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Dick, Marjorie and Fidge: A Search for the Wonderful Dodo

G. E. Farrow

less than a week we're to be--er--er--something with an awfully long name----" "I know--Subtransexdistricated, that's it, isn't it?" said the Dodo. "They always threaten to do that to people. Ough! its perfectly horrible" he cried, shuddering. "What's it like?" asked the children, in an awe-stricken whisper. "Why," explained the Dodo, "you are mygrylaled in pslmsms till you saukle, and then you are taken out and gopheled on both sides for a fortnight. Ough! it's dreadful to think about, and I wouldn't dream of putting you to the risk of having it done to you. So I suppose I shall have to go back," he added, with a sigh. "It's jolly awkward, though! Oh, I _hate_ him!" he said, stamping his claw violently. "Who?" inquired the children. "The Little Panjandrum," was the reply. "Nasty, consequential little prig! And who is he, I should like to know? Panjandrums are not to be mentioned in the same breath as Dodos--we are a much more ancient family than they are, and, besides, _we_ are extinct," he said, proudly. "Oh, yes, of course," agreed Dick, who did not care to go into the Dodo private grievances, and who certainly did not care to run the risk of being "gopheled on both sides," whatever that might mean; "but don't you think we had better be going now?" "How are we going to get back?" demanded the Dodo, abruptly. "I can't swim and I can't fly. You'll have to carry me." "Good gracious!" exclaimed Marjorie, in dismay. "I'm sure we can't do that! Why, you are as big as we are!" "Well, I'm sure I don't know what is to be done," said the Dodo. "I won't get into the water again for _any one_, so there." Just then, Fidge, who had been playing on the shore, ran back with the news that the little thin fish wanted to speak to them. "Oh! Sorry to trouble you," he began, popping his head out of the water and raising his hat politely; "but His Majesty sent me to inquire how you were getting on. I see you have found him," he added, pointing to the Dodo. "Yes; but now we are in another fix," cried the children; "we don't know how to get the creature home."
Illustration note[Illustration: "The Dodo cut a strange figure."]
"Who are you calling a creature?" said the Dodo, sulkily. "Well, what else are you?" demanded Dick. "You're an awful nuisance, anyhow, and _I_ don't know how we are going to get you away from this place, I'm sure." "There are the Dolphins," suggested the little fish. "Why, yes, of course," cried Dick. "I had forgotten them. I suppose you can ride a Dolphin, can't you?" he inquired of the Dodo. "Don't know. Never tried. Daresay I could," answered the bird, sullenly. The fish disappeared, and returned a few minutes later with the three Dolphins in tow. Fidge was more than delighted to see the "horses," as he called them, again, and lost no time in getting astride of one; the others followed more deliberately, Marjorie taking her seat beside Fidge on the same fish. The Dodo cut a strange figure, and looked very nervous at first, as he clung to the slippery back of his strange steed. He seemed to feel at ease after a time, however, and when the children had bade their kind little friend, the thin fish, "Good-by," the party started off at a fine pace. "By the bye, have you any idea where we are going to?" remarked the Dodo, after they had been rushing along for some time. "Good gracious, no!" exclaimed Dick. "I thought you were directing us." "I haven't the remotest idea where we are," said the Dodo, coolly. "Why, then, we're lost!" cried Marjorie, in dismay. "Mother told me," said Fidge, solemnly, "that if I ever got lost, I was to ask a policeman to take me home."
Illustration note[Illustration: "At the entrance was a large walrus smoking."]
"Yes, but I'm afraid there are no policemen about here," laughed the others. "What we had better do," said Dick, "is to push on till we come to land somewhere, or a ship, and inquire the way back." This was thought to be the best plan to pursue, and the children hurried along till Marjorie noticed that both the air and the water were growing fresher every moment, and she was just beginning to wonder what they were going to do if it grew much colder, when Dick cried out, in quite a nautical style-- "Land on the larboard side!" "Hooroy!" shouted the others, "now we shall find out where we are," and they headed the Dolphins to where they could see a rough kind of landing-stage. The country looked very bleak and bare, but a little hut was visible a short distance from the shore, and the children, having fastened up the Dolphins to one of the wooden piles, assisted the Dodo to alight, and made their way towards it. At the entrance they saw a large Walrus with a pipe in his mouth, and on the ground beside him an Esquimaux dog, also smoking. Dick and the others hurried forward, and bowed politely. "_Wie geths?_" said the Walrus, taking the pipe from his mouth, and immediately putting it back again, while the little dog glanced at them inquisitively out of the corners of his eyes. CHAPTER IX. AT THE NORTH POLE. "What does he mean?" asked Marjorie, staring blankly at her brother. "I don't know," confessed Dick. "I beg your pardon," he went on, addressing the Walrus, "but I didn't quite hear what you said." "_Sprechen sie Deutsch?_" inquired the Walrus, with an encouraging smile. "I can't tell what the chap is talking about," said Dick, turning to the others in dismay. "Dond't you undershtandt German, eh?" said the Walrus. "Ach! dat vos verry bad," and he shook his head reproachfully. "I don't know," argued Dick. "I can't see that it matters much. We are not likely to go there, you know." "Not?" said the Walrus, lifting his eyebrows. "Vell, dere vos some funny peoples in der vorld. Perhaps you dond't _vant_ to go dere?" "Not much," admitted Dick. The Walrus shrugged his shoulders, and looked commiseratingly at the dog, who gave a sniff, and shrugged his shoulders too. "What we want to know," said Dick, in a businesslike way, "is, Where are we now, and how are we to get back to England?" "Vell, you vas in Germany now," said the Walrus. "Germany!" exclaimed the children, in surprise. "Why, we're quite near to England, then." "No," said the Walrus, shaking his head. "But we must be," persisted Dick. "No," repeated the Walrus. "Dis is not der Germany you mean, but id is Germany all der same--most of der vorld is Germany." "What nonsense!" laughed Dick. "I'm sure it isn't. Why, there's heaps of places besides Germany. There's--er--Africa, for instance----" "Thadt's Germany!" said the Walrus, nodding violently. "Africa is?" cried Dick. "Yah! das is so," said the Walrus. "Africa, und China, und alle der blaces--dey is all Germany." "The chap is evidently a little wrong in the head," explained Dick to the others in a whisper. "Never mind; don't take any notice. Well, to come to the point, _can_ you direct us home again, that is the question?" he asked, aloud. "No," said the Walrus, shaking his head. "Or to the Equator?" suggested the Dodo, smoothing out his gloves. The Walrus stared for a moment, and then, pointing to the Dodo with the stem of his pipe, inquired, "Vat is dat ting?" The Dodo drew himself up to his full height, and gave him a withering look. "How dare you?" he cried. "Vell, vat _is_ id, anyhow?" chuckled the Walrus. "I never saw somethings like id before, never!" "Of course not," said the Dodo, with dignity, "Our family have been extinct for some time."
Illustration note[Illustration: When the children got into the clumsy fur garments, they found them exceedingly comfortable.--Page 95. _Dick, Marjorie and Fidge._]
"Vell, und vy didn't you keep so?" asked the Walrus. "It vas der best ting vat you could do. Dere is no goot for such tings like you to be aboudt." "Come along," said the Dodo, turning to the others; "let's go. I was never so insulted in all my life." "Ach! don't ged in a demper," said the Walrus, complacently. "Dat is no goot also. Come, I show you der vay to der Equador--dat is Germany, too," he added, in parenthesis. "Bud you must haf some glothes first to vare," he cried, looking at the children's scanty garments. "Id is so gold dere." "Cold at the Equator?" laughed Marjorie. "Why, I always thought that it was very hot." "Ach! dat is so," said the Walrus. "But id is der gedding dere dat is so gold. Come, I gif you some oudtfids," and he led the way into the little hut, which was hung all around with clumsy-looking fur garments, which, however, when they had got into them, the children found to be exceedingly comfortable. Besides the clothes, there were all kinds of stores piled up around the inside of the hut, and a quantity of snowshoes of various shapes, and little sleds, like those which Dick remembered having seen in pictures of Polar expeditions. When the children had been accommodated with some garments, the Walrus turned to the Dodo, and said, "Veil, now, I egspecdt dat you vant some glothes, too, dond't id?" "No, thank you," said the Dodo, proudly, settling his necktie and folding his wings primly. "I have my gloves; they are quite sufficient." "Bud you haven't any ting on your body," said the Walrus. "You bedder haf some glothes, eh?" and he kindly brought forth some very large leather breeches, which the Dodo, after some hesitation, consented to put on. Next the Walrus took down a rough, hairy coat, with mittens attached to the sleeves. "Gom, put your arms in dis," he said, "and trow avay dose gloves you got on." "What!" cried the Dodo, "take off my gloves? Never!" And he wouldn't either; but put his wings (such as he had) into the coat sleeves with the gloves still on the end of them.
Illustration note[Illustration: "'What' cried the Dodo, 'take off my gloves? Never!'"]
"Now you musdt haf some stores," said the Walrus, going to the cupboard, and bringing out some tins of sardines, some jam, and other things, which he carefully tied on to the sled. "Now ve are ready to stardt," he said, when these preparations were completed; and after harnessing the little dog to the sled the party made a move. "I haven't the least idea where we are going to," said Dick, as they walked along; "have you?" "Not the slightest," said the Dodo. "I don't suppose it matters much, though, as long as we get somewhere or another." The old Walrus was trudging along in front, leading Fidge (who seemed to have taken a violent fancy to him) by the hand; presently he stopped in front of a big round hole, and waited for the others to catch up to him. "Here ve are," he said, pointing to the enormous hole, which looked like the crater of an extinct volcano lined with ice. "Whatever is that?" asked Marjorie, peering over the edge curiously. "Der North Bole," said the Walrus. "Id vas German, too," he added, emphatically. "The North Pole!" exclaimed the children. "Why, there isn't any pole at all!" "No," said the Walrus, "das is so, id vas meldted all avay."
Illustration note[Illustration: "'Well, good-bye,' said Dick."]
"Good gracious!" cried Dick. "Yah! id vas mit der lightning struck, und meldted all avay, und made a big hole in der ground all der vay trough der earth to der Equador. Id vas made in Germany, dat pole," he added. The children gazed with wondering eyes into the deep, dark hole, and Marjorie clung to Dick's arm nervously. "How wonderful!" she exclaimed; "but I'm glad we've seen where it was, aren't you, Dick?" But Dick was thinking deeply. "Are you sure it went right through to the Equator?" he asked of the Walrus. "Yah!" said that worthy, "for sure." "Then if we slid through, we should come out at the other end?" said Dick. "Yah! das is so," said the Walrus, nodding violently.