Forest Fire (7 page)

“What was he carrying?” muttered Ben. “Let's take a look inside the shed.”

They slipped inside and found themselves in a small tool store at the end of the main shed. Rakes, spades and machetes hung on the walls. A dirty old tarpaulin had been thrown in one corner. Ben pulled it back to reveal four more cans identical to the one Talib had taken. He picked it up and heard liquid sloshing inside.

“It's petrol!” gasped Zoe, sniffing at it. “But why would Talib be stealing petrol?”

“If you're right about the gum,” said Ben, “then Talib is Mat's enemy. It was Talib who sabotaged the walkway and put the scarer in place. And now I've got the awful feeling he's going further. He's planning to set fire to the reservation!”

CHAPTER
TEN

Mr Ostrander chatted away pleasantly as he drove Ben and Zoe back to the Adilah Reservation. The children sat in the back, trying to answer as if nothing was wrong.

Ben remembered the strange expression on Talib's face when Mat told him about the broken walkway. He must have been surprised that Mat was still in one piece. Ben needed to find out more about Talib. Perhaps Mr Ostrander could help, but how could he bring up the subject without it looking suspicious?

“Shame there was no sign of Kawan,” Mr Ostrander was saying sympathetically.

“I expect Mat will keep looking,” said Ben. “And his staff,” he added with a sudden flash of inspiration. “We know that Daud's very fond of him.”

“But we don't know about Talib,” Zoe burst in, catching on. “He's very quiet. Do you know what he's like, Mr Ostrander?”

“I don't know Mat's men very well,” said the plantation owner. “Which one is Talib?” “Older than Mat, with greying hair,” Ben told him.

“Surly chap?” Mr Ostrander shrugged. “Never spoken to him.” He swung the jeep through the gates of the reservation.

Mat was waiting for them in the courtyard.

“Just in time for your surprise treat,” he beamed, as Mr Ostrander's car disappeared in a cloud of dust. “I'll let you go and freshen up first. Meet you here in five minutes.”

Back in their room, the children turned to each other anxiously.

“Our surprise couldn't have come at a worse time,” said Ben.

Zoe nodded. “What are we going to do about Talib? He could start the fire at any moment. We must tell Mat.”

“We can't,” said Ben. “We'd have to tell him about the walkway and the shed. He mustn't know we've been investigating. Anyway, how do we know he'd believe us?”

“Then we'll call Uncle Stephen.” Zoe pulled out her BUG and pressed the hot key that would put her in direct contact with Wild HQ.

“Greetings!” They heard their godfather's sleepy voice. It was the middle of the night on his island. “Any news of Kawan yet?”

“We've seen him,” said Zoe. “But there's much more to tell.”

“Worse than I thought,” said Uncle Stephen, when Zoe had finished her report. “Erika's in North Borneo. I'll get her to alert the authorities right now – anonymously, of course. They'll be on their way at once. They take fire in the forest very seriously.”

“And as soon as the threat's over we'll try using the call again to lure Kawan back to his old territory,” added Zoe. “There's no bird scarer to keep him away now.”

“You go and enjoy your surprise,” said their godfather. “And leave everything to me.”

“Are you ready?” they heard Mat calling from the courtyard. They swung their rucksacks on to their backs and headed outside to find him standing by a small, open-top jeep. He grinned. “Hop in!”

“Where are we going?” asked Zoe, as Mat steered them down a bumpy track. It was impossible to see ahead because of the dense trees.

“You'll see in a minute.”

The jeep turned a corner and in front of them was a cleared area, about the size of a football pitch, leading to a runway. Ben and Zoe could see it was a small airstrip, and then they spotted the craft shimmering in the heat in the middle of the tarmac.

“A balloon!” gasped Ben. “Fantastic!”

Zoe gave a whoop of delight. “Double fantastic!”

“It's the best way to see the rainforest.” Mat beamed. “Ready for a little ride?”

They walked towards the balloon, which was still being filled with hot air.

“Perhaps our surprise hasn't come at the wrong time after all,” Zoe murmured to Ben.

Ben frowned. “How d'you work that out?”

“If a fire did start, at least we could see exactly where it was and put out an alert immediately!”

Whoosh!
Mat turned up the flame that burnt under the huge red balloon envelope. A man untied the rope tethers and Ben and Zoe felt the basket rise up into the air.

“It's a bit bumpy!” yelled Zoe, over the noise of the roaring flare.

“You'll get used to it.” Mat smiled.

They were soon at the height of the treetops. Mat pulled on a cord.

“This opens the parachute valve a little,” he told them. “Don't worry, we're not jumping! It just lets out hot air to stop us gaining any more height. Can you feel the tug on the basket? At different heights the winds travel in different directions. We've reached a patch of wind that's blowing south-eastwards. Just what we need to go over the reservation.”

“And if we have to change direction we just go up or down to catch a different wind,” said Ben.

“You've got it!” said Mat. “I can't guarantee to get us back in the centre of the tarmac, but I've never missed the airstrip yet.”

Above the forest canopy the air felt fresher, and Ben and Zoe could feel a welcome breeze on their skin. Parrots glided over the treetops below them, their bright wings flashing through the air.

“This is all the Adilah Reservation,” said Mat, proudly gesturing over his land.

The tops of the tallest trees reached out but didn't quite touch each other. Small trees filled the gaps below. It looked like an endless sea of green.

“Some of the trees are seventy-five metres tall,” explained Mat. “All sorts of creatures live up there: monkeys, spiders, snakes, lizards.”

Zoe screened her eyes. “What's that mountain over there?” she asked, as she looked at a barren peak far in the distance.

“Mount Kinabalu,” said their guide. “You'll have a good view now we're so high.” He handed them binoculars.

“I don't like the look of the dark clouds over it,” said Ben, focusing on the mountain. “Are we going to get wet?”

“They're a long way off,” Mat told them. “Don't worry, we should be back before it rains. I'm turning to take you right across the reservation. We're at the south-eastern point here. You can see the oil palms stretching away at the edge of my land.”

“There are the seedlings,” said Zoe. “It looks like a join-the-dots puzzle from here.”

“We have to get higher,” said Mat, turning up the flame. “Hopefully we'll pick up a helpful wind to take us north now.”

“This is sure to bring the tourists in,” said Ben. “You'll be so busy, you'll be recruiting more staff.”

“Maybe,” laughed Mat. “I'll manage with Daud and Talib for the moment.”

Zoe caught Ben's eye. “Have they worked with you for long?”

“Daud and I were at school together,” Mat told her. “Talib works for Mr Ostrander – has done for years. Pieter's lent him to me for a short while. He suggested I'd need more help with the reservation opening up for visitors and sent him over.” He stepped to the other side of the basket to check the balloon's position with his map.

“I don't understand,” Ben hissed in Zoe's ear. “Mr Ostrander said he didn't know Talib.”

Despite the heat Zoe felt a chill run up her back. “Why would he lie?” she whispered back. “He's a friend of Mat's.”

Ben suddenly grasped Zoe by the shoulders, his fingers digging into her skin. “That's what he wanted us to think. But don't you remember – Mat said Mr Ostrander wanted to buy Adilah when he first bought his plantation. It all makes sense now! When Mat wouldn't sell up he decided to get it another way.”

“So you think Ostrander's the one behind the cancellations, the broken walkway and scaring off the orang-utans – and probably the logging that frightened Kawan away, too?” said Zoe in a shocked whisper. “All that stuff about helping Mat was just a cover. He sent Talib to work for him and secretly carry out his horrible plans.”

“How clever.” Ben nodded. “Ostrander appeared to be a hero when he had the loggers chased off. But I bet he'd sent them there in the first place. All the time he's been trying to make sure that the reservation fails. I suppose he's intending to step in as soon as it does and nobly buy the land off Mat.”

At that moment the flame above them puttered and flickered. Mat turned the ring on one of the propane cylinders and frowned. “It's run out of gas. I thought I asked for them
all
to be filled.” He shrugged. “I expect the other two are OK.” He quickly opened the valve on another cylinder, but there was no burst of fire from overhead. Ben and Zoe could see that Mat was beginning to look worried. “I don't understand it,” he muttered. “I told Talib to top them up – and the gauges are showing full.”