david, peter -the toy hunters

8/20/2019 DAVID, Peter -The Toy Hunters

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About the Author

Peter David was born in Rusholme Close, near to the centre of

Manchester, along with four brothers. He served anapprenticeship as a plumber, which led him to working ininstrumentation in the heav construction industr. !his in turn

led Peter to work in the "orth #ea, and later to $ondon, %ent,

#outh &ales, and 'orkshire.



Dedication

&hen ( started this stor m mother )va and father *ames had passed awa. +ut (d like to honour them, along with m

brothers. !heir memor, we remember with deep affection, as

good, loving parents.



eter David

THE TOY HUNTERS



Copright - Peter David /0123

!he right of Peter David to be identified as author of this work

has been asserted b him in accordance with section 44 and 45

of the Copright, Designs and Patents Act 1655.

All rights reserved. "o part of this publication ma be

reproduced, stored in a retrieval sstem, or transmitted in an

form or b an means, electronic, mechanical, photocoping,

recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the

publishers.

An person who commits an unauthori7ed act in relation to

this publication ma be liable to criminal prosecution and civil

claims for damages.

A C(P catalogue record for this title is available from the +ritish

$ibrar.

(#+" 645 1 45228 105 4 paperback3

(#+" 645 1 45228 106 8 hardback3

www.austinmacaule.com

9irst Published /0123

Austin Macaule Publishers $td.

/2 Canada #:uareCanar &harf

$ondon

)18 2$+

Printed and bound in ;reat +ritain



Contents

1 The Toy Hunters 11

2 The Explorer 21

3 The Surprise 28

4 The Count 38

5 Shark Attack 47

6 The Plan 54

7 Chicken Run 64

8 The Planne !e"ence 72

# !e"ence Plan 82

1$ %i&h Sea Rescue 8#

11 Stor' (re)in& ##

12 The Crocoile Rescue 11$

13 The Te* (ears Picnic 11#

14 The (i& (last 142

15 !ou+le Trou+le 153

16 ,allie to the Rescue 16#

17 Crocoile !inner 176

18 -ollo) .* /eaer 182

1# 0ohns Capture 18#



2$ 0ohns Escape 1#6

21 The To*s Capture 2$6

22 inappe irls 214

23 The &irls Escape 224

24 The To*s Planne Attack 231

25 Ru++er %ose 242

26 Chirp* the Prisoner 248

27 0ohn to the Rescue 258

28 The Toy’s Trap 266



1

T h e T o y H u n t e r s

&e all set sail from *apan on a +ritish #hip bound for the

<nited #tates of America. !he *apanese ;overnment of the

da had informed everbod to leave= unless ou were born

in *apan, and oure a *apanese Citi7en.

Mr !. Collins, and his appointment was to the +ritish)mbass here in !oko, as the Ambassador. He and his

famil had spent four happ ears here= its a lovel place to

live. &e all reall liked living here, the onl thing ( couldnt

get used to was their gardens. (t was mostl made up of

small stones, combed into swirls and sweeping ruts. (f oud

had a walled garden, sometimes large stones or rocks would

be placed here and there as ornaments. +ut with no lawn to

pla on, it was hopeless to en>o ourself on the stones. !hatwas m onl complaint.

)verthing was alright until we were informed to leave

as soon as possible. !he whole )mbass was in a panic,

everone was running around as if the place was on fire.

#heets of important papers were packed awa in small trunks

and large bags. Huge sea?trunks was packed with adult

clothes and shoes collected over the ears. Hundreds of toskept over time, was packed awa neat and tid into two

strong wooden to bo@es. &ith the kes turned in the locks,

alread for the >ourne home. #i@ large travel trunks had

alread been sent down to the docks full to the brim with

childrens clothes. &ith a small collection of odds and ends,

thats been put together over man ears from man

countries.

;oodbes were e@changed, thats when the cring

started again, it was so sad.

+ut orders were orders, so Ambassador Collins had said

so man times before. &e all climbed into the )mbass



ancient motorcar, which was to take us all down to the

docks. ( overheard the Ambassador, ask the *apanese

fficial, wh have we been ordered to leave. +ut he >ust

shook his head, and waved him awa. !he ne@t second the

ship hooter sounded to board the vessel.

&e all boarded the ship, and shown to our cabins on the

lower deck. &hat we couldnt recall, was seeing or meeting

an other passengers on board. &e went up onto the upper

deck to watch the *apanese dock workers down below. +ut

we were soon waved awa b the same *apanese official,

who was ver angr with us. He didnt like us looking down

at the cargo the dockworkers were loading onto the ship.

!he whole famil sat down to their meal on board the

ship, as we set sail for America. !he first night at sea was

ver peaceful we all had a good nights sleep. !he ne@t

morning the sea was calm, and the da ver sunn. !he

Collins famil had a good breakfast, still the ship sailed on.

"obod felt seasick, but for some reason we seem to be

going further south, ou could feel it getting warmer.Ambassador Collins asked Captain Ma, B&h are we

going further south

Captain Ma answered, B!o avoid an shipping, we

were told it would be safer to go further south. 9or the rest

of the da we all took it eas for the sunshine made us all

la7. &e all sat around on the ships deckchairs en>oing the

sun. !he ne@t morning after breakfast we la on the shipsdeckchairs looking up at the lovel blue sk. &hen Captain

Ma walked b, he was followed b the first officer who

came running up with a slip of paper in his hand. !he note

was :uickl handed to the Captain, and within seconds of

him reading it the both ran off in a mad panic.

!he ships foghorn sounded loud and clear, followed b

the wailing sound of the ships sirens which filled the air.

Running feet could be heard all around us, some scampering

up steel steps. Man feet were pounding along the deck

above our heads, things were clanging and banging, loud

voices were shouting out orders. !he ships crew were



shouting, men were dashing about in a wild panic. #uddenl

one might bang and the whole ship gave a huge shudder.

!here was more screaming and shouting, as the ship lurched

over to one side. !he word E!orpedo was passed along the

decks. !he sound of loud banging could be heard, as the

lifeboats were launched. &ild panic set in again, when the

ship gave another lurch.

Foices cried out over the noise, more loud banging

sounded as the crew rushed around on deck. #lowl the

sounds drifted awa, and all went :uiet. nl the bubbling

and gurgling sound of water entering the ship was reaching

our ears. )verthing else was so peaceful with us >ust linghere, on the ships wooden deckchair. +oth looking up at the

light blue sk with the ships deck slightl sloping over to

one side. (t was so silent, so nice here, both looking up and

thinking of home.

&hen ver slowl the deckchair >ust slid across the steel

decking as the tilt increased. !he ship was sinking lower in

the water we >ust plopped into the sea, as if launching alifeboat in slow motion. !he seas current soon carried us

both awa. &hen suddenl the ships boilers blew, scattering

debris far and wide. $eaving what was left to sink without a

trace. "ot long after a long black thing appeared close b. (f

(m right, ( remember it being called a submarine. !he sun

was growing hot as we both drifted farther south. &ith the

sun burning down on us, it drained all our strength. (t was a

struggle to keep our ees open an longer.

*ohn la close to &allie with his arm over him as if

holding him on. !he ships deckchair had drifted south, four

das since the ship was sunk. &e were somewhere >ust north

of the Pacific +asin, when the ship was attacked.

!he sun was burning us, as we both la face upwards. (t

was a lot cooler at night as we both la side b side ver

still. !he wind had picked up a little= the sound of thunder inthe far distance could be heard. !he swell in the ocean lifted

him and &allie a little higher. !he faint outline of land came

into view, in the ver far distance. *ohn seems to tighten his



grip on the chair as he dropped one arm across his face. He

felt the were beond hope, there would be no rescue for

him or &allie.

!he thunder a little nearer, as the swell took them bothhigher. !he wooden chair was tossed around a little more in

the wild seas *ohn braced himself, while holding onto his

best friend. !he wind was picking up, and the storm building

up. !he ocean waves were getting chopp as the were

thrown about a lot more.

*ohn tightened his grip on the ships deckchair for the

second time, while still holding onto &allie. !he sea was

lifting the chair far too often for him to hold on much longer.

He closed his ees, and hoped his strength would hold out.

!he storm was building fast, with the wind howling as the

ships chair was caught in a hurricane force nine gale. He

hung onto &allie for as long as he could in the rough seas,

but growing weaker with ever second. &ind had picked up

again, the sea was raging with anger. !hunder and lightning

flashed across the dark skies. &allie slipped off the chair anddrifted awa, *ohn couldnt hold him an longer. He was too

weak himself, but it didnt take long for him to eventuall

slip off the chair.

(n his weakened state, he too was carried awa in a da7e.

He felt himself beginning tossed around in the wild seas.

ne last whip and toss, he found himself almost drowning

too wear to fight.He woke up with his legs in the shallow water and his

face in the wet sand. *ohn la there for some time, feeling

like a wet rag. He was completel e@hausted, he couldnt

ever remember being so weak, or how long hed been ling

here. ;athering all the strength he could muster, he managed

to drag himself up the beach towards the tree line. (t was too

hot to move about, he struggled to keep his ees open an

longer. He :uickl fell asleep under a >ungle bush for shade.

$oud screaming and shouting woke *ohn from his deep

sleep. &ith half open ees, he looked across and down the



beach. He saw men chasing tos with huge fishermens

landing nets. !he tos were :uickl scooped up and tipped

into sacks before the were carried awa to their boat

anchored in the ba. He couldnt believe his ees, he knew

he was too weak to help. *ohn tried to cr out, but all that

came out was a dr croaking sound. He tried to stand, but he

knew he was onl wasting his time if he tried again. &ith no

energ left, and all his strength gone, all he could do was

watch with wet ees. How the tos had to suffer as the

fought for their freedom. !he four humans dashed back on

board their boat with their bulk sack full of tos. !he

:uickl pulled the anchor up= within minutes the boat setsail. *ohn was so e@hausted he fell asleep at once. His

dreams took him in and out of his restless nightmares.

His low cries gave himself awa, as she approached

along the beach to where he was sleeping still under the

bush.

#he called out he woke with a >erk, as her voice called

out a second time. !hinking it was the humans coming for him, he rolled over tring to hide. +ut it was a weak effort

on his part, as he was confused.

BHello, have ou been here long she asked. B( take it

ouve alread realised this is a EMagical (sland where all

the tos can walk and talk like humans, she straightened her

nurses uniform. B'ou wont know this, but this island has

passed through the histor of time, unknown for ears. #hall( carr on ( reall dont want to bore ou, when ouve >ust

got here, she said with a smile. *ohn tried to speak, but the

words wouldnt come out. He nodded for es, feeling a little

stupid.

B!his island is so far awa from anwhere, its been

missed so man times before. &e believe its been forgotten.

!his is the biggest island in the group, its >ust north of the

smaller islands. !he tos call this E!o (slandG so whatsour name 'es, ( know ( talk too much, but we dont have

time to waste here, she said :uickl.



#till half asleepG B*ohn, he answered as he shook his

head to make soon sense of it all. B&here am ( he asked,

as he looked around for the surprise, et to come.

B!his is E!o (sland the tos come here, when theve been lost at sea. +ut our freedom is alwas in danger. Have

ou been here long, *ohn she asked a second time.

B( was washed ashore esterda, ( crawled up the beach.

!hats when ( realised ( could walk and talk. ( saw man

tos captured and taken awa b the humans in their boat.

B&as there anbod else with ou she asked, as she

looked up and down the beach.B(m sorr to sa, ( lost m best friend at sea in bad

weather two das ago. ( tried to hold onto him, but ( was too

tired and weak mself to hold him an longer. He >ust

slipped awa from me, to lose &allie so soon, it reall hurt

me, (m finding it hard to forgive mself, it broke m heart

>ust thinking of him. &e spent so man hours together in that

dark to bo@, thats how we became good friends, he said.

B(m sorr to hear about our friend, but things happen

all the time here. M names "anc. &hos &allie she

asked.

B&allie is a bab whale, ( feel so sad to lose him so

earl, *ohn held his head down.

BCan ou stand and walkG 'ou know, *ohn, we cant

dwell on the past here. &e dont have time for that, everda our freedom is threaten. 'ou have to grab what life has

to offer here. +ut as ou know we dont have a choice, now

oure here, "anc said.

B( realise that, "anc, (m >ust a little upset about losing

m friend &allie so earl. 'ou could tell he was feeling a

little guilt. &ith a huge effort *ohn got to his feet, a little

uneas.

BCome on, *ohn, ou can meet tosG well whats left

us, now the hunters have gone. !he come here from time?

to?time, taking the tos to sell. +ut what can we do to stop

them= were onl tos like ou, *ohn, washed up on the



beach. &e sleep on the beach, most of us in big coconut

shells, ah look "anc looked along the beach, and pointed.

B$ook the tos are coming to meet us, she said. #he

supported *ohn as the both walked along the beach.

B)verbod, this is *ohn. Hes >ust got here, hes alread

lost his best friend &allie onl a few das ago. Hes a little

sad, but hes oka, she uttered. !he tos turned around and

made their wa back along the beach. "anc led the wa

with *ohn b her side. E!his is what we call E!o +a, its

where we pla and sleep. 'ou can have a wonderful life

here, its onl the so?called E!o Hunter that spoil it for us

here. 'ou know, *ohn, on this EMagical (sland, it gives usman opportunities. #o oka we dont last long but at least

weve tried even if its onl for a short while. As long as we

can see the island, and oure a to, it means ou can walk

and talk like an human. Man of the islands tos have

come from ships sunk in the #econd &orld &ar when ships

were sunk almost on a dail basis, when torpedoes were

fired into the ships hull, "anc had finished, as she wavedher hands over the E!o +a.

#uddenl another voice took over to give "anc a rest.

B+ut it wasnt alwas like that, ever so often the hunters

would and raid the islands, in the group >ust for tos to sell.

!he dont care about the tos feelings, all the hunters

wanted was the mone. !he tos would end up in auction

anwhere in the world, but alwas going to the highest

bidder. !he hunters would sneak onto the island, ver earl

in the morning with their nets and sacks. ften the attack and

capture of tos was sometimes with sticks driving them into

sacks. (t was a cruel and callous act, it was onl with some

of the tos escaping to tell the tale, but man remember what

the hunters are capable of in their lust to catch us, said

#usan, as she had taken over from "anc to give her a rest.

#o "anc with a deep breath went on to e@plain where#usan left off. B&hen the hunters are around the tos are

never safe. &e took to hiding, tring to make it harder for

the hunters to find and catch us. &here it became of hide?



and?seek, onl with no end in sight for us, onl capture. !he

winners are alwas E!he !o Hunters. )ver time the

come here, snatching tos on a weekl basis. "anc had

laid out the full situation in detail.

*ohn, the to soldier, as he got to be known b the

islands tos. He was welcomed into the group like a long

lost famil friend. He alwas said to himself, while oure

marching oull not be fightingG unless oure hiding. !hat

wa oull alwas make it harder for them to find us. As

*ohn settled into his new home, he soon realised, its a new

wa of life here. He was told his time here was his own to

live how he liked. &hat more could an to ask for, whenthe sun starts to sink, leaving the sk with a red glow for the

tos to watch. 9or all the tos who can walk and talk like

humans its magic here. !he could sit on the warm sand,

watching the stars coming out at night. "ever has *ohn seen

such wonders, to him its trul magic. 9or everda living

thed collected berries and fruit from trees, but alwas from

the edge of the >ungle. !he tos never go into the >ungle daor night, its ver frightening for them. <sing onl the moon

for light, we all made our wa to bed inside our coconut

shells. !hats the onl the place where the tos feel safe at

night. "ever in the histor of !o (sland has anbod

wanted to leave this wonderful place. All the tos are happ

living here, the have everthing at their fingertips. (ts trul

paradise for the tos here. )ver morning the tos go down

to the sea to wash, and pla in the water. (ts the highlight of the da, when everbod meets one another. $ife here is one

long holida. ne of the games the tos pla is to e@plore

the outer part of the >ungle edge. !he never pass the tree

line, the sa big?big monsters live in there. Most tos sleep

ver close to the seashore, thats the onl wa the feel safe

from the outside world.

&hen *ohn asked, B&hat do the monsters look like9unn the didnt know, theve never seen them. B#o how

do ou know the monsters are still here &hen nobod has

seen them, onl tracks in the sand from time to time to show

there still coming and going.



Most of the time, the tos onl e@plore the beach. !he

go looking for precious things along the tree line. !he never

find much, mabe a few pure white pebbles, but nothing of

real value, but of pecan nuts are washed ashore b the bucket

full. !he tos said if ou want wood, it comes in all shapes

and si7es. )ver morning ou see more wood washed up on

the sand, nearl all around the island. Ropes and old fishing

nets come in a good second best, all the nets damaged and

mostl ripped to bits.

BIuick IuickG )verbod out of the water, he

shouted. He was waving his arms around violentl, tring to

get all the tos out of the water. B(ts E#amm the #harkHes swimming over there. Come on Come onG Hurr up

>ust in case hes feeling hungr, shouted Paul the

Policeman. He turned to *ohn. B'ou see on this island of lost

tos, the all can shout, so lets hear ou shout tos. Paul

nodded to *ohn to watch and listen. !he tos watched

E#amm swim around in the ba looking for food.

B;o awa E#amm, go awa E#amm. All the tosshouted. B&e dont want ou here, as he swam around

looking for someone to eat.

Paul the policeman told everbod to sta out of the

water, till E#amm has gone. B(ts not often he comes

swimming round !o +a so watch out when hes about.

Hes ver craft, when ou dont e@pect it, E#amm will

swim in and eat ou up, Paul said. $ooking at *ohn as afuture warning.

B(f E#amm the #hark is feeling hungr, he wont get

anthing to eat here, shouted *ack the 9ireman.

B"othing to eat here, all the tos all shouted out

together.

B$ook (ts a &hale, hes chasing E#amm awa. ;ood

old &hale, #all the showgirl shouted. B'oud better becareful when #amm is swimming about in E!o +a. Hes

alwas pretending he doesnt care, but all the tos know

E#amm, onl too well. &hen oure not looking hell dart

in and gobble ou up in seconds. +ut for now, we must all



sta out of the water, and pla on the sand where its safe. #o

now *ohn, ou know what to look for in future, #all said

with a wave of her hand.

ne of the games the tos pla, when E#amm is aboutis to see who can build the tallest sandcastle, using onl

coconut shells as buckets. All da long the tos worked and

plaed in the sunshine. All the tos en>oed das like this,

its so much fun. (t also takes our mind off the danger out at

sea. E+ill the bank manager, hes acting as >udge for the

da. !he sa hes a ver clever man, his girlfriendG Doll,

shes ver beautiful, tall and slim with red hair and blue

ees. #hes a peach of a looker the tos hinted she was onthe catwalk in Paris and Rome. !he believe she was a top

model in $ondon, before the ship she was on, was lost at sea.

#unk theve been told, but not so long after the word

Escuttled was mentioned. (t has nothing to do with us, were

onl tos, but it makes ou think.

!he tos got *ohn to build his first sandcastle, he at the

same time he was listening to all the chatter around him. Hewas ama7ed, how the tos talked about ever da gossip and

idle talk. His arms still hurt, from the time hed held onto the

chair, and his friend &allie.



2

T h e E x p l o r e r

+uilding sandcastles is something soldiers dont do, but he

en>oed it. (f nothing else, it was another string to his bow.

&ith the other tos around him, *ohn was learning all the

time about life, here on E!o (sland.B+ill, Doll shouts. BDo ou like m sandcastle (ts

ever so tall #he calls out with her statue?like pose. #he was

standing there, looking ver glamorous with her catlike ees.

B"ow ou know, Doll, ( cant sa anthing till

everbods finished building their sandcastles. (t wouldnt

be fair, said +ill. As he walked around, he cast his ees

over the rest of the castles.B)verbod, stop building our sandcastles +ill will

>udge the best for the da, called Paul the policeman as he

followed +ill around on his inspection. +ill walked around

looking at all the sandcastles. He was taking his time, he

wanted to make sure he picks the best one for the da. He

points to *ohns sandcastle.

B!his is the best one, +ill steps forward, while still pointing at *ohns castle, and shakes his hand as the winner.

B!he winners award is a beer bottle top, which +ill

handed over to him with a smile.

B( think its magnificent. +ill shook *ohns hand again.

BAttention everbod Paul shouted. BCan ou be

:uiet, thank ou, he shouted out. B)verbod, its safe to go

back into the sea again. E#amm the #hark has gone. Paulturned back to the sea again, >ust to make sure it was safe.

*ohns thoughts made him step back and think about

E&allie the whale. Could that be m pal E&allie as he

watched him swim awa.



BHooraG All the tos shouted, the were happ

again. &ith a mad dash into the sea, all the tos were

laughing and splashing water over one another. !hats the

fun part, when ou live on a desert island in the middle of

the ocean. 'ou can do what ou like, and nobod will tell

ou off.

B$ets pla another game !omm the farmer said.

B&e could go along the beach searching for things of value.

'ou never know what we might find, he said with his finger

pointing along the seashore.

BCan ou hang on a minute *ohn asked. B( want to

make sure, and see if thats m friend !urning towards the

edding tide, standing on the beach, he shouted across the

water. B&allie &allie he shouted. *ohn waves as the

whale swim in. He paddles out to meet him, in shallow

waters. B&allie, is that reall ou ( wasnt sure if that was

ou, *ohn stood looking at him, his huge tail slaps on the

water for E'es.

*ohn was over>oed, and glad to see his friend again. Heslipped both arms around his neck, giving him one might

hug. B( thought (d lost ou forever, are ou feeling alright

'oure not hurt are ou (m sorr ( couldnt hold ou an

longer. ( was too weak.

&allie shot a huge >et of water high into the air, to show

*ohn he was alright and unhurt. He understood how things

turned out for both of them.BHe, &allie, this is better than some old dark to bo@

we were kept in *ohn said. &ith a big smile, he put his

arms around &allies neck for the second time. &ith another

great hug before he swims awa.

B+e, &allie, see ou later, with his big tail hitting the

water, making aloud slapping noise, as he heads out to sea.

!hed all agreed to go beach combing before *ohn went tomeet &allie. nce again, the all set off looking for treasure

along the waters edge.



B%eep both ees open for E#amm the shark and

anthing of value, !omm said as the walked along.

B(m king of the castle, shouted *ohn, as he stood on top

of a large mound. All the tos laughed as the tried to climbup and >oin him. &ith a sudden movement the mound

moved. Most of the tos fell off laughing, but *ohn clung on

for dear life, as the mound headed out into deeper water.

B*ump, *ohn, remember #amm the shark, all the tos

shouted out. +ut he lost his balance and slid down the side of

the moving mound.

B&hat is it !he all cried out a little frighten, as thewatched it move into shallow waters. (t was onl when Paul

stepped forward to answer their :uestion.

B(ts a #ea !urtle, he said as it entered into deeper

waters.

B(ts big *ohn said. As the all watched it swim out to

sea.

B(ts not that big, said Paul. B(ts us lot, who are small.Remember were onl tos who can walk and talk, on this

EMagic (sland in the middle of the ocean.

!he set off a second time, along the beach still looking

for treasure. !here in the surf the tos found a bottle with a

note inside. (t took two to pull the cork out as it was swollen

b sea water. (t took four to unroll the note, so it could be

read. &ith one to at each corner, it was Paul who did thereading while we all listened.

B!he note, sasG help me, (m stuck on a desert island,

with ver little food. "eed help :uick. !he !o Hunters are

after me, the want to sell me at auction for mone, signed

E$ittle !ed.

B&ell the onl trouble with that, is which desert island

hes on *ohn lifted his head, ou could see the slight hint

of defeat in his ees.

BCome on were doing no good here, said +ill. B&e

should move on. #lowl the tos moved along the seashore

looking for anthing that could be classed as valuable to

david, peter -the toy hunters

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