long it takes a beetle to walk round a mountain? Well, I assure you it takes an unbelievably long time. As the hours dragged by, we hoped and hoped that he would get up and fly the rest, and let Polynesia carry on the work of following him. But he never opened his wings once. I had not realized before how hard it is for a human being to walk slowly enough to keep up with a beetle. It was the most tedious thing I have ever gone through. And as we dawdled along behind, watching him like hawks lest we lose him under a leaf or something, we all got so cross and ill-tempered we were ready to bite one another's heads off. And when he stopped to look at the scenery or polish his nose some more, I could hear Polynesia behind me letting out the most dreadful seafaring swear-words you ever heard.
After he had led us the whole way round the mountain he brought us to the exact spot where we started from and there he came to a dead stop.
"Well," said Bumpo to Polynesia, "what do you think of the beetle's sense now? You see he doesn't know enough to go home." "Oh, be still, you Hottentot!" snapped Polynesia. 'Wouldn't you want to stretch your legs for exercise if you'd been shut up in a box all day. Probably his home is near here, and that's why he's come back."
