Odyssey From Africa 4b 5a

CHAPTER 4 The Eagle (continued) Swinging up it glanced the raptor Merely brushing through its wing-plumes But the eagle lost its balance  And released its hold on Rosy   Who then plummeted in freefall But the bird regained its rhythm  And hard turning in a circle Caught again the flying monkey   As the boomerang fell earthward  Matto quickly ran to grab it Made a rapid calculation Then he threw it at the eagle    Its trajectory ascending Crossed the raptor's banking flightpath Left a tiny cloud of feathers And the eagle's wings stopped beating   Bird and monkey fell together  Till their fall was interrupted  By a small hibiscus' branches All the family ran towards them   Rosy dashed at once to Lisa Bearing only minor scratches  But the eagle made no movement  Wings entangled in the branches   Kwona carefully checked the raptor  Saw it was alive and breathing  Matto's boomerang but lightly Having skimmed its head and shoulder   So she freed it from the branches, Laid it gently on a tussock  "Live and prosper, noble hunter, Only stay away from Rosy!"   As their journey took them uphill  They began to pass through woodland And a mortal trial awaited Where no boomerang would help them    CHAPTER 5 An Ancient Enemy   Now the scrub gave way to forest And a different kind of wildlife Wild pigs and deer and tree-sloths Birds with brightly coloured plumage   As the evening was approaching  Suddenly the woods fell silent  All they heard was distant screeching  Of some birds, and their own footsteps    Beckoning his family closer Han looked all around for danger On all sides there hung a stillness  That was heavy with foreboding    All at once upon their left hand There appeared two feline faces Moving through the trees and foliage Parting ways as they came nearer    And what terrifying faces! Massive downward pointing canines Sabre teeth, and eyes with malice Fixed upon the four companions   So they fled into the forest To their right and running downhill  Crashing desperately through branches Trying not to lose each other    Both the felines followed after Padding silently like shadows  Not appearing to be chasing  Just content to drive them onward    Then they broke into the sunlight  Of a clearing in the jungle  On the counter-facing tree line Four more sabertooths were waiting    Wheeling sharply to their left, they Ran straight back into the jungle  Nothing left to them but running Time to think was taken from them