فصل 60

CHAPTER 60

ANOTHER WAY

“I DON’T THINK I CAN KEEP GOING” Shining Pearl said.

Nibs hated to admit it, but he felt the same way. The trail was a river of muck. They were sinking up to their shins; each step was an exhausting effort. In the last few minutes they hadn’t gone more than ten feet. At this rate, they could take days to reach the village.

“And,” said Shining Pearl. “There’s that.”

She pointed to a pile of brown lumps at the edge of the path. Fresh boar dung.

Nibs nodded. He’d been noticing it, too.

“If Mister Grin gets a whiff of that,” said Shining Pearl, “he’s going to come hunting.”

Nibs shuddered, thinking about the massive beast with jaws that opened wider than a man was tall. If it came prowling down this trail, with the two of them stuck in the muck …

“Father says Mister Grin can smell it for miles,” said Shining Pearl.

“Really?” said Nibs.

“Really. And he’ll come looking for it in the rain, because he knows the boars move slowly.”

Nibs stared at the dung for a moment. Then he turned around.

“What are you doing?” she said. “The village is that way.”

“Yes, but those men took our friends—and your sister—back that way, up the mountain trail.”

“Which is why,” she said, “we’re headed that way, to the village, to get help.”

“But we’re not making any progress, are we.”

“No,” admitted Shining Pearl.

“So,” said Nibs, “maybe we can get help another way.”

And then, to Shining Pearl’s horror, he bent down and scooped up a lump of boar dung.