Boxen: Childhood Chronicles Before Narnia. Walter Hooper

is world-famed for corn. Great Eglington is an enormous railway centre.

      Mouse-land

      Mouse-land is the seat of government. Murry on the Jemima is a great port, and has imense shipbuilding yards. Here the Parliament is situated. It is a beautiful country of undulating hill and dale.

      Rabbit-land

      Rabbit-land is the first provence in learning and art. Cannon-town is so called because it is situated in the cannon of Butatsheek. Poultry are reared in the west.

      Pig-land

      Pig-land is very flat, and produces much coal and iron. Lake Marston is the largest expance of fresh water in the world. It is often called the Great Lake.

      Bird-land

      Bird-land is very uneven indeed. Whing is a university city, and is the terminus of the Bird-land Railway.

      Horse-land

      Horse-land is hilly and fertile. Large quantities of wheat, rye, rice, corn, and quicksilver. Main Hocking is the chief port for westward-going liners.

      Fox-land

      Fox-land is covered with forests, and tilled fields. Here ploughs were first made in 120 A.D. Potatoes are exported.

      BOXEN

      or

       Scenes from Boxonian city life

      BOXEN

      OR

       Scenes from Boxonian city life

      I

      Night was falling on the Bosphorus as the town guardsman sighted a small but tidy schooner tacking up to Fortressa. For’rad stood a young Tracity Chessary Pawn & at the tiller a sturdy thickset knight stolidly smoking his pipe. With a little deft maneouvering he brought her up a secluded rocky creek & dropt anchor about 200 yds. from the shingle. He called the assistance of the Pawn to lower his solitary boat, which soon was lying under the schooner’s counter, & several vigorous strokes sent him to the beach. Mooring the boat he stepped out & in the dusk descried two tall athletic figures walking along a short distance away.

      ‘Why! Your Majesties!’¹

      They turned.

      ‘Macgoullah.’

      ‘At your service. What are you doing here?’

      ‘Oh,’ said the ’Jah, ‘Learning Turkish.’

      ‘Alone?’ inquired the knight.

      ‘No. Big’s here,’ answered Bunny.

      ‘At the inn?’

      ‘Yes.’

      The three friends walked together to the postern gate, where the guard admitted them for a small fee. A few hundred yds. brought them to the inn. Through the door into the Inner room Macgoullah caught sight of a stout frog in evening dress.

      ‘I’ll stay in the Outer,’ he observed.

      The boys walked into the Inner. It was a small room crowded to overflowing. Round the table sat Puddiphat, Goose, Quicksteppe, & the Little Master.¹

      ‘Boys where have you been?’ asked the Frog.

      ‘Oh nowhere special,’ returned the ’Jah with characteristic vagueness. Big gulped & continued bisecting a portion of cod. All present were Boxonians except one Prussian who sat in a far corner silent & morose, unoticed by all: true their was a cautious look in Quicksteppe’s grey eyes, but no one observed it. The company bent over their meal & conversation & quietly the Prussian slipt into a curtained cupboard. Big looked up.

      ‘Are we alone?’

      ‘Yes, my dear Little Master,’ said Goose.

      ‘Now Goose: tell your tale.’

      ‘Yes. Gentlemen I have just found that the whole Clique is threatened by Orring one of the members for “the aquarium” –’

      ‘Come, my good bird,’ cried Big, ‘what does that mean?’

      ‘For Piscia, my good Frog,’ – Big gulped – ‘has determined to throw all the present clique out of office: & is bribing right & left.’

      ‘It is impossible,’ cried the Frog, ‘the M.P.’s are incorruptable.’

      Quicksteppe inquired ‘How, Goose, do you know this?’

      ‘Because friend Green –’¹

      ‘That parrot?’ gasped Big.

      ‘Yes Little Master. Because he overheard at the Murryman’s rest –’

      ‘That place?’ gasped the worried Frog.

      ‘Yes. He overheard Orring.’

      Big rose. ‘Come boys. Its late,’ he said.

      Quicksteppe, he, the boys, & Chutney went out. They passed through the Postern gate, & strolled along the shingle: Their house was in the outer town.

      Presently Big removed his cigar and said, ‘Polonius Green overheard it? What would he wish to tell it to Goose for? He is no friend of mine.’

      ‘Its rather deep,’ said Quicksteppe.

      ‘Ah yes,’ said Bunny.

      ‘There’s some dirty work going on,’ asserted the Little Master.

      A few more steps brought them to their house, & to bed. Long after the others had gone to sleep Quicksteppe lay thinking. What interest had that Parrot in the crisis? It might prove of the utmost importance. But how should he find out? Who, whom he could trust, moved in Green’s circles? He put the question to himself & next moment had the answer. Macgoullah!! Of course. The shrewd, honest master of the schooner Bosphorus was his man. True the Bosphorus was engaged in somewhat shady business but no one could deny that its captain was honest & patriotic. Of course he never thought for a moment that Green had told Goose through a disinterested motive. But having decided on a plan of campaign he turned over & slept.

      II

      ‘The boys,’ the two sovereigns of Boxen, had come to Fortressa under the charge of the Little-Master to rub up their Turkish. But this onerous duty did not prevent some enjoyment. Turkey was ever dear to the boys: it was such a change. Turkey where all sorts of things like slavery, brigands, & bazaars still existed. On the morning after the night described above, the two kings rose early, dressed in flannels & taking towels stole out of the hired house, & down to the beach.

      ‘A ripping day ‘Jay,’ observed Benjamen.

      ‘Glorious. Hullo their’s a boat, new since last night,’ cried his companion eagerly, indicating a big untidy Turkish tramp.

      ‘Can you read her name?’ asked the Rabbit.

      After a moment the Rajah spelt out ‘The Demetrie.