More Barks quizes (Olivier-- answers) / Rival Beachcombers

[Olivier]

Hi!


Santiago:

>> >>1/ "Donald, come ove rhere! I've got the world by its tail, and it's
too BIG
>> >> to handle alone!"
>>The Fabulous Philosopher's Stone

Already answered by Daniël, but right nonetheless.


>> >>2/ "Uncle Scrooge, you rope us ducks ino some of  the GOSHAWFULEST
deals!"
>> The Great Steamboat Race

Right!
The ping-pong ball clue too obviously pointed at the sunken yacht story; it
was actually a tricky reference to the other story where they salvage a ship
the same way, with tires instead of  ping-pong balls.



I read the "rival beachcombers" story (WDC&S 103, April 1949; WDC&S Album
15) again yesterday.
One thing always puzzles me: why would Gladstone be the ducks' chauffeur at
the end? There's no mention of  such a wager.
A very good story, with an intriguing ending.
The ducks luck out of  their predicament; Gladstone does not get the gem,
and thus loses the challenge, but he does not exactly loses; it's this
chauffeur-wager ending that makes him the loser.
Gladstone's luck in this story serves the ducks, finding the gem for them;
he does not find it because he is unlucky but by sheer laziness-- he only
had to fish it out of  the dune. The only unlucky event in his case is the
policemen's arrival; has they not come, the ducks would have finished the
job and he would have gotten $9000.
Yet I'm no sure whether it's enough to say he has been unlucky. Rather, he
does not do anything to use his luck. There surely are lots of  hidden
treasures of  all sorts wherever he goes (lost wallets, coins, bills, rings,
...), waiting for him to pick up; he may pick one, but "leaves" the others.
The Maharajah's gem is just one of  those many treasures he does not make
the effort of  looking for and picking up, because he does not need it.



Olivier