“So we’ve found our poacher,” said Zoe, squatting under the shade of a palm tree in the marketplace. “I know Uncle Stephen said we had to stay away from poachers, but there’s nothing to stop us just keeping an eye on Wicaksono’s activities. We need to know what danger Tora’s in, don’t we?”
“Is there something on the BUG that tracks animals?” said Ben.
“Of course,” said Zoe, with an air of mock patience. “If you’d been listening to Erika, you’d know we can dart Tora with a tiny microchip. She’ll hardly feel it. She’ll probably think it’s an insect bite. But that doesn’t help us now.”
Ben grinned mischievously.
“Wait a minute,” said Zoe. “What are you planning? I can always tell you’ve got some crazy idea when you get that gleam in your eye.”
“We fire a tracking dart into Wicaksono,” said Ben, smiling broadly. “Then we can follow him and find out what’s going on!”
“Someone’s coming out,” hissed Zoe. She dragged Ben off between two of the houses.
They could just see the men talking on the veranda.
Ben got out his BUG and tapped in “tracking”.
“I see you’ve got the hang of it at last!” whispered Zoe.
Ben didn’t answer. A target ring was showing on the screen.
Holding it up, he focused on Wicaksono’s bare arm. Click! Ben fired a dart. Immediately the man flinched and clutched his arm. Then he looked round angrily.
“Keep out of sight,” muttered Ben. “If he sees us he might be suspicious!”
Wicaksono cursed and slapped his arm.
“He thinks it’s a mosquito,” said Zoe in relief.
The man waved his friends off and went back inside the house.
Ben checked the screen. A satellite map of Aman Tempat came up and a green light pulsed just where Wicaksono’s house was.
“It’ll flash to warn us if he leaves the village,” he said.
“What are you doing?” came a translated voice in their earpieces. They looked up guiltily, then quickly pretended they had not understood. Zoe clicked the screen of her BUG to game mode.
It was the woman who had been calling from her stall. She stared at them and the BUG, puzzled. Then she grinned.
“You same as my young brother.”
She chuckled. She spoke in halting English now. “Play on computer all the time. Where your parents? I have food to sell.”
“We’re with our aunt. She’s away for the day,” said Zoe, “but we’ll buy some food.”
The woman beckoned to them and they followed her to her stall.
“We’re on holiday,” Zoe told the woman, while Ben eagerly inspected the baskets of brightly coloured fruit. She patted her chest. “I’m Zoe.” Then she pointed at Ben. “This is Ben, my brother. We’re twins.”
“I’m Angkasa,” said the woman. She pointed upwards. “It means the sky.”
“We’re desperate to explore,” said Zoe. “But people say the jungle is not safe.”
She was hoping the woman might know more about Tora than Catur seemed to.
Angkasa nodded. “Many stories about the jungle. There is creature called orang pendek.” Angkasa took on a fearful look. “People say he is small man – hairy and strong like five elephants. My father saw one but not me.”
“Wicked,” said Ben, forgetting about the food for a moment.
“My father saw it at Silent Water,” Angkasa went on. “It is watering hole in the jungle.” She shivered. “We not go there. Evil place.”
“Do animals use it?” Zoe asked, glancing at Ben.
“Yes,” said Angkasa. “But not people. Even poachers keep away, I think.”
“Poachers!” exclaimed Zoe.
Angkasa nodded. “Not welcome in village. There was tiger eating our goats. We told Kinaree Sanctuary and got trap ready. We always do this. Sanctuary comes and takes tiger to safe place. But poachers got there first. Someone in village helped them.”
“Someone in the village?” gasped Zoe, pretending to be shocked by the revelation.
Angkasa lowered her voice. “Bad man.” Her eyes flickered down the row of houses. Zoe was sure that she was looking at Wicaksono’s house. “He sells bones, skin, whiskers. Against the law.”
She looked around suddenly as if she thought she might be overheard.
“I have work,” she said hurriedly, finding bags for the food Ben had chosen.
Ben and Zoe paid and set off for their hut. They said nothing until they were well away from the village.
“We’re as good as spies!” Ben laughed, punching Zoe’s arm. “We’ve pinpointed the poacher, and we know where to start our search for Tora. Where she must go to drink and hunt – Silent Water.”
“And we’ve done it all in one afternoon,” said Zoe, rubbing her arm. “Uncle Stephen will be proud of us.”
“Yes,” said Ben, as he scrolled through the menu on his BUG and brought up a map of the area. “Silent Water’s here,” he murmured. “Looks like it’s the only water around so it would be the place where all the animals drink. Tigers like to drink at night so that’s when we’ll go there.”
“It’s a good place to start,” agreed Zoe, “but I don’t like the sound of it. What did she call that strange hairy man?”
“Orang pendek.” Ben grinned. “It’s just a story. Like the Loch Ness monster, or Bigfoot. Anyway, I’ll look after you.”
“You?” scoffed Zoe. “You’d be as much use as a concrete trampoline.”
“Then don’t come running to me when the creature bites your legs off!” joked Ben. He ducked as Zoe swiped at him.
“Anyway, how’s our poacher doing?” she asked.
“Still at home,” said Ben, glancing at his BUG. “We haven’t got to worry about him till the cubs come out.”
“And we’ve got an advantage,” said Zoe. “The poachers have no idea we’re going to thwart their plans. Wild to the rescue!”
