He groped around with his shaggy monkey-like arm.
He was looking for something in the darkness.
There was the sound of a nail being pulled from a board and then the terrible arm poked through the bars.
"The creature was holding up a small board.
"Here, take this.
It will explain everything."
Suok hid it in her pocket.
"Prospero!" she called softly.
There was no answer.
Suok held the lantern closer.
The creature's teeth were bared, Its unseeing eyes looked past her.
"Prospero!" Suok cried, dropping the lantern. "He's dead!
He's dead!
Oh, Prospero!" she wailed.
The lantern went out.
Part Four
PROSPERO THE GUNSMITH
CHAPTER ELEVEN
THE END OF THE PALACE BAKERY
The noise the animals were making awakened the sentry who had fallen asleep at the entrance to the zoo just before Suok made off with his lantern.
The beasts were growling and roaring, squeaking and banging their tails against the iron bars of their cages, while the birds were all flapping their wings.
The sentry yawned till his jaw cracked, he stretched, grazing his knuckles on the railing and was suddenly wide awake.
He jumped to his feet.
The lantern was gone!
Above him the stars twinkled softly.
The jasmine bush gave off a lovely fragrance.
"Humph!"
The animal chorus was getting louder and louder.
The sentry sounded the alarm.
A moment later men with torches came running towards him.
The torches spluttered.
The Guards cursed.
One of them got tangled in his sword and fell, scraping his nose on another Guard's spur.
"Someone stole my lantern!"
"Someone sneaked into the zoo!"
"It's thieves!"
"It's the rebels!"
The Guard with the bloody nose, the Guard with the broken spur and all the other Guards set out into the darkness against the unknown enemy, their torches tearing through the night.
But they could not find anything suspicious going on in the zoo.
The tigers roared, opening wide their foul-smelling mouths.
The lions paced up and down their cages nervously.
The parrots were chattering and squawking.
They hopped about and fluttered, making the cage look like a brilliant merry-go-round.
The monkeys were swinging on their trapezes.
And the bears growled in their deep voices.
The sight of light and the sound of shouting made the animals still more nervous.
The Guards inspected each and every cage.
There was nothing wrong.
They didn't even find the lantern Suok had dropped.
But suddenly the Guard with the bloody nose said: