"Blistering barnacles," the Captain grumbled from deep under his beard, smoke rising from his pipe in thick sheets as he puffed away in frustration. Tintin looked over from two desks away. He was the more patient of the two, but even he had reached the point of despair. Their adventures had brought them to many lands, but never before had they faced a challenge as apparently insurmountable as this. Both were only half-way through the test with a mere ten minutes left.