Freddy Goes to the North Pole by Walter R. Brooks

tell you to. Eh, boys?” And he looked round at his friends, who all grinned and licked their chops expectantly.
    In spite of his danger, Jack began to get mad. It was beginning to get light now, and he could see that these animals were really a very ferocious-looking crew. But although it was high time his own friends were up and about the business of getting breakfast, he knew that without Charles to wake them they would probably sleep late, and it would be an hour or more before they would become alarmed at his absence and set out to look for him. He must gain as much time as he could. “I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said, “but I suppose it’s some sort of a joke, for I don’t believe for a minute that you intend to try to keep us here against our will. We’ve never done you any harm—” But he got no further, for the leader suddenly lifted his muzzle and barked a sharp command. Immediately the other animals got to their feet and closed in around their prisoners.
    â€œCome,” said the leader. “We’ve stayed here long enough. You come with us.”
    Jack looked round at the ring of sharp teeth and menacing eyes. “All right,” he said. “But if any harm comes to us, you’ll be sorry.”
    Two or three of the captors laughed at this as they moved off, but the leader said: “You’ll come to no harm if you go quietly and do as we say. Forward, march!” And the animals wheeled like a squad of soldiers and marched their prisoners off into the forest.
    As Jack walked along over the frozen snow, listening to the laughter and coarse jokes of his guards, an idea came to him. “Get up on my head, Charles,” he said in a low voice.
    Charles was so frightened that at first he paid no attention, but kept on shivering and muttering: “Oh dear! Oh dear me! Whatever will Henrietta do without me? And my eighteen little ones at home; shall I never see them again? Oh, what a sad and untimely end to a useful and glorious life!” But presently, after Jack had repeated his order several times, Charles obeyed. Most of the trees in this part of the forest were tall and had no branches for twenty or thirty feet up, but pretty soon they passed through a clump of spruces whose low boughs were just over their heads. “Now, Charles! Jump when I tell you,” whispered Jack. Before the other animals realized what he was doing, he stopped, shouted: “Jump!” and, rearing up on his hind legs, fairly tossed the fluttering rooster up on to one of the limbs. “Now crow for all you’re worth!” he cried.
    And Charles crowed as he had never crowed before. His feet slipping and sliding on the ice-covered limb, his tail feathers snapped at by the mob of infuriated animals, who were leaping up beneath him and trying to pull him down, he crowed until the woods echoed for miles, and elk and bears and beaver and foxes and weasels, going about their morning business in distant parts of the forest, paused and lifted their heads and said: “Is that someone singing? What a beautiful voice!”

    â€œ Is that someone singing? ”
    But it did not last for long. The limb was so slippery that Charles could not hop higher up on it and so get out of reach of his pursuers, and presently one of them caught him by the wing and pulled him roughly down. Jack had had no chance to escape, for two of the largest of the animals had stood on each side of him while the others were trying to recapture Charles, and he knew that if he tried to run, they would stop him. Now one of them picked up Charles carefully and replaced him on Jack’s back, and the leader came up and spoke to him.
    â€œAnother little trick like that,” he said, “and there won’t be enough of you left in five minutes to make soup of. I shan’t warn you again.”
    But the prisoners did not need the warning. They were thoroughly