"Camel Thru the Eye of the Needle"
By Sharan McQuack

Based on: The Hidden Treasure of Quackistan" in Ducktales Magazine 1988-2 and
Disney's Ducktales # 18.

If I actually GET Disney/Gemstone to publish the rest of Disney and Gladstone Ducktales in hardback, I may try for getting foreign Ducktales stories translated into English. Or at least getting British Ducktales stories released in USA.

I'm NOT sure I WANT them to re-create "Ducktales", I'm afraid they would only make Launchpad look like a moron AGAIN. I can't get them to admit it's POSSIBLE that was a colossal blunder. I'm not always right. But I'm not always WRONG, neither.

A friend of Mr. McDuck's, the Grand Kishe of Macaroon(1) asked Mr. McDuck to come visit his country. Mr. McDuck got Launchpad to fly himself and the Trins there.

When they arrived there, the Grand Kishe explained his country was going broke. There is a LOT of THAT going around lately.

"I asked you here because there is a legend that a great treasure can be found using the Old Palace as a starting point. I have searched this, the Old Palace, from top to bottom. So have my best men. We have found nothing of unusual value. Since you are an expect in the art of Treasure Hunting, I ask you to help me find the Treasure- for a percent of the "take", as I believe the expression is." the Grand Kishe said.

"You found nothing?" Mr. McDuck inquired.

"Only an ancient prophecy stating the Treasure will not be recovered until a camel flies thru the eye of the needle. Even the parchment this prophecy was inscribed on is only valuable to historians and they don't pay well. They are usually broke, too." the Grande Kishe replied.

"Camels can't fly!" snorted Mr. McDuck.

"Not unless you're talking about a sopwith camel!" Launchpad remarked.

"That's right! That's the name of a plane, isn't it?" Mr. McDuck asked.(2)

"Right." Launchpad asked.

But he seemed preoccupied.

"Why are you staring at that stupid old carpet for?" Mr. McDuck demanded.

For Launchpad was definitely staring at the old, worn carpet on the floor.

"Because it's NOT a carpet. It's a MAP." Launchpad replied.

"See? That's a mountain. In fact, that's a picture of the very mountain we can see out that window. And on these two peaks are caves." said Launchpad pointing out two worn, and stylized representations of peaks.

"Wait! Why did I not wonder before why the prophecy says "the" needle instead of "a" needle? Those caves- together they are called "the needle!" Both go thru their peaks and they are supposed to be connected! It is said it is possible to travel thru the needle- starting at one cave going thru to the other!" the Grand Kishe exclaimed.

"Could the treasure have been hidden in the Needle?" Mr. McDuck asked.

"It is possible. Many have climbed up to the Needle. None have dared to enter it, but the treasure might have been lowered down by ropes or brought down by slaves. " the Grand Kishe replied.

"Launchpad, could you fly thru the Needle?" Mr. McDuck asked.

"If I can't, nobody ELSE can!" Launchpad replied." But there may be a reason the prophecy specified "a camel". Maybe that the only kind of plane that can get down there? It's a very aerobatic plane." said Launchpad.

Launchpad somehow failed to mention how notoriously difficult it is to take off or land in a sopwith camel.(3) No need to put ideas into Mr. McDee's head.

"Actually, your majesty, we have a sopwith camel in our royal air fleet!" A flunky informed the Grand Kishe.

Well, the "royal air fleet" was composed of a few old planes used to deliver mail. One was a sopwith camel, which needed some fixing up. Good thing Launchpad is so good at fixing planes, even when he has to improvise with parts- and where are you going to find parts for a sopwith camel?

But after some work, the plane was fitted with lights so they could see inside the Needle and ready to fly. Launchpad took off and flew towards the Needle and thru the first cave of it. Then he turned around and flew back IN again.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" screamed Mr. McDuck.

"I saw an entrance to a cavern in there, but I have to be flying in the other direction to reach it!" yelled Launchpad right back. (4)

Launchpad flew into the preforementioned cavern entrance. And saw why the prophecy specified "a camel", he doubted any other plane was small light and aerobatic enough to manage the curves and loops of the cave he was flying the camel thru.

Soon Launchpad flew into a large cavern. At the bottom of the cavern were steamer trunks, old and rotten with age. Spilling out of holes in the trunks were gold and gems.

"THE TREASURE!" Mr. McDuck screamed.

Launchpad landed the plane and they both got off and started loading the Treasure onto the plane.

"Hey, Mr. McDee- a message in a bottle!" Launchpad said.

For nesting in the Treasure was a bottle in the rotten remains of padding used to prevent it from breaking. The bottle contained a message neither of them could read, for it was written in Ancient Macaroonish.

They carefully loaded the bottle on board along with the rest of the Treasure.

"Can we take off with all this weight aboard?" Mr. McDuck asked.

"In this light and powerful plane? Sure." Launchpad replied.

Then Launchpad took off out the far end of the cavern, thru the loops and curves of the cave beyond and out the other cave of the Needle. The prophecy had been forfilled.

Launchpad landed the plane near the Old Palace.

"Thank you, Mr. McDuck. You will be paid your percentage of this Treasure as soon as we can liquidate it." the Grand Kishe said.

"Ahem. Welll...I've actually decided to invest it here. Use the money to grow your country's businesses and pay me out of their profits." Mr. McDuck replied.

Launchpad smiled, for he had heard this "excuse to do something nice" before, Lord knows.

"Do you know what that message in that bottle says?" Mr. McDuck asked the Grand Kishe.

The Grand Kishe looked at the message, and HE could read it.(5)

"It explains how and why the Treasure got there. Once, long ago, our country was invaded. Our ancestors took this treasure to the Needle to hide it from the invaders. Slaves were promised and later granted their freedom for taking the treasure into the Needle, where the invaders could never find it. Now, the treasure has been recovered." the Grand Kishe explained.

A short while later, Mr. McDuck and Launchpad returned to Duckburg. A few days later, Launchpad and I were waiting for Mr. McDuck in the Mansion when I noticed something.

"Launchpad, come here! Look at this!" I said.

And I pointed to something new at the Mansion. It was a photo somebody in Macaroon had taken of Launchpad flying thru the Needle, blown up and framed. (6)

"See? He IS proud of you. He's just usually rather cut off his tongue than ADMIT it, that's all." I said to Launchpad.

The End.

(1) "Working for Scales".
(2) I don't know about Mr. McDee, but I know that the same way YOU do: Charles Shulz and Snoopy, too. By the way: Snoopy only PRETENDED to be a WW1 pilot, he never actually flew a plane.

(3) According to "Warplanes and Air Battles of WW1", p.120

(4)Launchpad had to scream or Mr. McDuck wouldn't have heard him.

(5) Maybe he's not a big a twit as a thought he was.

(6)Look at "Eternal Fuel", Duckstories 1993 , number 2 in the Russian Ducktales website. Look at the second page after the cover, panel 6 and you'll see a photo of somebody flying a plane thru a pair of mountain caves and I don't believe that Mr. McDee knows how to fly a plane. Sorry, but there's no way somebody as cheap as him would hire a pilot if he knew how to fly a plane himself.