Meanwhile, back in Koalatown, Mabo had brought Bumpy all the way down to the south-central section of Koalatown, below the clearing where the party was being held, having taken a path somewhat to the east in order to avoid the crowds. He led him straight towards the 'Tree of Justice,' where delinquents, miscreants, and the like were kept chained to the trunk. The chains were about seven feet long, to allow some freedom of movement, though this was of little comfort to those thus confined.
'Blimpy!' Bumpy shouted when he saw his brother, one of the two koalas already fettered there. 'What are you doing here? Why, I'll bet this no-good friend of yours got you into trouble again, didn't he?'
Chigow, seated next to Blimpy, never did get along with Bumpy. 'Hah! Looks like you're one to talk! Hey Mabo, what did ya arrest him for, stupidity or ugliness?'
'Why, you little…' Bumpy growled. 'If my paws weren't tied, I'd teach you a lesson you'd never forget!'
'Shut up, you two,' Mabo commanded, 'or I'll teach you both a lesson myself!' He fitted a shackle at the end of a free chain around Bumpy's left ankle, and then untied his hands.
'There. You should have your hearing with our Judge Rolly in a few days, if you're lucky.'
'A few days!' Bumpy was exasperated. 'I've gotta get back to my friends! You can't keep me here chained up for days!'
'Oh no? Just wait and see,' Mabo grinned. 'There will no doubt be a number of arrests made today, what with all those drunken koalas at the celebration raising a ruckus. The Judge is going to have his hands full of cases this week. Till then, you'll stay right here. I'll bring you all some fresh leaves in a couple of hours, so just settle down, and enjoy your stay in Koalatown! Ha ha ha!' Mabo walked away, laughing with malicious glee.
'That koala oughta get a good punch in the snoot,' Chigow muttered.
'For once, we agree on somethin',' Bumpy said. 'As a matter of fact, I gave him just that before he arrested me.' He then went on to tell them the whole story.
'Wow, Bumpy, that's really bad luck,' Blimpy sympathized with his older brother, 'and what's really a shame is that those three koalas who attacked you must have scared off the beauty that was waitin' for you!'
'You dimwit!' Bumpy snapped at his sibling. 'Don't ya get it? There never was a girl waitin' for me. It was a trick they used to get me to go up to the edge of the forest, where they could pounce on me!'
'Oh yeah, I see…' Blimpy finally understood what had happened.
'Then that Mabo came, and ended up arresting me. I was framed, I tell ya!' Bumpy yelled indignantly.
'No use whinin' about it now,' Chigow spoke up. 'Question is, how are we gonna get outta here?'
'Hey, wait a minute,' Bumpy stopped him. 'You never told me why you two are chained up here.'
'Yeah, well, uh, that's a long story,' Chigow didn't seem too anxious to tell him.
'Lemme guess. You two were the fools who tried to break into Tama's shack and steal that eucalyptus liquor, right?'
'Hey Bumpy, that's pretty good. Howd'ya figure it out?' Blimpy replied before Chigow could stop him.
'What a couple of birdbrains you are!' Bumpy scolded them. 'Did you really think you'd get away with that? Tama guards that liquor as if it were gold. He knows how many crooks there are who crave that stuff.'
'Yeah, well, we can sit here for days insultin' each other, or we can think up a plan to escape and get back to Koalaville. Which'll it be?' Chigow tried to change the subject.
'Okay, we'll think of a way to escape first. Then when we get home, I'll insult you for a few days there. Might even give you the punch you deserve!' Bumpy threatened.
'Oh, come on, guys, let's not fight now. This shackle is startin' to rub the fur right off my ankle. We're gonna end up lookin' like we have scurvy or somethin'. Can anybody think of a way to get these chains off?' Blimpy asked, feeling the shackle on his ankle to see if there was any possibility of opening it.
'Hmmm,' Bumpy mumbled, doing the same, 'looks pretty strong, it does. But maybe, just maybe,' he reached into the bib pocket of his medium-blue overalls and pulled out a thin, though strong, metal rod, about four inches long. 'Here it is. I use it to pick the seeds out of apples. I wonder if I could…' He stuck one end of the rod into the lock on his shackle.
'Hmmmm… This won't be easy…'
'Well, there's no rush,' said Chigow. 'If you get it open, open mine, too, then wake me up. I think I need a little nap.'
'Yeah, you go to sleep,' Bumpy replied, 'and stop botherin' me.' He continued to fiddle around with the metal rod in the lock, intent on getting it open. Blimpy watched his brother in silence, not wanting to break his concentration, or to anger him, for he knew that Bumpy could be unpleasantly short-tempered at times. Nevertheless, he felt sure that his big brother would get them out of the trouble they were in. After all, he usually did!