Dick, Marjorie and Fidge Part 12

"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.

[Ill.u.s.tration: "'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 d.i.c.k, 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."

[Ill.u.s.tration: "'Well, good-bye,' said d.i.c.k."]

"Good gracious!" cried d.i.c.k.

"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 d.i.c.k's arm nervously. "How wonderful!" she exclaimed; "but I'm glad we've seen where it was, aren't you, d.i.c.k?"

But d.i.c.k 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 d.i.c.k.

"Yah! das is so," said the Walrus, nodding violently.

"Well, then, I think we'll do it," said d.i.c.k, boldly.

"Oh, d.i.c.k!" cried Marjorie, in alarm.

"Well, why not?" said d.i.c.k, for, really, so many strange things had happened that nothing seemed impossible to him now. "It would be rather jolly to see what it's like at the other end, and it's no use stopping here. Do you know your way from the Equator?" he added, turning to the Dodo.

"Yes," said the bird, who was quite ready to start on the perilous voyage, and, grasping Fidge by the hand, he gave a loud whoop, and began to slide down the steep incline.

"Well, good-by," cried d.i.c.k, hurriedly, shaking hands with the Walrus.

"Thanks for all your kindness." And, jumping on the sled behind Marjorie, he pushed off, and they shot over the edge after the others.

They just caught a glimpse of the little dog throwing up his arms in surprise, and as they disappeared into s.p.a.ce they heard the old Walrus crying, in an anxious voice--

"Gom back! gom back! I forgot to tell you somedings."

CHAPTER X.

SOME NEW ACQUAINTANCES.

It was all very well for the Walrus to shout "Come back!" but _that_ was a matter of utter impossibility, for down--and down--and down the children sped at a terrific rate, so quickly indeed that after a moment or two they must have lost their senses completely, for not one of them could remember anything about the marvelous journey through the center of the earth.

"It seemed," d.i.c.k explained afterwards, "as though we were falling through a big black hole for hours and hours, and then, all of a sudden, it was light again, and we shot out into the air at the other end."

The children were greatly relieved to find that they were not expected to walk on their heads, as they had vaguely feared might have been the case on the other side of the world. "But, of course," Marjorie explained, "we are not really _quite_ on the other side, or we should be at the South Pole, and that would be as cold as where we came from, wouldn't it, d.i.c.k?"

"I suppose so," answered d.i.c.k, looking about him. "Well, this place is hot enough, anyhow, whew!" and he unb.u.t.toned the heavy fur coat which he had been glad enough to put on a short time before.

"We are probably somewhere near the Equator," remarked the Dodo, pointing to the palms and other tropical plants to be seen on every side. "I've heard that this sort of thing grows there."

"In that case we have only to find out where the sea is, and wait on the sh.o.r.e for a pa.s.sing s.h.i.+p to come and take us back to England," said Marjorie, who was as fond as her brother of reading books of adventure, and so knew exactly what to expect under the circ.u.mstances.

Fidge had divested himself of his snowshoes and heavy Arctic outfit, and was eagerly chasing some gaudy b.u.t.terflies which were flitting about amongst the bright tropical flowers, and the others, feeling the heat very oppressive, were glad to follow his example, and get rid of their c.u.mbersome clothing. Marjorie made a neat little bundle of them, and hid them behind a big stone, and then, calling Fidge to them, the party set out to explore the surrounding country.

They had not gone far before they heard a voice crying out in a peremptory way--

"Now then! move on, there!"

The Dodo was highly indignant at being addressed in this unceremonious way, particularly as he once more displayed his white kid gloves and his bright necktie, and consequently, imagined that he presented a dignified and imposing appearance.

"Who's that?" he cried, looking about him angrily.

"Now then, move on! Do you hear?" cried the voice again.

The children stared to the right and left, in front of them, and behind them, but no one was in sight.

"That's very strange!" exclaimed d.i.c.k. "Whoever can it be?"

"_Will_ you move on, there?" shouted the voice, louder than ever, and, looking up into the trees, the children saw a huge green parrot, with a red tail, hanging down from one of the branches by one claw, while he shook the other at them menacingly.

"Bah! it's only a parrot," said the Dodo, in a contemptuous voice.

"What!" screamed the bird; "only a parrot, indeed. Who are you, I should like to know?"