Toad Heaven - Morris Gleitzman [8]
“Thanks,” said Limpy dully.
“But you can't argue with a couple of million extra food portions,” continued Goliath, running his tongue over Charm's back and scooping up a mouthful of flying insects.
“And you have to admit,” said Charm, “he is pretty nice.”
Limpy sighed miserably as he watched Charm and Goliath hop away and join the other cane toads hurrying after Malcolm.
“Just stay off the highway,” Limpy called after them.
Charm and Goliath were already so far ahead he wasn't sure if they could hear him.
He shouted it again, but this time he knew they couldn't because his voice was drowned out by the roar of a motor.
A motor nearby.
Much closer than the highway.
Limpy spun round.
A big dark familiar shape with lights on the front crashed out of a clump of bushes, heading straight for him.
Limpy's guts turned to jelly.
The four-wheel drive was back.
Limpy did a frantic backward somersault into a tangle of creepers and wriggled down as far as he could into the dark boggy undergrowth.
The four-wheel drive roared closer.
Go back, begged Limpy. Go back to your natural habitat.
The four-wheel drive stopped.
Trembling, Limpy peered out of his hiding place.
The four-wheel drive was standing only about six wombat-lengths away, growling hungrily, its brake lights red and angry, its exhaust a ghostly vapor in the moonlight.
A jolt of terror stabbed through Limpy as a light snapped on at the front of the vehicle, even brighter than the headlights. It was a spotlight on the roof. Limpy saw a human arm reach out of the driver's window and swivel the spotlight slowly from side to side.
A big white circle of light slid across the under-growth.
Startled centipedes and snails froze, little mouths hanging open.
Don't worry, thought Limpy grimly. He's not after you.
Limpy knew what this human was after. This was a human who was prepared to drive his vehicle off the highway and get it all muddy just so he could kill more cane toads.
Limpy shivered.
The spotlight was moving slowly across the area between where he was hidden and the swamp in the distance. So far it hadn't lit up any cane toads, but Limpy knew that Charm and Goliath were out there somewhere. And Mum and Dad. And all the rellies.
If they stayed there, trembling in the undergrowth like him, the spotlight would seek them out sooner or later, and then those big fat tires would hunt them down.
I've got to do something, thought Limpy desperately.
The cool mud against his cheek helped him think clearly, and suddenly he had an idea.
He dragged himself out of the undergrowth, hurried round to the front of the vehicle, and hopped into the dazzle from the spotlight.
“Hey!” he yelled. “Over here!”
Limpy knew the human couldn't understand what he was saying, so he jumped up and down and waved.
The four-wheel drive jolted into gear and started moving toward him.
Limpy turned and hopped toward the swamp.
“Stay hidden!” he yelled to the others. “I'm going to lure him into the deep part of the swamp. Even a four-wheel drive can't go far when it's up to its axles in swampweed and eel slime.”
Limpy could hear the engine roar getting louder and feel the lights on his back getting hotter, and he knew the human was gaining on him.
He hopped faster.
Then the one thing he hoped wouldn't happen happened.
His crook leg gave way. Suddenly he wasn't hopping in a straight line anymore. He was curving round toward the residential end of the swamp. Desperately he tried to straighten up, but it was no good. If he didn't stop, he'd be leading a four-wheel drive through Mum's living room. All their homes would be crushed. So would any rellies hiding under the beds.
Numb with exhaustion and disappointment, Limpy threw himself onto the ground and waited for the human to drive over him.
But even as the huge thumping tires got closer, Limpy saw a flash of angry red warts out of the corner of his eye and heard a familiar voice yelling.
“Over here, you mongrel!”
Goliath.
“Come on!” roared Goliath, dancing around