Explosive Adventures (9 page)

Billy nodded. He had always been good at keeping secrets, even those that were really very difficult to keep.

“In that case,” said Mr Gopal, “I shall tell you what was in that book.

“My father told me that right back in the days when he started his factory, one of the men who worked there came to his office. This man, who came from a remote part of India – a place where there are still great jungles and empty hills – told my father that he had something which would make his bubblegum even better. So my father asked him to show it to him.

“The man took a square of a rubbery pink substance out of his pocket. He handed it to my father and said, ‘This is from the bubblegum tree which grows in our jungle at home. If you add it to your bubblegum, it will make it the finest in the world.’

“Of course, my father did not believe him at first, but when he examined the curious, rubbery square, it smelled so good that he decided to try it. And it worked, just as the man said it would. It made the bubblegum wonderfully soft and chewy. So there must be a bubblegum tree after all!

“Well, my father was thrilled. And he was even more thrilled when the man told him that the people he knew up in the jungle would send a regular supply of this new raw gum, which they did. And in return, every month, my father sent money to repay them for their trouble. These people, he said, were called the
Bubblegummies, and they seemed very friendly and gentle people indeed.

“My father wrote in his book exactly how to get in touch with the Bubblegummies – he even drew a map – and he also explained just how much gum should go into the mixture. And so, when I opened my own bubblegum factory, I wrote to these people, and received a very friendly letter back from them.

“They said that they were very sorry to hear about my father’s fire, and that they would be quite happy to send me squares of raw gum whenever I needed them.

“And that’s why my bubblegum has always been so chewy – and tasted so
good as well. Every month without fail, a parcel has arrived from India with supplies of the gum. Then, two months ago, the parcel failed to turn up, and since then I have heard nothing from the Bubblegummies – nothing at all. I wrote to them, of course, but the post office
from which they used to collect their mail sent my letter back to me. Nobody had collected it, they said.

“And that, Billy, is why you see me looking so sad. I am very worried that something has happened to the Bubblegummies.”

After Mr Gopal had told this story, they both sat silently for a little while. Then at last Billy spoke.

“Why don’t you go and find out what’s happened?” he asked. “Maybe there’s a very simple explanation.”

Mr Gopal looked at him in astonishment. “Do you mean – go to the jungle?”

Billy nodded. “Yes,” he said. “Surely somebody would be able to take you there.”

Mr Gopal stared at Billy. “But I couldn’t possibly do that,” he protested. “Oh no. I couldn’t possibly go off to the jungle all by myself. There are … well, there are tigers and things like that out there.” As he spoke, he gave a slight shudder.

Billy thought for a moment. “You could go with somebody,” he said. “You needn’t go alone.”

“But I don’t know anybody who would want to go to the jungle,” wailed Mr Gopal. Then he paused, looking hard at Billy. “You wouldn’t help me, would
you, Billy? You wouldn’t come to the jungle with me?”

Billy gave his answer immediately. “Of course I’d come. And my sister Nicola would come too. We’d both come with you.”

Mr Gopal heaved a sigh of relief. “Well, in that case, I shall be happy to go. We should make plans immediately.”

“There’s one problem,” said Billy. “India’s a very long way away. How shall we get there?”

Mr Gopal only had to think for a moment. “That will be quite simple,” he said. “I have an aunt who has a flying boat.”

“A flying boat?” asked Billy.

“Yes,” said Mr Gopal. “It’s a very old aeroplane that used to fly all the way out to India, landing on lakes and the sea on the way. It’s a funny old plane, but I’m sure that Aunty would be quite delighted to have an excuse to get it going again.”

Then Mr Gopal stopped, as if he had suddenly found a flaw in their plan.

“Will your parents let you go?” he asked doubtfully. “Some parents would get very worried about their children going off to India in flying boats. You know how parents are. Do you think yours are like that?”

“Not at all,” said Billy. “I’m sure that they’ll say yes – if you agree to bring us back safely.”

Mr Gopal nodded. “It will be a great adventure,” he said. “But I’m sure that it’s the sort of adventure that one comes back from safe and sound. So why not go and ask them right now? Then we can get everything ready.”

Billy was right about his parents.

“Off to India?” said his father, when he told him of Mr Gopal’s invitation. “In a flying boat? Sounds like a splendid idea to me! I wish I could come too, but I’m just too busy at the moment.”

And the children’s mother said much the same thing.

“The jungle!” she exclaimed. “What a wonderful adventure! Of course you can
go. But promise me you’ll be extremely careful of snakes and tigers and things like that.”

4

Off to India!

It was a wonderful trip. With Mr Gopal reading the maps, and his aunt at the controls, the faithful old plane droned its way across mountains, plains, and long stretches of sea. Nicola and Billy passed sandwiches around and poured tea for
everybody from large flasks which they had brought with them. And from time to time they slept, although it was generally far too exciting to do much of that.

They had to stop every now and then, to fill the tanks of the plane and to allow Mr Gopal’s aunt to have a rest. They landed in Egypt, on the river Nile, and watched the white-sailed boats drift by. Then they landed on the sea beside a desert, and watched the camels plod their way over the sand dunes at the water’s edge. And finally, after several days of travel, Mr Gopal looked up from his map and announced that unless he was mistaken – which of
course he wasn’t – the smudge of land down below them was the coast of India.

They still had some way to go, as the jungle they were looking for was quite a distance from the coast. But Mr Gopal’s map was very accurate, and he guided his aunt right to the very river where they could land the flying boat. She landed the plane perfectly, hardly making a ripple on the water, and there they were, on the river at the edge of the jungle.

The engines of the plane stopped and the propellers came to a halt. It was terribly quiet now, after the roar of the engines had died away, and the jungle seemed very thick.

“Are you sure we’re in the right place?” asked Billy. “It all seems very deserted to me.”

“One hundred per cent sure,” said Mr Gopal. “Or almost …”

They stared out of the window of the plane. The edge of the river was lined with great trees, which seemed to get even taller further away. It looked as if it would be very difficult to go anywhere in jungle as thick as that. But then Mr Gopal gave a cry.

“There it is!” he said. “Over there. A clearing – in just the place the map said it would be!”

They tied the plane to a tree at the water’s edge. Then carefully looking
where they were putting their feet, they stepped out of the plane and into the grassy clearing.

“I think we should sit down and have a cup of tea,” said Mr Gopal’s aunt, producing a flask. “It’s been a very long flight.”

The children were keen to start exploring, but they knew that there would be plenty of time for that. So they all sat down and sipped at their tea while they looked at the jungle around them. From close up, it seemed even thicker than it had looked from the window of the plane, and they wondered how they could possibly find anybody in all that greenery.

Suddenly Billy reached out and tapped Nicola on the arm. “Don’t stare too hard,” he whispered, “but I’m quite sure that that bush over there moved!”

Nicola followed his gaze to a large bush at the edge of the clearing. “You must be imagining things,” she whispered back. “It’s just a bush.”

And at that moment, the bush moved again. It did not move far, but it moved, and both children gave a start.

“Mr Gopal,” whispered Billy. “There’s a moving bush –”

He did not have time to finish. The bush now dashed across the clearing, making for the far side.

“Mr Gopal!” shouted Billy. “Look at that bush!”

As he called out, Billy leapt up and stuck out his leg, right in the way of the moving bush. There was a grunt, followed by a muffled cry, and over went the bush in a shower of leaves. Then, from the middle of the fallen bush, there emerged a rather tall man.

He looked at Billy. “You really should be more careful,” he said. “I could have taken a painful fall.”

“I’m sorry,” said Billy. “I thought you were just a bush. I didn’t know …”

The man turned away, looking rather annoyed, and spoke to Mr Gopal.

“And who may you be?” he asked directly.

“I am Walter Alliwallah Pravindar Gopal,” said Mr Gopal.

The man seemed very surprised. “Oh!” he exclaimed. “Do you mean you are
the
Walter Alliwallah Pravindar Gopal?”

“I believe so,” said Mr Gopal.

The man broke into a smile. “In that case, I needn’t even have bothered to spy on you at all! So you are Walter Alliwallah Pravindar Gopal! Well, well, well!”

“Are you one of the Bubblegummies?” asked Mr Gopal.

The man nodded enthusiastically and began to shake hands with everybody.

“I am Mr Bhalla,” he said. “And you are all very welcome. I’m sorry that I seemed so suspicious to begin with. Please, come with me. I can’t say we were expecting you, but everybody will be very pleased that you have arrived.”

They followed the man along a path through the jungle. Billy had never been in a jungle before, and found it very strange and delicious to be walking through the green light that filtered down from above. He noticed the trailing vines, and the orchids, and the broad-leaved
ferns. He noticed the butterflies – bigger than any he had ever seen before – and the twisted roots of the great trees. It was an intriguing, wonderful place.

“Almost there,” called out Mr Bhalla after a while. “Just a little way to go.”