“JUMP!” shouted Sid. But, as high as he could jump, Eric couldn’t reach the truck, which was now floating away tied to the barrage balloon.

“I CAN’T REACH IT!” called Eric.

“AND I CAN’T CONTROL THIS THING!” hollered the old man.

Right now, the boy’s only hope was a tall tree up ahead. The truck was floating straight towards it. If Eric could run fast enough, he might, just might, be able to scale the tree and leap on to the truck. He closed his eyes for a moment.

Gertrude, he thought. What would Gertrude do?

The boy had spent so many hours at the zoo watching the ape run and jump and climb.

So he began running towards the tree as fast as he could. Just like a gorilla, he launched himself high into the air.

WHOOSH!

Eric leaped at the tree.

He hit his head hard on the trunk…

DONK!

…and fell back down to the ground again.

THUD!

“ERIC!” shouted Sid from the truck, now sailing higher and higher into the air.

The boy found his glasses, picked himself up and climbed up the tree as if it were a ladder. When he’d reached as high as he could go…

WHOOMPH!

…he leaped off and landed on the bonnet of the truck.

DOINK!

“ERIC!” cried Sid from behind the steering wheel.

“UNCLE SID!”

It wasn’t clear how shouting out each other’s names could help matters, but they did so anyway.

As the truck began to tip dramatically forward with his weight, Eric began sliding down the bonnet. He desperately grasped on to the propeller they had attached to the front. They’d known it would be useful somehow! But the boy was slipping off.

“HELP!” he screamed.

“HOLD ON!” shouted Sid.

“The thought had occurred to me!” retorted Eric.

To make matters worse, the boy’s dangling legs began whacking against the tops of the tallest trees on the common.

THWACK! THWUCK! THWACK!

“ARGH!”

With one hand holding on to the steering wheel of the truck, Sid pulled off one of his false legs…

POP!

…and leaned out of the window as far as he could go.

“GRAB HOLD OF MY FOOT!” he cried.

“You don’t have any feet!”

“I have tin ones, remember!”

The boy’s hands slipped down the propeller! He was holding on with just a finger and thumb. Any moment now, Eric was going to plummet to his death.

But just as he lost his grip…

“ARGH!”

…he managed to grasp the old man’s battered tin foot!

CLUNK!

Eric held on to it as if his life depended on it. Which it did.

Using all his strength, Sid then hoisted the boy into the cab.

“Thanks, Uncle Sid,” said Eric as he slumped on to the passenger seat, desperately trying to catch his breath.

He stared dead ahead through the windscreen. They were now heading straight for Battersea Power Station!

“UNCLE SID! LOOK OUT!”

The old man turned his head.

Together they cried, “NOOOO!”