Free Freddy Goes to the North Pole by Walter R. Brooks Page A

direction. There’s just the place on the farm where I live—a big wood lot that nobody ever goes into, and I’m sure Mr. Bean would let you live there. Only you see …” And he explained about the rescue party.
    The bear was greatly interested. “I’d like to meet your friends,” he said. “They sound like a fine lot of animals.”
    â€œOh, they’re all right,” said Jack. “They’re a good lot of fellows. I’d like to have you meet them if you want to come along with me.”
    â€œSure,” said the bear. “Sure, I’d like to. And maybe—well, I’ve been thinking that maybe I could go along with you on this trip. I’m strong, and I don’t mind the cold, and my knowledge of the woods might be of use to you. At least I’d be more of a help than a hindrance. What do you think?”
    â€œWhy, it’s all right with me,” said Jack. “Of course Ferdinand’s the leader; he’d have to decide. If you went, you could come back home with us, too.”
    â€œThat’s what I was thinking,” said the bear. “And, to tell you the truth, if I don’t go with you, I don’t know what I will do.”
    â€œWell, come along then,” said the dog. “We’ve got some distance to go. Ha ha!” He laughed in two or three short little barks. “To think I thought you were chasing me, and all the time you were just running away too! But you certainly gave me a scare.”
    â€œI’m sorry for that,” said the bear. “But I’ll try to make it up to you some time.”

CHAPTER VII
    A LECTURE TOUR IN THE NORTH WOODS
    Even Ferdinand was pleased at the addition of the bear to their party, and indeed he was very useful, for he knew all the edible berries and roots that the woods animals live on, and that they, as farm-bred animals, had never learned anything about. He was very nervous for a day or two, until he was sure that Kate and Pete were not pursuing them, but then he brightened up and made himself quite agreeable.
    Ella and Everett were very happy. They had got so accustomed to being spanked at least three times a day that they thought it was a regular part of living, like getting up and going to bed, and at first they missed it. So for the first few days they spanked each other every morning before breakfast. But there were so many other things to do and to see that pretty soon they forgot all about it. They rode on Mrs. Wiggins’s back and on Uncle William’s back and on the bear’s back, and they raced through the woods with Jack after imaginary rabbits and tigers and played tag with Charles and Henrietta. All the animals grew very fond of them; even Ferdinand, who liked himself so well that he couldn’t like anybody else very much, occasionally flew down and perched on their shoulders, although he said he only did it to get his feet warm.
    Poor Cecil was the only one who couldn’t play with them. He wanted to awfully, but he was too prickly. It made him very sad, and he used to cry sometimes at night thinking about it. But he was a sensible porcupine and very soon decided that it was silly to cry about something he couldn’t help; and then, as usually happens, he found that he could have a perfectly good time with them even though he did have to be careful not to let them touch him.
    As they went on north, the winter came down to meet them. It grew colder and colder. Finally one morning Charles stuck his head out from under the feather bed where he had been sleeping all snug and warm, in order to crow and wake the others up. He kept his eyes shut, for he was very sleepy, but when he opened his beak to crow, no sound came out and his mouth was full of something soft and cold. That woke him wide awake at once, and his eyes flew open. And then he really was scared for a minute, for there was only a greyish whiteness everywhere; he could see nothing, not