The Island at the Top of the World Page #3

Captain, why are we stopping?

In such a cloud,

it's not safe to proceed.

Not safe? What do you mean?

I could not see to navigate,

and there will be strong winds.

My airship could be dashed

against hidden cliffs and torn apart.

- We can't turn back now.

- We don't have to.

- We can go in on foot.

- Oh.

Capital idea!

Take the ship down to the ice.

- I'll get everything ready.

- No, no. You cannot leave the ship!

Professor, you know

the dangers that lie below.

Even if you survive the cold,

there are still the cliffs.

- You could not climb the cliffs.

- We must try, Captain.

I know. It's a gamble, Captain.

But with my son's life at stake,

I have no choice.

No, Sir Anthony,

it is I who have no choice.

I'm not a man of stone.

There are times when

the heart must rule the head.

We will attack the cloud.

- Maybe we can go above them.

- Impossible.

- Our load is too heavy.

- We'll assume lightweight.

Hurry up! We are losing height.

- You all right?

- Yes, quite.

I can't help thinking of the captain.

Poor fellow.

- How long must we keep this up?

- We can't survive in the open.

We've gotta keep moving

until we find shelter.

There should be caves

in those mountains.

Oomiak, is this anything like the place

that you and Donald came to?

I tell you, Donald's father,

we see nothing in blizzard.

Then spirits come and...

And you fought like a bear.

Yes, you mentioned that.

- Somebody watches.

- Where?

I don't see.

I feel.

Tommyrot.

Something moved.

- Did you see anything?

- I don't think so.

Neither did I.

I think we should head

in that direction.

Oh, very well.

If you don't know where you're going,

one way's as good as another.

It's incredible.

- I don't believe it.

- Green and fertile.

In all this ice and snow.

Look. There's the explanation.

The island must be volcanic.

Heat rising through fissures

in the ground.

It's probably thermal springs.

Exactly like parts of Iceland.

There are buildings down there.

- Looks like some sort of settlement.

- People. There are people there.

That means

that Donald could be there.

The spirit! The spirit!

Wait a minute.

No, wait. We're friends.

Do you understand their language?

It's Norse.

The Old Norse of the sagas.

Their weapons, their clothes,

their appearance.

- They're Vikings.

- Vikings?

They think we're invaders,

come to take over their land.

- The three of us?

- No.

They think we're the first and

thousands more will follow.

Why, that's ridiculous.

Talk to them.

Explain why we're here.

I'll try, but I've never spoken

Old Norse, only read it.

Donald?

That's it. Donald Ross.

Where is he?

Tell them I'm his father.

What is it? What's going on?

He understood me.

But he's going to sound an alarm

to stir up the countryside.

We're to be kept under close guard.

Well, that's not good.

If they think we're invaders,

then Donald could have been

a prisoner all these months.

Make them tell us where he is.

Oomiak, no!

Idiot.

He might have got us all killed.

But he does fight like a bear.

He says you saved his life.

Well, I'm glad he appreciates it.

But tell him I don't want anything

to happen to Oomiak.

Thank you.

He says your son is here and well.

He's living with the family of the man

who found him after the great blizzard.

I knew it. I knew he was safe.

- What's happening?

- We're stopping to eat.

We just had a talk with our friend

and found out why they're

so panicky about invaders.

Oh? Why?

These people have been here

for centuries.

They're descendants

of some early Viking expedition.

We've actually discovered

a lost colony.

That's quite remarkable.

They've been so isolated up here

they believe that the rest of the world

is a frozen wilderness of ice and snow.

How very odd.

- None of them ever left the island.

- They have no reason to.

They call this island Astragard and

believe it to be the garden of the gods.

Perfect and unique in a desolate world

and set aside for them alone. Forever.

- Why do they feel invaded?

- Because they have a prophecy.

There'll be a day when the barbarians

will try to conquer their paradise.

So that explains it.

They think that we're the savages

who've come to destroy them.

As soon as I get to their headman,

I'll straighten things out.

Reindeer.

Probably serve them as cattle.

That's the house where Donald's living.

Donald is there? Well, come on!

My son.

I haven't seen him for two years.

Tell them, Ivarsson.

I'll go with them,

but not until I've seen my son.

Thank you, my boy.

Very decent of you.

They don't look happy to see us.

That hunter stirred them up.

I don't see Donald amongst them.

Thank you, Sir.

Donald, Donald Ross.

Where is he? Can you tell us?

Ask him about Donald.

Is it true you are Donald's father?

Good heavens, you speak English!

Donald taught me.

He lives with us since

he came to our land.

This is my father.

I'm grateful to you

for looking after my son.

Where is he now?

He wants us to go in the house.

We cannot talk here.

Oh, very well. Thank you.

So, what do you mean,

they took Donald away?

Who took him?

The Godi's men.

They came with weapons.

The Godi's their high priest.

It was because of the hunter.

He rode down from

the mountain, shouting of invaders.

It was that fellow on the horse.

When The Godi heard,

he sounded the long horn.

The long horn is their call to battle.

Battle? What battle?

What has this to do with Donald?

When it was told that one of

the invaders was Donald's father,

The Godi said Donald was a spy

who came here

to betray us to the enemy.

- Surely you don't believe that.

- We don't.

Because we know Donald.

There were many

that did believe

because there was an omen

in the sky.

Omen?

Like a whale, but bigger many times.

My dear girl, that's easily explained.

What the people saw was my airship.

It's like one of your boats.

Only it sails in the air.

If I could just talk to this Godi,

I could explain everything.

We're to be taken before the council.

Erik's a member.

You'll get your chance to be heard.

That girl, she speaks

better English than Oomiak.

She's prettier too.

If she learned it from Donald,

he must have spent

a lot of time in her company.

Can you blame him?

I can't say I do, no.

This is like an archaeologist's dream.

To go back in history and walk

the earth as it was ten centuries ago.

I suggest you forget the past

and start thinking about the future,

which from the look of things,

I'd say is not very promising.

The clothes, the weapons, each one

of them could be a museum piece.

That's what I don't like.

Those museum pieces.

Look at that.

A Viking longship, exactly the way

they were built 1,000 years ago.

Poor fellow.

And it's all my fault.

The temple, that's where

we're gonna meet the council.

Ah. Good.

"Go straight to the top," I always say.

Odin, Thor and Freyja.

The greatest

of all the Viking gods.

I hope they're on our side.

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