The Last Polar Bears

by Harry Horse

  PUFFIN BOOKS

  The Last Polar Bears

  Roo lives with Harry Horse and Mandy in an old farmhouse in the Scottish Borders. She has turned down several film offers since the publication of The Last Polar Bears, preferring instead to concentrate on rabbits. It is her ambition to own one eventually. She is currently working on her first book, provisionally entitled The Bad Rabbits.

  Harry Horse writes and illustrates children’s books. His titles include The Last Gold Diggers, for which he won the Smarties Gold Award. He is well known as a political cartoonist and has produced cartoons for the New Yorker, the Guardian and the Sunday Herald. Unusually, rabbits do not play a large part in his life.

  Some other books by Harry Horse

  THE LAST CASTAWAYS

  THE LAST COWBOYS

  THE LAST GOLD DIGGERS

  The Last

  Polar Bears

  Written and illustrated by Harry Horse

  PUFFIN BOOKS

  After publication of this book, it was pointed out to me that it bears some resemblance to Mervyn Peake’s Letters from a Lost Uncle. I should like to point out that although I greatly admire Mervyn Peake’s work, any similarities are purely coincidental, my inspiration being members of my family, in particular my grandfather and my dog Roo.

  – Harry Horse

  PUFFIN BOOKS

  Published by the Penguin Group

  Penguin Books Ltd, 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  Penguin Putnam Inc., 375 Hudson Street, New York, New York 10014, USA

  Penguin Books Australia Ltd, 250 Camberwell Road, Camberwell, Victoria 3124, Australia

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  Penguin Books (NZ) Ltd, Cnr Rosedale and Airborne Roads, Albany, Auckland, New Zealand

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  Penguin Books Ltd, Registered Offices: 80 Strand, London WC2R 0RL, England

  www.penguin.com

  First published by Viking 1993

  Published in Puffin Books 1996

  22

  Copyright © Harry Horse, 1993

  All rights reserved

  The moral right of the author/illustrator has been asserted

  Except in the United States of America, this book is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, re-sold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publisher’s prior consent in any form of binding or cover other than that in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser

  British Library Cataloguing in Publication Data

  A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library

  ISBN: 978-0-14-194942-0

  Friday 4 October

  North of Aberdeen

  On board the Unsinkable

  I am writing to let you know that Roo and I are well. I’m sorry that I was unable to say goodbye to you properly and I hope that you can understand why I had to go on this expedition. I am going to the North Pole to find the Last Polar Bears. I have to see them as they really are. I want to see them swimming amongst the icebergs and playing in the snow.

  You see, I remember going to the zoo one hot summer’s afternoon and seeing my first polar bear.

  He was sitting in the shade of a dead tree. There was a small concrete pool for him to swim in. The water was green. I looked at the polar bear. There was no snow for him to roll in, no icebergs for him to float upon… That was no life for a polar bear!

  I could not save him. How could I? You can hardly smuggle a polar bear under your coat and walk out with him, can you?

  That day, I decided to go to the North Pole to see how the polar bears really live. I went to the library and I read everything I could find

  about polar bears: where they live, what they eat, and how to look for them in remote places. I studied many maps until one day, in the British Museum, I found the map of Great Bear Ridge, and I knew then that that is where I would find the Last Polar Bears.

  I began to plan an expedition. Your mother said I was too old to go off to the North Pole by myself, but all my life I have either been too old or too young to do what I wanted to do, so this time I decided that I would listen to no one. I booked my passage on the good ship Unsinkable.

  I decided, after a lot of thought, to take Roo with me. Huskies would be better, but I couldn’t afford to feed them. Roo said that her particular breed were in fact better than huskies but that no one had ever given them the chance to prove it. When I told her that our expedition was to the North Pole she said she had heard of it, and that one of her relations helped to put it up.

  We sneaked out of the house one night whilst you were fast asleep. I didn’t wake you, for you know I hate to say goodbye. I took your Uncle Freddie’s golf trolley to use as our sledge. Tell him I only want it for a little while.

  Tell your mother I’m sorry, but I had to go.

  Don’t worry, I’ll be back.

  With love,

  Saturday 5 October

  The North Sea

  In my cabin on board the Unsinkable

  I have a very nice cabin. It has two portholes: one for Roo, and one for me.

  So far I have seen a lot of seagulls and a porpoise. Roo said she saw a sheep.

  Roo has not been a very good sailor. She says that dogs aren’t supposed to go on boats. I told her that some boats always have a cat on board, to kill rats. Roo said that anything a cat can do, a dog can do better, and that dogs are famous for being great sailors. She said that her grandfather was probably the captain of a ship – and that he probably killed hundreds of rats. ‘He probably did,’ I said. This afternoon Roo asked the captain if she could have a go at steering the ship.

  ‘Dogs are great steerers of ships,’ she told him. He let her have a little go, and for half an hour we went around in circles. Roo said that dogs always steer ships in this way. The captain was worried about the ship hitting a rock, so he took over and we continued in a straight line towards the North Pole.

  I am giving these letters to some fishermen who are on their way back home to Aberdeen. They said they had seen some bad storms, with waves as big as houses. I must finish this letter now as they are getting ready to sail away.

  Will write again soon,

  With love,

  Thursday 10 October

  On board the Unsinkable

  We have been at sea for almost a week now. Every day Roo asks if we are there yet, and every day I have to say, ‘Not yet, but soon, very soon.’ It is a long way to the North Pole and I need to keep her spirits up. The sea is such a big place. It seems to go on for ever. We did see some land yesterday. The captain pointed out the islands of Shetland, but he didn’t stop as he said we had to make good time if we wanted to reach the North Pole before the bad weather. Of course, I never mentioned anything about bad weather to Roo, as I thought it might upset her. She has been rather a nuisance I’m afraid, and I begin to wonder whether it was such a good idea to bring her along in the first place. I thought she might be useful pulling the trolley up the steep bits. Perhaps I should have brought a husky after all.

  Today Roo announced that she had changed her mind about finding the Last Polar Bears and that she had decided to go

  home. She said that she had been mistaken and it isn’t snow that her particular breed are good on, it is sand. I said it was impossible to turn around and go back now and that we just had to press on. Roo said that dogs are excellent swimmers and that she could
swim back if she wanted to. I had to put her lead on and tie her to the mast as I was frightened that she just might try it. She howled all afternoon until I untied her.

  Tonight Roo insisted on sleeping in a hammock. I didn’t think this was a very good idea, but she said that her grandfather had probably slept in one all the time he was at sea. I finally agreed, but I warned her not to stand up in the hammock. She ignored me completely and promptly fell out on to the floor. I wish she would sleep in her basket like a normal dog. She is now in my bed, which is very uncomfortable for me. The boat is going up and down and I have spilt ink all over the sheets.

  Feeling a little poorly.

  Friday 11 October

  On board the Unthinkable

  What a horrible night! I don’t think I slept a wink. Roo pulled all the covers off me and wrapped herself in a ball at my feet. The boat was leaping around all night and twice I ended up on the floor. I can’t remember anything else, but when I woke up this morning I was in Roo’s basket at the foot of the bed.

  The captain cooked a hearty breakfast of sausages, bacon and eggs, but I couldn’t eat a scrap, I felt so sick. I just had to sit there and watch Roo and the captain wolf down the lot. Roo, her mouth full of toast and marmalade, explained between bites how dogs never suffer from seasickness on account of them having four legs. Having four legs means you never wobble about, explained Roo, and she then went on to tell the captain the most ridiculous story about her grandfather, saying that he had been in a storm so bad that he had spent the whole voyage upside-down, and that in the end he got quite used to it, and that he even preferred it to being the right way up. After that, she said, he always had his dinner standing on his head.

  I don’t object to Roo telling tall stories, but I do object to her changing her mind. At breakfast she told the captain that it had always been her ambition to see the North Pole, yet this afternoon she said that she couldn’t care less about some stupid old pole, and she didn’t want to see any polar bears either. She has been in a bad mood all day and things are even worse now she has lost her red ball. She was playing run and catch by herself on the deck when it rolled overboard and was eaten by a passing shark.

  Very sleepy tonight. I have not had breakfast, lunch or tea today. Will send this letter as soon as I can. Roo is in her basket and I am going to bed. Very rough seas tonight. The ship is making horrible groaning noises. Can’t write any more.

  Monday 14 October

  Somewhere near Iceland,

  but not sure exactly where

  On board the Unthankable

  We have now been on our expedition for ten days. Of course we are not there yet, but at least we are on our way. Once we get there we can begin to practise climbing and looking for the best route up to Great Bear Ridge. I have never been on an expedition before and neither has Roo, but I know that you can’t hurry. We have to be careful. Terrible things can happen on an expedition if you hurry. You could fall down a crevasse, or get lost in a snowstorm. I intend to do a lot of planning so that things like that won’t happen to Roo and me.

  Roo said she wouldn’t have come along if she had known it was going to be that type of expedition, and that she thought we were just going away for a couple of days. I tried to explain that expeditions always take a long time. If they only lasted a couple of days then everyone would go on one. It isn’t like going to the beach for a picnic. You can’t come home at night for your tea.

  All this talk of beaches and picnics put me in rather a sorry mood and I suddenly missed you all, even Uncle Freddie. I went out on deck. The sun was setting. A gentle wind blew overhead. I wondered whether I was wrong to have come all this way. Maybe the polar bears wouldn’t want to see us. Maybe we would get lost in a snowstorm. Maybe… My thoughts were interrupted by the captain shouting at me to batten down the hatches and lash down any loose barrels. I didn’t see the hurry. The sea looked so calm. ‘The calm before the storm,’ whispered the captain. A minute later there was a growl of thunder and huge black clouds rolled in overhead.

  ‘Get below!’ ordered the captain, after I had finished all the battening and lashing. I looked at the sea. It seemed angry. I quickly went below into the cabin as I didn’t want to make it any angrier.

  We did not talk much this evening as we ate our supper. I had to hold on to my plate to stop it sliding off the table. The captain said nothing, though he roared with laughter every time a large wave struck the boat. He drank rather a lot of rum tonight, I’m afraid. He fell asleep in his chair. Roo said that she would steer if I wanted, but I thought it would be safer for both of us to get into bed. We pulled the covers up over our heads, but it didn’t keep the noise of the storm out.

  Another sleepless night ahead. Do not worry, I am used to it.

  With love,

  Tuesday 15 October

  The Unsinkable

  I was woken in the middle of the night by Roo barking that the ship was sinking. At first I just grabbed my dressing-gown, but I didn’t want to be marooned at sea in my night-clothes, so I tried to get dressed over my pyjamas. I could hardly pull my trousers on, the boat was lurching about so much. Water was pouring in under the door, the cupboards were swinging open, and all my clothes, maps and equipment lay strewn across the floor in a soggy heap. Roo was running round in circles, with a rubber-ring around her middle. I managed to get the

  cabin door open and we struggled out into the corridor, where we met the captain. He seemed quite unconcerned about the storm and asked us what we were doing. Roo gibbered something about lifeboats and every dog for itself, until the captain wrapped her in an oilskin blanket and popped her in the boot locker for her own protection. He then sent me back to bed with some tea that tasted strongly of rum.

  This morning the storm finally died away.

  The captain, who had tied me to the bed so that I wouldn’t fall out, untied me and let Roo out of the boot locker. I bore him no grudge, but Roo sulked and said she didn’t feel like breakfast. She only ate five rashers of bacon, three poached eggs and seven slices of toast.

  I went to our cabin, began to tidy up the mess and spent most of the morning folding, sorting and drying. When I had finished, Roo poked her nose round the door and asked if she could lend a paw. I feel very alone on this expedition and know that I shall probably end up doing all the work myself.

  After lunch the captain began work on the engine. It seems that last night it took a bit of a pounding from the storm. I’m not an engineer, but I went down to the engine-room with him to see if I could help. I told Roo to stay up on deck and not get into any trouble.

  The engine looked a bit of a mess. Oil was dripping from the pipes, and a lot of cogs, nuts and bolts seemed to have sprung loose. I picked up as many as I could find and the captain put them back into the engine. For many hours he worked inside the engine, sometimes crawling in so far that only his feet poked out. At last the final bolt was put back in its place, and after the captain had done a bit more adjusting, he tried to start the engine. He pressed the starter-motor. Nothing happened. He pressed the emergency starter-motor. Nothing. Then he whacked it with his spanner. Still it wouldn’t start. He even booted it with his foot. At that moment Roo came down the ladder, tripped, and fell on to some buttons. The engine roared into life. The captain was amazed and said that it had never sounded better.

  Roo said that her uncle had lived in a garage and that’s how she knew so much about engines. I said I had never heard of an engineer-dog. Roo said that if there were police-dogs, guard-dogs, guide-dogs, sheep-dogs and rescue-dogs, then there were bound to be engineer-dogs and possibly doctor-dogs as well.

  A hearty meal tonight, and even the captain in a good mood for once. We all had a game of Old Maid. Roo won nineteen games in a row.

  Very sleepy, will write more tomorrow.

  Thursday 17 October

  Somewhere near the North Pole

  On board the Unsingable

  So much happened yesterday that I was unable to sit down a
nd write you a letter. We had another storm and almost hit an iceberg. We see more and more of them every day, so we must be getting closer to the North Pole.

  This afternoon we sailed past a small penguin colony. They really are the most amusing creatures.

  I have done a drawing of them for you.

  I went up to see the captain. He said that he could smell dry land. I was very excited by this, and I even tried to see if I could smell it too… but all I could smell were the kippers that Roo was cooking in the galley.

  We had a very enjoyable meal tonight, and afterwards the captain told us old sea tales, some of which I found very unpleasant. Roo added a few of her grandfather’s which I must say are becoming more and more ridiculous. She told us one in which he was swallowed by a whale and lived inside it for two years. He even built a little house in there, she said. He at last escaped by climbing out of the blow-hole, and swam all the way back to his ship. He got a medal for it.

  Then Roo began another story about how he captured a pirate ship on his own. I went to bed.

  If the captain can really smell land then we must be nearly there. I shall send this letter as soon as I arrive. Can hardly sleep tonight. Too excited.

  With love,

  Friday 18 October

  Walrus Bay

  The North Pole

  Hurrah! We have landed at Walrus Bay. The captain wished me luck and we shook hands. He gave Roo a tin of macaroni cheese. I think he really liked her. We were sad to see him go.