h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

*The melodious song of the buff-rumped thornbill fills the air, coming from a new direction.*

*Filling the circle of birdsong around the camp, the call of the Willie Wagtail is heard.*

*Wonders at the great variety of insomniac birds in this jungle.*

*slowly recovering from the impact of the ominous laughter*

Say - the local wildlife seem to have an odd accent - listen...

*The song of the turkey vulture starts up again, then stops abruptly*



*The turkey vulture song completes itself*

*stiffens, frowns*

*never heard a vulture sneezing before*

*pulls out three arrows, bow at the ready*

*closes eyes, listening hard, trying to determine the exact direction and distance of those odd bird sounds*

*hears the muffled sounds of stiffening and frowning from near to his position and stiffens and frowns himself except more quietly *

[Tex Hywind] ... That's it, I'm outta here.

[He jumps into the raft and stomps off into the forest in a random direction. No further sign of him is seen in this adventure.]

[Meanwhile, where the sound of the Prinnies approaching had been heard, there is the sound of several explosions.]

*keeps very still and quiet as a tense Tex stomps past her location. Giving the mating call of the Great Bustard to the other Gobolds she slips away and silently follows the departing Tex*

*notices that Toby is slightly spooked by the cacophony of birdsong and goes over to calm his horse*

*hears the bird calls and gets very edgy indeed*

.... what ever shall I do, these seem decent people, I'm being treated well, and I'm rid of it ...... but he will be watching and there is no escaping from him ..... and them, mustn't forget about them, they will be abroad sooner or later, maybe best to stay low and quiet and go to [unintelligible] ..... but that means the underground ways and they aren't safe at all, no siree not a good place but maybe the only choice, oh lordy what shall I do ..... they must be close and nearly upon us

*notices a lone Human move close to a roan horse and coming within bow shot range*

That feeling I had earlier? Of being watched? Well, it's beginning to creep me out!

*Lands the raft on the riverside as near to the rest of the party as possible.*

That "being watched" feeling is really strong over here.

*gazes steadily at the humans and ponders how best to deploy his Bedrock Gobolds to neutralise the Humans main military asset, the Raft*

*the cry of the lesser-spotted Grebe echoes across the clearing*

*Checks on the progress of the raft.*

Odd, they took the raft down to the river bank. I'd rather not try to get down the hillside in the dark. I'll try to get them to come up here to pick us up.

*Signals with the mag-lite.*

B r i n g r a f t u p

B r i n g r a f t u p

*Begins maneuvering the raft to the position of the flashing light*

* touches a magical ring shaped object hung on a cord around his neck and with it's power signals (in a way indistinguishable from a mag-lite)*


B R I N G - R A F T - H E R E

B R I N G - R A F T - H E R E

What a minute....... two sets of Morse code

Now if anyone has watched as many WWII films and documentaries on Bletchley Park as I have, they would know that you can tell different operators apart.

That second one is a new sender and I say it could be a trap.

I am sure Witty is the sender of the first signal, but who is the second sender, I don't know.

They're not responding. Perhaps the signal I am sending is lacking in something

Duplicates exactly the Human signal in all it's nuances saving the instruction is to bring the raft to the Gobold location