Free The Jungle Warrior by Andy Briggs Page B

tinted windows. Two days passed and they hadn’t asked Jane any further questions, partly because she avoided them whenever she could. They never appeared to be doing much and just stayed in the camp, killing time. A couple of times, Rokoff had marched into the jungle, but he was never gone for very long. Their blatant inactivity raised Jane’s suspicions.
    She couldn’t visit Tarzan; she knew he was busy persuading his family to move to fresh feeding pastures. However, with Rokoff lurking around, Jane wanted to warn Tarzan more with each passing day. She hoped he was at least within range of the Dum-Dum, so after several days she decided to slip away.
    Rather than upset her father any further, she told him about her plan.
    â€œI might be away for a day or two,” she said when she’d finally got him away from Rokoff and Clark. She had expected the usual bluster, but he just nodded and looked a little sad. “I’ll be with Tarzan, so . . .”
    â€œSo you’ll be OK.”
    She had anticipated more of an argument, and his resigned attitude surprised her. She gently squeezed his hand. “Thanks, Dad.”
    Jane took a machete, a rolled-up rain poncho, a full water canteen, and a few provisions in a backpack, then headed to the Dum-Dum.
    The sun beat down and made the jungle blossom around her. Colorful birds and insects swooped through the trees and monkeys chattered in the distance. Despite the swarms of insects, it was a pleasant walk and she found it difficult to remember why she had hated the forest when they first arrived. She beat her tattoo on the Dum-Dum and sat back to wait.
    After an hour she sensed she was being watched, although she couldn’t identify exactly what was bothering her. Her eyes scanned the jungle and the feeling intensified. It was almost hostile.
    Then Tarzan leaped into the clearing, landing neatly on all fours at her side. He didn’t utter a single word, but his eyes narrowed as he scanned the trees too.
    â€œWhat’s out there?”
    His face looked grave. Time seemed to stretch as they listened in silence. Then Tarzan slowly stood and pointed further along the animal trail.
    â€œBad men come this way,” he said. “Come.”
    He headed along the track, barely making a sound. They didn’t travel far before Tarzan raised his arm in a signal to stop. Jane couldn’t see what the danger was until Tarzan broke a branch from an overhanging tree and tossed it ahead.
    The tripwire was practically invisible, but the moment the branch broke the wire’s tension, the trap was sprung. With a terrible slashing sound, a rope noose contracted and plucked the branch from the ground, lifting it high in the air. It was simple and brutal.
    â€œWho would do something like this?” exclaimed Jane.
    â€œPoachers.” The word growled at the back of Tarzan’s throat. He indicated down another trail. Through the bushes Jane could see a deer had triggered another trap and was swaying in mid-air, its neck broken.
    They all hunted meat to survive, but this was cruel. While the camp meat came from the jungle, Archie insisted that they should never use snares and killed only as much as they needed for food. She had seen Tarzan hunt with his bare hands, but he too only took what he needed. Poachers hunted in excess and often for the animals’ pelts rather than for their meat.
    â€œWhat would poachers be doing so far in here?” asked Jane. She was worried that poachers this close to the camp could mean trouble.
    â€œYour father. He bring these men here!”
    â€œNo, that’s not true. Nobody at the camp would do this.”
    Tarzan was unconvinced. “Then why poachers here? Never come this far!”
    Jane knew he was right. Something had pushed the poachers deeper into uncharted terrain. They weren’t the first strangers to turn up and the coincidence was a little too much.
    â€œTwo men arrived at the camp.