Posted by peter on February 24, 1997 at 21:03:15:
[reprinted from Signalling to Mars, issue 15]
SWALLOWS AND AMAZONS: WAS THE GREAT AUNT THERE?
Here are a few quotes from SA, during and after the scene of the Parley and
Treaty
Peggy:
He's only our Uncle sometimes. He was last year, but this year he's in league
with the natives, and the natives are very unfriendly.
Peggy:
Let's be allies... We wanted to be allies as soon as we saw smoke on the island
yesterday. We are sick of natives. And we wanted to be allies at once if only
we hadn't promised to be home for lunch... there wasn't time for anything else.
Nancy (on hearing SWALLOW gave chase):
...what a chance we missed. If we had only known we'd have given broadside for
broadside even if it had made us late for lunch.
Peggy again:
Well Nancy was saying that our surprise attack was such a good one that we'd
have to go on being enemies and I said I was sick of enemies what with our
natives and Uncle Jim being no good this year.
The common theme is one of being back in time for lunch with some unfriendly
natives. Hmmmmm. Surely not the lovely Molly Blackett and the kindly Cook: who
else can it be? Could AR have written about the GA before even having invented
her?