Page 18 - Book 3 - (barcoded)

16
The Wylder Valley
arrived and when he did, Charlie cried out: 'I'm amazed he's still alive!'
Sam winced when he saw Badger. 'I don't know what we can do, Charlie,' he said.
Matty arrived with Alfie, who examined the post in the ground. It didn't budge when he pushed against it.
'This has to come out. If Badger moves his leg now, he could lose it. See this rusty bar?' he said pointing to the trap, 'if we meddle with it and it snaps, one of us will get hurt.'
Simon and several animals arrived from Barns Wood to offer help. Alfie and Charlie began hacking at the ground with shovels. It was a hopeless task. 'We won't manage this ourselves. The ground is rock solid,' said Alfie.
'We need Badger's friends, Tom and Edward,' a loud voice called out. 'They'll have the post out in seconds, without using shovels.'
'Simon, you know where they live. Tell them what has happened. We can't free Badger on our own and he's losing blood,' cried Charlie as the bird took flight.
When the badgers, Tom and Edward, arrived, they began to dig straight away. The animals clawed at the ground around the pole. 'This took a long time to bury,' observed Edward angrily. The badgers' heads disappeared into the earth as they continued to excavate. Finally, the post began to move, and moments later Edward kicked it out. Tom looked at Badger and said there was little the animals could do for him. They decided to take him to the Weston cottage in the hope that people would find him.