127 Dead in the Water by Franklin W. Dixon

Author:Franklin W. Dixon [Dixon, Franklin W.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: hbfiles
Published: 0101-01-01T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 9

When Caymen charged, Joe did the only thing he could think of.

He ran straight toward it.

Not the best plan, he realized, but he didn’t have any time to think of a better one. Besides, he thought this might surprise the alligator, which, Joe figured, probably wasn’t used to being charged.

With Cayman closing fast from the other direction, it took only one step to close the gap. Then Joe sprang into the air. The jaws snapped at him, missing his legs by inches as he hurtled right over the alligator’s head.

He landed on his feet, tumbled in the mud, rolled back onto his feet, and ran for the far side of the compound, scooping up the little boy along the way. Reaching the side of the compound, he stood on his toes and held the child up to the onlookers who stretched their arms toward the little boy’s hand. They were inches short.

The alligator turned to face Joe again, its long tail sweeping back and forth through the mud as it rotated its body.

On the other side of the rail, Frank saw the alligator turn to face his brother.

“Hey, Cayman!” he called, trying to draw its attention. He grabbed an empty bottle from a trash bin and threw it as hard as he could. It landed inches from Cayman’s jaw but didn’t seem to have any effect. The alligator advanced toward Joe. Joe was still holding up the child.

Gritting his teeth, Frank jumped over the rail into the compound. “Hey, lizard breath-over here!” he called, jumping up and down to draw the reptile’s attention.

His diversion worked. The alligator turned and charged him. Luckily, Frank hadn’t gone far from the wall. He turned and jumped for the rail, barely making it over before the alligator got to him.

Frank’s diversion had given Joe the time he needed. He finally stretched high enough to pass the child off, then leaped over the rail himself.

The crowd swarmed around Frank and Joe as the woman clutched her child in her arms. “Thank you, thank you,” she gasped. “How can I ever repay you?”

“I’m just happy he’s safe,” Joe answered modestly. He realized he was covered with mud from the compound.

Frank looked around for any sign of Sculley or Demas. “Did anybody see where that guy went after he bumped the child?” he asked several people.

A man wearing a blue suit appeared. “I’m Mr. Bellows, the general manager,” he announced to the crowd. “Let me assure everyone that Alligator World is committed to the safety of its guests. A thorough investigation will be conducted.”

Nobody seemed to listen to him. All eyes were still on the Hardys. “Can I have your autograph?” a teenage girl asked Joe.

Another man stuck a video camera into Joe’s face. “How did you feel when the gator came at you?” he asked.

Joe pushed the camera aside and followed Frank out of the park. Several people from the crowd followed them as they ran down the street toward the Jeep.

“Wait!” someone called. “What

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