I said I landed quietly. This is not strictly true, and I have no
intention to be inaccurate even in the slightest particular.
Perhaps I depressed my rudder too quickly, or perhaps I had misjudged
the inclination of my aeroplane. However it was, I must have produced a
gust of wind; for I saw the thing I so much sought making off at great
speed.
I quickly tied two arrows together, not being able to resort to my
former experiment as the paper was rising and at not sufficient
distance. The force of the air had straightened it out and it was
sailing away as I had sailed down. I still had no desire to injure the
paper, and therefore took careful aim, with such exactness that the
arrows met the paper in such fashion that it entered between them and
was safely brought to earth.
Going to where it had fallen, what was my astonishment to discover that
it had descended within the hollow stub of a tree. The hole into which
it had gone was too small for me to enter and too deep for me to reach
it with any pole that I could obtain.
I gazed about me for some means of getting it, for I had neither axe nor
saw. I sat down on a stump to meditate, when I heard a noise beneath me.
Upon investigation I found the stump was hollow, and by running my hand
into it I brought forth a nice, fat squirrel. It then occurred to me
that I was dreadfully hungry and was on the point of preparing it as a
meal when I thought I might first obtain my document with it.
Securely fastening the squirrel to a long string I always carried with
me, I climbed another tree into which I had noticed bees entering. I
took a stick and ran it into the hole and by deftly turning it around
and around I secured a quantity of delicious honey. With this I gave my
squirrel a coat and carried him to the top of the stump, releasing him
at the mouth of the hole, which he immediately entered with great
alacrity. I had concluded that the hole became larger the farther down
it went, and when he was down a sufficient distance I jerked the rope
with such dexterity that I dislodged his hold, dropped him to the bottom
of the hole and bounced him around there. When I withdrew him, which I
did most painstakingly, yet with little trouble, as he was somewhat
dazed and offered no resistance, I found the precious paper sticking to
him. I removed it and placed it within my inside pocket with much
satisfaction.
I then enjoyed my meal of broiled squirrel, honey, and some baked
potatoes. The latter were small, as the large ones were probably too
heavy to stick to the squirrel’s coat. How or by whom they had been
deposited in that spot I did not stop to investigate.
After enjoying my repast, I proceeded to read the message, which was as
follows:
My dear Son:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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