be standing with Lewis and Dora drinking some orange juice and being almost normal—but it was true, he was gone. She could see the horses tied to their rail, she could see the slope beyond rising up to touch a pale blue sky, but Dora was right. There was no Bond.
"He might have gone off for a moment to... you know!" suggested Jake. Dora was horrified. Somehow she could never bring herself to believe that beautiful people might even actually need to go to the lavatory.
"Do you think so?" she asked Jake trustingly. She had come to realize that because someone looked like the Lone Ranger it didn't mean they couldn't think carefully.
"We'll wait a minute, just in case," advised Jake, "but I don't really think that's it. I think it might have something to do with the electric snakes."
"The mild lightning," Dora corrected her, not relishing the thought of electric snakes. "Suppose he has gone? What will we do?"
Jake did not answer at once. She did not know. She found herself thinking that Bond had become so strange and such a responsibility that there was a sort of temptation to let him simply vanish from their lives. But that was being cowardly again. She simply shrugged and said, "Perhaps Lewis has seen him."
Philippa sipped her hot tea and glanced over at the two girls. "They seem to be getting on just fine," she said. David nodded hopefully. As parents they were so involved with their own various family difficulties that they did not notice that Bond was missing.
Thirteen - Up the Creek
"He's gone," Jake said. "Bond's gone."
"Gone?" repeated Lewis looking very distressed. "Which way?"
"He said he was being followed," said Dora, "but there's no-one else around."
"At least he hasn't taken his horse," commented Jake. "Perhaps if he really wants to go, we should let. . ." She trailed off under Dora's reproachful stare.
Webster's Bush, lapping like the tide below them, had swallowed up Bond. He must have simply got off his horse and walked off without the slightest hesitation into the shadows. Now there was only the bush looking back at them, dense and silent, not giving away any secrets. The clearing spread out behind them to the lip of the valley of ruined trees and made way for the sky. On either side of them it fell away into Webster's Valley.
"He might be playing a joke," said Jake doubtfully, not believing it for a second. Bond didn't possess that sort of playfulness, and besides, he just didn't understand how impossible it was to walk away into thin air. Soon the time would come for them to ride on. There would be an empty horse and questions asked. There would be a search, confusion, and eventually tempers would be frayed. If he was still not found, perhaps a bigger search would be organized—helicopters, and policemen with dogs. There was no way that David and Philippa would just ride back home not bothering about where he had gone, leaving Bond forgotten and lost to the world.
"I think he's gone down to the creek," said Dora decisively. "In the bush the creek would act as a sort of road. He'd go down till he reached the creek and then walk along it."
Jake agreed that this was quite probable but just where had he gone into the bush? She looked from one side to the other, biting her thumbnail.
"We have to look for him," hissed Lewis. "We must find him." He sounded extremely upset, almost hysterical, as if he was the one who would be blamed and punished for Bond's disappearance.
Though he kept his voice low, his anxiety was felt by Philippa who looked over at them and called, "Is everything O.K., kids?"
"Yeah—we're just going to explore the bush for a little while," said Dora quickly.
"Don't go too far," said David, good-humouredly. "We'll have to move on shortly."
Jake turned to the other two. "Let's try here," muttered Jake. "If I was going into the bush, I'd go down here."
Following the sound of the creek they entered a strange, drifting, cobwebby world, but the cobwebs were actually lichen. The
"He might have gone off for a moment to... you know!" suggested Jake. Dora was horrified. Somehow she could never bring herself to believe that beautiful people might even actually need to go to the lavatory.
"Do you think so?" she asked Jake trustingly. She had come to realize that because someone looked like the Lone Ranger it didn't mean they couldn't think carefully.
"We'll wait a minute, just in case," advised Jake, "but I don't really think that's it. I think it might have something to do with the electric snakes."
"The mild lightning," Dora corrected her, not relishing the thought of electric snakes. "Suppose he has gone? What will we do?"
Jake did not answer at once. She did not know. She found herself thinking that Bond had become so strange and such a responsibility that there was a sort of temptation to let him simply vanish from their lives. But that was being cowardly again. She simply shrugged and said, "Perhaps Lewis has seen him."
Philippa sipped her hot tea and glanced over at the two girls. "They seem to be getting on just fine," she said. David nodded hopefully. As parents they were so involved with their own various family difficulties that they did not notice that Bond was missing.
Thirteen - Up the Creek
"He's gone," Jake said. "Bond's gone."
"Gone?" repeated Lewis looking very distressed. "Which way?"
"He said he was being followed," said Dora, "but there's no-one else around."
"At least he hasn't taken his horse," commented Jake. "Perhaps if he really wants to go, we should let. . ." She trailed off under Dora's reproachful stare.
Webster's Bush, lapping like the tide below them, had swallowed up Bond. He must have simply got off his horse and walked off without the slightest hesitation into the shadows. Now there was only the bush looking back at them, dense and silent, not giving away any secrets. The clearing spread out behind them to the lip of the valley of ruined trees and made way for the sky. On either side of them it fell away into Webster's Valley.
"He might be playing a joke," said Jake doubtfully, not believing it for a second. Bond didn't possess that sort of playfulness, and besides, he just didn't understand how impossible it was to walk away into thin air. Soon the time would come for them to ride on. There would be an empty horse and questions asked. There would be a search, confusion, and eventually tempers would be frayed. If he was still not found, perhaps a bigger search would be organized—helicopters, and policemen with dogs. There was no way that David and Philippa would just ride back home not bothering about where he had gone, leaving Bond forgotten and lost to the world.
"I think he's gone down to the creek," said Dora decisively. "In the bush the creek would act as a sort of road. He'd go down till he reached the creek and then walk along it."
Jake agreed that this was quite probable but just where had he gone into the bush? She looked from one side to the other, biting her thumbnail.
"We have to look for him," hissed Lewis. "We must find him." He sounded extremely upset, almost hysterical, as if he was the one who would be blamed and punished for Bond's disappearance.
Though he kept his voice low, his anxiety was felt by Philippa who looked over at them and called, "Is everything O.K., kids?"
"Yeah—we're just going to explore the bush for a little while," said Dora quickly.
"Don't go too far," said David, good-humouredly. "We'll have to move on shortly."
Jake turned to the other two. "Let's try here," muttered Jake. "If I was going into the bush, I'd go down here."
Following the sound of the creek they entered a strange, drifting, cobwebby world, but the cobwebs were actually lichen. The
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