The Mystery of the Black Rhino by Franklin W. Dixon Page A

entered the lobby, they saw Jackson standing at the reception desk.
    The Hardy boys ducked into the gift shop.
    â€œI don’t like this,” Joe said. “Every time we see him, there’s trouble!”
    â€œI know,” Frank agreed.
    From where they were, they could see the reception area. The desk clerk who had been talking to Jackson looked at the mailboxes, then shook his head. Jackson stood for a minute, obviously thinking about something, then turned and left the hotel.
    Frank and Joe went to the reception desk to get the key to their room.
    â€œAh, it’s you,” the desk clerk said. “You just missed your friend from America.”
    Frank gave the desk clerk a puzzled look. “Did he give you a name?”
    â€œNo. He said you didn’t know he was coming,” the desk clerk said. “He said he had a big surprise for you.”

7 Poachers on the Loose
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    The Hardy boys decided to take the stairs to their room, rather than wait for the elevators in the crowded lobby.
    â€œI’m not sure I want to know what kind of surprise he has for us,” Joe said.
    â€œI know,” Frank said. He thought for a minute. “Lilly saw our pictures on television. That’s how she knew us,” he added. “Jackson doesn’t strike me as the kind who’d spend much time watching television. He must have been watching us from the door of the shop.”
    â€œYou’re right, Frank. I don’t really think he knew we were on the plane. We pretty much kept out of sight,” Joe said. “He probably recognized us fromFifth Avenue Africana and is now wondering what we’re doing here.”
    They had reached their floor and turned down the corridor toward the room. Frank and Joe had already decided that they wouldn’t bother their father with the new information about Jackson. They were used to taking care of themselves in situations like this.
    Fenton Hardy had dozed off, sitting in an armchair with one of his speeches on his lap. He woke up, though, when the boys entered the room.
    â€œI take it you’ve been seeing the sights,” Mr. Hardy said.
    â€œYup,” Frank said. “We took a little tour of the area.”
    â€œDid you get a lot of work done, Dad?” Joe asked.
    Fenton Hardy nodded. “Surprisingly, yes,” he replied.
    â€œWhy ‘surprisingly,’ Dad?” Frank asked.
    â€œThe telephone has been ringing off the hook. I think every journalist in Kenya wants to interview you,” Mr. Hardy explained. “You’re quite the heroes!”
    Joe yawned. “Do you think they’ll call back? I want to go to bed.”
    â€œI don’t think so,” Mr. Hardy said. “By now, you’re probably old news.”
    â€œWell, we were almost new news again,” Frank said. “We got caught in a demonstration betweenthe farmers and the animal rights activists on Moi Avenue.”
    Joe nodded. “The farmers were beating up an elderly professor—an animal rights activist. We met a girl named Lilly Mtito who needed help carrying him to his apartment. But then the police came and took Lilly and the professor away.”
    â€œJoe and I made sure the professor was safely hidden, then escaped through a bedroom window,” Frank said. “Lilly didn’t want us to get arrested.”
    Fenton Hardy seemed to study the situation for a minute. “Was this man’s name Makadara?” he asked.
    â€œYes!” Joe exclaimed. “How did you know?”
    Mr. Hardy let out a big sigh. “Well, Professor Makadara may mean well, boys, but he’s created a lot of problems for the Kenyan government.”
    â€œHow so, Dad?” Frank asked.
    â€œIt’s a difficult problem to solve, and the government is really trying to appease both sides,” Mr. Hardy said. “They know that with an expanding population, the farmers will need more land on which to grow