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shop.”
    â€œA beauty shop!” Sarah laughed. “You won’t find one of
those
anywhere on Nuworld.” Then she turned her head to one side. “Did you hear something, Abbey?”
    Abbey was combing her hair, which was long and lustrous and gleaming in the sun. “No, I didn’t hear anything. What’d it sound like?”
    â€œI don’t know,” Sarah said uncertainly. “Oh, I guess it was nothing.” She continued brushing her own hair.
    The girls had just finished their hairdos when a sudden snorting made them both whirl around.
    Abbey let out a small cry.
“Sarah!”
    â€œRun, Abbey!”
    The two girls began running wildly. Sarah cast one look over her shoulder at the huge bull elephant that had appeared from over a ridge and was charging after them. “He’s going to catch us!” she cried. She started screaming. “Josh!
Josh!”
    The girls flew alongside the creek, but the elephant, its white tusks curving wickedly and looking as sharp as needles, was gaining on them.
    When they came in sight of the boys, Sarah shrieked, “Run, Josh! All of you, run!”
    Josh had been bathing his feet in the stream. When he saw the girls and an enormous elephant thundering behind them, he yelled, “Cross the creek! That’ll slow him down.”
    Sarah grabbed Abbey’s arm, and the girls splashed across the stream, where they jumped behind an out-cropping of rock.
    The boys took what cover they could behind trees. On the way, Josh grabbed the white shirt that he had washed and hung out to dry. He waved it furiously, hollering at the elephant.
    The beast slowed. The shirt took his attention from the girls, and he stopped uncertainly—confused, evidently, by the waving shirt and the shouting.
    Seeing this, Josh said, “Everybody—yell as loud as you can.”
    Instantly every one of the Sleepers began shouting. The other boys pulled off their shirts and waved them from behind the trees.
    The elephant swung his head from one side to the other. His ears stood out like huge black flags, and his little reddish eyes stared wildly around.
    â€œNow everybody get quiet,” Josh commanded, “and stop waving those shirts.”
    Immediately there was silence.
    The elephant trumpeted but did not seem to know what to do.
    Josh stood stock-still, waiting for the elephant to charge. He did not move a muscle, and all the time he was saying, “Goél, help us!”
    As if in response to this, the elephant turned, still trumpeting, and retreated.
    Nobody stirred until he was out of sight, and then Josh said, “Quick, get your stuff, and let’s get out of here!”
    Sarah and Abbey splashed back from their hiding place, both of them pale. They grabbed their knapsacks, and the boys threw their gear together. Then everybody sprinted across the stream, looking over their shoulders, but the elephant did not reappear.
    â€œThat was a close one,” Dave said. He was a little pale too, as were all of them. Glancing at Josh, he said, “That was smart, Josh. I wouldn’t have thought of that.”
    â€œJosh always thinks fast,” Sarah said. She moved closer and held Josh’s arm for a moment. “You see,” she whispered, when no one could hear, “I told you that you were a natural leader.”
    â€œWell, I hope we don’t meet any more elephants. That’s all we need—to get stomped flat by one of those things!”
    The Sleepers journeyed hard for the next three days. The rising plain gave way to low-lying foothills, and the vegetation became more luxuriant. On the fourth day they came to jungle.
    Trees towered high over their heads—so high that they cut off the sun at times, and the lack of sunlight had killed off all the vegetation far below. That made walking easier, but after a time this gave way to smaller trees, and the undergrowth became thicker.
    Reb eyed the dense growth ahead.