Pigeon Post
Encyclopedia
Pigeon Post is the sixth book in Arthur Ransome
's Swallows and Amazons series of children's books, published in 1936. It won the first Carnegie Medal
awarded for children's literature.
This book is one of the few Swallows and Amazons books that does not feature sailing. All the action takes place on and under the fell
s surrounding the Lake. Ransome made use of the mining and prospecting knowledge and experience of his friend Oscar Gnosspelius
who features in the book as a character known as Squashy Hat.
) has sent word that he is returning from an expedition to South America prospecting for gold, and has sent Timothy ahead. As he can be let loose in the study, they deduce that Timothy is an armadillo
and make a box for him, but he does not arrive. Slater Bob, an old slate
miner
, tells them a story about a lost gold
seam in the fells. As Captain Flint has been unsuccessful in his prospecting trip, plans are made to prospect for gold on High Topps instead.
They are allowed to move camp to Tyson's Farm, up near the fells, to be closer to the prospecting grounds, after proving that they can stay in touch with home using the homing pigeons that give the book its name. But when they get there, they find this little improvement as Mrs Tyson does not allow them to cook over a campfire because of the drought
conditions and her fear of fires. Titty eventually finds a spring by dowsing
and they move closer to the Topps. To keep in touch with Beckfoot, they send one of the homing pigeon
s with a daily message. As Nancy
says (Chapter IV), A pigeon a day keeps the natives away.
While exploring the ground, they notice a rival they call Squashy Hat who is prospecting too. After days of prospecting, a seam of gold-coloured mineral is found in a cave made by the old miners, and they mine and crush enough to melt down into an ingot in a charcoal
furnace. Unfortunately it disappears when the crucible breaks and Dick Callum has only a small amount to test with aqua regia
.
Captain Flint returns, and finds Dick doing chemical tests on the putative gold in his study. While he explains to Dick that aqua regia dissolves everything (and that gold doesn't dissolve in anything else) and that they have found copper
ore
not gold, a pigeon arrives with an urgent message FIRE HELP QUICK from Titty. Captain Flint rings Colonel Jolys who musters his volunteer fire fighters, and they all rush to help save the Topps.
The fire on the fells is extinguished. Squashy Hat is revealed as Captain Flint's friend Timothy, who has been too shy to introduce himself to the children. Captain Flint is pleased to find copper, as he had talked with Timothy above Pernambuco
in South America about new ways of prospecting for copper on the fells, and in fact prospecting for copper, not gold, had been the true purpose of the expedition to South America in the first place - "But it's copper we were looking for," said Captain Flint.
Arthur Ransome
Arthur Michell Ransome was an English author and journalist, best known for writing the Swallows and Amazons series of children's books. These tell of school-holiday adventures of children, mostly in the Lake District and the Norfolk Broads. Many of the books involve sailing; other common subjects...
's Swallows and Amazons series of children's books, published in 1936. It won the first Carnegie Medal
Carnegie Medal
The Carnegie Medal is a literary award established in 1936 in honour of Scottish philanthropist Andrew Carnegie and given annually to an outstanding book for children and young adults. It is awarded by the Chartered Institute of Library and Information Professionals...
awarded for children's literature.
This book is one of the few Swallows and Amazons books that does not feature sailing. All the action takes place on and under the fell
Fell
“Fell” is a word used to refer to mountains, or certain types of mountainous landscape, in Scandinavia, the Isle of Man, and parts of northern England.- Etymology :...
s surrounding the Lake. Ransome made use of the mining and prospecting knowledge and experience of his friend Oscar Gnosspelius
Oscar Gnosspelius
Major Oscar Theodor Gnosspelius was an English civil engineer and pioneer seaplane builder.Gnosspelius was born at Brookfield House, Maghull on 18 March 1878 the only son of Adolf Jonathan Gnosspelius.. He was educated in Bedford and later was to study civil engineering at the City and Guilds...
who features in the book as a character known as Squashy Hat.
Plot summary
The Swallows, Amazons and Ds are camping in the Blackett family's garden at Beckfoot. The Swallow is not available for sailing. James Turner (Captain FlintCaptain Flint
Captain J. Flint was the fictional captain of a pirate ship, the Walrus, in the novel Treasure Island of the Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson...
) has sent word that he is returning from an expedition to South America prospecting for gold, and has sent Timothy ahead. As he can be let loose in the study, they deduce that Timothy is an armadillo
Armadillo
Armadillos are New World placental mammals, known for having a leathery armor shell. Dasypodidae is the only surviving family in the order Cingulata, part of the superorder Xenarthra along with the anteaters and sloths. The word armadillo is Spanish for "little armored one"...
and make a box for him, but he does not arrive. Slater Bob, an old slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
miner
Miner
A miner is a person whose work or business is to extract ore or minerals from the earth. Mining is one of the most dangerous trades in the world. In some countries miners lack social guarantees and in case of injury may be left to cope without assistance....
, tells them a story about a lost gold
Gold
Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au and an atomic number of 79. Gold is a dense, soft, shiny, malleable and ductile metal. Pure gold has a bright yellow color and luster traditionally considered attractive, which it maintains without oxidizing in air or water. Chemically, gold is a...
seam in the fells. As Captain Flint has been unsuccessful in his prospecting trip, plans are made to prospect for gold on High Topps instead.
They are allowed to move camp to Tyson's Farm, up near the fells, to be closer to the prospecting grounds, after proving that they can stay in touch with home using the homing pigeons that give the book its name. But when they get there, they find this little improvement as Mrs Tyson does not allow them to cook over a campfire because of the drought
Drought
A drought is an extended period of months or years when a region notes a deficiency in its water supply. Generally, this occurs when a region receives consistently below average precipitation. It can have a substantial impact on the ecosystem and agriculture of the affected region...
conditions and her fear of fires. Titty eventually finds a spring by dowsing
Dowsing
Dowsing is a type of divination employed in attempts to locate ground water, buried metals or ores, gemstones, oil, gravesites, and many other objects and materials, as well as so-called currents of earth radiation , without the use of scientific apparatus...
and they move closer to the Topps. To keep in touch with Beckfoot, they send one of the homing pigeon
Homing pigeon
The homing pigeon is a variety of domestic pigeon derived from the Rock Pigeon selectively bred to find its way home over extremely long distances. The wild rock pigeon has an innate homing ability, meaning that it will generally return to its own nest and its own mate...
s with a daily message. As Nancy
Nancy Blackett (character)
Nancy Blackett is a fictional character in nine of the twelve juvenile novels in Arthur Ransome's Swallows and Amazons series of books. She is a bit of a tomboy—acting as captain of the dinghy, Amazon and usually directing her friends in their various adventures...
says (Chapter IV), A pigeon a day keeps the natives away.
While exploring the ground, they notice a rival they call Squashy Hat who is prospecting too. After days of prospecting, a seam of gold-coloured mineral is found in a cave made by the old miners, and they mine and crush enough to melt down into an ingot in a charcoal
Charcoal
Charcoal is the dark grey residue consisting of carbon, and any remaining ash, obtained by removing water and other volatile constituents from animal and vegetation substances. Charcoal is usually produced by slow pyrolysis, the heating of wood or other substances in the absence of oxygen...
furnace. Unfortunately it disappears when the crucible breaks and Dick Callum has only a small amount to test with aqua regia
Aqua regia
Aqua regia or aqua regis is a highly corrosive mixture of acids, fuming yellow or red solution, also called nitro-hydrochloric acid. The mixture is formed by freshly mixing concentrated nitric acid and hydrochloric acid, usually in a volume ratio of 1:3, respectively...
.
Captain Flint returns, and finds Dick doing chemical tests on the putative gold in his study. While he explains to Dick that aqua regia dissolves everything (and that gold doesn't dissolve in anything else) and that they have found copper
Copper
Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu and atomic number 29. It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; an exposed surface has a reddish-orange tarnish...
ore
Ore
An ore is a type of rock that contains minerals with important elements including metals. The ores are extracted through mining; these are then refined to extract the valuable element....
not gold, a pigeon arrives with an urgent message FIRE HELP QUICK from Titty. Captain Flint rings Colonel Jolys who musters his volunteer fire fighters, and they all rush to help save the Topps.
The fire on the fells is extinguished. Squashy Hat is revealed as Captain Flint's friend Timothy, who has been too shy to introduce himself to the children. Captain Flint is pleased to find copper, as he had talked with Timothy above Pernambuco
Pernambuco
Pernambuco is a state of Brazil, located in the Northeast region of the country. To the north are the states of Paraíba and Ceará, to the west is Piauí, to the south are Alagoas and Bahia, and to the east is the Atlantic Ocean. There are about of beaches, some of the most beautiful in the...
in South America about new ways of prospecting for copper on the fells, and in fact prospecting for copper, not gold, had been the true purpose of the expedition to South America in the first place - "But it's copper we were looking for," said Captain Flint.