Speaker 1: Chapter eight of Winnie the Pooh by A. A. Milney.
This liveryvox recording is in the public domain. Chapter eight,
in which Christopher Robin leads an expedition to the North Pole.
One fine day, Pooh had stumped up to the top
of the forest to see if his friend, Christopher Robin
was interested in bears at all. At breakfast that morning,
a simple meal of marmalade spread lightly over a honeycomb
or two, he had suddenly thought of a new song.
It began like this, sing all for the Life of
a Bear. When he had got as far as this,
he scratched his head and thought to himself, that's a
very good start for a song. But what about the
second line. He tried singing hole two or three times,
but it didn't seem to help. Perhaps it would be better,
he thought, if I sang Hi for the Life of
a Bear. So he sang it, but it wasn't hm
very well. Then he said, I shall sing the first
line twice, and perhaps if I sing it very quickly,
I shall find myself singing the third and fourth lines
before I have time to think of them, and that
will be a good song. Now, then sing whole for
the Life of a bear, sing Hole for the life
of a bear. I don't much mind if it rains
or snows, because I've got a lot of honey on
my nice snow nose. I don't much care if it
snows or thaws, because I've got a lot of honey
on my nice clean pause. Sing Ho for a bear,
sing Ho for a Pooh, and I'll have a little
something in an hour or two. He was so pleased
with this song that he sang it all the way
to the top of the forest. And if I go
on singing it much longer, he thought, it will be
time for the little something, and then the last line
won't be true, so he turned it into a hum instead.
Christopher Robin was sitting outside his door putting on his
big boots. As soon as he saw the big boots,
poo knew that an adventure was going to happen, and
he brushed the honey off his nose with the back
of his paw and spruced himself up as well as
he could so as to look ready for anything. Good morning.
Christopher Robin called out, Hello, Pooh bear, I can't get
this boot on. That's bad, said Pooh, do you think
you could very kindly lean against me, because I keep
pulling so hard that I fall over backward. Woo sat down,
dug his feet into the ground, and pushed hard against
Christopher Robbin's back, and Christopher Robin pushed hard against his
and pulled and pulled at his boot until he had
got it on. And that's that, said Pooh. What do
we do next? We are all going on an expedition,
said Christopher Robin as he got up and brushed himself.
Thank you, Pooh, going on an expetition, said Pooh eagerly.
I don't think I've ever been on one of those.
Where are we going on this expedition? Expedition? Silly old bear.
It's got an X in it, Oh, said Pooh. I know,
but he didn't. Really. We're going to discover the North Pole, oh,
said Pooh again. What is the North Pole? He asked.
It's just a thing you discover, said Christopher Robin carelessly,
not being quite sure himself. Oh I see, said Pooh.
Or a bear's any good at discovering it? Of course
they are, and Rabbit and Kanga and all of you.
It's an expedition, that's what an expedition means a long
line of everybody. You'd better tell the others to get
ready while I see if my gun's all right. And
we must all bring provisions, bring what things to eat? Oh,
said Pooh happily. I thought you said pro visions. I'll
go and tell them. And he's stumped off. The first
person he met was Rabbit. Hello, Rabbit, he said, is
that you? Let's pretend it isn't, said Rabbit, and see
what happens. I've got a message for you. I'll give
it to him. We're all going on an expedition with
Christopher Robin. What is it when we're on it? A
sort of boat, I think, said pooh Oh. That's sorting, yes,
and we're going to discover a pole or something or
was it a mole? Anyhow, we're going to discover it.
We are, are we, said Rabbit. Yes, And we've got
to bring pro things to eat with us in case
we want to eat them. Now, I'm going to down
to Piglets. Tell Kanga, will you. He left Rabbit and
hurried down to Piglet's house. The piglet was sitting on
the ground at the door of his house, blowing happily
at a dandelion and wondering whether it would be this year,
next year, some time, or never. He had just discovered
that it would be never, and was trying to remember
what it was and hoping it wasn't anything nice. When
Pooh came up. Oh, Piglet said Pooh excitedly. We're going
on an expetition, all of us with things to eat,
to discover something to discover, what said Piglet anxiously, Oh,
just something, nothing fierce. Christopher Robin didn't say anything about fierce.
He just said it had an x. It isn't there
next I mind, said Picklet. Honestly, it's their teeth. But
if Christopher Robbin is coming, I don't mind anything. In
a little while, they were already at the top of
the forest and the expedition started. First came Christopher Robin
and Rabbit, then Piglet and Pooh, then Kanga with ru
in her pocket, and Owl, then Eyre and at the end,
in a long line, all Rabbit's friends and relations. I
didn't ask them, he explained Rabbit carelessly. They just came.
They always do. They can mark at the end after
eyor what I say said, or here's that it's unsettling.
I didn't want to calm on this sexpo. What Pooh said,
I only came to oblige.
Speaker 2: But here I am. And if I am the end
of the expo what we're talking about, then let me
be the end. But if every time I want to
sit down for a little rest, I have to brush
away half a dozen of rabbits, smaller friends and relations first,
then this isn't an expo whatever it is at all.
It's simply a confused noise.
Speaker 1: That's what I say. I see what ear means, said Owl,
if you ask me, I'm not asking anybody, said Ere.
I'm just telling everybody. We can look for the north pole,
or we can play. Here we go gathering nuts and
may with the impart of finance nest. It's all the
same to me. There was a shout from the top
of the line. Come on, called Christopher Robin, come on,
called Pooh, and piglet, come on, called Owl. We're starting,
said Rabbit, I must go, and he hurried off to
the front of the expetition with Christopher Robin. All right,
said Eor, we're going, only don't blame me. So off
they all went to discover the pole, and as they walked.
They chattered to each other of this and that, all
except Pooh, who was making up a song. This is
the first verse, he said to Piglet when he was
ready with it. First verse of what my song? What song?
This one? Which one? Well, if you listen, Piglet, you
will hear it. How do you know I'm not listening.
Pooh couldn't answer that one, so he began to sing.
They all went off to discover the pole. Owl and
Piglet and rabbit and all. It's the thing you discover,
as I've been told by Owl and pigling and rabbit
and all e your Christopher Robin and Pooh and Rabbit's
relations all went to and where the pole was. None
of them knew sing Hey for Owl and rabbit and all. Hush,
said Christopher Robin, turning round to Pooh. We're just coming
to a dangerous place. Hush, said Pooh, turning round quickly
to pickle it. Hush said Picklet to Kangum, Hush said
Kanga to Owl, while Rue said hush several times to
himself very quietly. Hush said Owl to Eore. Huh, Bush
said ere in a terrible voice, to all rabbits friends
and relations, and hush, they said hastily to each other
all down the line, until it got to the last
one of all, and the last and smallest friend in
relation was so upset to find that the whole expedition
was saying hush to him that he buried himself head
downward in a crack in the ground, and stayed there
for two days until the danger was over, and then
went home in a great hurry, and lived quietly with
his aunt ever afterwards. His name was Alexander Beadle. They
had come to a stream which twisted and tumbled between
high rocky banks, and Christopher Robbins saw at once how
dangerous it was. It's just the place, he explained, for
an ambush. What sort of bush, whispered Pooh to pillt
a gorse bush, My dear Pooh, said owl in his
superior way. Don't you know what an ambush is? Owl
said Picklet, looking round at him severely. Pooh's whisper was
a perfectly private whisper, and there was no need an ambush,
said Owl. Is a sort of surprise. So is a
gorse bush, sometimes, said Pooh. An ambush. As I was
about to explain to Pooh, said Picklet. Is a sort
of surprise. If people jump out at you suddenly, that's
an ambush, said Owl. It's an ambush, Pooh, when people
jump at you suddenly, explained Picklet. Pooh, who now knew
what an ambush was, said that a gorse bush had
sprung at him suddenly one day when he fell off
a tree, and he had taken six days to get
all the prickles out of himself. We are not talking
about goarse bushes, said Owl, a little crossly. I am,
said Pooh. They were climbing very cautiously up the stream now,
going from rock to rock, And after they had gone
a little way, they came to a place where the
banks widened out at each side, so that on each
side of the water there was a level strip of
grass on which they could sit down and rest. As
soon as he saw this, Christopher Robin called halt, and
they all sat down and rested. I think, said Christopher Robin,
that we ought to eat all our provisions now, so
that we shan't have so much to carry eat. All
are what, said Pooh, all that we've brought, said Piglet.
Getting to work. That's a good idea, said Pooh. And
he got to work too. Have you all got something,
asked Christopher Robin, with his mouthful All up, me said
ere as usual. He looked round at them in his
melancholy way. I suppose none of you are sitting on
a thistle by any chance, I believe I am, said
pooh Oh. He got up and looked behind him. Yes
I was, I thought, so, thank you, Pooh. If you've
quite finished with it, he moved across the Pooh's place
and began to eat it. Don't do them any good,
you know, sitting on them, he went on as he
looked up, munching takes all the life out of them.
Remember that another time, all of you. A little consideration,
a little thought for others, makes all the difference. As
soon as he had finished his lunch, Christopher Robin whispered
to Rabbit, and Rabbit said yes, yes, of course, and
they walked a little way up the stream together. I
didn't want the others to hear, said Christopher Robin. Quite so,
said rabbit, looking important. It's I wondered. It's only rabbit.
I suppose you don't know. What does the north pole
look like? Well, said rabbit, stroking his whiskers. Now you're
asking me. I did know once, only i've sort of forgotten,
said Christopher Robin carelessly. It's a funny thing, said Rabbit.
But I've sort of forgotten too, although I did know once.
I suppose it's just a pole stuck in the ground.
Sure to be a pole, said Rabbit, because of calling
it a pole. And if it's a pole, well I
should think it would be sticking in the ground, shouldn't you,
because that be nowhere else to sticket. Yes, that's what
I thought. The only thing, said Rabbit, is where is
it sticking? That's what we're looking for, said Christopher Robin.
Then they went back to the others. Piglett was lying
on his back, sleeping peacefully. Ru was washing his face
and paws in the stream, while Kanga explained to everybody
proudly that this was the first time he had ever
washed his face himself. And Owl was telling Kanga an
interesting anecdote full of long words like encyclopedia and rhododendron,
to which Kanga wasn't listening. I don't hold with all
this washing, grumbled ere, this modern behind the ears nonsense.
Why do you think Pooh whoa? Said Pooh? I think,
but we shall never know what Pool thought, for there
came a sudden squeak from Rue, a splash, and a
loud cry of alarm from Kangum. So much for washing,
said Eore. Ruth's fallen in, cried Rabbit, and he and
Christopher Robin came rushing down to the rescue. Look at
me swimming, squeaked Rue from the middle of his pool
and was hurried down a waterfall into the next pool.
Are you all right, ru Deer, called Kanga anxiously, Yes,
said Ruth, look at me swat and down he went
over the next waterfall into another pool. Everybody was doing
something to help Picklet wide awake, suddenly was jumping up
and down and making oh I say noises. Owl was
explaining that in a case of sudden and tipperary immersion,
the important thing was to keep the head above water.
Kanga was jumping along the bank, saying, are you sure
you're all right, ru Deer, to which Ru, from whatever
pool he was in at the moment, was answering, look
at me swimming. Eorre had turned round and hung his
tail over the first pool into which Ru fell, and
with his back to the accident, was grumbling quietly to
himself and saying, all this washing, but catch on to
my tail, little Rue, and you'll be all right. And
Christopher Robin and Rabbit came hurrying past Ere and were
calling out to the others in front of them. All right, Rue,
I'm coming, called Christopher Robin. Get something across the stream
lower down, some of you fellows called rabbit. But Pooh
was getting something two pools below Rue. He was standing
with a long pole in his paws, and Kanga came
up and took one end of it, and between them
they held it across the lower part of the pool,
and Rue, still bubbling proudly, look at me swimming, drifted
up against it and climbed out. Did you see me swimming?
Sweeked Rue excitedly, while Kanga scolded him and rubbed him down. Pooh,
did you see me swimming? That's all swimming? What I
was doing? Rabbit? Did you see what I was doing? Swimming? Hello, Pimot,
I say, piclet, what do you think I was doing? Swimming?
Christopher Robin? Did you see me? But Christopher Robin wasn't listening.
He was looking at Pooh Pooh. He said, where did
you find that pole? Pooh looked at the pole in
his hands. I just found it, he said. I thought
it ought to be useful. I just picked it up. Pooh,
said Christopher Robin solemnly. The expedition is over. You have
found the north pole, Oh said poop. Or was sitting
with his tail in the water when they all got
back to him. Tell rude of be quick somebody, He said,
my tail's getting cold. I don't want to mention it,
but I just mention it. I don't want to complain,
but there it is. My tail's cold. Here I am,
squeaked rue. Oh there you are. Did you see me swimming?
Eor took his tail out of the water and swished
it from side to side as I expected, he said,
lost all feeling numbed it. That's what it's done, numbed it. Well.
As long as nobody minds, I suppose it's all right,
poor old Eyore, I'll try it for you, said Christopher Robin,
and he took out his handkerchief and rubbed it up.
Thank you, Christopher Robin, you're the only one who seems
to understand about tales. They don't think. That's what's the
matter with some of these others. They've no imagination. A
tail isn't a tail to them. It's just a little
bit extra at the back. Never mind, ere, said Christopher Robin,
rubbing his hardest. Is that better? It's feeling more like
a tail. Perhaps it belongs again, if you know what
I mean. Hello eyre, said Pooh, coming up to them
with his pole. Hello Pooh, thank you for asking, but
I shall be able to use it again in a
day or two. Use what, said Pooh? What we are
talking about? I wasn't talking about anything, said Pooh, looking puzzled. Oh,
my mistake again. I thought you were saying how sorry
you were about my tale being all numb? And could
you do anything to help? No, said Pooh. That wasn't me,
he said. He thought for a little, then suggested helpfully,
perhaps it was somebody else. Well, thank him for me
when you see him. Pooh looked anxiously at Christopher Robin.
Poo's found the north pole, said Christopher Robin. Isn't that lovely?
Pooh looked modestly down. Is that it? Said e Or? Yes,
said Christopher Robin. Is that what we were looking for? Yes,
said Pooh? Oh said eore. Well, anyhow, it didn't rain
he said. They stuck the pole on the ground and
Christopher Robin tied a message on to it. North Pole
discovered by Pooh. Pooh found it. Then they all went
home again, and I think, but I'm not quite sure,
that Rue had a hot bath and went straight to bed.
But Pooh went back to his own house, and, feeling
very proud of what he had done, had a little
something to revive himself. End of Chapter eight