reached an overgrown hedge. Taking refuge, he looked back to the airship. It seemed to take them a long time to do anything. He checked his coat pockets. Good. He still had the picture of his parents, his compass and the other things Mr Doyle had given him. He donned the goggles and applied magnification.
The balloon was still deflating. People were evacuating the vessel to huddle about in groups. Two people were led from the ship wearing black hoods over their heads and with their hands tied.
Scarlet and Paul Harker!
Jackâs heart leapt into his throat. He would have to hide on the truck. But where?
Pocketing the goggles, he made his way along the untidy hedge. Reaching the rear of the vehicle, he kept close to the ground and peered under the truck. A big, self-contained wedge ran all the way under the vehicle.
He had never seen anything like it before, but that made no difference. There was no room to hide under it. He saw the feet of two men on the other side. The driver and a guard. A chimney poked into the air from the engine at the front. A two-man cabin sat behind it. The bed of the truck was a large empty box with a tarp at the back. It lay open and Jack glanced inside. Nowhere to hide in there, either.
There seemed to be only one place remaining.
On top of the truck , he thought. Or nowhere at all.
He climbed onto the truck as quietly as possible, reached up and gripped the top ledge. Taking a deep breath, he slid onto the roof. One sound and they would catch him. They might even shoot him.
He slithered along the roof, barely breathing. He heard the group from the airship heading in his direction. They were speaking that foreign lingo. What was it? German. A muffled cry came from the group, followed by the sound of a blow. Either Scarlet or Mr Harker must have protested and received a thump for it.
They drew closer and Jack felt the vehicle shift and shudder as people climbed in. The driver and his companion entered the front while others slid into the rear. There was more talking between those who were to be left behind. The steam engine chugged to life.
Jack wished he knew German. Then he would know what they were jabbering about.
The sun beat down on Jack as he gripped thin grooves in the metalwork running along the roof. The vehicle started moving, jolting along the uneven surface. The chimney was high enough so that most of the black smoke spewing from it shot straight into the air, but sometimes the breeze would send it barrelling into Jackâs face. He resisted the urge to cough.
The journey was much tougher than he had expected. He felt like an egg being tossed about in a saucepan of boiling water. His head kept on jolting against the hard metal. He wanted to let go and slide off the rear of the van. Anything would be better than this constant battering. Then he thought of Scarlet and Mr Harker. He was their only hope. Without him they might both die.
Occasionally he looked up. The vehicle stuck to country roads, avoiding towns. From the sunâs position in the sky, it appeared they were headed west.
As the afternoon wore on, the strain on his arms grew worse. He had barely recovered from his adventure on the balloon. Now the pain in his shoulders was growing more unbearable by the second.
The sun dropped further towards the horizon as Jack felt the exhaustion setting in. He had no idea where they were. His whole body ached, starting from his fingers and working all the way out to his shoulders and back.
He couldnât take it much longer.
Sweat dripped into his eyes as he remembered his father.
ââ¦must practise your movement again. There is no room for errorâ¦â
Jack hung on tighter.
ââ¦people in the crowd are paying for a spectacle⦠not for failureâ¦â
Tears trickled down Jackâs face as he struggled to hold on. He took long, ragged breaths. A cloud of smoke wafted up his nose and he fought off the urge to vomit. This was a
The balloon was still deflating. People were evacuating the vessel to huddle about in groups. Two people were led from the ship wearing black hoods over their heads and with their hands tied.
Scarlet and Paul Harker!
Jackâs heart leapt into his throat. He would have to hide on the truck. But where?
Pocketing the goggles, he made his way along the untidy hedge. Reaching the rear of the vehicle, he kept close to the ground and peered under the truck. A big, self-contained wedge ran all the way under the vehicle.
He had never seen anything like it before, but that made no difference. There was no room to hide under it. He saw the feet of two men on the other side. The driver and a guard. A chimney poked into the air from the engine at the front. A two-man cabin sat behind it. The bed of the truck was a large empty box with a tarp at the back. It lay open and Jack glanced inside. Nowhere to hide in there, either.
There seemed to be only one place remaining.
On top of the truck , he thought. Or nowhere at all.
He climbed onto the truck as quietly as possible, reached up and gripped the top ledge. Taking a deep breath, he slid onto the roof. One sound and they would catch him. They might even shoot him.
He slithered along the roof, barely breathing. He heard the group from the airship heading in his direction. They were speaking that foreign lingo. What was it? German. A muffled cry came from the group, followed by the sound of a blow. Either Scarlet or Mr Harker must have protested and received a thump for it.
They drew closer and Jack felt the vehicle shift and shudder as people climbed in. The driver and his companion entered the front while others slid into the rear. There was more talking between those who were to be left behind. The steam engine chugged to life.
Jack wished he knew German. Then he would know what they were jabbering about.
The sun beat down on Jack as he gripped thin grooves in the metalwork running along the roof. The vehicle started moving, jolting along the uneven surface. The chimney was high enough so that most of the black smoke spewing from it shot straight into the air, but sometimes the breeze would send it barrelling into Jackâs face. He resisted the urge to cough.
The journey was much tougher than he had expected. He felt like an egg being tossed about in a saucepan of boiling water. His head kept on jolting against the hard metal. He wanted to let go and slide off the rear of the van. Anything would be better than this constant battering. Then he thought of Scarlet and Mr Harker. He was their only hope. Without him they might both die.
Occasionally he looked up. The vehicle stuck to country roads, avoiding towns. From the sunâs position in the sky, it appeared they were headed west.
As the afternoon wore on, the strain on his arms grew worse. He had barely recovered from his adventure on the balloon. Now the pain in his shoulders was growing more unbearable by the second.
The sun dropped further towards the horizon as Jack felt the exhaustion setting in. He had no idea where they were. His whole body ached, starting from his fingers and working all the way out to his shoulders and back.
He couldnât take it much longer.
Sweat dripped into his eyes as he remembered his father.
ââ¦must practise your movement again. There is no room for errorâ¦â
Jack hung on tighter.
ââ¦people in the crowd are paying for a spectacle⦠not for failureâ¦â
Tears trickled down Jackâs face as he struggled to hold on. He took long, ragged breaths. A cloud of smoke wafted up his nose and he fought off the urge to vomit. This was a
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