Posted by Ed Kiser on May 02, 2003 at 16:40:52 from 64.12.96.103 user Kisered.
In Reply to: Re: How Old Is Captain Flint? posted by John Lambert on May 02, 2003 at 15:58:51:
CF first appeared to be in a seated occupation, that of writing his book, but it was a book of his many travels, which does take quite a bit of exercise, to just get about. He took trips to foreign places, include an episode with Timothy in Peru, that for some reason, he felt it was unnecessary to go into any degree of detail, as it involved police. He lived on a houseboat, when the GA was not around to require otherwise, which required usage of a small boat, which he rowed. Now rowing can be considered to be quite an exercise itself. Then there was the skating trip to the North Pole with him dragging a sledge with coal and assorded edibles for the expedition to use. In Swallowdale, he was noted by Nancy as being quite handy as a beast of burden, especially as he had great pockets for carrying extra items. The burden he carried on that initial safari to the hidden valley must have been some burden, because when they got to the waterfall, it took the lot of them to haul his load up to the top. And CF was a sailor who knew his ropes which do require pulling and that certainly sounds like exercise. When he returned home to Beckfoot in PP, he was carrying a large trunk which he dumped in the study to find Dick doing stinks to check for gold. To swing such a trunk upon one's back and walk with it any distance at all certainly took some physical strength and stamina. Perhaps his exercise came in spurts, with resting (well deserved) periods in between. And being a large man (read that, "overweight") simply walking is carrying a heavy load, and certainly qualifies for exercise.
For the above reasons, I am inclined to disagree with John in his claim that CF did not do much exercise. He was an active man, with a lot of go in him. He had to be, to keep up with the Amazons as they seemed to want to drag him into their world.
CF had his quiet moments, but after all that hauling and rowing and walking, we could all use some of them. Would that I could do as well.
Ed Kiser, South Florida