PONS Die drei ??? Fragezeichen Arctic Adventure

1. Nice Dogs and bad Cookies

"I'm cold!" says Peter Shaw.

"Me too!" agrees Bob Andrews.

"But here in Dawson it's only ten degrees below zero!" says Justus Jonas. "When we go to Alaska, it will be much colder! In the wilderness you get temperatures up to thirty degrees below zero!"

The Three Investigators from California have just arrived in Canada. Now they are on their way to a meeting with Carol Ford. The reporter is a friend of Bob's father. The Three Investigators already worked for her some months ago. Now Carol Ford has a new job for the boys: She is writing a report on the sled-dog race "Nordic Wilderness Race" and needs a camera team.

"Great you came!" Carol Ford greets the boys. "It's so cold, I feel like a snowman. Or better: a snowwoman!"

"We're glad that we can help you, Carol!" says Justus. He looks around. They are standing by a huge parking area. All the people who take part in the sled-dog race camp here. There is a cabin where you can buy food and a cabin with restrooms. Justus sees a lot of ski-doos and a couple of trucks that have holes in the sides. Dogs are looking out of the holes. People in warm coats are walking across the snowy area. Some are carrying buckets of water, others are loading sleeping bags, lamps and cans onto their sleds. Everyone is busy.

"I really need your help here!" Carol says while they walk towards the trucks.

"Well," says Peter, "it's good you need us now! We don't have to go to school this week. You're lucky it's a school-holiday week in California. Besides, at the moment we have a lot of time, because we don't have a criminal case."

"I actually have a case for you!" Carol Ford says in a low voice.

"Really? A criminal case?" Suddenly, Justus sounds very happy. The word "case" always has a magical impact on the First Investigator.

"Yes! I think it's sabotage!" says Carol. "Somebody is trying to harm the other mushers!"

"What are mushers?" asks Peter.

"I'm sorry, Carol," says Justus. "Your Second Investigator was sleeping when Bob and I talked about the race on the plane."

"When you talked about the race?" Peter says amused, "You held an endless lecture about sled-dogs and racing rules and the weather in Alaska! After half an hour I really needed a break!"

"Please, don't argue about this now! We do not have much time. The race starts tomorrow. And you need to be prepared!" says Carol. "To make it short: A musher is the person who stands on the sled and controls the dogs."

"There are about twelve to sixteen dogs in front of each sled," Justus Jonas explains.

"I know that!" says Peter. He throws his scarf over his shoulder. "They drive across the marked trail from the Canadian town Dawson to Fairbanks in Alaska. I also know that they will start tomorrow at nine o'clock. See! I wasn't asleep the whole time!"

Justus ignores Peter, "Carol, why do you think that there is a saboteur? Can you tell us more?"

"Strange things have happened here. Someone destroyed a sled. Dogs got sick. And then something happened to Francis Studstill and my camera-team!" Carol tells him. She has just finished her sentence, when a young woman steps out of a yellow truck. She is small and has red hair and freckles.

"Hello Francis!" says Carol.

"Hi!" The young woman smiles and shakes their hands. Even though Francis is so small and thin, she is very strong! Bob looks at his hand. It aches a little. Peter and Justus also look surprised.

"I'm so happy you found a new team!" Francis says to Carol. "This time I will not offer them any cookies! No way!"

"No cookies?" Peter says with a glance at the First Investigator. "Too bad! Justus Jonas here loves cookies! He cannot get enough of them," Peter laughs.

But Justus Jonas growls and throws an angry glance at his friend. Sure, he does like cookies, but he hates it when other people make fun of him. Actually the First Investigator is a little bit stocky.

"Carol's last team became sick when they ate my cookies," Francis tells them. "The doctor says it was food poisoning!"

Justus looks surprised again. "But food poisoning normally happens with meat and raw eggs and not with cookies!"

"It must have been the cookies. It was the only thing Carol and I did not eat that day."

"I'm sure it was an act of sabotage!" Carol Ford says. "Somebody poisoned your cookies, Francis! And then my crew ate them and got sick. They are better now but one of them is still in hospital."

"Well, it really sounds like sabotage!" Bob says.

The musher Francis shakes her head. "I don't believe it! I take part in so many races and nothing like this has ever happened! Sled-dog races are hard but fair! Believe me!"

"Well, there are rumours that somebody is using unfair methods!" Carol tells Francis. She bends over to the musher and says in a low voice: "Your opponent Jared Fox says that somebody tried to break a sled!"

"Jared Fox!" Francis laughs. "He is a strange man! At the "Cross-Alaska Race" he told the reporters: "I've seen monsters! There are monsters and goblins in the forest! With red eyes!" Francis looks amused. "It's funny."

"Does he really believe in monsters?" Peter asks.

"Yes, he does. But it's normal to see strange things in the wilderness.

Especially when you don't eat, drink or sleep enough. I bet Jared Fox was just dehydrated when he saw the monsters."

"What does "dehydrated" mean?" Peter asks.

"It means that your body needs water. It happens when you don't drink enough water. That is a real problem for the mushers! On the trail we are often very thirsty and very tired."

"It seems to be a hard journey!" Bob Andrews says. The small Third Investigator rubs snowflakes from his glasses.

"It is!" Francis answers. "Who knows what will happen this time. Maybe Jared Fox will get dehydrated again. Maybe he will see yetis or radioactive witches."

"But, - " Justus tries to say something.

"Stop!" Francis says. She holds up both hands. "Don't make me nervous. Not now! I don't want to believe that there is a saboteur! Please boys, let's change the topic. There are nicer things to talk about." She turns to her truck. "Would you like to take a look at my dogs?" "Yes, please!" Bob Andrews answers.

"These dogs are the best sled-dogs in all of South Alaska!" Francis pats a big grey dog. He barks.

Justus takes a step back. "Do they bite?"

Francis laughs and pats another dog. "No. They behave like wolves when I feed them but otherwise they are really tame!"

"May I touch one?" Peter asks. The Second Investigator really likes animals.

"Yes!" Francis points at a black dog with blue eyes. "This is Spooky. He is my youngest dog. He loves to be patted. He won't bite!"

Carefully, Pete pats Spooky. "He is really nice!"

Now, Bob also pats Spooky.

"I can rely on Spooky and the other dogs," Francis says. "And that is really important because we are going to drive more than one hundred miles through the wilderness! That is a long way. We...