CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE: THE MOORS

"This is a good time for a geography lesson," said Miss Prysby. "First, let's take the word 'moor.' A moor is a treeless wasteland, children. But the word is used primarily in England. I saw a few myself when I was over there, in the southwestern part of the country. There was the Exmoor and the Dartmoor and ..".

Linda S. asked, "What about the Nevermore?"

Miss Prysby laughed, "Oh, that's something else altogether".

"But I read about it last time we were in the library. There's this really scary, lonely place called the Nevermore, and a little girl named Lenore lives there. She has raven-black hair and she's really beautiful".

Everybody started looking for Lenore. But the weeds were so tall and thick it was hard to see anything.

"My, we really are in the boondocks," said Miss Prysby.

"White woman has keen eye," said Crazy Horse. "Boonesville very near".

Just around the next bend was a big sign, "Boonesville. Daniel Boone sole inhabitant. Private property -- keep out. Untouched wilderness -- do not touch".

"Who goes there?" boomed a deep voice, and out stepped a tall unshaven man, wearing a nylon jacket and a coonskin cap.

Crazy Horse answered, "Big Chief Crazy Horse and Paul Newman and Sue and Eugene and Mark and Linda S. and Linda Crotty and Cindy and Donny and Joey and Timmy and Miss Morgan and Kevin and Peter and Miss Prysby and Gaynell and Kathy".

"It's too much!" said Daniel Boone. He threw down his rifle and curled up on the side of the road and started crying. "It's just too much," he whined. "I just wanted to get away from it all; to lead a quiet simple life, close to nature. But no, now I have to spend all my time chasing people away. Every day there are more of them. I don't know what's going on up there, but something's driving them this way. I've done my best to close this bit of wilderness, but the people just keep coming and coming. And now this -- a whole tribe at once. It's just too much to take. Too much". He cried some more.

"I'm sorry, Mr Boone," said Miss Morgan. "We didn't mean to disturb you. We were just passing through on our way to the mouth of the Nile and to Ome. We did hope that you might help us change the world . . ".

"Change the world?" Daniel Boone suddenly stood up and smiled. "You're going to change the world? You're going to make it so people won't want to leave it?"

"Yes," said Miss Morgan. "That's what we hope to do".

"Then welcome. Welcome. I'll do anything I can for you. First I'll cook you supper".

Miss Morgan would have jumped for joy, but there wasn't any room to move in the little green VW.

"Marvelous!" exclaimed Miss Prysby. "It's been ages since we had anything to eat".

"You can spend the night and rest up," continued Mr Boone. "You have a long journey ahead of you. You can get an early start in the morning. Best of luck to you".

"But you'll join us, won't you?" asked Miss Morgan, hopefully.

"No, of course, not," said Mr Boone. "I have to stay behind and guard the fort".

"Oh," said Miss Morgan very softly.

Miss Prysby wasn't too pleased with the supper. She whispered to Miss Morgan, "Now I know why they call him a backtiersman -- there's bacteria all over everything".

But they all got a good night sleep -- all, that is, except Miss Morgan.