The Third Pig Detective Agency: The Complete Casebook. Bob Burke
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Название: The Third Pig Detective Agency: The Complete Casebook
Автор: Bob Burke
Издательство: HarperCollins
Жанр: Детская проза
isbn: 9780007532254
isbn:
Tucking Jack under one arm, I threw a leg over the banister and slid down, trying to maintain what was a very precarious balance. For once, Jack didn’t treat it as a theme park ride; presumably he was as scared as I was. The banister itself spiralled down in wide arcs all the way to the ground floor so I had no hairpin bends to navigate, which was probably just as well because with the rate we were accelerating, any sudden departure from the stairs would probably have resulted in us splattering against the wall at the far side of the room. Spotting a number of Orcs running up the stairs towards us I yelled at Jack to hold out his metal leg (which he’d shown the good foresight to hold on to) and he cut a swathe through them as we passed, their bodies cascading down the stairs like ugly skittles.
We reached the ground floor and flew off the end of the banister. Fortunately, the thick carpet broke our fall and we avoided a collision with any of the furniture. Dizzy but otherwise unhurt, we staggered to our feet and ran through the door to the basement. Grabbing the leg from Jack, I placed one end on the ground and wedged the other under the door handle. It wasn’t going to hold our pursuers at bay for long but might give us enough of a lead to enable us to get to the drain safely.
As we charged recklessly down another flight of stairs there was a very satisfactory thump as the first of our pursuers hit the door, followed by more thumps and much shouting as the rest of the pack hit it (and the leading Orcs) with equal force.
‘Quickly, Jack, let’s go,’ I urged. ‘It won’t hold them up for long.’
Jack nodded and picked up speed. Now he was beginning to leave me behind. Willing my body to one last effort, I caught up with him and we ran for the manhole. As we reached it, there was a loud splintering from behind us as the door finally gave way. We only had minutes before the Orcs reached us. Grabbing Jack, I threw him into the tunnel and dropped down behind him.
‘Go, go, go,’ I roared.
Jack disappeared down the tunnel and I followed as fast as I could. Thankfully, someone – most probably Edna – had taken a bath since my last passage through the drain, as it wasn’t quite as unpleasant as previously, making our progress relatively more comfortable than before. In front of me, Jack was sliding away down the tunnel and I tried pigfully to keep up with him. Behind me I could hear voices raised in argument as the Orcs decided whether or not to follow us.
‘You go first,’ said one.
‘Me? I’m not going in there,’ said another in reply.
‘Ma’am will be very angry.’
‘Well you go, then.’
‘I’ll go if you go first.’
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