he wooden piles, assisted the Dodo to alight, and
made their way towards it.

At the entrance they saw a large Walrus with a pipe in his mouth, and on
the ground beside him an Esquimaux dog, also smoking.

Dick and the others hurried forward, and bowed politely.

"_Wie geths?_" said the Walrus, taking the pipe from his mouth, and
immediately putting it back again, while the little dog glanced at them
inquisitively out of the corners of his eyes.

CHAPTER IX.

AT THE NORTH POLE.

"What does he mean?" asked Marjorie, staring blankly at her brother.

"I don't know," confessed Dick. "I beg your pardon," he went on,
addressing the Walrus, "but I didn't quite hear what you said."

"_Sprechen sie Deutsch?_" inquired the Walrus, with an encouraging
smile.

"I can't tell what the chap is talking about," said Dick, turning to the
others in dismay.

"Dond't you undershtandt German, eh?" said the Walrus. "Ach! dat vos
verry bad," and he shook his head reproachfully.

"I don't know," argued Dick. "I can't see that it matters much. We are
not likely to go there, you know."

"Not?" said the Walrus, lifting his eyebrows. "Vell, dere vos some funny
peoples in der vorld. Perhaps you dond't _vant_ to go dere?"

"Not much," admitted Dick.

The Walrus shrugged his shoulders, and looked commiseratingly at the
dog, who gave a sniff, and shrugged his shoulders too.

"What we want to know," said Dick, in a businesslike way, "is, Where are
we now, and how are we to get back to England?"

"Vell, you vas in Germany now," said the Walrus.

"Germany!" exclaimed the children, in surprise. "Why, we're quite near
to England, then."

"No," said the Walrus, shaking his head.

"But we must be," persisted Dick.

"No," repeated the Walrus. "Dis is not der Germany you mean, but id is
Germany all der same--most of der vorld is Germany."

"What nonsense!" laughed Dick. "I'm sure it isn't. Why, there's heaps of
places besides Germany. There's--er--Africa, for instance----"

"Thadt's Germany!" said the Walrus, nodding violently.

"Africa is?" cried Dick.

"Yah! das is so," said the Walrus. "Africa, und China, und alle der
blaces--dey is all Germany."

"The chap is evidently a little wrong in the head," explained Dick to
the others in a whisper. "Never mind; don't take any notice. Well, to
come to the point, _can_ you direct us home again, that is the
question?" he asked, aloud.

"No," said the Walrus, shaking his head.