Evie was determined, but as they walked in silence, for the first time she realised what kind of job she’d taken on.

The savannah might look beautiful, but elephants, lions and other animals lived there. And the heat was like a heavy weight on top of them.

And they had thirty miles to go. On foot.

With hardly any water.

4

PARCHED EARTH

The ground rose and fell in gentle curves beneath them as they walked. Evie and Bear followed the compass, heading due east, which mostly kept them on the low ground. They couldn’t see the river anymore, but they could see the mountain. And they checked the compass to make sure they stayed on course.

“We’re going to have to be careful about water, until we find some more,” Bear said as they walked. “Try to breathe through your nose, not your mouth – it’ll help your body keep water in.”

Bear stopped and picked up a couple of pebbles. “Here’s a trick,” he said as he popped one into his mouth and gave her the other.

“Put this under your tongue,” he mumbled. “It’ll help you salivate, which stops you feeling thirsty. The moisture stays in your body so you’re not losing any.”

Suck on a stone? Evie pulled a face as she held it between thumb and forefinger and studied it.

It had been on the ground. She didn’t really want it in her mouth.

“Could I give it a wash first?” she asked. Bear smiled back at her.

“The point is that we’re saving water,” he pointed out.

Evie remembered the lump of stone that Charlie had dropped into the water jug. She had been so grossed out that she refused to drink the water after that. Could she really put a stone in her mouth?

Her mouth was dryer than it had ever been. She was so thirsty. This was getting serious. So Evie rubbed the pebble on her clothes to make it as clean as possible. Then she squeezed her eyes shut, called up all her willpower, and put the pebble under her tongue.

It was cold and dry. It didn’t taste too bad either. And soon it did exactly what Bear had said it would do. It made her mouth water, and she felt a little less thirsty.

But she was really hungry now instead. That single cracker at lunch wasn’t enough to keep her going. Her stomach rumbled loudly and Bear turned to her with a smile.

“Hungry, huh?” Bear said. “We’ll find food as we go, but I’ve got a snack to keep us going. Have you ever tried biltong?”

“Bill who?” Evie asked.