3

SCHOOL’S OUT!!

AT LAST LESSONS

ARE OVER!

WOW! I JUST COULDN’T

WAIT FOR THE TIME TO

MEET MY PARENTS...

MANUEL, SON. I’VE BEEN OFFERED

A JOB I CAN’T REFUSE. IT’S

IN DARWIN, AT THE KAKADU

NATIONAL PARK.

HE’S GOING TO BE A

CROCODILE KEEPER. HE’LL KNOW

HOW TO LOOK AFTER THESE

CREATURES, THERE USED TO BE SOME

OVER THERE IN THE TUMBES, BUT YOU

WERE SO SMALL WHEN WE LEFT PERU

I DON’T SUPPOSE YOU CAN

REMEMBER...

WELL, THEN,

WE’RE OFF TO

DARWIN.

YOU’LL SEE SON. YOU’LL

BE COMING, BUT A BIT LATER.

YOU HAVE TO FINISH YOUR

COURSE: YOUR STUDIES ARE

THE MOST IMPORTANT

THING.

Some months before...

4

WHAT? YOU’RE GOING

AND I’M STAYING?

IT’S FOR THE BEST,

SWEETIE. YOU HAVE TO STUDY

AND CHARLES WILL LOOK AFTER

YOU. DON’T THINK WE’RE LEAVING

YOU ON YOUR OWN...

CHARLES?

I DON’T WANT HIM

TO LOOK AFTER ME.

I’M ALREADY

GROWN UP!

IT’S NOT LIKE THAT

MANUEL. CHARLES LIVES

HERE, NEXT DOOR, AND

WE TRUST HIM.

AND HE’S GOING TO COME

WITH YOU ON THE JOURNEY

BECAUSE WE’VE FOUND HIM

A SUMMER JOB IN DARWIN. GRRRR...

AT LAST THE

TIME HAS COME

TO GO TO DARWIN.

IN A FEW DAYS

I’LL BE WITH

THEM...

CHARLES, IS

EVERYTHING READY

FOR THE JOURNEY?

WELL LET’S GO!

THERE ISN’T A MINUTE

TO LOSE!

IT’S GOING TO BE A LONG

TRIP. WE’LL BE GOING

THROUGH ADELAIDE,

THROUGH ALICE

SPRINGS...

ALL YOU’VE

GOT TO DO IS

CLOSE YOUR

BACKPACK.

OK, OK!

YOU DON’T NEED

TO GIVEME SO MANY

DETAILS, I CAN LOOK

AFTER MYSELF.

5

WATCH OUT

MANUEL!YOU WOKE ME UP!

YES, ONLY SO YOU

DON’T GET YOUR HEAD

SMASHED UP. WHAT DO

YOU THINK?

GLUP!

6

ADELAIDE IS A BIG CITY:

IT IS VERY MODERN. PITY WE

HAVEN’T GOT TIME TO VISIT IT.

WE HAVE TO GET THE TRAIN.

OUCH... HE’S

ALWAYS GIVING

ME ORDERS.

COME ON, HURRY

UP MANUEL.

WE’RE HERE MANUEL,

THE GHAN AWAITS US.

YES, AND BESIDES,

IT’S GOT A LONG HISTORY,

MANY YEARS AGO THE PIONEERS

AND MERCHANTS TRAVELLED

ON IT. THIS TRAIN BROUGHT

NEWS, LETTERS, HOPE...

WOW! IT’S AN

INCREDIBLE TRAIN!

YES, SIR. IT’S A BIG TRAIN BUT,

WELL. WHAT HAVE WE STOPPED FOR?

LET’S GET ON!

7

NOW YOU CAN SEE

MANUEL. LUXURY IS

RESERVED FOR THE

RICH.

I’VE HEARD YOUR NAME’S MANUEL.

MY NAME’S ELSA. YOU KNOW WHAT?

I’M WITH YOUR FRIEND: SURE WE CAN’T

EVEN TAKE A LITTLE TOUR ROUND

THE FIRST CLASS SECTION.

WE SHOULD TAKE A LITTLE TOUR

ROUND ALL THE TRAIN. SEE

WHERE WE CAN END UP...

IT WOULDN’T

BE A BAD

IDEA.

YES, BUT

TAKE CARE.

I DON’T THINK IT

CAN BE DIFFICULT

TO GET IN FIRST

CLASS.

OOOH!

WE DID IT.

MUM. MANUEL AND I ARE

GOING FOR A WALK IN

THE CORRIDOR. RIGHT?

8

HAVE YOU SEEN

THE BED? IT’S

ENORMOUS!

YES. BUT

LET’S CARRY

ON.

PHEW! WHAT A

RESTAURANT!

OH, DARLING! LOOK AT THOSE

KIDS, AND THE WAY THEY WERE

EYEING THAT FOOD. THEY

MUST BE HUNGRY...

PERHAPS THE POOR

THINGS HAVEN’T GOT

ANY FAMILY. WE SHOULD TAKE

THEM OUT SOMETHING TO EAT...

GRRRR...

WOULD YOU LIKE SOME

LUNCH?

WE ARE NOT

HUNGRY.

OUR FAMILY LOOKS AFTER

US VERY WELL. AND FEEDS US AT

THE SAME TABLE THEY

EAT FROM!

UNGRATEFUL!