Magnus Mills - Explorers of the New Century

“Of course I’m sure.”

“Would you like to hand it to her yourself then?”

“No, no. I’ll allow you that pleasure.”

“All right, well, thank you, Plover. That’s very nice of you.”

“Hear, hear,” agreed Johns. “Well done, Plover. Very well done indeed, and it so happens you’ve chosen the perfect moment for such a gesture. Chase and I have been keeping this next piece of news quiet so as not to raise false hopes, but I feel under the circumstances it’s safe to make an announcement. I’m pleased to tell everybody that we should reach the Furthest Point later today!”

At once a mighty cheer rose up, and the men all went round shaking hands with one another.

“On a cautionary note,” Johns added, “I think I should warn you of the possibility that Tostig may have beaten us to it. Now, as I’ve said from the start, this is not a race, and personally it makes no difference whether he gets there first or not. Nevertheless, I know a few of you might find such an outcome difficult to accept. Therefore, you should prepare yourselves for disappointment.”

“What will we do if he’s there to meet us?” asked Seddon.

“Congratulate him, of course,” Johns replied.

Gribble chose to mark the occasion by renewing her blue streaks (which Sargent referred to as ‘war paint’). She seldom left the confines of her litter any more, but this morning she made a brief appearance as the men strove to pack away the gear. For a short while she walked amongst them, nodding and smiling from time to time, until at last the inclement weather drove her back inside. She spoke quietly to Summerfield before withdrawing, and was not seen again for some hours. Subsequently, all efforts were concentrated on the journey ahead. If Johns’ prediction was to come true, they needed to get a move on, and everyone agreed that a smart pace was required. So it was that all of a sudden Chase, Sargent, Scagg and Plover grabbed hold of the litter and set off with it, leaving the other three labouring after them with the baggage. It turned out that this ‘jape’ had been secretly organised by Scagg, in order to maintain a light-hearted spirit in the face of hardship. Unfortunately, Johns did not seem to view it this way, since he was amongst those left behind, and when he caught up with the rest of the party his feathers were clearly ruffled. Saying nothing, he purposefully strode past them until he had reclaimed his position at the head of the column. Only after another hour did his indignation subside, at which time his comrades heard him whistling a merry tune.

“He’s happy now,” remarked Scagg. “We’re on the home straight.”

Despite this optimism, there was one last hitch. With only a mile to go, the dust thickened considerably, and Johns found it necessary to stop and check his bearings with Chase. This took a minute or so. Then, when the men raised the litter to move off again, Gribble began rocking it violently, forcing them to put it down.

“Gribble, what do you think you’re doing?” Johns demanded.

She opened the canopy and looked out.

“I wish to be borne aloft,” she answered.

“Don’t be so damned silly,” said Johns. “It’s hard enough carrying you as it is without you being awkward.”

“Very well,” said Gribble, stepping nimbly out of the litter. “I’m not going any further.”

“What?!”

“I wish to be borne aloft,” she repeated. “For the last mile.”

Johns clasped his hands together and regarded her patiently.

“Look, Gribble,” he said. “You really must try to be reasonable.”

“I can’t be reasonable!” she snapped. “I’m only a mule, remember. We don’t do reasonable things! All I know is that your mission cannot succeed without me; therefore, I’ll only go on if you agree to my wishes.”

They had come to an impasse, so Johns moved away and conferred quietly with Scagg.

“Why don’t we make a grab for her?” Scagg suggested. “Surely seven of us can manage that?”

“I’m not so certain,” Johns countered. “We’re all tired, whilst she’s as fresh as a daisy, and very canny to boot. I doubt if we could get anywhere near her. Moreover, I’m reluctant to use coercion this late in the game. She’s been fairly cooperative to date, and I’m inclined to give her the benefit and find out exactly what these wishes are.” He turned towards Gribble and addressed her directly. “So you want to be borne aloft, do you?”

“At shoulder height,” she replied. “For the last mile.”

“Yes, well, I suppose we can go along with that.”

“I want another cushion for my litter.”

“That can be arranged.”

“And I desire to be known henceforth as Princess Gribble,” she continued. “I wish to be granted full title to all the lands hereabout, so that I can reign over them for ever more.”

“What on earth are you talking about?” said Johns. “You can’t stay here on your own.”

“I won’t be on my own,” said Gribble. “I’ll be with my consort.”

At these words the assembled men laughed in disbelief. The laughter faded, however, when Summerfield stepped forward.

“She means me, sir,” he announced.

“You, Summerfield?!” exclaimed Johns. “Have you taken leave of your senses?”

“I don’t believe so, sir.”

“Are you telling me you intend to live in this place? With this mule?”

“Yes, sir.”

“But it’s quite unthinkable. I simply won’t hear of it. Even setting aside the moral question, which we won’t discuss now, there’s the matter of feasibility. You must be aware that our supplies have practically run out. What do you suppose you would live on?”

“Supplies can be sent up,” Summerfield answered. “It’s been known all along that establishing a colony would require outside support: you told me that yourself, sir. With me here there’s a much greater chance of success.”

“And what about the months of adversity and darkness, the bitter cold, possibly even starvation?”

“We’ve endured pretty much already, Mr Johns. The worst is behind us.”

Johns gave Summerfield a thoughtful look. “It seems you’ve considered this quite carefully,” he said. “So when did the pair of you plan it all?”

“I’ve been visiting Gribble at night,” Summerfield explained.

“You mean…?”

“Yes, sir.”

“I see.” Johns regarded Summerfield for a long moment before continuing. “Well, Summerfield, I’m sure I’m not alone when I say this comes as a great shock. Heaven knows how I’m going to explain it in my journal. All the same I must admit your scheme does have its merits. It offers the chance to test the Theory of Transportation at an empirical level, thus achieving far more than our original goal. What’s your opinion, Scagg?”

“I’d prefer to reserve judgment, if you don’t mind, sir,” Scagg replied. “But I should point out that this delay is costing us valuable time. There’s hardly an hour of daylight remaining.”

“You’re correct as usual,” said Johns. “Yes, we really must hurry if we’re to arrive before nightfall. All right, Summerfield, I think we can accept these demands in principle, although, of course, the details will have to be ironed out later. Now can you please ask ‘Princess Gribble’ to board her carriage immediately?”

“Yes, sir.” Summerfield lowered his voice. “By the way, sir,” he added. “The royal title wasn’t my idea, nor the bit about bearing her aloft.”

“Never mind that now,” said Johns. “Let’s just get moving, shall we?”

After a word from Summerfield, Gribble returned to the litter and stepped gracefully inside, closing the canopy behind her. Then she was raised to shoulder height and the journey commenced once more. It took a while for the men to adapt to the new posture, but fortunately the ground was flat and before long they’d got into their stride. The sky had begun steadily to darken, investing this final march with a sense of mounting urgency. Already Johns had gone to the front of the column, and with every step his lead increased further. In his hand he carried the battered flagstaff. Soon he was a good fifty yards ahead, pressing forward with a marked determination. He appeared to be counting his paces, and at a certain point he abruptly stopped and turned to wait for the rest of the party. Amidst the swirling dust he stood like a statue until the others joined him.