wished he was back safely at home or at least in the cosy bedroom he shared with Tim at âThe Cedarsâ. But, on the other hand, this was some adventure. What a lot he would have to tell Aunt Mavis when he got back. And, more importantly, whilst Aunt Mavis had assured him that his Mum had agreed to him staying with the Prof and âgoing on a little expedition,â she surely would get a big surprise if she knew just what he was up to! And if she had met up with Dad again as she had planned, what would he say? It really was all too much to think about. Better just concentrate on getting to sleep. A dim, orange light glowed in the cabin and Jay could see Ella already asleep with Chip snoozing alongside. Tim was making the most of the faint light by peering at yet another book â âIcelandic Sagasâ this time â but even he seemed to be gradually nodding off.
From the navigation room Jay could hear the low murmur of adult voices as the Prof and the McDoons quietly discussed the flight plan for the next day. Once again Jay was reassured by the planning and the calm team around him. Yes, he concluded, this really was a great adventure.
CHAPTER 19
Jay was woken next morning by the throb of the flying boatâs powerful turbo-prop engines as Sandy McDoon carried out his pre-flight checks. Mrs. McDoon had already laid out breakfast in the tiny galley beside the chart room â porridge, prunes and thick oat cakes. The children gulped and munched their way through the hefty breakfast, designed, as Mrs. McDoon pointed out, to combat the cold. Tim wondered, since it was, after all, a flying boat, whether the substantial oat cakes were really shipâs biscuits, which, he pointed out, were essential supplies on Arctic expeditions. However, he concluded, having read of such things in books about naval explorers, that as he could detect no weevils in the biscuits they must be oat cakes after all. This was a great relief to Jay who had already eaten two without examining the contents.
Further speculation on naval breakfasts was interrupted by the arrival of the Prof, who, taking up the nautical mood, announced that it was, âTime to clear the decks! Take-off in fifteen minutes.â
Those orders were quickly followed and soon the children were strapped in their seats as the flying boat taxied out into open water. Then it picked up speed, bumping and bouncing as it accelerated through the waves. Finally, with the throttle fully out and a great roar from the engines, it was airborne on its journey once more. The plane wheeled round and flew higher out towards the Denmark Strait, the long stretch of sea which separates Iceland from Greenland. The flight gave rise to some exciting views as the children stared out from the port-holes. From time to time they spotted, far below, an iceberg, glistening white in the morning sun, as it was borne along by the current on its journey south through the straitâs icy waters. Far in the distance they could just make out curling plumes of smoke from a volcano at the northern tip of Iceland.
The plan was to approach the Greenland coast at Scoresby Sound, a great inlet of sea, free from ice in the summer. From there they would track north along the coast. Since there were few settlements in the area and the likely spots Cosmo Querulous might choose as a base had been identified by the Prof, the task was for everyone to be on the lookout for buildings or any signs of development. It was agreed that if aerial reconnaissance did not show any trace of Cosmoâs research station or factory by late afternoon, they would land near one of the known settlements and make enquiries.
The flight over Denmark Strait did not take very long thanks partly to a steady following wind. Soon the coast of Greenland was in sight although due to lingering ice and glaciers it was not always easy to make out clearly where the sea ended and the land began. As they approached, the
From the navigation room Jay could hear the low murmur of adult voices as the Prof and the McDoons quietly discussed the flight plan for the next day. Once again Jay was reassured by the planning and the calm team around him. Yes, he concluded, this really was a great adventure.
CHAPTER 19
Jay was woken next morning by the throb of the flying boatâs powerful turbo-prop engines as Sandy McDoon carried out his pre-flight checks. Mrs. McDoon had already laid out breakfast in the tiny galley beside the chart room â porridge, prunes and thick oat cakes. The children gulped and munched their way through the hefty breakfast, designed, as Mrs. McDoon pointed out, to combat the cold. Tim wondered, since it was, after all, a flying boat, whether the substantial oat cakes were really shipâs biscuits, which, he pointed out, were essential supplies on Arctic expeditions. However, he concluded, having read of such things in books about naval explorers, that as he could detect no weevils in the biscuits they must be oat cakes after all. This was a great relief to Jay who had already eaten two without examining the contents.
Further speculation on naval breakfasts was interrupted by the arrival of the Prof, who, taking up the nautical mood, announced that it was, âTime to clear the decks! Take-off in fifteen minutes.â
Those orders were quickly followed and soon the children were strapped in their seats as the flying boat taxied out into open water. Then it picked up speed, bumping and bouncing as it accelerated through the waves. Finally, with the throttle fully out and a great roar from the engines, it was airborne on its journey once more. The plane wheeled round and flew higher out towards the Denmark Strait, the long stretch of sea which separates Iceland from Greenland. The flight gave rise to some exciting views as the children stared out from the port-holes. From time to time they spotted, far below, an iceberg, glistening white in the morning sun, as it was borne along by the current on its journey south through the straitâs icy waters. Far in the distance they could just make out curling plumes of smoke from a volcano at the northern tip of Iceland.
The plan was to approach the Greenland coast at Scoresby Sound, a great inlet of sea, free from ice in the summer. From there they would track north along the coast. Since there were few settlements in the area and the likely spots Cosmo Querulous might choose as a base had been identified by the Prof, the task was for everyone to be on the lookout for buildings or any signs of development. It was agreed that if aerial reconnaissance did not show any trace of Cosmoâs research station or factory by late afternoon, they would land near one of the known settlements and make enquiries.
The flight over Denmark Strait did not take very long thanks partly to a steady following wind. Soon the coast of Greenland was in sight although due to lingering ice and glaciers it was not always easy to make out clearly where the sea ended and the land began. As they approached, the
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