Free Eco Warrior by Philip Roy Page B

changed tactics. Instead of keeping to the woods, I went down to the river and started jogging downstream. We were heading back towards the city now, at least for a while. There were lots of large rocks in the river, especially where it was dry, and if the plane came back, I planned to hide in the shadow of one. I could also curl up in a ball in the stream itself, stay absolutely still and pretend to be a rock. Travelling through the river would also allow us to escape if they brought dogs out, because the dogs would lose our scent in the water.
    For a while it seemed to work. I heard the plane two more times, but it was distant. Then, I heard a train coming. For a moment I got excited, because I thought maybe we could hop onto it, and catch a ride all the way back into the city. But the instant I saw it, I knew that was impossible. It was moving way too fast. It would have been suicide.
    But the noise of the train was a disaster, because it lasted a long time, and prevented me from hearing the sound of two jeeps that were coming closer all the time. By the time I heard them they could see me.
    They were on a hill a couple of hundred feet from the river. It was too late to hide in the river now. Instead, I jumped out, ran up the bank, through the trees, and down the hill. As I went over the crest of the hill, I heard their engines rev higher. The chase was on.
    The road didn’t follow the river closely at that point, because of the hills, which was a big help to me. In my mind, I was preparing what I would say if they caught me. I’d pretend I didn’t know what they were talking about, and say that I was only running because they were chasing me, and that I didn’t know why they were.
    At the bottom of the hill I stopped and listened for the jeeps. At first, I heard nothing. But then there was a distant whirring sound that could only have been their engines whining as they raced around the winding dirt road. Instead of running further down the hill, to where they would eventually catch up with me, I did the opposite; I ran back up to where we had been. It was kind of steep, and a lot of work for Hollie. When we reached the top, I lifted him up and put him in the tool bag. He was ready for a rest now but I was bursting with energy.
    Back up the hill, I crossed the river and ran to the next rise. I wanted to cross the road and reach the highest point on the hill, and from there, decide which way to go. The road snaked around the hill in sharp turns that made it difficult to identify where sounds were coming from, and that led me to make a second mistake. I heard what I took to be the distant sound of jeeps’ engines way down the hill. Instead, it turned out to be the engine of a third jeep just around the corner. I scrambled across the road and tried to get into the bushes before it saw me, but was too late. As I jumped across the bank, the jeep skidded to a stop on the road, spraying dust and small rocks everywhere. I lay still where I landed, holding the tool bag in my arms, and trying to breathe quietly. I heard a door open and someone jump out. Shoot! I dropped my head. How I hated to get caught. Maybe I could still make a run for it by going up the hill. They’d have to chase me on foot, and maybe they wouldn’t catch me. Surely they wouldn’t shoot at me, or, if they did, they’d warn me first and I would stop. I got ready to bolt when I heard someone call my name. “Alfred!” He didn’t yell it though; he whispered it. I raised my head out of the bush. I saw a young man in shorts and t-shirt. He waved his arm frantically at me. “Hurry up, mate! Come with me. I’m Brian Bennett.”
    I stared at him, trying to figure out what was going on. I had no idea who he was.
    “I’m Jewels’ husband. Jump in! I’m going to get you out of here. Hurry up, mate, they’re coming for you!”
    I jumped out of the bush and scrambled onto the road. He reached around and opened the back door. “Quick, jump in and hide