Read Online The Book of Dragons by E. Nesbit - Free Book Online Page A

hedges which Jane was sure were wolves and bears.
    “Polar bears and Arctic wolves, of course I mean,” she said, for she did not want George to think her stupid again.
    There was a great hedge at the end of this field, all covered with snow and icicles; but the children found a placewhere there was a hole, and as no bears or wolves seemed to be just in that part of the hedge, they crept through and scrambled out of the frozen ditch on the other side. And then they stood still and held their breath with wonder.
    For in front of them, running straight and smooth right away to the Northern Lights, lay a great wide road of pure dark ice, and on each side were tall trees all sparkling with white frost, and from the boughs of the trees hung strings of stars threaded on fine moonbeams, and shining so brightly that it was like a beautiful fairy daylight. Jane said so; but George said it was like the electric lights at the Earl’s Court Exhibition.
    The rows of trees went as straight as ruled lines away—away and away—and at the other end of them shone the Aurora Borealis.
    There was a sign-post—of silvery snow—and on it in letters of pure ice the children read:
    “This way to the North Pole.”
    Then George said, “Way or no way, I know a slide when I see one—so here goes.” And he took a run on the frozen snow, and Jane took a run when she saw him do it, and the next moment they were sliding away, each with feet half a yard apart, along the great slide that leads to the North Pole.
    This great slide is made for the convenience of the Polar bears, who, during the winter months, get their food from theArmy and Navy Stores—and it is the most perfect slide in the world. If you have never come across it, it is because you have never let off fireworks on the eleventh of December, and have never been thoroughly naughty and disobedient. But do not be these things in the hope of finding the great slide—because you might find something quite different, and then you would be sorry.
    The great slide is like common slides in this, that when once you have started you have to go on to the end—unless you fall down—and then it hurts just as much as the smaller kind on ponds. The great slide runs down-hill all the way, so that you keep on going faster and faster and faster. George and Jane went so fast that they had no time to notice the scenery. They only saw the long lines of frosted trees and the starry lamps, and, on each side, rushing back as they slid on—a very broad, white world and a very large, black night; and overhead, as well as in the trees, the stars were bright like silver lamps, and, far ahead, shone and trembled and sparkled the line of fairy spears. Jane said that; and George said, “I can see the Northern Lights quite plain.”
    It is very pleasant to slide and slide and slide on clear, dark ice—especially if you feel you are really going somewhere, and more especially if that somewhere is the North Pole. The children’s feet made no noise on the ice, and theywent on and on in a beautiful white silence. But suddenly the silence was shattered and a cry rang out over the snow.
    “Hi! You there! Stop!”
    “Tumble for your life!” cried George, and he fell down at once, because it was the only way to stop. Jane fell on top of him—and then they crawled on hands and knees to the snow at the edge of the slide—and there was a sportsman, dressed in a peaked cap and a frozen moustache, like the one you see in the pictures about Ice-Peter, and he had a gun in his hand.
    “You don’t happen to have any bullets about you?” said he.
    “No,” George said, truthfully. “I had five of father’s revolver cartridges, but they were taken away the day nurse turned out my pockets to see if I had taken the knob of the bathroom door by mistake.”
    “Quite so,” said the sportsman, “these accidents will occur. You don’t carry fire-arms, then, I presume?”
    “I haven’t any fire-
arms,”
said George,