The forest was cooler than the sunny plains.
It was filled with shadows and bird calls.
"Where are you?" Jack shouted.
"Here!" said Annie.
He found her in a thick glade.
Bright rays steamed between the trees. Greenleaves and vines swayed in the dappled light.
The little gray bird sat in a tree, twittering at them.
"Yuck, what's that?" said Annie. She pointed at around brown thing hanging from a low branch. Beesbuzzed around it.
"If that's her nest, it's a pretty weird nest," saidAnnie.
"That's not a nest," said Jack. "It's a bee-hive. Don'tyou see the bees?""Yikes," said Annie. She stepped back from the tree.
But the little bird darted at the beehive and peckedat it.
"What's she doing?" said Annie.
The bird kept pecking at the hive.
"I don't know. Maybe she's as nuts as you," saidJack.
"Look her up in the book," said Annie.
"See if it says she's nuts.""Are you kidding?" said Jack. "That nutty bird isn'tgoing to be in this book.""Just look."Jack opened his Africa book. He kept turning thepages. Just as he thought--there was no gray bird inthe book.
"Forget it," he said.
"Keep looking," said Annie.
Jack turned one more page. And there it was: a littlegray bird, a beehive, and a tall, painted warrior with aspear.
"I don't believe this," said Jack. Then he read aloud:
This bird is called a honey guide. It's both a friendand a helper to the Masai (muh-si) people, an Africantribe known for their fierce fighting skills andbravery.
"Hi, honey guide," Annie called to the bird. "I knewyou were important."Jack kept reading:
The honey guide leads a Masai tribesperson to abeehive. The bird waits for him or her to scatter thebees and take the honey. Then the bird feasts on thehoneycomb.
"That's cool," said Jack. "They work together, likethe zebras and wildebeests and gazelles.""Yeah," said Annie. "And she wants us to be herhelpers. We have to scatter the bees and leave her thehoneycomb.""How do we do that?" said Jack. He looked back atthe book. It didn't say how.
"Well, maybe we could wave those weeds at them,"said Annie. She pointed to some bright green plantsthat looked like giant fans.
Jack put his book and backpack down. He andAnnie pulled up the weeds. They waved them nearthe tree, and the bees scattered.
Next, Jack grabbed the tree branch and jiggled it.
The hive fell to the ground and broke open.
Annie stooped and stuck her finger into the goldenhoneycomb.
"Yummy," she said when she tasted the honey. "Tryit."Jack stuck his finger in the honeycomb, too. Helicked off the golden honey. It was the sweetesthoney he had ever tasted.
"now the honey guide can get to her honey comb,"said Annie.
"Yeah, but she'd better hurry. Before the bees comeback," said Jack.
"It's weird," said Annie. "Honey's so sweet andgood. But to get it, you have to go past a lot ofdangerous bees.""Oh, man," whispered Jack. "That's it.""That's what?" asked Annie.
Jack said Morgan's riddle:
I'm the color of gold and as sweet as can be. Butbeware of the danger that's all around me. What amI?
"I get it," Annie whisper "Honey... "Honey," said Jack, nodding and smiling, "That's it.
We've answered Morgan's riddle. Let's go home."He stood up to leave. He gasped.
Standing in the shadows was a tall man with aspear and a curved sword hanging from his belt. Hisface was painted in fierce, bright colors.
Jack knew at once what he was.
A Masai warrior.
"Hi, there," Annie said in a small voice. |