The fire in the lapa was crackling pleasantly, and for the first time in many hours, the three young adventurers were beginning to relax. They had eaten, taken a hot shower, and, on the insistence of Helga, each drunk a little glass full of a clear viscous liquid that smelled pleasantly of peaches but tasted strongly of alcohol.

'Nothing like ein tot of home-made schnapps to perk you up after ze severe shock," she had mumbled, waving aside Uncle Vernon's objections.

"Go avay, you," she had casually dismissed him, filling three glasses to the brim and taking a good swig of her 'medicine' herself. "Zese kids need somesing stronger zan fruit juice, I tell you!"

And so they had duly drunk the liquid, gagging and teary-eyed from the strong alcoholic taste. But Helga was right after all: it did make them feel better.

It had been an eventful early evening. By the time Francis and Alice had arrived home, it was dark and Uncle Vernon was already very worried about them. He was on the point of sending Frank Mabuza to go look for them, when they stumbled into the house, exhausted, scratched by thorns and in a state of near-panic. The further they had run, the more worried they became about Laura, and the harder they pushed themselves, so that by the time they reached home, they could barely speak.

Uncle Vernon listened to their incoherent story, and acted fast.

As it turned out, Laura arrived home only half an hour after the twins, but by this time, the household was in upheaval. What seemed like entire battalions of police were scurrying around in the house and on the lawns. Uncle Vernon and Mabuza were in urgent, whispered conversation with the commander. A young detective was questioning a dazed-looking Francis and alone on the porch, pale and shaking, Alice sat and watched the commotion.

Initially, no-one noticed Laura as she limped across the lawn. Uncle Vernon first noticed his dog.

"Hey Eugene!" he exclaimed. "Where did you come fr..."

It was only then that he noticed Laura, stumbling along behind the dog, still clutching the rhino horn in her right hand. She was oblivious to all around her, and simply walked to the porch, where she collapsed in a chair next to Alice.

A whole crowd of people descended upon her, and Uncle Vernon and the police commander had to practically fight their way towards her.

"Make way!" they shouted above the hubbub of voices and gesticulating hands.

Ten minutes later, Laura had told the police commander, Uncle Vernon and Mabuza what she had seen. They now had a clear picture of the day's events, and the police commander wasted no time. He barked a few orders, and within minutes he and his men set off, along with Mabuza, to see if they could perhaps still manage to catch the poachers somewhere in the dark.

"Alas," sighed Uncle Vernon. "It is probably too late by now. I'm sure they will have fled by the time the police get there. But thanks to you three, they will quite possibly have to leave behind much of their loot."

"Shouldn't we have gone with them to help them find the place again?" Francis asked.

"Absolutely not!" said Uncle Vernon. "You have done quite enough for one day. I'm not sure whether to reward you or send you straight back to the city tomorrow. But I know where I'm sending you right now, and that is to your bathrooms, where you will go take a shower and freshen up a bit. I'll organize something to eat in the meantime."

And so, two hours later, they were all sitting around the fire in the lapa, discussing the day's events.

"I wonder if they'll manage to catch them in the dark," said Alice. "I mean, even with the moonlight, it would not be difficult to hide or escape."

"Won't do them much good," replied Francis. "Frank will pick up their tracks in the morning, and by tomorrow evening they'll be behind bars."

Rather to their surprise, Uncle Vernon seemed doubtful.

"Well, it doesn't always work that way. They'll no doubt wipe their tracks behind them. And by tomorrow they could be miles away."

"I don't think that would help them much, Uncle," said Laura. "I mean, you have seen Frank in action. Whatever they do, he's going to find them."

"Yes, I don't think they stand much of a chance," agreed Alice. "By the looks of them, they are not really at home in the bush at all. I don't know, maybe I'm wrong. But that was my impression. They had the newest clothes, all fashionable, what looked like brand new weapons, a shiny new tent. It was as if they had equipped themselves in the city, just a week ago. But for all of this, they did not look at home out there at all."

"That's exactly the feeling I had!" Laura added with some excitement. "They just looked out of place, kind of wrong, like they were scared. And I don't mean scared to get caught. Scared of the bush."

"Then they'll surely be no match for Frank," said Francis. "Unless they get to the road and someone picks them up. But after what I have seen of Frank today, it wouldn't surprise me if he could track them down even then!"

Uncle Vernon looked thoughtful. There was no doubt about his relief at seeing them safe, but he seemed strangely unenthusiastic about the hunt for the poachers.

"Well, we'll have to see what happens. Out here in the wilderness, you never know," he said. "Either way, I suggest you go get some sleep. You all deserve it, and whether they find the poachers or not, you can be sure Frank will only be back long after midnight. I have to get some sleep myself. My agent has been breathing down my neck for that large elephant painting I'm working on, and I want to see if I can complete it tomorrow."

They sat for a while longer, talking about other matters. After all the excitement of the day, they did not expect to get sleepy any time soon, but a good meal, the mellow fire and Helga's 'medicine' all soon had its effect, and they began to feel more and more drowsy. It was time for a well-deserved rest.

By next morning, they were feeling much better, but they were all still stiff from the unaccustomed exercise of the previous day. They were halfway through their bacon and eggs when Uncle Vernon appeared.

"Had a good rest, I hope?" he asked, helping himself to toast.

"No, I'm afraid the poachers got away," he added, seeing their expectant expressions. "It was almost impossible to track them in the dark, and Frank lost their tracks in some rocky ground close to Matumi Sands reserve. We'll keep looking of course, but for the moment they are gone."

Francis was incredulous. "Frank lost their track? That seems impossible."

Uncle Vernon seemed a bit evasive. "Well, Frank's good, but even he does not have supernatural powers, you know. Anyway, with these kind of people, it is only a question of time before their luck runs out. You just wait and see."

"But in the meantime, the slaughter continues," objected Laura.

"True," sighed Uncle Vernon. "But at least we did prevent them from getting the full profit of their illegal wares. They had to leave a lot behind in the camp, including the cheetah skin you told us about last night. And of course, you stole that rhino horn. That will at least be a blow to them."

They were disappointed at the news, but there was not much they could do about it, so for the moment they decided to let it rest.

"Well, I have to go work a bit," announced Uncle Vernon. "I don't know whether you are ready for more adventure yet, but I must ask you to stay here at home today. I first want to see what happens with this poacher situation. You are welcome to go relax in the pool."

They had no objections. They were still tired and nervous about their near-disaster of the previous day.

"Sounds like a good idea," said Alice. "I for one have had enough adventures for the moment. I think I'll sit by the pool today, and get some bird watching done."

"It's still a bit early to swim. Uncle Vernon, can we watch while you paint?" asked Laura.

"You're most welcome. The thing's almost done, so you won't see the mess I usually start out with," Uncle Vernon said with a modest smile.

But his modesty was misplaced, as they all knew. For the next hour, they quietly sat behind him in his studio, watching him put the finishing touches on a magnificent and almost life-sized elephant portrait. With deft little flicks of his brush, he created a perfect illusion of an old elephant bull, majestic, battle-scarred and covered in dust, looking out at the viewer fearlessly, with that wise and slightly mysterious expression that only an elephant can assume.

Uncle Vernon's studio was a confusion of tubes of oil paint, brushes, sketches, half-completed paintings and other assorted odds and ends of his profession. It never bored them to look around the place.

Francis noticed something on a small table, next to a still life set-up of jugs and wine bottles. When Uncle Vernon decided to take a break some minutes later, he asked him about it.

"Uncle Vernon, are you selling paintings in China these days?"

"What makes you think so?" asked Uncle Vernon, his voice casual, but looking at Francis with an intense, unreadable expression.

"I noticed this letter," replied Francis. "It seems to be postmarked in China or somewhere."

"Oh that!" Uncle Vernon jumped up, grabbed the letter from the little table, and put it in his pocket. "I was looking for that! Thanks! And yes, I am negotiating with a gallery there."

Well, this is weird, Francis thought. I can swear he's lying. What would he be hiding?

He put the thought out of his mind when Laura suggested they go for a swim. The day was getting hot, and the pool would be very pleasant.

They all went to change into their swimwear. Francis had misplaced his, so by the time he was ready, he could already hear the girls splashing around in the pool.

On his way to the cool, blue pool in the back garden, he passed the large, ramshackle shed where Uncle Vernon kept his vehicles, tools for the garden and the million other things that people tend to collect over time. As he was walking past the side door of the shed, it opened and Frank Mabuza emerged from the building.

"Hey, Frank!" called Francis. "Good morning!"

Mabuza gave a start.

"Sorry! Didn't mean to startle you. Uncle Vernon tells us you lost the poachers' tracks."

"Ah, er, yes," said Mabuza. "They turned out to be very clever, very good at this sort of thing. They kept to stony ground and I think they also wiped their tracks behind them."

"They did? Funny, they didn't look to us like they knew much about the wilderness."

Francis was bemused. Mabuza looked strangely evasive, as if he didn't want to talk about the poachers at all. He kept glancing over his shoulder at the door of the shed.

"What are you hiding in there?"

"Oh, uh, nothing. Nothing to worry about." Mabuza flashed an insincere smile, and groped around behind him at the door, trying to close it while keeping his eye on Francis.

Francis was not fooled. He stood on tiptoe, trying to see past Mabuza into the shed. "Oh, come on Frank, you can tell me. I'll keep whatever secret it is."

For a brief moment, Mabuza was at a complete loss. A look of sheer panic crossed his face. Then he suddenly relaxed and smiled.

"Okay, I'll tell you, but please keep it quiet for the moment."

Francis nodded.

"When we returned from following the poachers, I found a little eagle owl chick. It seemed to have fallen from its nest, so I brought it along. It is in the shed."

"Oh, that's interesting. So why be so secretive about that?"

"No, it's not really a secret! But such wild birds are sensitive. They sometimes just keel over and die for no reason at all if too many people constantly hang around them. So I decided to just keep it quiet until it is a bit bigger. See?"

Once again Francis got the impression that there was something decidedly evasive about Mabuza's demeanour. He decided to let it go. After the previous day's adventures, he was for the moment tired of mysteries, and just wanted to go have a swim and relax for a while.

"Oh, I see. Well, okay then, I'll keep it to myself for the moment," he said.

"Thanks. You know what Alice is like when it comes to birds," said Mabuza. "I would have to station a regiment of special forces here to keep her out of the shed."

He turned around and locked the shed's door. Then he hurried away towards the house.

There is something mighty strange going on with Frank, thought Francis. But he did not want to think about it right now. He walked on towards the pool.

The two girls were lying beside it, sunbathing. Francis quietly stalked closer, then ran the last few steps and jumped high into the air. He crashed into the pool right next to the girls, sending a huge wave of water splashing over them.

"Oh, you'll pay for that!" Alice shouted him. Then she and Laura both jumped into the pool, playfully dunking him under.

For the moment, their troubles were forgotten.