Kipp The Kid Read Online Free PDF

tin cans and plates. “We can’t
leave these lying around. The foxes will sniff them out and we
don’t want one of those things hanging around at night.”
     
    She helped him eagerly and then he got out his map he
had spent many days drawing. It was a remarkably accurate map of
all the mines, including shafts, tunnels, crevices, open cuts, with
all the old buildings and ruins marked and labeled. Jane was
impressed. Then he rolled up his swag and put everything into an
alcove tucked neatly into the base of the chasm wall. Jane rolled
hers up too, but it wasn’t as neat as his. “Hmmmm.” He said. “Well,
come on,” he added impatiently, strapping on his hiking boots.
We’ve got a lot of exploring to do. I’ll show you around.”
     
    Nip anticipated this and was already a way off in
front, seemingly knowing exactly where they were heading first. He
barked and then ran a few paces, stopping and barking again as if
to say, “Well come on then, we haven’t got all day.” When Jane
barked back at him he cocked his head to the side, pricking up his
ears. Then he bounded off into the shadows at the narrow part of
the chasm and disappeared.
     
    Kipp followed him, with Jane not far behind. In the
distance there was the sound of something like motorbikes. But it
was so far off, Kipp did not think anything of it. It didn’t enter
either of their heads that the bikes were heading their way.
     

 
     
    interlogue
The Adventure Begins
     
    The old man paused briefly to check to see if the two
children were listening. The girl beamed up at him, her lollipop
almost finished. She had stopped licking it when he stopped telling
his story. The boy too had stopped. His eyes were glazed over as he
looked out across the paddocks. Out in the distance you could just
see the chimney stack pocking up above the Aleppo Pines.
     
    It was now midday. There was the sound of cattle,
goats, chickens and horses around them. But way off in the distance
there was another sound. A much less natural sound. An incessant
buzzing, like a swarm of angry bees. Hearing the motorbikes brought
troubling thoughts to the old man’s heart and he wasn’t sure how to
continue his story.
     
    “Was someone coming?” asked the girl suddenly.
     
    “Someone,” he answered absentmindedly.
     
    “Yes, you mentioned motorbikes. Who were they and why
were they coming?” added the lad, eagerly.
     
    “Oh, yes, yes, of course. This part of the story is
where the excitement and the real adventure begins. You see, Kipp
was not tall, was not physically strong, but he was fit and he
could climb like a monkey and swing like one too. What he lacked in
strength, he more than made up for in wits and intelligence…”
     

 
    chapter 5: the out-of-towners
     
    Jane had never been inside a mine. In fact, she had
never even been inside a cave. She had read The Adventures of
Huckleberry Fin once and recalled the Indian that almost killed
Becky in that story. If not for the wits and cunning of Fin, Becky
would surely have been hurt or even killed. Jane wondered if ghosts
or criminals hid in the dark, deep in the mines and shivered when
she thought about the possibility.
     
    But for all her reservations, she trusted Kipp. He
had led her through a wire grate and down a rope ladder to an
opening to an old tunnel lined at the top and both sides with very
old timbers, that creaked and groaned under the weight of the earth
above them. He had with him a torch light with a shiny metal
casing.
     
    “How is it powered?” she asked.
     
    “What the torch? Have you not seen one before?”
     
    “No, well yes, but only at the movies.”
     
    “Well, this is a brand new one and the batteries last
about two hours.”
     
    “Only two?” she said rather nervously.
     
    “Don’t worry. I have a backup.”
     
    “What, you mean back up bat—”
    “Sshhhh!” Kipp interrupted her, holding up a finger
to his lips. “It echoes in here. You only need to whisper.”
     
    Jane