Chapter Nineteen Vijay saw them first. He was in the stream below. Miles and Nikko were close by, comparing arrowheads. He shushed them with the cry of the raven and they turned to him, frozen. They had got tired of hunting some time ago, for there were no birds or animals to be seen. Instead, they had worked on another man-trap, binding timbers and fitting weights for an hour. Mr Ian’s voice carried through the trees loud and clear, and there was a great deal of twig-crunching. ‘No,’ shouted the teacher. ‘We’re going on! If you didn’t bring water, that’s your problem.’ A plaintive voice said something inaudible. ‘I don’t need this, Jacqueline! I have no time for weakness! Not today!’ There was another crack of brushwood and they heard a squeal. The three boys grabbed their spears and shouldered their bows. They moved noiselessly into the undergrowth and Nikko led them up the nearest trunk, into the treetops.
