the Jeep and cut the engine, then got out. 'I've got my darting gun so we can tag them now--'
He got no further. The matriarch swung her huge bulk round. The other elephants turned with her and hurried back into the wood, flapping their ears wildly.
Joe hadn't even got the tranquillizer gun out of the back of the Jeep. He shrugged and walked back to the driver's door.
'Did we scare them off?' said Amber.
Joe pulled the door open. 'Yes and no. The poachers have made some of them so scared of people, they won't even go to the water for a drink. We'll have to come back later and track them from here. They'll be less nervy in the heat of the day.'
'Oh my God,' said Alex quietly. 'I don't think it was us. Look.' His mouth was tight with shock.
'Get out with your hands up.' The voice was deep. Its African accent carried a note of menace.
Three figures stood beside the Jeep with AK-47 assault rifles. Ammo belts criss-crossed their chests and glinted in the morning sun. One of the men was black; he had a scar on his cheek, as though a piece of the flesh had been gouged out with a chisel. The other two were white - one with a dirty yellow bandanna; the other with an animal tooth set in silver on a chain around his neck.
The man in the bandanna talked to the two others. The words sounded urgent and harsh. Amber recognized it as similar to French; but they were speaking too fast for her to make out the words.
Amber glanced at Joe's face. It was set and grim. When she saw that, she didn't need vocabulary: the intention behind the words was clear. They were probably discussing how to kill them.
The scarred man spoke in English again and jerked the end of his weapon. 'Out.'
Joe Chandler put his hands up in the international gesture of submission and stepped away from the Jeep. Hex followed his lead. He put the tracking device down on the floor and stepped carefully out. Alex, in the back, put his leg over the side of the Jeep and slid to the ground. He raised his hands carefully.
And her,' said the man with the animal tooth. A hyena's. It wouldn't have looked out of place in his narrow, snout-like mouth, thought Amber.
Alex glanced at Amber. She was climbing carefully out of the Jeep, lying on her front and swivelling herself round awkwardly. Her ankle must still be quite sore, thought Alex. 'Give her a moment,' he said to the poachers. 'She's injured.'
The scarred man and the man in the yellow bandanna stepped forwards, intending to grab Amber and hurry her along. Amber whirled round. In her hand was the Jeep's spare petrol can. She hurled its contents at the poachers. Petrol splashed all over them.
Scarface and Yellow Bandanna leaped back, but dark stains were spreading over their green fatigues. The fumes caught the back of Amber's throat - a rich smell of pure danger. Yellow Bandanna shot off a barrage of angry words, but in his eyes she could see his fear.
Hyena-tooth, who had been out of range, grabbed Alex by the arm and pressed the muzzle of the gun into his belly. 'Stay where you are,' he said roughly.
'No, you stay where you are,' retorted Amber. In her hands was the flare pistol.
She brought it up and levelled it at the two petrol-soaked figures in front of her. 'If you don't let us go I'm going to fire, and you two are going up in flames. So you're going to stay nice and still while we all get back in our vehicle and go on our way. And don't even think of getting up to any funny business, like shooting at us as
In the clearing, about thirty metres away, a small family of three elephants was walking out of the forest, heading for a river.
'Good,' said Joe. 'These must be ones that haven't been tagged.' He lowered his voice to a whisper even though the animals were still some way off.
'Which one's the matriarch?' said Amber.
'That one at the front. Look, she's checking for danger.'
The large female elephant lifted her trunk above her head and swivelled it like a periscope, one foot raised in mid stride.
Joe stopped the Jeep and cut the engine, then got out. 'I've got my darting gun so we can tag them now--'
He got no further. The matriarch swung her huge bulk round. The other elephants turned with her and hurried back into the wood, flapping their ears wildly.
Joe hadn't even got the tranquillizer gun out of the back of the Jeep. He shrugged and walked back to the driver's door.
'Did we scare them off?' said Amber.
Joe pulled the door open. 'Yes and no. The poachers have made some of them so scared of people, they won't even go to the water for a drink. We'll have to come back later and track them from here. They'll be less nervy in the heat of the day.'
'Oh my God,' said Alex quietly. 'I don't think it was us. Look.' His mouth was tight with shock.
'Get out with your hands up.' The voice was deep. Its African accent carried a note of menace.
Three figures stood beside the Jeep with AK-47 assault rifles. Ammo belts criss-crossed their chests and glinted in the morning sun. One of the men was black; he had a scar on his cheek, as though a piece of the flesh had been gouged out with a chisel. The other two were white - one with a dirty yellow bandanna; the other with an animal tooth set in silver on a chain around his neck.
The man in the bandanna talked to the two others. The words sounded urgent and harsh. Amber recognized it as similar to French; but they were speaking too fast for her to make out the words.
Amber glanced at Joe's face. It was set and grim. When she saw that, she didn't need vocabulary: the intention behind the words was clear. They were probably discussing how to kill them.
The scarred man spoke in English again and jerked the end of his weapon. 'Out.'
Joe Chandler put his hands up in the international gesture of submission and stepped away from the Jeep. Hex followed his lead. He put the tracking device down on the floor and stepped carefully out. Alex, in the back, put his leg over the side of the Jeep and slid to the ground. He raised his hands carefully.
And her,' said the man with the animal tooth. A hyena's. It wouldn't have looked out of place in his narrow, snout-like mouth, thought Amber.
Alex glanced at Amber. She was climbing carefully out of the Jeep, lying on her front and swivelling herself round awkwardly. Her ankle must still be quite sore, thought Alex. 'Give her a moment,' he said to the poachers. 'She's injured.'
The scarred man and the man in the yellow bandanna stepped forwards, intending to grab Amber and hurry her along. Amber whirled round. In her hand was the Jeep's spare petrol can. She hurled its contents at the poachers. Petrol splashed all over them.
Scarface and Yellow Bandanna leaped back, but dark stains were spreading over their green fatigues. The fumes caught the back of Amber's throat - a rich smell of pure danger. Yellow Bandanna shot off a barrage of angry words, but in his eyes she could see his fear.
Hyena-tooth, who had been out of range, grabbed Alex by the arm and pressed the muzzle of the gun into his belly. 'Stay where you are,' he said roughly.
'No, you stay where you are,' retorted Amber. In her hands was the flare pistol.
She brought it up and levelled it at the two petrol-soaked figures in front of her. 'If you don't let us go I'm going to fire, and you two are going up in flames. So you're going to stay nice and still while we all get back in our vehicle and go on our way. And don't even think of getting up to any funny business, like shooting at us as
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