You see pigeons are like people, for, lots of times, people want to do things but they wait and wait and wait till some one starts it.
"Four are all we need," said Jackie Tar, "one for each of us." So the pigeons crowded about and begged and begged to be taken, and Kernel Cob and Sweetclover and the Villain and Jackie Tar chose the biggest and strongest, and the ones that they liked the color of the best.
But one of the pigeons didn't want to go to the South Pole, for, said she, "You don't hear as much of the South Pole as you do of the North Pole, and unless you go to the North Pole, I won't go."
So it was decided to go to the North Pole, "For," said Kernel Cob, "I don't think it makes any difference after all. The Magician didn't say which pole it was, so maybe it's just as well."
"I say let's go to the North Pole," said Jackie Tar, "and, if we don't find them there, we can very easily try the South Pole next."
"Yes," said Kernel Cob, "let's go to all the Poles there are until we find the right one."
So they got upon the pigeons' backs, just as a little boy or girl gets on a pony, and one of the pigeons, the one that Sweetclover was on, said to the others:
"Let's make a race of it for the first mile."
"Good!" squeaked the others, and off they flew at their top speed.