CHAPTER FOUR
NORTH TO ADVENTURE
Two hours later, Indiana Jones and Jack and Annie took the train from London heading for Scotland. They slept onboard the train and woke early the next day to find themselves in Aberdeen, the eastern seaport city. Indy had secured a seaplane for them and a pilot. And before lunch, they were off to the northern coast of Norway and re-fueled in the town of Narvik. Then it was onward north to the island of Spitsbergen.
On the way over, Indy asked Jack and Annie what information they had about the hiding place of the Ring of Guinevere.
"We have a rhyme," Annie answered, having to talk loudly over the roar of the three engines.
"A rhyme?" Indy asked incredulous.
"Yes!" she continued, "It's a clue to how to get the Ring." She motioned to Jack, who pulled out Merlin's letter and gave it to her. She read it aloud again to Indiana Jones.
Stolen long ago, from Britain's noble shore,
Hidden by Norsemen, behind a rocky door,
But there are three traps you have to steer clear,
To obtain the Ring of Guinevere.
To defeat the first, a traveler goes,
On an antipodal walk in the dark shadows.
The second needs a swing from Nature's chalk,
From the mouth of the man who cannot talk.
To avoid the third, state the maker's name,
To tell which rings are not the same.
Jones looked perplexed. "What's 'antipodal' mean?" Annie asked.
Indy smiled slightly. "The Antipodes are an old term for the other side of the Earth," he said in his teacher-like voice, "You know, like Australia."
"Oh," Annie replied.
"And what's 'Nature's chalk'?" Jack asked.
"Chalk is just limestone, like you'd find in a cave" Indy answered, then he asked. "Mind if I see that letter?" Annie handed it over to him.
He read it and as he did Jack suddenly realized how it must sound to Indy, with it talking about "magic worlds" and "Merlin". He saw Indy reach the bottom of the letter and look up at them suspiciously. Jack thought quickly of a story.
"Our friend 'Merlin', uh, he's a fan of King Arthur stories," he began, "His real name is, uh, Neil Armstrong."
Indiana Jones nodded slowly, appearing to not truly believe the story. "Well, I guess if we find the cave, and there are booby-traps, these clues will help us get past them."
"Indy?" Annie asked, "What is it that the Ring of Guinevere is supposed to do?"
Jones smiled. "Well, the legend says that Arthur had Merlin make it for Guinevere specially, so that she could protect herself against kidnappers. A woman who wears the Ring can charm any man into doing whatever she wants."
"I know a few girls at college who already have that power," Jack said, laughing, and Indiana and Annie laughed too.
The plane flew on. As night approached, a few lights appeared on the horizon. An island came into view. Indiana Jones explained that it was the island of Spitsbergen and the small mining town was called Longyear City, named after an American mine owner who settled the town in the early 1900s. Now the town was all Norwegian coal miners and their familes, about 500 men, women, and children. It was and is the most northern town in the world.
Landing in the bay, Jones spoke with the pilot and told him that they were stay there for the night in the plane and then be off for Barents Island in the morning. He and Indy bought fuel for the plane and some local food. Jack and Annie were starving. On the plane all they had was some cold roast beef sandwiches the pilot had packed, but that was lunch and that was over six hours earlier.
Indiana Jones came back and handed them each a packet of fish sandwiches, wrapped in waxed paper. It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great either, but Jack and Annie dug in hungrily. After they ate, Indy went over the map of the islands he had gotten in Narvik. He and the pilot plotted where they would land in the large cove on the southwestern side of the island. Then they turned in. The pilot slept in the cockpit while Jack and Annie and Indiana Jones slept in the reclining seats in the passenger compartment.
"Do you have any children, Indy?" Annie asked as they lay there, listening to the water lap against the hull of the seaplane.
Jones across from her, laughed slightly. "No…not the fatherly type, really."
"Are you married?" Annie continued .
"No," he began slowly, "I was seeing somebody…for a few years, but we broke it off over a year ago. " He paused. "I broke it off."
"Well, maybe you could get back together," Annie said, and then yawned, "And have some kids?"
Indiana Jones pulled his fedora over his eyes and with a yawn himself, said, "I doubt it, kid!" And he went to sleep.