"Elephant!" Laura stared at Francis in disbelief. "The wounded one we saw from the hill, I suppose."

"Yes," said Francis. "I suppose the poor thing won't last much longer. When I came back, it was still standing around at the bottom of the hill. I was actually rather scared of being attacked again. But it ignored me. Just stood there, swaying. I don't think it will last out the night."

"Well, perhaps at least Dad will get your message," said Alice, trying to sound optimistic but looking rather doubtful.

"I hope so," replied Francis. "But we cannot count on it. And even if it did reach his phone, you know how he is when he's attending conferences. He might only hear it long after we are back home."

"We have to do something," said Laura forcefully. "I'm not willing to accept that these people are just going to get away with it. And once the evidence is gone, who is going to believe us?"

"You look like you have something in mind."

"Well, yes Francis, as a matter of fact I do. It's not much, I'm afraid, and it might well be pointless. But I suggest we keep watch over that shed day and night from now on. I have a feeling they are going to come pick up the loot soon, and then at least we'll see who it is, we can write down the registration number of whatever vehicle they pick it up with, and so on. Find out what we can, in other words. Perhaps an opportunity will present itself for doing more than just sit around here and hoping your father got the message."

Francis grinned, flashing white teeth in a dirty, exhausted face. "Great minds think alike," he said. "I have been thinking about exactly the same thing. Alice, you with us?"

"Absolutely," his sister replied. "We have to do what we can. First, they almost killed us when we came upon their camp, and now, because they wounded that elephant, you almost got killed again. No, really, I'm getting more angry than scared now!"

"Well, that's settled then," said Francis. "I suggest we work in shifts at night. By day we can all hang around here, but we can't all stay awake night after night. So I suggest we each take part of the night to stay awake. Whoever is on duty when they arrive, will wake the others, and then we'll see what we see."

"I suggest you go sleep first this evening," said Alice. "After what happened to you out there today, I think you need it more urgently than us two. I'll stay up first, since I tend to stay up late anyway. Laura will come wake you tomorrow morning early some time, say around three o'clock or so."

"Well, then let us now relax for a while. Who knows when we'll get another chance," said Francis. "Let me just wash off the worst of the dust, so that I don't attract undue attention."

He dove into the swimming pool, swam a few lengths, and then lay down on a towel in the afternoon sun to dry. It was not long before he fell half asleep. The girls let him sleep a while, but eventually woke him for dinner.

Running away from enraged elephants tend to work up an appetite, and he ate heartily, but soon retired to his rondavel. The girls remained a while with Helga and their uncle, trying hard to keep up an appearance of normality. They hoped Uncle Vernon did not notice that they chatted mainly with his housekeeper.

* * *

Francis slowly emerged from deep sleep. He was dreaming that he was in a little boat on the sea, and a storm was brewing, shaking the boat, and shaking it, and a voice saying ...

"...Francis, wake up." Alice was gently but persistently shaking his shoulder. "They're here."

He awoke as if a bucket of cold water had been dumped over his head.

"Okay, go watch them," he whispered. "I'll be with you in a second."

Alice slipped out his door and disappeared into the darkness. Francis hastily dressed, then followed. The two girls were crouched down at the corner of the house, peering around it at the shed. He could hear voices speaking in low tones, and footsteps moving around.

"What's going on?" he asked, joining them.

"See for yourself," replied Alice, pointing.

The shed door was open, bright light pouring from it across the lawn, where a big truck was parked. It was an obsolete military model, with high wheels and a tarpaulin canopy. They could just make out a number of crates piled on the back. There was no-one in sight, but they could hear people talk in the shed. After a minute or two, some men began carrying out rhino horns, and putting them in the back of the truck.

"It's the poachers," whispered Laura. "I recognize them."

"What do we do now?" asked Alice. "They are going to load the truck, and then take off with the evidence. I wrote down the registration number, but I can bet you the plate is false."

Francis looked at the truck, thinking. Wild and reckless thoughts began to take shape in his mind. Everyone was in the shed. The truck stood all by itself on the lawn.

"Wait here a moment," he said. "Don't move, whatever happens."

Before anyone could say anything, he dashed across the lawn to the back of the truck. He clambered aboard, but soon appeared again, and ran back to the girls.

"All the stuff they piled on there is mostly at the back," he said. "Right behind the driving compartment, there's an open space. If we hide in it, we'll be out of sight. I can't tell you what to do girls, but I'm getting on that truck. I'm not letting those horns out of my sight if I can help it."

"You're crazy," whispered Alice. "Those poachers are probably going to get on the back!"

"Perhaps, but hopefully they'll stay away from my hiding place. Besides, there's a car parked out beside the shed as well, and I suspect most of these creeps are going to ride in it. Why sit in wind and weather on the back of an old truck when you can sit comfortably in a car? Either way, if I'm going to do it, I'm going to have to do it right now." He grinned at them. "There's enough room for three people back there, by the way. But I won't blame you if you don't want to come along."

"Oh for heaven's sake," Laura growled at him. "Let's get on with it then." She didn't wait for any further discussion, but ran across the lawn towards the truck.

"You do know, don't you," said Alice, "that if the poachers don't kill us, Dad most certainly will?" Then she ran after her cousin, with Francis right behind her.

They clambered onto the back of the truck, and not a moment too soon. They could hear voices as the men emerged from the shed.

"Well gentlemen," said Uncle Vernon. "It has been a pleasure doing business with you. I trust you can find your way to the gate?"

"And just leave you here?" Chang's voice was aggressive, mistrustful. "No. You're coming with. I frankly don't trust you where I cannot see you."

"Come with? Are you crazy? What will that look like? The children are here. What are they supposed to think if I suddenly disappear?"

"Your housekeeper can look after them. It's simple. You come with, and we conclude the deal when we reach the ship. Or there is no deal."

"You are not really a very trustful person are you?" said Uncle Vernon, laughing a little. "Very well, if it makes you happy, I'll come along. No need to make room for me, I'll use my own car."

Someone climbed up on the back of the truck, and Francis and the two girls sank a little lower into their hiding space behind the crates. It was one of the poachers whom they had surprised in the camp. Fortunately, he stayed at the back of the truck.

Then the truck's engine started. It slowly reversed across the lawn, and then turned onto the winding lane towards the gate. Behind them, they could see the headlights of two cars following them: the one belonging to the poachers, and the other to Uncle Vernon.

Soon they were on the main road, speeding towards some unknown destination. There was nothing to do but to wait and see what happened. It was uncomfortable in the small space, and with the poacher in the back with them, they couldn't really have much conversation either. Each was left with his or her thoughts.

Despite the discomfort and uncertainty, Francis found himself dozing off again. He had not quite caught up on all his lost sleep of the previous night, and he was still exhausted after his long and eventful trip to the hill. After some time, first Alice and then Laura also become drowsy from the even humming of the truck as it sped along. All three sank into fitful, restless sleep.

They were awoken when the truck suddenly jerked to a halt. The cab doors opened and slammed shut. Alongside the truck, the two cars came to a halt, wheels crunching on gravel.

Chang's voice called out. "Right, put the stuff into that carriage with the open doors. And hurry, the train will be leaving in ten minutes!" In a softer voice he added: "I had to pull a few strings to arrange for this train to stop here. But it is safer this way; it goes directly to the dock, and it won't be stopping again. The train will be there before sunrise."

Several men clambered onto the back of the truck and started rummaging around. They unloaded the rhino horns and hides, and disappeared with it somewhere into the dark where the three young people hiding behind the crates couldn't see them.

"What if they unload these crates as well? We'll be caught!" whispered Alice urgently.

"I'm sure they will," said Francis. "There's probably more illegal stuff in them. Either way, we can't just sit here and hope for the best. We have to get off."

"But how?" asked Laura. "If we get off the back, we'll be seen."

"Just hang on a moment," whispered Francis.

He took out a sharp pocket knife and cut a slit in the tarpaulin canopy next to him. Putting his eye to the opening, he peered out.

"All clear on this side. I'm going to enlarge this hole a bit, then we can slip out. For heaven's sake, be quick and quiet."

He put the knife back into the opening, and then carefully slid it upward, creating a large hole. "This tarpaulin is pretty battered and torn anyway. I don't think they'll notice."

When the hole was large enough, he pocketed his knife, and then put his head through it, looking around one last time, before crawling through and dropping to the ground. He grimaced as his feet, asleep from the long sit in the back of the truck, painfully hit the concrete surface. On the other side of the truck, he could hear a commotion as the men worked.

"Yes," said Chang. "The crates as well. What did you think I brought them along for?"

"Quick, there is not a moment to lose," he whispered.

First Alice, and then Laura, crept through the small slit in the tarpaulin, and he helped them to the ground. They were barely in time. The men were already on the truck, dragging the heavy creates to the back and struggling to get them down.

Francis sneaked to the front of the truck, with Alice and Laura behind him. Then he dropped to his knees and looked around the front wheel.

"We're on some railway sideline. I don't think it is used often," he whispered. "If we are going to stay with the loot, we are going to have to get into that carriage unseen. And we have to stay with it, because there is now no point giving anyone the registration numbers of this truck and Chang's car. There won't be any evidence left."

He inched to the front of the truck. The last crates and horns were being loaded onto the railway carriage, and the men were all returning to the truck, at the back of which stood Chang and Lao.

"Right, that's it," he said. "We'll be driving. Come along to the car, so I can give you all a map. I can't have anyone getting lost this evening."

Francis jumped. Chang's car was parked on the side of the truck where they were hiding. He motioned to the girls, but they had also heard what Chang had said. They all quickly moved around the truck.

They could hear the men talk, huddled around Chang's car. In front of them was the railway carriage, still open. For a moment, there was no-one on this side of the truck, and the carriage would be invisible from Chang's car.

"Now is our only chance," whispered Francis. He didn't wait to see what the girls would do, but ran as quickly and quietly as he could and jumped into the carriage. Alice and Laura followed right behind him. They slunk into a dark corner, where a heap of hides was stacked on the floor.

They could hear shoes crunch on gravel as someone approached the carriage. Hastily, they drew some hides over them and stayed still. A beam of light shone into the carriage as someone swept a powerful torch over the inside of the carriage. Then Chang's voice called out: "All right, everything is here. You can close the doors."

They heard the doors of the carriage slide on their runners, and then close with a metallic clang. For better or for worse, they were locked in.

"Let's be on our way, gentlemen. I want to be there before the train," said Chang from somewhere outside. Then they heard cars doors open and close, the vehicles start and pull away. Moments later, the carriage jerked as the train began to move, rumbling over its tracks in the dark.

Francis threw back the dusty hide under which he had been crouching and sneezed. "Well, at least we don't have company this time."

"That's nice, but now we are locked in," said Laura. "When they open the carriage and start unloading, they are going to see us for sure. What are we going to do?"

"Let's have a look around. Perhaps there is some other way to get out. Pity we don't have a flash light with us." Francis started to systematically look through the carriage. But there was no other way out except the big sliding door through which they had entered, and that was now firmly shut and locked from the outside.

"We're stuck," he sighed.

"Not necessarily," said Laura. "You forgot to look up."

She pointed. In the roof of the carriage, they could make out several trapdoors.

"See? This is a livestock carriage. Those doors up there can open for ventilation. We just need to open one, and when the train stops, we can perhaps slip out there unseen. Chang said it wouldn't stop before it gets there, remember? So wherever it stops, that is where these horns are going."

"You're brilliant, cousin!" Francis laughed with relief. "Well, let's see if we can open a door. We have a few hours; that Chang character said the train would be there before sunrise. According to my watch, that would be a few hours from now. And then, if you don't mind, I'm going to try to get some rest. I have a feeling things are going to develop rather fast once we get to wherever this train is going."