CHAPTER TWO HUNDRED AND EIGHTY EIGHT – GREEDY TAXI DRIVERS

As the day wore on, the bus began to make strange noises. Suddenly, it lurched to a stop, smoke billowing from the engine. "Oh no, not again," Jasmine groaned as they all piled out of the bus. While Rodrigo and the others examined the engine, Jasmine noticed Paolo skulking away, a wrench hidden behind his back. "Lenny," she hissed, "I think Paolo sabotaged the bus!" Before they could confront him, Rodrigo announced that the bus couldn't be fixed quickly. "We'll have to walk to the next town," he said. "It's through that forest, about a day's hike." And so, their strange procession set off into the dense Brazilian forest. Acrobats swung from vines, the lion tamer led his charges on leashes, and the clowns brought up the rear, Paolo still glowering. Their journey was far from smooth. At one point, they had to cross a rickety rope bridge over a ravine. The tightrope walker crossed with ease, but Jasmine froze halfway. "I can't do it," she called out, her knuckles white as she gripp