The ceremony and meal were over at last, and Ben and Zoe sat in the shade of the reservation courtyard. Ben fidgeted impatiently.
“Sit still!” Zoe poked her brother in the ribs. “Mat said he’d be here at four o’clock, the moment he’s said goodbye to all his guests. It’s not even five to yet.”
“I know, but I can’t wait,” groaned Ben, jumping up to look at the map displayed on the wall behind them. “A guided tour on walkways right up in the trees, with viewing platforms all along the way. So cool!”
“Don’t forget – we’re here for Kawan,” Zoe reminded him. “We’ve got to find out all we can.”
“I haven’t forgotten,” said Ben indignantly. “I’ve got the recording all ready to play if we get the chance to be on our own.”
“Ready?” came an eager voice.
Mat was back. He handed them each a pair of binoculars and a paper bag. “There are rusks for the orang-utans in here. They love them.”
He led them along a narrow pathway through the trees. At the sound of their footsteps shrill, harsh warning cries could be heard.
“Proboscis monkeys,” explained Mat.
“Very excitable.” He stopped at a huge climbing frame of reddish wood where a ladder led up to a high, railed platform.
“What are we waiting for?” said Ben, grabbing the rungs.
“Great to see you’re so keen, Ben,” said Mat. “I expect this is the first time you’ll actually come face to face with real wild animals.”
Ben and Zoe just smiled.
“Don’t forget, if any animal gets close, just stay quiet and calm. We’re sure to come across some orang-utans. They’re peaceable creatures – and very nosy. They’ll probably come to you. The walkways are secure and every platform has an escape ladder down to the ground. Enough safety talk. Let’s climb!”
“I wish we could catch sight of…what was the name of the young orang-utan that’s gone missing?” Zoe asked innocently, as they reached the top of the ladder and stepped on to the platform. A walkway made of slats of wood fixed on long ropes stretched away into the distance.
“Kawan,” said Mat. “We’ll head for the area that used to be his territory. I keep hoping he’ll be there.”
Mat stepped on to the walkway, grasping the handrails. It swayed gently under his weight. The children followed him eagerly along the aerial path from tree to tree.
Above the harsh croaking of frogs, macaques screeched as they swung from tree to tree and parrots shrieked from nearby branches. At each platform there were information boards about the creatures to look out for. Ben studied each one.
“What are those?” asked Zoe, pointing at some odd-looking birds perched above their heads. “Looks as if they’ve got horns on their beaks.”
“Didn’t you read the sign?” Ben teased. “They’re rhinoceros birds. What a fantastic place this is.” “Yasmin and I are trying to make this a perfect haven for the animals,” said Mat. “The rainforest might be shrinking, but this bit’s not going to.”
There was a loud rustling of leaves and suddenly two orang-utans burst into view, swinging after each other across the interwoven branches.
“Your first glimpse of orang-utans in the wild,” Mat told them. “That’s Lola and Kiki. They’re mother and daughter. They’ll come and say hello in a minute.”
The two apes suddenly stopped their play as they spotted the humans. With a terrified shriek they turned and disappeared amongst the dense trees.
“Did we scare them away?” asked Zoe, disappointed.
“I don’t think so,” said Mat frowning. “But I’m surprised they left so quickly. They’re usually very friendly. They even sat with us and tried out our tools when we were building the walkways.” He stopped and looked around. The children could see the concern on his face.
“Come to think of it, it’s been quieter than usual today. We’ve been through several territories and only seen Lola and Kiki.” He led them round a platform, down a ladder and on to a lower walkway. “We’re just coming into Kawan’s old patch now.”
Ben gave Zoe a thumbs up. Maybe they’d learn something useful here.
The walkway took them alongside a wide, muddy coloured river.
“This is the Munia River,” Mat told them.
“Those are oil palms growing on the other side, aren’t they?” asked Zoe, recognising the straight rows of low-growing trees. They looked very different from the natural tangle of the high rainforest.
“That’s Mr Ostrander’s land,” said Mat. “We’re right in the south-eastern corner of the reservation now.”
He led them on to a wide platform hung from a thick-trunked tree. A metal sign reading “Platform Twenty-two” was fixed to the trunk above a map of the walkways. The children looked at the view. The river wound its way into the distance, separating the palm trees from a wide swathe of flat land, where small plants in metal drums were growing at regular intervals.
“New oil palms,” Mat explained. “That’s where Daud spotted Kawan. I’ve tried calling him from here, but I’m not sure the sound travels that far.”