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moving!' Cornelius turned to shout at Max's swaying backside. 'Do you think you could put a bit more effort into it?' he pleaded.
     
'Hmmph! You should have thought about that before we set off. A little breakfast would have helped me focus.'
     
'There wasn't time to eat! Now, I would suggest that you hurry.'
     
'Give me one good reason why I should.'
     
'I'll give you two. There are a couple of panthers following the caravan. Judging by the size of them, I'd say that they could drag you down and polish you off before you even knew what was happening.'
     
'If this is another of your tricks . . .' began Max. 'I just want to say—' But he was cut short by a low, rumbling growl issuing from the undergrowth. He swallowed noisily. 'Yes, well, perhaps it wouldn't harm to stretch my legs a bit—'
     
Immediately he broke into a trot and the caravan bounced forward on its heavy wheels. Sebastian slapped the reins against the buffalope's haunches and Max put his head down and picked up the pace, moving rapidly into a canter, and then a full gallop. It wasn't a great idea on this rough dirt track. The caravan bucked and shuddered across the uneven ground and Sebastian and Cornelius had to hang on for dear life. But at last they were covering the ground at a good speed.
     
'How much further before we're out of these ruddy woods?' shouted Max.
     
'Your guess is as good as mine,' Sebastian yelled back.
     
The caravan thundered down an incline and then hit a level stretch. Sebastian told himself that they should be all right, just so long as the ancient caravan didn't shake itself to pieces. He glanced at Cornelius, but the little warrior was peering back down the trail, and the expression on his face suggested that he didn't much like what he saw there.
     

C HAPTER 6

     

THE CHASE
'They're still following!' yelled Cornelius.
     
Sebastian risked taking his eyes off the track and ducked his head round the side of the caravan to look behind. As he watched, one of the big cats leaped down out of a tree. It didn't hesitate but came loping after the caravan in a fluid, seemingly effortless motion, its long tail stretched out behind it, its massive paws eerily silent on the forest floor.
     
'It's gaining on us!' shouted Sebastian.
     
'I noticed.' Cornelius gripped the side of his seat and swung himself out to take aim, one-handed, with the miniature crossbow; but the caravan was shuddering and bouncing so much, it was impossible to get in a decent shot. Moreover, the cat seemed to realize what was happening, because it immediately swung to Sebastian's side of the wagon, shielding itself from Cornelius's view.
     
'Drat the thing!' Cornelius abandoned that idea and started to clamber up onto the roof.
     
'What are you doing?' yelled Sebastian. A low-hanging bush swept at him and he was obliged to duck beneath it. It glanced off the back of Cornelius's helmet, almost knocking him from his perch. He shrugged his shoulders and continued to pull himself up.
     
'I'm trying to . . . get a better view,' he gasped. He was just easing one knee up onto the flat roof when a front wheel thudded into a pothole and the caravan bucked wildly. Cornelius lost his grip and started to slide. Sebastian reached out and grabbed his friend's sword belt just as he was about to fall. He hung in mid-air for a moment, his little legs kicking, but he refused to let go of the crossbow. After a few moments he managed to pull himself, one-handed, back onto the seat.
     
'You all right?' asked Sebastian.
     
'I'm fine but—'
     
They heard a crash from the back of the caravan as something thudded heavily into the jumble of equipment. Sebastian and Cornelius exchanged horrified looks, realizing what must have happened. The panther had somehow managed to scramble up the steps at the back and get in through the open window. It was in there now, crashing around the crowded interior.
     
'Right,' said Cornelius. 'I'll settle this.' He started to pull back the