5 Don’t Move!

5 DON'T MOVE! Speedy stayed far ahead of Jack and Annie. He dashed into the thicket. "Speedy! Where are you?" Annie called. The bush baby croaked from inside the bushes. "Come out from there!" said Annie. She tried pushing through the closely packed shrubs. "Oww! Oww!" Annie cried, jumping back. She rubbed her arms. "That really hurt!" "No wonder!" said Jack. "Look!" Jutting out between the feathery leaves of the bushes were dagger-like thorns. Each spike was three or four inches long. "Yikes," said Annie. "We can't go in there," said Jack. "We'll get stabbed to death." "But what about Speedy?" said Annie. "I don't know," said Jack. "Maybe he'll—" "Shh! Listen," said Annie.

Jack held his breath. Loud snuffling and snorting noises came from the thornbushes. "That doesn't sound like Speedy," Annie said. Jack shook his head. "It's not Speedy," he said. "So what is it?" whispered Annie. The snuffling and snorting grew louder. Annie carefully tried to pull back a thorny branch. Jack grabbed her arm. "Don't," he whispered. "Something's hiding in there. Something way bigger than a bush baby." "Like what?" whispered Annie. "I don't know," whispered Jack. "Just back up. Slowly. One step at a time." "But Speedy—" started Annie. "Now!" Jack whispered. The two of them carefully stepped back. A growling sound came from the bushes. Jack's heart pounded as he looked around. They could run down the dirt road—or across the grassy plain. But a hungry animal could chase them and catch them. His eyes rested on a tree near the bushes. Beneath the leafy top were bare branches.

"Let's climb that tree," he said. "We can wait there till the Safari Ride comes back." "What about Speedy?" said Annie. "We'll figure that out once we're safe," said Jack. The bushes started to shake. Jack heard twigs and branches snap. "Go! Now!" said Jack. Jack and Annie dashed to the tree. "Hurry!" Jack said. Annie grabbed a limb and pulled herself up. Jack followed, lifting himself onto a branch near her. As he tried to climb higher, his hand was stuck by thorns. "Ouch!" he cried. "Are you okay?" Annie said. "Watch out! There are thorns here, too! They're near the top," Jack said. Jack and Annie settled on bare branches just below the crown of the tree. "Look!" said Annie. A huge head emerged from the thicket. The head had upright ears and a long horn growing from its snout. "Oh, man," Jack whispered. "A rhino!" said Annie.

The rhino grunted and lumbered out from the bushes. Its wide, bulky body was covered with wrinkled dark-gray skin.

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"A real rhino," Annie said. "Rhinos are dangerous, don't forget," said Jack. "Where's Speedy?" said Annie. "Shh! Don't call out to him," Jack whispered. "Remember Jomo said a rhino can crush you or stab you." The rhino moved forward on thick, heavy legs. It swung its head from side to side. Jack held his breath, afraid the animal might see them. "Don't move," he whispered. "Rhinos can't see well," Annie said softly. "They rely on hearing and smell." "Then don't talk," whispered Jack. "But do you think Speedy's safe?" Annie whispered. "Shh! Quiet!" The rhino turned its gaze in their direction. It twitched its ears, as if trying to hear them. It snorted, as if trying to smell them. Can a rhino knock down a tree? Jack wondered. Is a rhino the "danger" in Morgan's rhyme? Jack quietly pulled Morgan's note from his back pocket. He read to himself: