Gary Northfield

First published in Great Britain 2015 by Walker Books Ltd

87 Vauxhall Walk, London SE11 5HJ
© 2015 Gary Northfield
All rights reserved.
ISBN 978-1-4063-5492-8
So, you think you know about Why,

ZEBRAS?
yes I
do!

Knowledgeable
gnu

O ur
ha ndsome
he ro,
Juliu s!

Well, you’re probably Ho w ve

da re yoryu!

WRONG!
II III
 Stupid Woohoo! Check out my
booger!
Loyal to their family and friends
I love you Aw! We
Tut I love you, too, Julius! have the
Mum! loveliest
Unimpressed herd!
warthog
Eat grass Mm … grass! Grassy
Bit of dust
in his eye
Lovely grass! b u rp
Can outrun the fastest lions
See ya, loser!

Always
getting Rats!
eaten Not
again! And … er … ok, they
do actually eat a lot of
grass…

I knew
it.
They are definitely
stupid, too!

Such a
grump!

IV V
 And not only is our hero,
C hapter one
JULIUS ZEBRA, all of these
and more...
But he also lives during
lAKE OF DOOM
ROMAN TIMES!! Life on the dusty, shrubby African plains wasn’t
How cool is that?!
all fun and games for Julius (i.e. eating grass all day).
Every Wednesday, much to his disgust, his mum
would drag him and his (very annoying, stupid)
brother, Brutus, to the lake.

Julius HATED the lake …

EXCITING, RIGHT?

with a PASSION!

VI V II
 He thought all the animals STANK! Not to mention his fear of being eaten at every
turn…

Good
mornin’!

Don’t
mind me, On the other hand, Julius’s brother, Brutus, loved
I’m having Yippee!

a poo! the lake!

Woo! Whee!

And that they were SOOO BORING! Ooh! Stop

splashing
water in my
eyes!

…so, there I was, up

to my neck in mud,
wondering whether
I would be eaten And nothing annoyed Julius more than his big,
by crocodiles or by ZZZZ
a hippo! Luckily I show‑off brother.
learned to swim as a
youngster…

V III IX
 So, one week, Julius came up with a nifty plan to “You’d have to be very old or stupid for one of
try and get out of going. “Look, Mum, I’ve found this those to catch you,” she said.
little puddle. It’ll do me just fine!” he said. “What about those ferocious lions, then?” Julius
protested.

Grr… Grr…

M m!
Yum!

“No!” scolded his mum. “You’ll come to the lake “Bah! You’re more likely to be hit by a flaming
just like everyone else.” rock from the sky than get caught by
“But what about all those crocodiles…” one of those lazy beasts!”
“But that’s ridiculous,”
Come on in!
The water’s said Julius. “I know plenty
lovely!
of zebras who have been
Oh
eaten by lions. That has well,
at least
to be the stupidest thing I avo ided
lio ns.
I’ve ever heard!”

X XI
 Yeeo w ch! P ut me
D O W N !!

“Can you do amazing, backward somersaults into

your puddle like we do at the lake? Let’s find out!”

Don’t argue
with your Ow!
mother!

“Now, get to the lake this instant, or a lion with

“Nope, thought not! Come on, nincompoop – last
big teeth will be the least of your worries!”
one there is a warthog!”
Just as Julius was nursing his bruised bottom,
And with that, Brutus pranced off with the rest of
Brutus strutted up to him. “Come on, bruv. The lake
the herd.
is brilliant! Far more exciting than your silly puddle.” How I
And before Julius could do anything about it, hate that
idiot!
Brutus grabbed him by the front hooves and spun
him round.

X II X III
 C h a p t e r t wo

stink hole

I wanna go
home!

XIV XV
 “Come on, Julius, drink up. It will give you
strength!” said his mum.
Julius sniffed the water, then creased up his face.

So disgusting!

Nothing about Brutus surprised Julius. That idiot

would lick the dribble from a hippo’s mouth if he
thought it would impress his friends.
“I don’t care,” insisted Julius. “I still ain’t drinking
it. You can keep your pooey water – I’m going
“If you don’t drink up, you won’t grow big and
home.” He turned on his hooves and started heading
strong like your brother Brutus. You’ll become a
back up the ridge.
weakling – easy prey for any hyena or lion.” Yo u get back he re,
“But it stinks!” cried Julius. “What with all those yo ung ze bra, or yo u will
feel the sharp en d of my
crocodiles and hippos doing their whatnot in it. I  ho of again!
don’t know how anyone can drink this filth.” His face
twisted into a grimace as he took another sniff.
“Look at Brutus,” she said. “Do you see him being
afraid?”

XVI X V II
 Julius didn’t fancy getting another kick up the He counted to
bum. So, reluctantly, he turned back. three, then took a big
As the rotten aroma of the lake wafted up his GULP…
nostrils, Julius tried to imagine he was standing at
the foot of the most beautiful crystal-clear pool,
filled with the purest sparkling water that had
trickled down from an ancient glacier high up in the
mountains.
It tasted REVOLTING!
No stupid pretending was going to hide how vile
THAT was.
“There, that wasn’t so bad, was it?” piped up a
little voice.
Julius looked down to see a small, fat warthog
with a toothy grin beaming up at him.
“Don’t worry,” continued the warthog. “You soon
Angelic ze bra get used to it.”
choi r I’ve been
drinking the
stuff for
years!

X V III XIX
 How warthogs annoyed Julius. They always
You don’t
thought they were so clever. This was the last straw. want to be
Now he’d really had enough. off wandering
on your own,
you know!
CAN WE
MUM! GO HOME
NOW?!

“Leave me alone!” barked Julius, waving the

warthog away.
“But there’re all sorts of lunatics with big teeth
“NO, Julius!” she scolded. “We’ve only just got
prowling around out here. You should be careful,”
here. Stop being such a big baby!”
said the warthog.
Bah! thought Julius. I’m no baby. I’ll show them! I’ll
“Well, you’d better get back to your friends,
trot back home on my own and when they all finally turn up,
then,” snapped Julius. “We zebras are pretty capable
they’ll realize I’m more than capable of looking after myself.
of outrunning lions and the like, thank you very
So, moving very slowly and quietly, Julius slipped
much. But I’m not sure I fancy your chances.”
away from the herd. He tiptoed up the hill, crouched
“Don’t you underestimate us warthogs,” he
behind a big boulder and surveyed the landscape,
warned, wagging his hoof. “We’re more than able to
trying to figure out his next move.
dodge the wild beasts of these plains. Why, in fact, I
“Where are you off to, then?” squeaked a familiar
think you’ll find the average speed of an adult male
little voice.
warthog…”

XX X XI
 “Mr Zebra! Sir! I insist that you come back to the

Hello? Where’d
you go?
Julius was heading back the way he’d come. Or
so he thought. He wasn’t exactly sure. He’d been
distracted by some tasty shrubs when he should’ve
been watching where he was going.
Anyway, it doesn’t matter, he thought. I’m FREE!
I can walk wherever I want now!
lake. It really is very dangerous out here!” said the
little warthog, scampering after him.
Julius spun round. “Go away! Why do you
suddenly care about me? If you speak to my mum
and my brother, you’ll soon find out I’m not worth
bothering with.”
Who cares?
But isn’t
that your
mum calling you?

Woohoo! Hello tree!

I ain’t
listening.

Hello
rock! “Your mother does sound quite insistent…” said
the warthog, who was really beginning to worry

The world is now. But Julius marched on, defiantly.

my OYSTER!

X X II X X III
 “You know, perhaps we should go back after
Run for all… I don’t want Mum and Brutus thinking I’ve
your been eaten or something,” said Julius, scooting back
lives! towards the watering hole.
There’s
a LION loose
at the lake!
I ca n be all brave an d
gr ow n- up tomorro w!

“But wait!” called the warthog. “It’s not safe!

There’s a lion on the loose!”

Oh, make up
your mind!
Then, out of the blue, a frantic family of gnus
thundered past.
They were followed by giraffes and antelopes,
barking alarm calls and crying for help.

X XIV XXV
 But when they jumped over the ridge and reached
the lake it was absolutely deserted. No zebras, no
antelopes, no animals left at all – nothing but clouds
of dust.
Julius ran to the spot where he’d stood earlier
with his mum and Brutus. “I don’t understand,” he
gasped, looking at the chaotic mess of footprints in
the dirt. It was completely impossible to work out
which way everyone had gone.
XXVI
The warthog gave Julius a gentle nudge. “Um, I
think maybe we should leave too…”
“But we have to figure out what’s happened!”
“Erm … I’m afraid there’s not enough time,” said
the warthog, staring ahead and slowly backing away
from the water’s edge.
Peering in the same direction, all Julius could see
was the silhouette of a solitary lion emerging from the
dust clouds. Nervously, he started to back away too.
X X V II
 “B-but how can one lion cause so much trouble?
Surely there were others, too?”
“That is a nomadic lion,” said the warthog,
knowlingly. “He works alone and is far more wily
than your ordinary lion.”
From across the water, the scruffy-looking beast
narrowed his eyes at Julius and the warthog and,
baring his great white pointy teeth, he let out a low,
rumbling growl.
They were about to turn tail when a chilling
sound of snarling and barking echoed round the lake
– a sound unlike anything Julius had heard before.
The lion was also startled and jumped backwards.
Through trees in the distance, a pack of agitated
wolves bolted straight for him.
Taking their chance, Julius and the warthog
scrambled up the ridge in panic and ran as fast as
their legs could carry them.

Come on!
We shou ld
totally get
out of he re! For once,
I have no
What’s idea!
going on?

But as they leapt and landed, the loose red soil

collapsed from under their feet and they plummeted
down to the bottom of a huge pit.

GRR!
X X V III X XIX
 NDL THE B R I TO N
WITH
E
BU S!

Gary Northfield

JZEB2_9781406354935_HI_UK.indd 3 17/02/2016 16:10

 Why, yes
I do!
So, you think you know about

JULIUS
ZEBRA?

O
handsur
o
hero me
!

W hat?
!
Well, you’re probably

WRONG!
Outr
ageou
s!
 W hat most p eo p le thin k But this is what
they kno w a b o ut I know Kno w
ledg
g nu ea ble he’s REALLY
JULIUS ZEBRA! it all!
This I
LIKE!! gotta see!

Hates the Sti n ky TasteBleu r gh! Likes eating porridge!

s dis g
La ke! u sti ng
! Yum!
Po
wateoey
r
Lick!
Cru
beetlnechy
s!
A bit of a loser! EEEEE!! Put me down!! Actually gets on Julius! Your
Ha ha!
well with lions! sword!
O
Rotten W atc w!
brother! h it!
KLONK!

Probably eaten CHOMP! CHAM PION GLADIATOR! Off you

by a lion… Not a trot!
Sigh…gai n!
ZEBRA!

It’s KLONK!
all he ZEBRA!
deserves.
 Julius wasn’t quite like other zebras. Not only did
he live during ROMAN TIMES, but he was also the

PE OP LE ’S CH AM PIO N! !

Exciting, right?
There’s only one zebra
champion in the world!
Bah!
What And that’s ME!
nonsense! Ig no re him,
he’s ju st jealou
s!
s’s
Ju liuthe r,
b r o rutu s
B
 C ha pt e r o n e

the people’s champion

We love
you Julius!
All hail
Gasp,
Julius!
Julius!
it’s really
him!

Walking through the noisy, smelly, bustling streets

of Rome, Julius felt as if he was Caesar himself! The
place may have smelled worse than a gnu’s bottom,
much like the stinky lake back home, but out here,
unlike back home, everybody LOVED him.

XIII
 Since his triumphant, surprise victory at Rome’s
Come on, Julius!
greatest amphitheatre, the Colosseum, only a month
We should
head back!
ago, Julius had been transformed into a GLADIATOR
SUPERSTAR!
Stories of his deeds had spread like wildfire
throughout the vast Empire. People were coming
from all over just to see Julius fight and he was loving
every minute of it.

It’s true! I do.

This You really We don’t want
is the exist! to miss your
greatest big fight!
day of
my life.
“Stop panicking, Cornelius!” said Julius as he
merrily waved to his fans. “We have PLENTY of time.
Let the people of Rome enjoy the treat of seeing their
hero walking among them!”
Scuttling next to Julius was his friend Cornelius the Cornelius tutted. “Careful, soon your head might
warthog. Cornelius was a tiny little chap and in the get too big to walk down these narrow streets.”
mêlée of the crowded street he had to fight hard not Suddenly, a scruffy young girl approached Julius,
to be trodden on. holding out a tatty parchment.

XI V XV
 Excuse me, Mr Zebra, SQUEE!
sir? May I have your
hoofprint please?

I’m such
a big fan
of yours.

Julius ruffled the little girl’s hair. “Of course, my “THAT IS SO AMAZING!!! THANK YOU MR
dear little thing – do you have any ink?” ZEBRA!!!” squeaked the girl. “I LOVE YOU!!!”
The girl pulled a very sad face. “No...” she sighed. She kissed the print and ran off to a group of her
Julius quickly looked around the street to see what friends who were standing nearby, who all squealed
he could use to make a print. “How about if I dipped like little mice and jumped for joy at seeing such an
my hoof in mud? You’d have your very own Julius exciting souvenir.
Zebra muddy hoofprint!” Julius sniffed his hoof, screwing up his nostrils.
The little girl’s face lit up. “Oh yes please, Mr “You know, I don’t think that actually was mud.”
Zebra, that would be wonderful! Thank you!” He passed his hoof
Julius bent down and squished his front right hoof to Cornelius to sniff.
Peey o o!
into the mud, then he placed it very carefully onto the
girl’s parchment. He pulled his hoof away to reveal a
perfect print.
And that
girl kissed
it too!
XVI X V II
 “Quick!” said Cornelius. “Let’s run the other way,
we’ll be long gone before she notices.” And they
scooted off into the crowds.
“WAIT!” cried a voice. “WHERE ARE YOU
GOING?! WAIT FOR ME!” From one of the many
shops that lined the street came bounding a lively
antelope clutching a lump of rock.
You will not
believe what
I’ve just
bought
with my life
savings!
“Let me guess, Felix,” said Julius. “Is it a rock?”
“Well!” said Felix proudly. “What you have here
is an actual piece of the PYRAMID OF GIZA IN
EGYPT!!!”
X V III
Cornelius examined the rock carefully. “The only
‘Giza’ this rock has seen is the dodgy geezer who sold
you this worthless rubbish!” he huffed. “These Roman
shopkeepers see you coming a mile away, Felix. I
don’t know why you keep buying these stupid rocks.”
Only to an
untrained eye are
my rocks nonsense.
Soon I’ll
have the
greatest rock
collection
in ROME!
“Forget all that,” said Julius. “Where are the others?
We promised to meet them here at noon!”
“Yes!” agreed Cornelius. “As I keep saying, we need
to be heading back to the Colosseum. Julius has his
important fight this afternoon in front of the Emperor
to celebrate the Festival of Quinquatria!”
XI X

The festival
of “Queen
Coconut”?
What’s that
all about?
“The Festival of Quinquatria!” corrected
Cornelius. “It is a festival in honour of Minerva.
She’s the goddess of wisdom, so it’s hardly
surprising you’ve never heard of her.”
“Well, how RUDE!” snorted Felix.
Julius put his arms round his friends. “Stop
it now, you two!” he laughed. “Don’t forget,
Emperor Hadrian has finally PROMISED us our
FREEDOM if I win this fight!”
“JULIUS!” cried a voice in the crowd. “JULIUS,
WAIT!”
XX
Julius turned round, expecting to greet one of
his many fans, but was instead faced with the
beaming sharp teeth of a smiling crocodile.
“LUCIA!” said Julius, pleased to see his friend.
“How was the chariot racing?”
“A-MA-ZING!!!” she said.
The Gree ns wo n again!
We
smashed
the rotten
Blues right
off the
track.
“Rufus found you a present, too!” she squealed.
“He did?” asked Julius excitedly, clapping his
hooves. A long shadow loomed over Julius, who
looked up to see his friend, Rufus the giraffe.
“I did!” replied Rufus, and he handed a tiny
statuette to the eager zebra.
X XI
 “We didn’t realise “Come on!” said Cornelius. “We really should
GASP!
how popular you head back to the school before this lot tear us
REALLY are!” said apart.”
Lucia. “Look! It’s a
figurine of YOU!”

Julius! Our
hero!
Yikes!
Let me
touch your
stripes.
“That’s BRILLIANT!” laughed Felix. “It even has
your mad bog-eyes!”
Julius fired a dirty look towards Felix. “WHAT Julius!
mad bog eyes?!”
Rufus quickly interjected to save the poor
antelope. “They had a big stall selling hundreds of They pushed past the frenzied crowd out onto
them! You are PROPER famous now!” the main road that ran through the heart of Rome.
As if on cue, an excited mob started to crowd Dashing under the arches of the great aqueduct
around the animals as people clamoured to see and past the grand palace that sat up on the hill,
the gladiator superstar who was actually walking the animals headed for the huge stone stadium
down their street. that loomed large on the horizon.

X XII X XIII
 Last
is a n ao ne the re
nte Quickly!
b ottomlo p e’s
!

I heard
that!

This was Ludus Magnus, Rome’s biggest and

They raced past the crowds that were massing
around the Colosseum and dashed RIGHT past the
Colosseum itself.
Instead, they ran into an unassuming square
building next to the amphitheatre, past the gruff
guards at the door and into a huge courtyard that
housed its own mini arena.
best gladiator school and home to Julius and his
pals. The click-clack of wooden swords could be
heard as gladiators honed their fighting skills, but
there was no time to stand and watch. They raced
downstairs towards the tunnel that led directly to
the underbelly of the Colosseum, only to find their
way blocked by a scrawny, surly lion.

X XI V XXV
 Yo u’re He sprinted down the tunnel, the stench of the
late! rancid dungeons hitting his nose as he ran. He
careered around a corner, past the cages with the
growling leopards and towards one of the many
lifts that spirited animals up into the arena.

Finally!

Pliny!
“Sorry, Milus!” gasped Julius, catching his
breath. “But we had terrible trouble trying to Glad you
outmanoeuvre my hordes of fans!”
remembered
me!
Their grouchy companion just tutted and
stepped to one side. “You have a hard life, zebra,”
he growled sarcastically. “Anyway, it’s not me The little mouse threw a gold helmet at Julius.
you’ve got to apologise to, it’s PLINY!” “You’d better get yourself suited and booted!”
Julius slapped his forehead with his hoof. “Oh he said. “If you’re ever gonna make a good
no! I promised Pliny I’d meet him early to brush up impression in front of Hadrian, then today has to
on those new sword moves he’s been teaching me.” be the day!”

XXVI X X V II
 But what about the sword moves? “Zebra, Debra, Martha! Whatevah!” replied
Pliny, pushing Julius into his cage.
We were
going to
practise Just go kick some
them! gladiator BUTT!!

“Ah, you don’t need no extra training!” laughed

Pliny. “Your opponent is as useless as ALL the
other animals you’ve had to face.” The little mouse
gave Julius a friendly punch on his shin. “There
ain’t no animal gladiator like YOU, Debra!”
“It’s ZEBRA, not Debra!” said Julius, rolling his
eyes. “How many times?”

X X V III
 C hapt er t wo Hey!

zebramania!
This is it!
The cage stopped moving with a great
Today is THUMP and Julius had to grab the wooden bars
the day I to stop himself falling over.
w in ou r Just above him he could hear the voice of the
freedom! Summa Rudis, the referee.
“CITIZENS OF ROME!” bellowed the Summa
Rudis. “As you all know, to celebrate the Festival
of Quinquatria, Emperor Hadrian has decreed
that you should enjoy a day of FEASTING and
FIGHTING!” The crowd roared. “YOUR FIRST
Julius’s heart pounded as the cage lifted up towards OPPONENT,” he screamed, “Rome’s very own
the ceiling, scraping roughly against the stone walls. PEOPLE’S CHAMPION, JULIUS ZEBRA!!”
Over the creaking of the stiff wooden frames, Julius Ahead of Julius a trapdoor opened to a
could clearly make out the chanting of the crowd. thunderous cheer and the blast of a hundred
“ZEBRA! ZEBRA! ZEBRA!” trumpets. He bounded through the hatchway.

XXX X X XI
 RA ! ZE B Z E B RA !
Z E B RA !
ZE B RA !
Z E B RA
!
L EA P ! Ta
daa h!
 Julius threw up his arms to greet the
80,000-strong crowd, who were roaring his name
so loudly that the whole amphitheatre shook.
Eager to show off his skills, Julius leapt into a
backwards somersault, throwing his sword into
the air and deftly catching it while landing nimbly
on the arena floor like a cat. The spellbound audience
erupted into another round of chanting and cheering.
Watching from the sidelines, Julius’s proud friends
were on their feet, clapping and cheering him along.
He should be
careful. One
day he’ll catch
that sword With any
in his skull. luck!
X X XI V
Over on the other side of the arena in his gold
and marble royal box sat the Emperor Hadrian,
enthusiastically applauding his zebra champion.
Excellent! thought Julius. Hadrian seems to be in a
good mood. There’s no way he’s not granting me my
freedom today!
In the centre of the arena stood the Summa Rudis,
a beefy man wearing a white tunic embellished with
two long blue parallel stripes. In his right hand he
held up a big stick.
XXXV
 The Summa Rudis battled to make himself heard.
“YOUR SECOND OPPONENT!” he screamed.
“ALL THE WAY FROM THE CITY OF ALEXANDRIA
IN EGYPT, the mighty camel warrior, IMHOTEP!”
From the gates a hapless camel came stumbling in,
his loose, ill-fitting armour rattling as he scrambled
across the arena floor. As he reached the Summa
Rudis, he clumsily tripped over his spear and landed
in a clattering heap on the floor.
Oof!
XXXVI
The crowd roared with laughter.
On the sidelines, Milus shook his head in despair.
“Where do they find these idiots?”
Julius took up his position in the arena and
smacked his sword noisily into his shield with a
dramatic growl. This threw the crowd into another
wild frenzy. Imhotep the camel gulped and took a
small step backwards. He nervously glanced over his
shoulder as the zebra-mad spectators hurled insults
and rotten food in his direction.
Knock his block off!
Kill him!
X X X V II
 The horns of the cornicen trumpeted the start of too much!” The camel gulped and shook his head.
the fight and the Summa Rudis stepped aside. The Rotten vegetables splattered his nice shiny headdress.
Colosseum roared. The audience screamed.
Julius edged confidently towards the twitchy
Use your
Egyptian camel, flicking his sword from behind his eye lightning Yeah!
shield. Julius! Zap him!
“’AVE
’IM!” yelled the crowd. “LOP HIS
HEAD OFF! FINISH HIM!”

Imhotep timidly shuffled backwards, his armour Imhotep finally collapsed onto the floor, sobbing.
jangling as he shivered with fear. “Come on!” cried “PLEASE DON’T KILL ME, ZEBRA!” he cried.
Julius. “At least try to hit me with your spear, give the “DON’T BLOW ME UP WITH MAGIC LIGHTNING
punters a bit of a show. I promise I won’t hurt you FROM YOUR EYES!”

X X X V III X X XI X
 Julius stood over the blubbing Egyptian and kicked Pliny turned to Milus. “Please tell me he didn’t
his spear away with his hoof. “I shall spare your life, really just say that?”
Imhotep,” he declared. “No lightning shall pass from “I’m afraid he did,” replied Milus flatly.
my eyes today.” In the arena, the Summa Rudis grabbed Julius’s
arm and thrust it into the air. “THE WINNER!” he
Boo! Boo! announced.
Rubbish!
Julius jumped for joy and excitedly turned to the
royal box to seek the Emperor’s approval and his
long-awaited promise of freedom.
But the royal box was empty. Hadrian was gone!

’Ere,
where’s the
“Come now,” said Julius, turning to the crowd. Emperor
“You want I should give this camel the HUMP?” gone?
Brilliant!
Julius is He’s
a comedy done a
So GENIUS! runner!
funny!

XL XLI
 Julius’s friends suddenly came dashing across the As Julius dragged himself up and began to shuffle
arena. miserably out of the arena, a familiar figure stood in
his way. “Then you’ll be pleased to hear my news,
Julius! Hadrian legged donkey!” came a gruff voice.
it five minutes ago! ?
“Septimus,” groaned Julius.
The towering figure of the Lanista, boss of the
gladiator school, stood in front of them, hands on his
hips.
Hadrian
wants to see
you in the
“Milus saw him receive a message, then he morning.
stormed off in a huff!”
Julius flopped to the floor in despair. “But, he
PROMISED...!” he sobbed. Seems
he has
Felix tried to console him. “If it helps, Hadrian
“exciting”
didn’t look happy to leave, he was really enjoying news for
himself until he scarpered…” you.
Julius looked like he was ready to burst into tears.
“We’ll NEVER win our freedom!” he whimpered.
“We’ll be stuck in this Roman poohole for the REST “OOH! A SURPRISE!” squealed Julius,
OF OUR LIVES!” clapping his hooves. “I LOVE surprises!”

XLII XLIII
 “He wants to see you all in the school arena at
sunrise,” growled Septimus. “And make sure your
knapsacks are packed. You’re going on a nice long trip!”
Julius and the others were beside themselves with
glee. “A LONG TRIP?!” cried Julius. “WE’RE GOING
ON OUR HOLIBOBS!!”

e ’re go i ng o n o u r holi b o bs.

W
Tra la la la!!

“I wouldn’t trust these scoundrels as far as I could

throw them,” Milus growled. “The only trip we’re
going on is to the forests of Germania to face the
BARBARIAN HORDE!”
 C HA PT E R O N E

SHIP OF FOOLS

Are you sure

this is how you
sail a ship,
Cornelius?

XIII
 “YES!” cried Cornelius, as he desperately stood on But, just as Cornelius held his note proudly aloft,
his tiptoes grasping the wet tiller. “JUST HOLD THE a great gust of wind snatched it from his hoof and
BIG STICK STEADY!” tossed it into the sea.
Julius wiped the blinding rain from his eyes.
“BUT I’M SURE WE’RE GOING ROUND IN
CIRCLES!” he shouted. “DOUBLE-CHECK THOSE
INSTRUCTIONS AGAIN!”
With a huff, Cornelius reached into the pouch tied
Oi!
round his waist and pulled out a crumpled scrap of
parchment. The soggy note flapped furiously in the
wind as he struggled to read it.
“WE’RE DOING EXACTLY WHAT IT SAYS!”
Cornelius called out. “‘HOLD THE TILLER STEADY “Oh, that’s just brilliant,” groaned Julius.
IN A HEAVY STORM’!”

See?
HOW ARE
WE SUPPOSED
TO CATCH
SEPTIMUS
NOW?

XI V XV
 “FORGET SEPTIMUS! WE SHOULD TURN In the gloom, Julius pushed past Milus the lion,
AROUND!” Cornelius squealed. “OR ELSE THIS who was lying in a tatty hammock. On his belly
STORM WILL SWALLOW US WHOLE!” gently slept Pliny the mouse, their tiny combat trainer.
But Julius was having none of it. “Wait here!” he Displeased at being woken, Milus growled at Julius.
growled through gritted teeth, pulling himself along
the deck. “HOLD HER STEADY, CORNELIUS! I’M
FETCHING HELP!”
Are we there
yet, donkey?
I REFUSE
TO LET
SEPTIMUS
GET AWAY
AFTER ALL
OUR HARD
WORK!

A huge wave crashed against the side and Julius
stumbled as he headed towards the captain’s cabin.
He reached the open hatch and, grabbing hold of the
slippery ladder, he climbed down gingerly into the
dank, dark underbelly of the ship.
“No, we’re not!” snapped Julius. “And the way
things are looking, we’ll never get there.”
Julius clambered over a pile of soggy crates
and sacks, where he finally found the rest of his
companions huddled in a circle.

XVI X V II
 Hmm...
Woohoo! Finding this
board game is the
best thing EVER!
Rufus – enthu siastic
B rutu s – Ju liu s’s gladiator an d Lu cia’s
big- headed idiotic wingman
br othe r

Get out
of that
Tap! one!

Felix – Dim -w itted

antelo pe an d av id
ro ck collecto r

Ooh! He’s got Lucia – Vegetarian

you there! cha riot- racing crocodile,
always ready with a
cunning plan
 Rufus, Lucia and Felix all leapt up in horror.
“WHAT?!” they screamed.
OI! YOU LAZY “I thought the ship was swaying a bit,” gasped
BONEHEADS!
Felix. “It’s been hard work trying to watch the game!”
STOP PLAYING
YOUR STUPID
GAME AND COME
UP AND HELP US! Can we
NOT just
finish the
game first?
Everyone jumped out of their skins, apart from
his brother, Brutus, who refused to look up. “You’ll Do you
have to wait, Julius!” he growled. “This is a very tense have to spoil
match!” He waved his hoof to shoo his brother away.
EVERYTHING?

WILL YOU
LISTEN! WE’RE
SAILING INTO A Before Julius could reply, there was a great BANG
STORM AND WE as the ship buckled and twisted under the force of
NEED ALL HANDS an enormous wave. It tipped over sideways, hurling
ON DECK!!
everyone and all the cargo into the air.

XX X XI
 That game totally
counted as a win
though, right?
Not now,
Rufus!
Hmm ...
let me
think...

Climbing out of the hatch, Julius raced over to poor

Cornelius, who was still wrestling with the big tiller.

The ship quickly righted itself, but Julius knew HELP

another big wave could hit at any moment and rip the
old ship apart. He hurried up the wet ladder. “COME
ON! WE NEED TO GET THIS SHIP THROUGH THE
STORM!”
Suddenly Lucia started screaming. “WE’RE
LETTING IN WATER! WE’RE LETTING IN WATER!”
She pointed frantically at a big leak spurting water.
“YOU, RUFUS AND MILUS BLOCK THAT HOLE!”
ordered Julius. “THE REST OF YOU, FOLLOW ME!”
ME!!
QUICK!!
Lucia and Julius leapt onto the big stick and held
it as steadily as possible. “GRAB THE OTHER ONE
AND HOLD IT!” yelled Julius to Felix and Brutus,
who quickly ran to the other side of the boat and
grasped the second flailing tiller.

X XII X XIII
 As the rain lashed down from pitch-black clouds,
the sea looked like a crazy mountain range thrusting
high into the sky, before crashing back down into
swirling chasms.
The wind screamed as it ripped through the sail,
dragging the ship from one frightening lunge to
another.
We need to get that
sail down before it
pulls us under!
“BUT HOW?!” cried Julius.
Suddenly the great gale whipped through the
ship, sweeping the stricken vessel high up on a
mountainous wave. There was a loud CRACKING
noise as the sail was buffeted out as if fit to burst.
“LOOK OUT!” screamed Brutus, as the heavy
ropes that held the sail to the ship pinged off like they
were mere washing lines.
X XI V
With another frightening CRACK the mast and sail
were torn off into the raging turmoil of storm clouds.
Well, that’s
sorted THAT
problem out!
Then, at that moment, Cornelius looked past Julius,
the blood draining from his little face. “I – I think it
might just be the BEGINNING of our problems!” he
squeaked, pointing upwards.
Julius turned to see a monstrous wall of water
rising and blocking out the sky.
“C-can you swim, Julius?” stuttered Cornelius.
“We’ll soon find out!” he gulped. And he held his
breath, squeezed his eyes shut and clung on to the
tiller for dear life.
XXV
 C HAPT ER T WO Squinting from the dazzling sun, Julius opened his

BEACHED WAILS eyes a little wider.

Julius,
you’re
alive!
Julius was woken by a voice calling his name.
He blinked open his eyes to find a familiar face
staring at him.

Look,
it’s Julius!
I’ve found
him! Julius slowly pulled himself up, wincing at his
aches and pains. “Where ... where are we?” he
murmured. He looked around the beach, shielding
his eyes from the sun with his hoof. Strewn across
Julius,
wake up! the golden, sandy shore were broken crates, smashed
jugs, twisted rope and hundreds of pieces of wood of
Julius groaned. His ribs were bruised and he had a all shapes and sizes. In the sea even more fragments
very sore head. Cold water sloshed around his legs. were floating idly on the tide. The familiar figures
Then he heard more voices calling his name and the of Brutus, Pliny and Milus were picking through the
splish-sploshing of paddling hooves. debris.

XXVI X X V II
 Woohoo! Then he grabbed a big hoof-ful of shrubs and gave
I found it! them a big sniff too.
I found
the board This place
game! YES! smells like
home.

“We’re alive!” gasped Julius. “Somehow we’re

alive!”
“That was quite the storm!” said Cornelius chirpily.
“And it seems the gods were on our side, as we were
fortunate enough to be near land as it hit!”
Julius finally stood up, stretched his back and again
looked around the beach. He took in a deep breath,
the hot air burning his nostrils.
“Cor!” he blurted out. “Now there’s a smell I
haven’t smelt in a VERY long time!” Kneeling, he
sniffed a big rock and let out a big jolly gasp of air.
“Can it be true: are we home?”
“That’s a very good question!” replied Cornelius.
“In fact, we’ve been having quite a debate about it.
I’m pretty sure we’re in Africa!”
He scampered off ahead round some big sand
dunes. “Follow me!”
“Where are you going?” asked Julius, his achy legs
barely able to carry him.
“Lucia’s got something to show you!” announced the
warthog.

X X V III X XI X
Crocodiles!
Hundreds
of them!
 “JULIUS!” cried Lucia. She dashed over to her old
friend and gave him a big hug. “We thought we’d lost
you!”
Isn’t it wonderful
to be back in
AFRICA!
“We can go HOME!” she sang gleefully.
“How can you be so sure?” exclaimed Julius.
“Well, where ELSE do you find so many
crocodiles?”
Milus strode up to Julius and patted him on
the shoulder. “So, donkey, even though it’s been
wonderful hanging out with the likes of a zebra and
an antelope, it’s time I left,” he growled.
“But you can’t leave us now, Milus!” pleaded Julius.
X X XII
“We still need to find Septimus and stop him training
any more animals!”
“If you think Septimus survived that storm,”
said Milus, walking off, “then you’re a bigger fool
than you look!”
But WE
survived
it!
“Which means we can get our lives back again,”
said Milus. “Goodbye.”
Julius called over to Pliny the mouse, who was
hopping through the flotsam of the shipwreck.
“PLINY! CAN’T YOU HAVE A WORD?”
Pliny threw his paws up in despair. “Don’t ya think
I tried?” he squeaked. “Ain’t nothing going to change
his mind!”
X X XIII
 “You know,” Julius sighed, “even though he kept “Come on, Debra!” Pliny squeaked. “We can
calling me a donkey, I think I’m going to miss the old chillax, check out the local landmarks!” He started
grump.” darting about in the sand, throwing shapes and
cartwheeling.

Come
on, Come and
Julius! wear a I’m hoping to pick up
This’ll seaweed some new fighting moves.
cheer wig!! Peeyow!
you up! Peeyow!

“Very nice, Brutus! But that doesn’t help with

finding Septimus.”
Lucia patted Julius’s shoulder. “Forget Septimus,”
she said kindly. “Milus is right: he’s either lost at sea,
or shipwrecked who knows where.” She gave Julius
a big smile. “We’re finally FREE to do whatever we
want!”
Felix ran across the beach. “Don’t worry, Julius!” he
shouted. “I’m not going anywhere, not when there
are lots of amazing rocks to collect!”
“Yeah, you’re right,” laughed Julius. “In fact,
thinking about it, I’m glad to see the back of Milus.
If I never see him again, it will be too soon!”

X X XI V XXXV