10 Transport Capsule in Trouble — Attack No. 1
While Shuckworth, Shanks and Showler were being chased outof the Space Hotel by the Knids, Mr Wonka's Great GlassElevator was orbiting the Earth at tremendous speed. MrWonka had all his booster-rockets firing and the Elevator wasreaching speeds of thirty-four thousand miles an hour insteadof the normal seventeen thousand. They were trying, you see,to get away from that huge angry Vermicious Knid with thepurple behind. Mr Wonka wasn't afraid of it, but GrandmaJosephine was petrified¹. Every time she looked at it, she let outa piercing scream and clapped her hands over her eyes. Butof course thirty-four thousand miles an hour is dawdling² to aKnid. Healthy young Knids think nothing of travelling a millionmiles between lunch and supper, and then another millionbefore breakfast the next day. How else could they travelbetween the planet Vermes and other stars? Mr Wonka shouldhave known this and saved his rocket-power, but he kept righton going and the giant Knid kept right on cruising effortlesslyalongside, glaring into the Elevator with its wicked red eye. 'Youpeople have bruised³ my backside,' the Knid seemed to besaying, 'and in the end I'm going to get you for that.'
They had been streaking⁴ around the Earth like this for aboutforty-five minutes when Charlie, who was floating comfortablybeside Grandpa Joe near the ceiling, said suddenly, 'There'ssomething ahead! Can you see it, Grandpa? Straight in front ofus!'
'I can, Charlie, I can … Good heavens, it's the Space Hotel!' 'Itcan't be, Grandpa. We left it miles behind us long ago.'
' Ah-ha,' said Mr Wonka. 'We've been going so fast we'vegone all the way around the Earth and caught up with itagain! A splendid effort!'
'And there's the Transport Capsule! Can you see it, Grandpa?
It's just behind the Space Hotel!'
'There's something else there, too, Charlie, if I'm not mistaken!'
'I know what those are!' screamed Grandma Josephine.
'They're Vermicious Knids! Turn back at once!'
'Reverse!' yelled Grandma Georgina. 'Go the other way!'
'Dear lady,' said Mr Wonka. 'This isn't a car on the motorway⁵.
When you are in orbit, you cannot stop and you cannot gobackwards.'

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