Everybody went to gather round a large hole in the ground. The sides were steep and smooth and a long rope was stretched tightly across the middle. Grizzy, Mungoid and Hunjah peered over the edge.
GURR-ARGHH!
A huge sabre-toothed bear was prowling around the pit. It had toenails like bananas and claws like daggers. The bottom of the pit was littered with skulls and bones.
‘Wow!’ said Mungoid. ‘She is a BEAUTY.’
The blue slaves had taken Borgon and Akabbah to stand at opposite ends of the long rope. Grizzy, Hunjah and Mungoid made their way round to join Borgon, while the other Raggahoos went to support Akabbah.
Madreesh was standing on the very edge of the pit, leaning on her staff. She was just about to speak when the bear lunged up and tried to swipe a giant claw at her.
GURR-ARGHH!
‘Behave yourself,’ said Madreesh.
GURR-ARGHH!
‘I said behave!’ she said sharply. She thrust the end of her staff down at the bear, and waggled the silver crystal in front of the snarling face. The great beast tried to shy away, but as the crystal twisted and flickered in the sunlight the bear couldn’t take its eyes off it. Suddenly the dame flicked the end of the staff upwards. The beast fell over backwards and collapsed on to a heap of old bones.
KERR-UNCH!
‘Oh cool!’ said Grizzy. ‘I SO wish I could do that.’
‘Contestants, you will take turns to walk across the rope,’ announced Madreesh. ‘Keep going until one of you gives up …’
‘Boring!’ shouted the crowd.
‘Hooray!’ cheered the crowd.
By this time the bear was back on its feet and looking crosser than ever.
‘You go first, little chubby guts,’ called out Akabbah from across the pit. ‘That bear looks ready for a good meal.’
‘Why don’t you go first?’ shouted Mungoid.
‘Can’t he speak for himself?’ said Akabbah. ‘Or is he too scared?’
‘SCARED?’ cursed Borgon, clutching his axe. ‘Nobody tells a barbarian he’s scared.’
‘I just did,’ said Akabbah. ‘So come over here and get me if you dare!’
Borgon hissed angrily, then held out his axe to balance himself. He stepped on to the rope with one foot, then very carefully he put his second foot on too. Below him the bear’s blood-red eyes were looking up, his teeth and claws all ready.
‘Good luck, Borgon!’ shouted Mungoid. ‘Dash over as fast as you can.’
‘No!’ shouted Hunjah. ‘There’s no rush. Go slow, one step at a time.’
Borgon was already starting to wobble and the bear was licking its lips.
‘How about you, Grizzy?’ asked Borgon. ‘What do you say?’
‘Goodbye,’ said Grizzy. ‘It was nice knowing you.’
Borgon bit his lip and took a tiny step forwards. The bear stretched itself up and opened its mouth wide. The thick purple tongue lashed around hungrily, licking its long curved teeth. Over on the far side the Raggahoos were laughing.
Borgon felt the rope twitching. He looked across to see Akabbah had his foot on the far end and was bouncing it up and down.
‘Get on with it!’ shouted Akabbah. ‘We haven’t got all day.’
‘Why don’t YOU try?’ shouted Grizzy.
The crowd agreed. They all turned to point at Akabbah.
‘GO GO! GO!’ they chanted.
Akabbah broke into a big laugh.
‘Oh all right, if you insist.’
Akabbah ran forwards and launched himself straight off the edge. He landed neatly on the rope and sprinted all the way across to where Borgon was struggling to keep his balance. The lanky savage gave Borgon a sharp prod in the guts, dashed back and then leapt off with a high backflip and landed perfectly on his feet. Down in the pit the bear lumbered around in confusion as the crowd erupted with noise.
RAGGA RAGGA HOO HOO!
RAGGA RAGGA HOO HOO!
Akabbah was grinning and bowing and lapping up the applause.
‘Your turn!’ he called over to Borgon.
Borgon was still on his end of the rope, trying to keep his balance.
‘Barbarian, you have already done well,’ said Madreesh. ‘You can give up now and still depart with honour.’
‘And lose to HIM?’ said Borgon. ‘No way!’
And with that, he took a big step out over the pit.
‘Ooooh!’ went the crowd.
GURR-ARGHH! went the bear.
Borgon took another step, and then another … but then he stumbled! He threw himself forwards and dashed the rest of the way, almost knocking Akabbah over on the other side.
‘It’s easy,’ gasped Borgon.
‘Then back you go again,’ said Akabbah, giving Borgon a hard push.
Borgon staggered backwards over the pit. Mungoid and Hunjah just managed to grab him before he fell and pulled him to safety.
‘Fantastic!’ said Mungoid. ‘You can do it!’
Borgon took a few deep breaths to calm himself.
‘So what happens now?’ he said. ‘Do we just keep going backwards and forwards all day?’
‘You’re right,’ shouted Akabbah from the far side. ‘Let’s hurry it up!’
He skipped across to the middle of the rope, then bounced up and down to make it stretch.
CREAK PING TWANG!
The bear leapt up and just caught the rope with the tip of a claw. Akabbah had to wave his arms madly to keep his balance, then quickly ran back to his side of the pit.
‘All ready for you!’ he called over to Borgon.
Borgon stepped on to the rope.
‘Just go very gently,’ said Hunjah. ‘He was bouncing, but you should be fine if you tiptoe along.’
‘Tiptoe?’ snapped Borgon. ‘I’m a BARBARIAN about to cross a BEAR PIT. And you want me to tiptoe like a little pixie?’
‘It was just a thought,’ said Hunjah.
Borgon stepped out over the pit. Last time the rope had been almost level, but this time it was sloping downwards and it was wobbling more. The bear was waiting with its teeth and claws ready. Borgon slid his feet along the rope as carefully as he could.
Grizzy, Mungoid and Hunjah were so busy watching him, that they didn’t notice the other three Raggahoos had pushed through the crowd behind them.
‘Give me that!’ said the fat one, snatching the bag from Hunjah.
‘What do you want?’ demanded Hunjah.
‘We saw you eating those tomatoes,’ said the one with curly hair. ‘We’re just making sure you haven’t got any more to throw.’
‘He didn’t throw it,’ said Grizzy. ‘I did.’
‘Oh really?’ said the bony one. ‘Then here’s a present from Akabbah.’
He raised his fist, but Mungoid stepped in the way.
‘If you want to hit somebody, try me,’ he said.
‘You asked for it!’ said the bony one, and he punched Mungoid hard on the chin.
WUMCH!
‘Yow!’ squealed the bony one. He staggered back, clutching his fingers. Mungoid hadn’t even blinked.
‘Feel better for that?’ smiled the chunky savage. ‘It must be my turn now. Line yourselves up!’
But the three Raggahoos didn’t wait. They dashed away, dropping the bag on the ground. Something small and yellow rolled out, but at that moment there was a noise from across the pit …
TWING!
They all looked to see Borgon had reached the middle of the rope. A tiny strand had snapped under his feet.
PLINK TWOING!
Borgon smiled to himself. The rope wasn’t going to last much longer. All he had to do was get across and back, then surely the silly prancing savage would end up in the pit!
‘Quammy!’
What?
‘Quammy! Quammy!’
‘Come back!’ shouted Grizzy.
Borgon looked round and saw the little duck was toddling down the rope to join him.
‘Sorry, Borgon!’ said Hunjah. ‘The Raggahoos let her go!’
The bear looked up at the tiny yellow bird and let out a mighty roar.
GURR-ARGHHHH!
The duck started to wobble. She stumbled about, first on one leg and then the other.
Then the duck slipped off the rope. She flapped her tiny wings with all her might and for a moment she hovered in mid-air, but then she drifted down and hit the bottom of the pit with a sad little THUD.
‘ARGHHH!’ screamed the crowd.
The bear lunged towards the duck with its claws raised.
‘Oh no you DON’T!’ cried Borgon.
The bear looked up and saw the chubby little savage glaring down and waving his axe.
‘I’m warning you,’ said Borgon. ‘Get back from that duck.’
The bear ignored him and went for the little yellow bird. There was only one thing a proper barbarian could do.
‘YARGHHHH!’
With a loud scream, the axeboy leapt off the rope and hurled himself into the pit.