Patrick at all.
Paulo was peering into a cabinet that held two hunting rifles. 'Look at the dust on those,' he said. 'They haven't been touched for a while.'
'That one's even got rust on it,' said Alex. 'Probably wasn't cleaned last time it was used.'
'They're relics inherited from the previous owners, when the place was a shooting lodge,' Patrick explained. 'We don't use the armoury very much for clients now; only when someone brings something they shouldn't have.' He looked pointedly at the three boys, but they weren't listening.
'Hey, Alex, Paulo, come and look at this,' said Ralph. He had opened one of the cabinets.
Patrick winked at Alex and Paulo and continued to clean his weapon.
Alex and Paulo went over to Ralph. He was holding a long, elegant hunting rifle with a telescopic sight. The woodwork had a dark-brown lustre like antique furniture. It looked expensive - very expensive.
'Isn't it lovely?' said Ralph. 'My dad bought it for me. It's a Dakota Seventy-six Classic, Safari Grade.'
'It's a professional hunter's gun,' said Ben. 'Lovely to use.'
Alex thought for a moment that Ralph was going to offer it to him to hold, like a proud mother with a child, but the boy put it carefully back in its case, resting on its antique walnut stock, and wrapped the security chain around it. Then he closed the case and the outer padlock.
As they left the room Paulo and Alex said, 'Bye, Patrick,' but the others once again ignored him. Was that because he was black or because he was a member of staff? Alex wondered. These kids certainly could learn a thing or two about manners.
'So,' said Paulo as they headed through the lobby towards the pool terrace. 'You don't use that with tranquillizer darts.'
Toby spluttered. 'Good God, no. They confiscated our ammo but we've got more with us.' He lowered his voice. 'We're going to go out by ourselves tonight to drop a real animal.'
'It happens all the time in these places,' said Ben. 'Dad says you can shoot a lion and if they ever find it they blame it on the poachers.'
'Cool, huh?' said Ralph.
'We'd invite you to come with us,' said Toby in a low, conspiratorial voice, 'but you need to have experience to do something like this.'
Two figures appeared silhouetted against the bright turquoise rectangle of the pool. Amber's willowy figure waved to them, limping slightly as she moved down the hall. 'Hey, there's Amber and Hex,' said Paulo. 'There's something I want to ask them.' He turned to Ralph, Ben and Toby. 'Would you excuse us?' Paulo's voice was icily polite, but Alex knew that tone. It usually masked the most ferocious loathing.
Alex and Paulo ran to meet their friends, eager to get as far away as possible from the boys.
'Been making friends?' asked Amber.
Alex caught her arm and steered her back outside. 'We need to do something,' he said in an urgent voice.
'Let's talk about it in my room,' she suggested.
Li walked in from the lobby area. 'You guys still swimming?' she said brightly.
'Something's come up,' said Alex. 'Did you have a nice sleep?'
Paulo thought that instead of looking rested, Li actually looked more tired. She had dark rings around her eyes, which wasn't like her. Had she really been asleep?
But Li had latched onto the urgency in Alex's voice. There was a job to be done. She forgot her worries and professionalism took over.
Paulo also put his concerns to one side. But once this was over he would get her alone and find out what was wrong.
'They're planning to shoot a lion?' said Li. Her eyes were intense with outrage. Paulo and Alex had just described their conversation with Toby, Ben and Ralph.
'I knew they were scum,' said Amber. She spat the words out. 'Worse than scum.'
'How are we going to stop them?' said Hex. 'Shall we tell Patrick or Gaston?'
Alex smiled slowly. 'No, they have enough to worry about and I think we can sort this out. I have a plan. I think it will do very nicely.'
14
LAW OF THE JUNGLE
Hex and Amber were sitting on the ottoman sofa in the lobby, under a
Paulo was peering into a cabinet that held two hunting rifles. 'Look at the dust on those,' he said. 'They haven't been touched for a while.'
'That one's even got rust on it,' said Alex. 'Probably wasn't cleaned last time it was used.'
'They're relics inherited from the previous owners, when the place was a shooting lodge,' Patrick explained. 'We don't use the armoury very much for clients now; only when someone brings something they shouldn't have.' He looked pointedly at the three boys, but they weren't listening.
'Hey, Alex, Paulo, come and look at this,' said Ralph. He had opened one of the cabinets.
Patrick winked at Alex and Paulo and continued to clean his weapon.
Alex and Paulo went over to Ralph. He was holding a long, elegant hunting rifle with a telescopic sight. The woodwork had a dark-brown lustre like antique furniture. It looked expensive - very expensive.
'Isn't it lovely?' said Ralph. 'My dad bought it for me. It's a Dakota Seventy-six Classic, Safari Grade.'
'It's a professional hunter's gun,' said Ben. 'Lovely to use.'
Alex thought for a moment that Ralph was going to offer it to him to hold, like a proud mother with a child, but the boy put it carefully back in its case, resting on its antique walnut stock, and wrapped the security chain around it. Then he closed the case and the outer padlock.
As they left the room Paulo and Alex said, 'Bye, Patrick,' but the others once again ignored him. Was that because he was black or because he was a member of staff? Alex wondered. These kids certainly could learn a thing or two about manners.
'So,' said Paulo as they headed through the lobby towards the pool terrace. 'You don't use that with tranquillizer darts.'
Toby spluttered. 'Good God, no. They confiscated our ammo but we've got more with us.' He lowered his voice. 'We're going to go out by ourselves tonight to drop a real animal.'
'It happens all the time in these places,' said Ben. 'Dad says you can shoot a lion and if they ever find it they blame it on the poachers.'
'Cool, huh?' said Ralph.
'We'd invite you to come with us,' said Toby in a low, conspiratorial voice, 'but you need to have experience to do something like this.'
Two figures appeared silhouetted against the bright turquoise rectangle of the pool. Amber's willowy figure waved to them, limping slightly as she moved down the hall. 'Hey, there's Amber and Hex,' said Paulo. 'There's something I want to ask them.' He turned to Ralph, Ben and Toby. 'Would you excuse us?' Paulo's voice was icily polite, but Alex knew that tone. It usually masked the most ferocious loathing.
Alex and Paulo ran to meet their friends, eager to get as far away as possible from the boys.
'Been making friends?' asked Amber.
Alex caught her arm and steered her back outside. 'We need to do something,' he said in an urgent voice.
'Let's talk about it in my room,' she suggested.
Li walked in from the lobby area. 'You guys still swimming?' she said brightly.
'Something's come up,' said Alex. 'Did you have a nice sleep?'
Paulo thought that instead of looking rested, Li actually looked more tired. She had dark rings around her eyes, which wasn't like her. Had she really been asleep?
But Li had latched onto the urgency in Alex's voice. There was a job to be done. She forgot her worries and professionalism took over.
Paulo also put his concerns to one side. But once this was over he would get her alone and find out what was wrong.
'They're planning to shoot a lion?' said Li. Her eyes were intense with outrage. Paulo and Alex had just described their conversation with Toby, Ben and Ralph.
'I knew they were scum,' said Amber. She spat the words out. 'Worse than scum.'
'How are we going to stop them?' said Hex. 'Shall we tell Patrick or Gaston?'
Alex smiled slowly. 'No, they have enough to worry about and I think we can sort this out. I have a plan. I think it will do very nicely.'
14
LAW OF THE JUNGLE
Hex and Amber were sitting on the ottoman sofa in the lobby, under a
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