19-DAY 4：THURSDAY

DAY 4: THURSDAY The next morning, I woke up to a pair of singing birds. The sun warmed my fur. I stretched. For the first time since I'd arrived in the jungle, I felt great. But what was different about today? I just couldn't put my paw on it. Then it hit me—a bucketful of icy water right in my snout! Penelope Poisonfur snickered, then she barked out orders. "LINE UP! she squeaked. "Today you will learn to use a compass. Each of you must find your way to our next CAMPSITE before nightfall. And you must do it on your own!" I shuddered. "BUT I'M AFPAID TO BE LEFT ON MY OWN IN THE FOPEST!" I cried. Too late. Everyone had already left.

I was alone in the forest. This was worse than the time I got separated from my uncle Nibbles at the Marvelous Mouse Tail Circus. At least that time, the rat clowns kept me laughing. Now there wasn't a rodent in sight. Monkeys SHRIEKED at me from the trees. Snakes HISSED from behind rocks. Even the singing birds sounded SERRY. I jumped at every noise. I was like a furry rubber band ready to snap. I decided I'd better study the map. This will be as easy as cheesepie, I told myself. All I had to do was figure out how to get to the camp. "Um, let's see," I mumbled. "I am here, or maybe I'm here. And then I'm headed there or maybe there?" I checked

the compass. North, South, East, West. It wasn't as easy as I'd thought. I tried giving myself a pep talk. "You can figure it out, Stilton," I insisted. "Just use your brain!" But my brain must have been taking a cheese break. Half an hour later, I burst into tears. "Rotten rat's teeth!" I squeaked. "I'm lost!" I roamed the jungle for hours. Every now and then, I would stop to have a good cry. Oh, how could my family do this to me? They said they wanted to help me, but maybe they just wanted to get rid of me! Yes, that had to be it! If I were gone, my sister would probably sell The Rodent's Gazette. She'd buy a beauty salon and get her fur done every day for free. My cousin would move into my large, comfy mouse hole. He was such a slob. He'd make a mess of my

pretty cat-fur rug. Just thinking about it made me angry. "I'm going to make it back if it kills me!" I cried, stamping my paw. Suddenly, I heard a rustling sound in the leaves. I gulped. Maybe I shouldn't have used the word kill. I didn't want to give some wild animal any ideas! Grabbing a big stick for protection, I hid behind a tree. Just then, I saw a bush move. "Take that, you wild animal!" I shrieked, striking with all my might. "Oooouch!' a voice cried out. A

rodent crawled out from behind the bush. No, it wasn't a wild animal at all. It was Burt Burlyrat. "Oh, I'm so sorry, B.B.!" I apologized. "I thought you were about to attack me!" Burt rubbed his head. He looked annoyed.

By now, he had sprouted a huge bump on his forehead. I felt bad about the bump. But I didn't feel bad about running into B.B. With his help, I could definitely get to the NEW CAMP. After all, B.B. had said he was a forest ranger. A forest ranger should be able