Foghorn Flattery and the Vanishing Rhinos by Barbara Steiner

Author:Barbara Steiner
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781497620070
Publisher: Open Road Media

CHAPTER

9

The woods were waking up from an after-lunch nap time. We strolled along, looking up and around, so that if anyone saw us, they’d think we were looking for birds. Knowing what our real plan was, though, I was having trouble acting casual. Suddenly I heard a series of deep bleating calls and then wild ringing chuckles.

I froze in place, but Foghorn flipped through his bird book. “It’s a go-away bird,” he said finally, holding his finger in his book and looking around. “Probably the barefaced go-away bird.”

The bird laughed again.

“There it is. See it, C.C.?” Foghorn pointed to a pale gray bird that had a white breast. Its face was bare and black. “See the crest and long tail. It’s in the turaco family.”

“I don’t care whose family it’s in. Maybe it’s telling us something. Maybe we should ‘go-away’ back to the camp.”

“This isn’t like you, C.C. You’re usually the impulsive one. I’ve gotten you out of several scrapes because you didn’t think before you acted.” Foghorn put a check by the bird’s name on his list.

“This was your plan, remember? And I’ve never had to spy on anyone at the same time feeling like everything in the woods was spying on me. I’m having to watch out for snakes and lions and buffalo and who knows what else?”

“Lions are more often in the grasslands, not in the trees. We should watch for snakes, but they’re more prevalent in the summer. Buffalo are our biggest worry, and since we’re near the river we could happen onto hippos. I understand they’re very dangerous.”

“You’re a lot of help.”

“I try to be realistic.”

The bird bleated and laughed at us again.

“Go away!” I called.

“It is usually normal procedure to be quiet when we’re spying on someone.” Foghorn led the way down a ravine.

“We aren’t anywhere near the village yet.” I stepped over a log and some dead tree limbs. “And we’ll never get there if you’re really going to look for birds.”

Foghorn kept his glasses pointed toward the road. We were walking parallel with it. “This bird has brown trousers and a used-to-be-white shirt.”

I grabbed my own binoculars and focused them. I was just in time to see Julius and his friend disappear. They hadn’t seen us, but were walking toward our camp.

“If the poachers are coming from that village, maybe someone has paid Julius and his friend to keep track of where we are and what we’re doing,” Foghorn said. “We’re making them nervous.”

“Do you think we’ve located the poachers by accident?” It would be a break if we had. We had so little to go on. But I couldn’t get the machine gun off my mind.

Neither could Foghorn. “Why else would they have an AK-47 in camp. Most Masai still carry spears.”

“If Julius is involved with this, do you think Minto knows who’s doing the poaching? Or maybe he’s involved, too. I hate to think that. Dr. Langley said he’s been with him a long time.”

“Just because they’re brothers doesn’t mean they’re both involved.

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