Chapter 12

Dad managed to get a rope and I made foot loops in it. They were butterfly knots that climbers use. I knew how to make butterfly knots because I borrowed Tungy's book of scout knots.

When it got dark, we tied the rope to a radiator and climbed out the window. Then we snuck over to look at the signs to see how to get out of the zoo. The signs weren't right. I knew because I read the zoo guide book. Derek believed the signs so we ran the way they pointed. I was right and he was wrong. The Calfers made the signs point in different ways to confuse people. We ran round and round, and when we stopped, we were lost. In daytime, it would have been easy to find our way out, but at night it was very dark and spooky.

Finally we decided to pick a direction and run that way until we came to a fence and then we could follow the fence. We ran and then there was this lion just lying down on the path. It's good he wasn't hungry. I was scared. We sloooowly backed away and picked another direction. Then we started running again and I tripped and sprained my ankle. Derek looked back and saw me on the ground holding my ankle and was about to run back to me when he saw a hyena. Then we saw lights from a zoo cart. It was coming down the path. Derek hid behind a tree and the hyena ran into the woods. Then a Calfer pulled me into the cart and drove me away. I was really scared because Jack might be mad and hit me again and Derek might be eaten by a hyena.