The Cannonball Run?*

Mischief in the Arctic is not unknown to the members of the Arctic Research Group during expeditions, though there is always a clear understanding not to mess around with safety aspects, or let things get out of hand.

On the occasion of a visit from a young journalist to one of the expeditions in Svalbard, their inexperience provided a golden opportunity for an almost unbelievable case of misleading the naïve and exploring depths of possible gullibility. 

The journalist had arrived that day to the remote expedition camp in Rindersbukta and had spent some time wandering within the area of the base camp.  They had come across two spherical objects lying among the sharp angular rocks.  The objects clearly looked out of place and obviously very different to the slabs and lumps of rock around them.

Cannonballs? Image ©Chris Searston

Two of the expedition members were summoned by the journalist who asked them about the two spherical objects.  Without a moment’s hesitation, or any communication between them, one of the two instantly became evasive in their answers and mysterious about the two spheres.  The second, saw the opportunity and, with all seriousness, supported the first’s evasive responses and mysterious behaviour, even attempting to cover up the spheres right in front of the, ever more curious, journalist. Well, after a few minutes conversation, which must somehow have been very convincing, the journalist was completely hooked.

The two had informed the journalist that the spheres were in fact cannonballs, and judging by their diameter were Spanish.  This was a huge discovery.  They said they had found other artefacts to support this theory.  Well, this news as you might imagine could throw the current history and management of Svalbard out of the window and it might even now conceivably become a Spanish territory. 

Having been sworn to absolute secrecy, the journalist was promised the exclusive rights to break the story when the two let them know that their theories had been confirmed. The conversation concluded and the journalist was told to just wait for their call…

…It is to be hoped that the journalist isn’t still waiting and has realised that the training, to always check your information sources, must always be applied. Even in the Arctic...or perhaps, especially in the Arctic.

If you know, or would like to guess, what the two spherical objects in the image are, please post your reply in a comment.

The Cannonball Run?* is the same as the name of a popular 1981 comedy film starring many well known actors of their day Burt Reynolds, Farrah Fawcett, Roger Moore, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Jnr.