The Far-Distant Oxus Trivia Quiz

Answer: Arthur Ransome

Arthur Ransome was the author of the very popular children's series, "Swallows and Amazons", about youngsters having adventures in the great outdoors. When he received the manuscript and was convinced that the authors were in fact hitherto unpublished newcomers, he took it to his publisher and announced, "I have this year's best children's work under my arm", adding quickly that it was not his own work.

Answer: True

The two were students at a girls' school in the southwest of England. When they were fourteen and fifteen, they took shelter from a rainstorm in a barn and in their conversation discovered that they both had a passion for outdoor adventures involving young people and for the rest of the summer term put the story together.

This required frequent debates and discussions and a lot of writing and re-writing.

Answer: Exmoor

The girls' school was located near Exmoor, a stretch of wilderness in north Devon and the western part of Somerset, overlooking the Bristol Channel on its southern side. The geography as presented in the book roughly represents real towns, rivers, and hills, but with their names altered. It is the same part of the world where Richard Blackmore set his novel "Lorna Doone" (1859).

Answer: Roger

The Hunterleys (Bridget the eldest, Anthony, and Frances) live in west London. We will get a look at their home in the second book, "Escape to Persia". They are staying at the Fradds' farm, which the local children call "Aderbijan" in the stories. Roger is the name of one of the Walkers in "Swallows and Amazons".

Answer: Ponies

Exmoor is famous for its moor ponies, and the children in the story use ponies as naturally as modern children would use a bicycle. In Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazons" the children get around in boats. Bicycles do play an important role in the sequel "Escape to Persia", but ponies are what stand out in these stories.

Answer: Maurice

Maurice lives out on the moor with his pony and Labrador retriever. He is friends with two other local children and comes up with the idea for the great adventure. He leaves a message under Bridget's pillow to meet him one night at a timber yard upstream on the River Oxus, and from there the novel takes off.

Answer: To follow the River Oxus down to the sea

The second half of the novel describes their journey down the River Oxus to the sea. They allow a week to make the trip and have a number of adventures along the way. Two of the children pole a raft down the stream, the others ride ponies, and at one point a donkey-cart is pressed into service.

The business with a poacher forms part of the second novel, and the dramatic final scene of "The Far-Distant Oxus" is set on Mount Elbruz, but does not involve camping there.

Answer: Jennifer

The other three names come from Arthur Ransome's "Swallows and Amazons". Jennifer Cleverton and her brother Peter live at the farm called "Siestan" in the story. Their father is conveniently absent for most of the story, but arranges for the Hunterleys to leave the farm for a week.

Answer: We are never told in the three books.

Maurice's real identity and background story are never revealed in any of the three books. At one point Peter, one of the local children, says that he knows something about Maurice's background and why he might be living in the wild, but is honour-bound not to say any more. One wonders if the authors themselves had ever decided what was Maurice's story.

Answer: Pony races

The children set up a jump course on the sand and stage a series of races for their six ponies. They have to get all the events in before the tide turns and begins to wash the course away.