Borribles Go For Broke, The (29 page)
Read Borribles Go For Broke, The Online
Authors: Michael de Larrabeiti
‘Neasden!’ shouted Torreycanyon. ‘Strike a light, that’s right over the other side of London.’
‘I know where it is,’ said Sydney, ‘I live there. Besides I haven’t asked you to help, have I?’
Ben called down from the top of the cart, ‘Hey you lot, if you’ve stopped arguing, we’re off.’
Knocker waved a hand. ‘We’ve finished and we’re going as well. Goodbye you two, and don’t get caught.’
Ben hooted with laughter. ‘You’re the ones as better watch out,’ he cried. ‘They can’t clip my ears any more, only yours. Keep yer eyes skinned for Sussworth, and take good care of Sam, he’s a good ’un.’
Knocker looked at Chalotte and smiled. ‘Don’t worry, Ben,’ he said, ‘we’ll watch out for him.’
Then Knibbs spoke to Donner and Blitzen; the great horses leant into the traces, their hooves struck white scars on the black tarmac and the cart moved up the street to begin its deliveries, leaving the Borribles standing on the pavement with Sam.
‘Come on,’ said Bingo. ‘We have to find somewhere to hide this horse before a Woollie spots us.’
‘There used to be an old factory behind the scrapyard,’ said Knocker. ‘We could get him in there, yards of space there is.’
‘But there’s a better place up by the market,’ objected Bingo. ‘It’d be easier for stealing carrots and stuff.’
‘It don’t matter where we go,’ said Stonks, ‘as long as we go. I didn’t rescue you lot just to get caught by the Woollies again.’
‘That’s right,’ said Napoleon. ‘And think what will happen if we try to take a horse to Neasden in broad daylight. It’s mad. I thought we were going in for the quiet life now, no more high adventure.’
‘You can’t desert Sam,’ protested Twilight. ‘He saved your lives on the Great Rumble Hunt; you owe him. He’s a kind of horse-Borrible, and Borribles stick together, that’s what we said.’
‘A horse-Borrible,’ sneered Napoleon. ‘Well, I knew Pakis were barmy but—’
‘Don’t you Paki me,’ retorted Twilight. ‘I’m a Bangladeshi; and at least I’m brown, not green like a Wendle.’
And so they crossed the High Street in an untidy group and went towards the derelict factory, quarrelling on the way about which was the best building for hiding horses, and how impossible it was to smuggle a horse the length and breadth of London, especially in the teeth of Sussworth and the SBG, not to mention all the other dangers too, like Borrible-snatchers and undiscovered tribes of Rumbles who might be lurking in unexplored parks.
Sydney refused to budge from the pavement. She put her arms round Sam’s neck and tears ran down her cheeks. ‘I’m not scared,’ she said to Chalotte who had stayed by her side. ‘I’ll take him all the bloody way on my own, you see if I don’t.’
Chalotte laughed, really laughed. ‘You mustn’t be daft,’ she said. ‘You know what they’re like, that’s just the talk talking.’
‘But listen to them—arguing, shouting—they can’t agree about anything.’
‘But the Borrible who doesn’t quarrel is no Borrible,’ said Chalotte. ‘Look, I wasn’t keen on going to look for Sam in the beginning, was I? But now we’ve got him, well, that’s different. Like Twilight said, he’s one of us, so we’ll just have to do something about him, won’t we? It’s a rule.’ She grinned and nudged Sydney with her elbow. ‘Besides, there’s no rush, mate; it’s a long way to Neasden, a very long way.’ And without another word she took Sam’s halter from her friend’s hand and led the horse across the road, following the others.
THE BORRIBLE TRILOGY by Michael de Larrabeiti
Available now
Book 1:
The Borribles
The Borribles
Book 2:
The Borribles Go For Broke
The Borribles Go For Broke
Coming Soon from Tor Teen
Book 3:
The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis
The Borribles: Across the Dark Metropolis
This is a work of fiction. All the characters and events portrayed in this book are either products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
THE BORRIBLES GO FOR BROKE
Copyright © 1981 by Michael de Larrabeiti
All rights reserved, including the right to reproduce this book, or portions thereof, in any form.
A Tor Book
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Published by Tom Doherty Associates, LLC
175 Fifth Avenue
New York, NY 10010
Tor
®
is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
®
is a registered trademark of Tom Doherty Associates, LLC.
eISBN 9781466821019
First eBook Edition : April 2012
EAN 978-0-765-35006-0
First Tor Teen Edition: November 2005
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