Put the lizard down, Terence! says Gaius.
Terence unhooks the lagarto tizón.
It is nearly twenty centimetres long.
It has a blue stain on its face, and a bright yellow iris.
It is otherwise brown-black in colour.
It doesn't look happy.
A Gallotia galloti! says Gaius. I know of it.
Subspecies insulanagae, says the Rector. Found only out there.
He points towards the Roques de Anaga.
Terence bends down to the eye with its bright yellow iris.
Is that your home? asks Terence. Do you want to go back there?
The yellow eye waters. The nose (if it is a nose), sniffs.
He wants to, says Terence. That means we have to take him. We need a boat.
No, says the Rector. We don't have time for this nonsense. Just leave him.
And they would have done, had this not happened:
The lagarto tizón may well have been sniffing for sorrow.
But sniffing is twofold.
Sniffing is smelling, and the lagarto tizón has smelled Daniel O'Connell.
The stickiness on his legs merely adds to the tempting aroma.
Daniel O'Connell is reclining in his open red box, not sensing danger.
Until he is darted upon!
Luckily Kong has been paying attention.
He whips up the red box before Daniel O'Connell can be eaten.
My legs! cries Daniel O'Connell.
What's happened? cries Terence. Have they come off again?
No! They're stuck to the box at the bottom! moans Daniel O'Connell.
Really! Gaius is sick of things happening to the legs of Daniel O'Connell!
We probably all are.
But the expedition must go on. It is being crowd funded. Post cards have been promised.
Gaius sighs.
He looks into the Rooibos tea box where Daniel is struggling.
Hold him still, says Gaius. Does anyone have any tweezers?
The Rector believes there might be a first aid kit in the Opel, but that is down in Chamorga.
Kong searches his pockets. No tweezers. Just a phone, a pen and a notebook.
He shrugs. There is only so much one can do.
He could at least sketch the lagarto tizón. He starts sketching, with a blue ball point.
He regrets that he hasn't a yellow.
Oucheewowwow! yells Daniel O'Connell. Why has no one got proper equipment!
But he is out of the box now, and he's NOT going back again.
The box lies on the grass.
It is sticky on the bottom. There is a tiny leg stuck to it, waving or shuddering.
The lagarto tizón thinks: well if nobody wants it...
And jumps into the box.
Look! says Terence. He's wrecking it! No, he isn't. He thinks it's a boat!
That is not what the lagarto tizón was thinking, but it's in his head now.
He darts off down the steep cliff face dragging the red box behind him.
Goodbye Daniel's leg. If it's not in the box still, it's inside the lagarto tizón.
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