Chapter 3 Scene 1

Yadifo arrives at the edge of the Village, but none of the other children are there so she waits. She is embarrassed by having so much of her body covered in mud, but her embarrassment lessens considerably a minute later when Gopumbi arrives in a similar state. A couple minutes later Rogula arrives, with even more of her body covered in mud than the younger children. They wait a few minutes, but the other three aren't coming.

"What should we do?" asked Yadifo.

"Keruka will be very displeased with us if the others aren't with us. Let's put our rarities in the box and then go back for them. Also, we better take some tools just in case."

The trio takes the rarities from the bags and put them into the box for them in the Village, and take a machete, pickaxe, and axe. They head back up the path the came.

"No time to wash up, I guess," notes Gopumbi.

"Definitely not," confirms Rogula. "It bugs me that I must have passed Otanve and Bukela but didn't hear any calls for help. Maybe they got farther off the main path and lost track of time."

They continue walking north 200 meters past the area Gopumbi explored. Rogula calls out, "Bukela! Can you hear me?"

"Over here," Bukela responds. "Watch out for the quicksand."

Rogula, Gopumbi, and Yadifo carefully move to the east where the sound came from. In a couple minutes they see two snakes and a boar with arrows in them, Bukela's bow and quiver, and then Bukela herself nearly chest deep in a patch of quicksand. Another shot boar is on the opposite side. Bukela is relieved and humiliated to be found like this, but feels better when she sees how mud-covered her friends and twin brother are.

"Wow, you shot those boars and snakes!" Gopumbi is impressed.

"Yes, and now we're allowed to use the bow." Bukela's mood is much improved.

"I have to try this." Gopumbi picks up the bow and quiver, but there are no boars or snakes around now.

"So how did you wind up in the quicksand?" asked Yadifo.

"Right after I shot that boar, that boar pushed me in." Bukela points at the respective boars.

"You shot it after you were in the quicksand?"

"Yes. I shot it three times while I was sinking. Then I forgot to drop my bow and quiver and sank too deep. Looks like something happened to you too."

"Yes, I jumped over a rope trap and into a deep mud pit. But I was able to reach the rope and use it to pull myself out. Was that your trap?"

Bukela laughs. "Yes, I did that over a year ago. I forgot about it."

Rogula interrupts. "Remember we have to get Bukela out of there and find Otanve and Pelubo? They're probably stuck too, and it's close to two hours now."

"Oh, right," Bukela notes. "I forgot. There's some liana you can make a rope from over there."

Rogula uses the machete to cut some liana and then ties the pieces into a rope. Then she coils the rope, hangs onto one end, and throws the other to Bukela. With Rogula, Gopumbi, and Yadifo pulling on one end and Bukela pulling herself out on the other, even with their combined strength it takes twenty-five minutes to get Bukela out of the quicksand.

Quest 43 complete!

"We can take the boars and snakes on our way back," says Rogula. "Let's find the missing boys now. We might need this rope again."

Bukela picks up her bag with the rarity in it while Rogula coils up the rope and the quartet travels the main swamp path another 200 meters to the north. Rogula calls out, "Otanve, can you hear me?"

"Over here," responds Otanve. "Be careful of the quicksand."

Rogula, Bukela, Gopumbi, and Yadifo follow the voice and find Otanve in a couple minutes sunk up to his chest and holding the Statue of Udungu on his head.

"You found an idol!" exclaims Rogula.

"Yes, but when I tried to get it back, my rope bridge broke. The statue is heavy and made me sink real deep, but I saved it."

"Good job, now let's get you out of there."

Rogula throws her rope to Otanve, but instead of grabbing it he starts wrapping it around the statue.

"What are you doing?" asks Gopumbi. "Come on, grab the rope."

"No, the idol is too important, so save it first. I'm not going to sink any more."

"Otanve is right," declares Rogula. "Tie the rope to the idol very well."

Otanve does, and when he is finished, he holds the idol in his hands in front of him so the distance it must be pulled is as short as possible. The others quickly pull the idol to safety.

"Hey Otanve, you were wrong about sinking more," notes Yadifo.

Otanve's maneuvers with the idol have made his sink several more centimeters, almost up to his armpits.

"That's okay," says Rogula. "Now Otanve, grab this rope."

Rogula throws the rope again, and Otanve catches it. He grabs his bag with the rarity, and everyone pulls. After a minute Otanve can reach the rope he made, which is still tied to a tree on solid ground. Pulling on that rope helps, but he was in so deep it takes twenty minutes to free him from the quicksand.

Quest 41 complete!

Otanve picks up the idol and his bag, Rogula collects her rope again, and it is time to continue northward to find Pelubo.

This time they have to travel 400 meters to reach the area Pelubo explored. Again, Rogula calls out, "Pelubo, can you hear me?"

"Yes, I'm here. Watch out for the quicksand."

"We're used to that by now."

They follow his voice, and are not surprised to find Pelubo chest-deep in the quicksand. Pelubo was prepared to be embarrassed but feels better when he sees how muddy the others are.

"Why does everyone have to sink so deep?" asks Rogula.

"I fell when that branch up there broke. I got a bunch of rarities and was chasing a lizard, and I got it, but the branch cracked and then broke and from that height I sank this deep right away."

"I sank slowly," comments Bukela.

"It doesn't matter, let's get Pelubo out of there and head back." Rogula tosses the rope to Pelubo, and with everyone pulling and Pelubo's somewhat greater strength it takes just fifteen minutes to get him out.

Quest 34 complete!

"How many rarities did you get?" asks Gopumbi.

"Six," answers Pelubo.

"Wow," remarks Yadifo. "That's more than the rest of us combined. We got one each, plug Gopumbi found an idol. And Bukela shot two boars and two snakes so we can use the bow now."

"We can talk on the way back," notes Rogula. "I think getting all those rarities, and the idol and bow, were worth being stuck for a couple hours."

The children head back south along the main swamp path, with Pelubo, Gopumbi, and Bukela carrying their bags of rarities, when the ground shakes and they hear a loud noise to the northwest.

"What was that?" asks Yadifo.

"Earthquake?" guesses Pelubo.

"Maybe," says Rogula. "We have to ask Keruka."

They continue along the path, stopping to get the boars and snakes that Bukela shot. They can carry the snakes but have to drag the boars as they return to the Village.

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