The Secret of Zanzibar by Frances Watts Page B

of smell?’
    Alex didn’t say anything.
    â€˜I said do you think snakes have a sense of smell?’
    When her brother still didn’t respond Alice turned around. He wasn’t there. She peered through the tree trunks. ‘Alex,’ she said crossly, ‘this is no time to be fooling around.’
    No answer.
    â€˜Alex?’ she called uncertainly.
    A strange gurgling sound to the left of the path made her look down. The surface of the shallow water was rippling. That was odd. Suddenly the tip of a white nose shot out of the swamp.
    â€˜Alex!’
    Alice took a step towards him, her hand outstretched, only to be yanked back abruptly. Solomon Honker had her arm.
    Alice struggled to free herself. ‘Let me go!’ she cried. ‘A snake has got Alex. It’s dragged him under water!’
    â€˜Don’t move,’ Solomon said as Alex sank from view. ‘That’s not a snake. It’s quicksand.’

7

Recaptured
    â€˜We have to get out of here,’ said Feast Thompson urgently.
    He and Alistair looked around wildly for a path to take, somewhere to hide, but there was nothing. They were trapped.
    â€˜Alistair, we’ll have to climb. Can you stand?’
    â€˜I think so,’ said Alistair, though he really wasn’t sure.
    Feast helped him to his feet. Alistair swayed unsteadily for a moment, then staggered as the ground seemed to undulate beneath him. He leaned against the canyon wall for support.
    Feast looked up at Slippers Pink and Tibby Rose and shrugged helplessly.
    Alistair tipped his head back too. Slippers was still perched on the cliff edge, but he couldn’t see Tibby. Where had she gone?
    Feast looked like he was about to say something, but closed his mouth again as a voice nearby said, ‘Wouldn’tit be funny if we found them trapped in Dead End Gully?’
    A second voice replied sceptically, ‘Did you really hear them, Wilco? I haven’t heard a peep.’
    â€˜I heard them – I’m sure of it,’ Wilco protested. ‘Come on, it’s not much further.’
    A surge of panic rose in Alistair’s chest. At any moment the Queen’s Guards would see them. He had to climb. He had to! Bracing himself against the wall Alistair raised a trembling leg to the rock face opposite. But when he tried to lift his other leg off the ground, his first leg buckled, unable to bear the weight.
    He looked at Feast. ‘You have to go without me,’ he said quietly.
    Feast shook his head. ‘No,’ he said. ‘I’m not leaving you.’
    â€˜You have to, Feast,’ Alistair said. ‘There’s no sense both of us being caught.’
    Feast looked uncertain. ‘Alistair, I don’t –’ He jerked back as something landed on his head. ‘What …?’ he said, brushing the thing away. Then his face lit up and he grasped it in both hands. It was a rope, with a doubled line tied in a large loop.
    â€˜Alistair, quick, it’s a bosun’s chair.’
    â€˜A what?’
    But instead of answering Feast dropped the loop over Alistair’s head. ‘Sit,’ he ordered.
    Alistair sat on the loop of rope and almost immediately began to ascend, pulled from above by Slippers and Tibby.
    Feast quickly positioned himself between the two rock faces of the crevasse and began to climb the chimney.
    They were a little more than halfway up when Alistair saw a flash of red below. The Queen’s Guards!
    The others must have spotted them too because the rope jerked to a halt and Alistair saw Feast stiffen. They had to keep perfectly still to avoid attracting the attention of the guards.
    One, two, three, four of them came to a stop in front of the vertical cliff face.
    â€˜So where are they?’ demanded a grey mouse.
    Don’t look up, don’t look up, don’t look up , Alistair willed them.
    â€˜I heard them,’ a voice insisted stubbornly. It was Wilco.
    â€˜I hate