showing the sun and planets, the stars and the
moon. The third page was the chart of the North and South Poles. Then
came the hemispheres, the oceans, the continents and the countries.
As the Doctor began sharpening his pencil a thought came to me.
"What if the pencil falls upon the North Pole," I asked, "will we have
to go there?"
"No. The rules of the game say you don't have to go any place you've
been to before. You are allowed another try. I've been to the North
Pole," he ended quietly, "so we shan't have to go there." I could hardly
speak with astonishment.
"YOU'VE BEEN TO THE NORTH POLE!" I managed to gasp out at last. "But
I thought it was still undiscovered. The map shows all the places
explorers have reached to, TRYING to get there. Why isn't your name down
if you discovered it?"
"I promised to keep it a secret. And you must promise me never to tell
any one. Yes, I discovered the North Pole in April, 1809. But shortly
after I got there the polar bears came to me in a body and told me there
was a great deal of coal there, buried beneath the snow. They knew, they
said, that human beings would do anything, and go anywhere, to get coal.
So would I please keep it a secret. Because once people began coming
up there to start coal-mines, their beautiful white country would be
spoiled—and there was nowhere else in the world cold enough for polar
bears to be comfortable. So of course I had to promise them I would. Ah,
well, it will be discovered again some day, by somebody else. But I
want the polar bears to have their play-ground to themselves as long as
possible. And I daresay it will be a good while yet—for it certainly
is a fiendish place to get to—Well now, are we ready?—Good! Take the
pencil and stand here close to the table. When the book falls open, wave
the pencil round three times and jab it down. Ready?—All right. Shut
your eyes."
It was a tense and fearful moment—but very thrilling. We both had our
eyes shut tight. I heard the atlas fall open with a bang. I wondered
what page it was: England or Asia. If it should be the map of Asia, so
much would depend on where that pencil would land. I waved three times
in a circle. I began to lower my hand. The pencil-point touched the
page.
"All right," I called out, "it's done."
The Twelfth Chapter. Destiny and Destination
*
WE both opened our eyes; then bumped our heads together with a crack in
our eagerness to lean over and see where we were to go.
The atlas lay open at a map called, Chart of the South Atlantic Ocean.
My pencil-point was resting right in the center of a tiny island. The
name of it was printed so small that the Doctor had to get out his
strong spectacles to read it. I was trembling with excitement.
"Spidermonkey Island," he read out slowly. Then he whistled softly
beneath his breath. "Of all the extraordinary things! You've hit upon
the very island where Long Arrow was last seen on earth—I wonder—Well,
well! How very singular!"
"We'll go there, Doctor, won't we?" I asked.
"Of course we will. The rules of the game say we've got to."
"I'm so glad it wasn't Oxenthorpe or Bristol," I said. "It'll be a grand
voyage, this. Look at all the sea we've got to cross. Will it take us
long?"
"Oh, no," said the Doctor—"not very. With a good boat and a good wind
we should make it easily in four weeks. But isn't it extraordinary? Of
all the places in the world you picked out that one with your eyes shut.
Spidermonkey Island after all!—Well, there's one good thing about it: I
shall be able to get some Jabizri beetles."
"What are Jabizri beetles?"
"They are a very rare kind of beetles with peculiar habits. I want to
study them. There are only three countries in the world where they are
to be found. Spidermonkey Island is one of them. But even there they are
very scarce."
"What is this little question-mark after the name of the island for?" I
asked, pointing to the map.
"That means that the island's position in the ocean is not known
moon. The third page was the chart of the North and South Poles. Then
came the hemispheres, the oceans, the continents and the countries.
As the Doctor began sharpening his pencil a thought came to me.
"What if the pencil falls upon the North Pole," I asked, "will we have
to go there?"
"No. The rules of the game say you don't have to go any place you've
been to before. You are allowed another try. I've been to the North
Pole," he ended quietly, "so we shan't have to go there." I could hardly
speak with astonishment.
"YOU'VE BEEN TO THE NORTH POLE!" I managed to gasp out at last. "But
I thought it was still undiscovered. The map shows all the places
explorers have reached to, TRYING to get there. Why isn't your name down
if you discovered it?"
"I promised to keep it a secret. And you must promise me never to tell
any one. Yes, I discovered the North Pole in April, 1809. But shortly
after I got there the polar bears came to me in a body and told me there
was a great deal of coal there, buried beneath the snow. They knew, they
said, that human beings would do anything, and go anywhere, to get coal.
So would I please keep it a secret. Because once people began coming
up there to start coal-mines, their beautiful white country would be
spoiled—and there was nowhere else in the world cold enough for polar
bears to be comfortable. So of course I had to promise them I would. Ah,
well, it will be discovered again some day, by somebody else. But I
want the polar bears to have their play-ground to themselves as long as
possible. And I daresay it will be a good while yet—for it certainly
is a fiendish place to get to—Well now, are we ready?—Good! Take the
pencil and stand here close to the table. When the book falls open, wave
the pencil round three times and jab it down. Ready?—All right. Shut
your eyes."
It was a tense and fearful moment—but very thrilling. We both had our
eyes shut tight. I heard the atlas fall open with a bang. I wondered
what page it was: England or Asia. If it should be the map of Asia, so
much would depend on where that pencil would land. I waved three times
in a circle. I began to lower my hand. The pencil-point touched the
page.
"All right," I called out, "it's done."
The Twelfth Chapter. Destiny and Destination
*
WE both opened our eyes; then bumped our heads together with a crack in
our eagerness to lean over and see where we were to go.
The atlas lay open at a map called, Chart of the South Atlantic Ocean.
My pencil-point was resting right in the center of a tiny island. The
name of it was printed so small that the Doctor had to get out his
strong spectacles to read it. I was trembling with excitement.
"Spidermonkey Island," he read out slowly. Then he whistled softly
beneath his breath. "Of all the extraordinary things! You've hit upon
the very island where Long Arrow was last seen on earth—I wonder—Well,
well! How very singular!"
"We'll go there, Doctor, won't we?" I asked.
"Of course we will. The rules of the game say we've got to."
"I'm so glad it wasn't Oxenthorpe or Bristol," I said. "It'll be a grand
voyage, this. Look at all the sea we've got to cross. Will it take us
long?"
"Oh, no," said the Doctor—"not very. With a good boat and a good wind
we should make it easily in four weeks. But isn't it extraordinary? Of
all the places in the world you picked out that one with your eyes shut.
Spidermonkey Island after all!—Well, there's one good thing about it: I
shall be able to get some Jabizri beetles."
"What are Jabizri beetles?"
"They are a very rare kind of beetles with peculiar habits. I want to
study them. There are only three countries in the world where they are
to be found. Spidermonkey Island is one of them. But even there they are
very scarce."
"What is this little question-mark after the name of the island for?" I
asked, pointing to the map.
"That means that the island's position in the ocean is not known
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