The African Safari Discovery (2 page)

Chapter 3
Emergency!

“See that mountain over there?” Bisa’s father, Captain Tony, was yelling in order to make himself heard over the roar of the tiny airplane’s propellers. He gestured out the window. “That is mount Kilimanjaro, the tallest peak in Africa.”

Stanley and Arthur craned their necks. On the horizon was a majestic white-capped mountain—but instead of rising to a point, it was flat on top.

“It looks like a volcano!” said Arthur.

Captain Tony nodded from behind his sunglasses. “That is because it is one.” He laughed. “Do not worry. It has not erupted in thousands of years.”

Stanley reached over and shook his father, whose eyes had been squeezed tightly shut since the moment they’d left the ground.

“Dad, you have to see this!”

“No, thank you,” croaked Mr. Lambchop. Captain Tony turned the steering column, and the airplane banked hard to the left. Mr. Lambchop pulled his chin down to his chest and grimaced. He did not look well.

Stanley and Arthur grinned at each other.

“Now look over there,” said Captain Tony.

Stanley looked out the other window, and saw in the distance what appeared to be a giant mirror on the ground. It sparkled in the sun.

“That is lake Victoria, one of the largest lakes on Earth. It is as big as North Dakota.”

“Wow,” said Arthur.

The airplane made its way south. In the bright sun, Stanley could look out his window and see the airplane’s shadow following them on the ground below, bounding along like a graceful animal.

Stanley liked to travel. He thought of Mount Rushmore and of Calamity Jane, the adventurous cowgirl they had met there; and of Egypt and Amisi, the archaeologist’s daughter; and of Japan and Oda Nobu, the movie star; and of Carmen del Junco, the great matador of Mexico.

He never would have gone to any of those places or met any of those people if he hadn’t been flat.

Down below, a giraffe was now running alongside the airplane’s shadow. Even from this high up, it was an unusual-looking animal. It had such a very long neck and very thin legs. Stanley had once read that other animals liked to have a giraffe around, because its height allowed it to spot predators sooner. When a giraffe ran, all the animals ran. It was as if having a giraffe nearby helped everyone see farther.

As they crossed the border into Tanzania, the cockpit radio crackled to life. A voice spoke rapidly in Swahili. Captain Tony shouted something back.

“What is it?” asked Arthur.

“There is a brushfire in Nairobi National Park,” said Captain Tony. “This park is very close to our city. I must return at once.”

Mr. Lambchop opened his eyes. “You should land here and let us off,” he said bravely.

Captain Tony shook his head. “No time,” he said. “You will have to jump.”

Mr. Lambchop’s mouth fell open.

Captain Tony commanded Arthur to open a compartment on one side of the plane. Arthur reached inside and then held up a pack in each hand.

“Two parachutes!” he announced.

“That is what I was afraid of,” said Captain Tony.

“Are these are all there is?” said Mr. Lambchop.

Arthur said, “I think you mean ‘Are these all there
are
,’ Dad. Grammatically—”

“Quiet, Arthur!” said Mr. Lambchop.

Stanley swallowed. “You two use them,” he said. “I can jump without a parachute.”

“Stanley Lambchop, you will do no such thing,” said Mr. Lambchop. “You may be flat, but you are not a bird.”

“Dad, it’s the only way,” Stanley pleaded. “If I could ride the wind in Canada to the Northwest Territories, then I can be my own parachute.”

Mr. Lambchop looked hard at Stanley.

“Please hurry,” Captain Tony said.

Mr. Lambchop blinked. “Don’t tell your mother,” he said, grabbing a parachute from Arthur.

With Arthur and Mr. Lambchop suited up, they pulled open the cargo door.

Stanley’s father hugged him. “Fly safely, son.”

Arthur pulled a pair of goggles down over his eyes. He looked out the open door and grinned. “Now this is an adventure!”

And with that, Arthur Lambchop jumped out of the airplane.

“Arthur!” Mr. Lambchop was stunned. “Come back here!” He hurled himself out of the cargo door after his younger son.

Only Stanley remained.

“Follow the Sun until you come to a River,” said Captain Tony. “The place you are looking for is just a few hours downstream.”

“Thank you,” said Stanley. “Good luck with your fire.”

“And good luck with your skull,” replied Captain Tony with a salute.

Stanley stepped up to the opening. As he grabbed the handle beside the cargo door, the wind blew his feet out from beneath him. Arthur and his father looked like starfish falling through the air below.

Stanley took three deep breaths.

And then he let go.

Chapter 4
On Safari

Instead of falling, Stanley shot upward. He struggled to make his body like a skydiver’s, parallel to the earth. But when he did, the wind only lifted him higher, like a piece of paper in a breeze. He was too flat.

Stanley could see the bloomlike parachutes of Arthur and his father far below. I have to get closer, he thought. He pointed his arms downward, and his body followed.

Stanley’s feet flapped in the wind as he dived down. Within seconds, he had reached his father and brother, slowly descending in their parachutes. He waved at them excitedly.

Mr. Lambchop’s eyes widened. He shook his head frantically and pointed toward the ground.

Stanley looked down and saw the yellow land zooming up at him. He was way too low and falling fast. He had to slow down!

With all his might, Stanley bent over and grabbed his feet with his hands, to make his body into a parachute. But instead of catching the wind, he lost control. His body flipped this way and that, blown in wild spirals toward the ground.

Stanley couldn’t stop. He was going to crash!

The blades of tall grasses rushed up at him.

Stanley covered his head with his hands as he slammed to the earth.

• • •

Stanley coughed amid a cloud of dust and felt the ground with his hands. He couldn’t move his legs.

As the dust settled, he saw what had happened. He had crashed feet first into the soft earth, his legs plunging deep into the soil. He pushed the ground with his hands, and his lower body slid out like toothpicks stuck in a sandwich.

He bent his back, flexed his arms, and wriggled his toes. Everything seemed to be in working order. Stanley jumped to his feet. Boy, was he lucky! Being flat had saved his—

The grasses directly to Stanley’s right rustled. Then he heard a low growl, and a tuft of brown fur poked out from between them.

A lion was staring right at Stanley!

Stanley held his breath. In school, he had learned how animals protected themselves from predators by blending in with their surroundings.

Maybe if the lion sees only my side, Stanley thought, I’ll just look like another blade of grass.

The lion slowly circled in front of him. Stanley inched his narrow side around to face it.

The lion stared and stared. It stared some more.

It shook its head. Then it turned around and disappeared back into the bush.

Stanley allowed himself to breathe at last. It had worked! For the second time in as many minutes, being flat had saved his life!

“Stanley!” His father came plunging through the grass, with Arthur close behind. Mr. Lambchop lifted Stanley in the air and swung him around, Stanley’s legs flying.

“I told you he’d be all right.” Arthur grinned.

“My goodness!” Mr. Lambchop hugged Stanley tightly. “I was worried!”

“I’m okay,” said Stanley. “A lion almost ate me, but I tricked him.”

“What?!” said Arthur and Mr. Lambchop.

Stanley told them all about what had happened since he’d jumped out of the plane.

As Stanley finished his story, a herd of zebras appeared nearby, their heads visible above the grasses.

“Hey, Stanley,” Arthur said, raising an eyebrow. “Want to play camouflage some more? Because I have an idea.”

Arthur told Stanley and their father to collect the tallest blades of grass they could find. Then he attached them to his parachute and helped Stanley drape the whole thing over his shoulders.

When Stanley held out his arms like a bat, he looked just like a long stretch of grass. Arthur showed Mr. Lambchop where to make some holes with his pocketknife.

“We’re ready,” said Arthur, surveying their work. He and their father gathered behind Stanley and peeked out through the eyeholes. Together, they crept toward the zebras.

The animals’ black-and-white stripes blended into one another. Stanley almost couldn’t tell where one zebra ended and another began.

“Awesome,” whispered Arthur. A few of the zebras swung their heads in the direction of his voice. Their mouths munched grass intently.

Stanley had always wanted to go on a safari, and he couldn’t imagine one better than this. The sun was golden. They saw two leopards fighting. They spied a baboon eating insects. They stumbled upon a herd of wildebeests sunning themselves.

And then an elephant walked right in front of them!

“Stanley?” Arthur said in a soft voice.

“Yeah?” said Stanley out of the corner of his mouth. The elephant’s feet were the size of pizzas.

“Maybe while we’re here, I can get that elephant to flatten me, too.”

Stanley strained not to giggle.

“Well, if you boys are both going to be flat,” Mr. Lambchop whispered, putting his hand on Stanley’s shoulder, “then I suppose I’ll have to try it, too.”

As the elephant raised its trunk to let out a trumpetlike roar, Stanley could not have felt happier.