Jingo. Part 30

"Sink s.h.i.+ps? Sink s.h.i.+ps s.h.i.+ps? With people people on them?" on them?"

"Well...yes..."

"Corporal n.o.bbs, I think you are a very misguided young...man," said Leonard stiffly. "Use the Boat to sink s.h.i.+ps? That would be terrible! In any case, no sailor would dream of doing such a dishonorable thing!"

"Sorry..."

"The auger, I would have you know, is for attaching attaching us to pa.s.sing s.h.i.+ps in the manner of the remora, the sucker-fish which attaches itself to sharks. A few turns is all that is necessary for a firm attachment." us to pa.s.sing s.h.i.+ps in the manner of the remora, the sucker-fish which attaches itself to sharks. A few turns is all that is necessary for a firm attachment."

"So...you couldn't bore all the way through the hull, then?"

"Only if you were a very careless and extremely thoughtless young man!"

The ocean waves may not be ploughable, but the crust of the river Ankh downstream from the city was known to sprout small bushes in the summertime. The Milka Milka moved slowly, leaving a furrow behind it. moved slowly, leaving a furrow behind it.

"Can't you go faster?" said Vimes.

"Why, certainly," said Jenkins nastily. "Where would you like us to put the extra mast?"

"The s.h.i.+p's just a dot," said Carrot. "Why aren't we gaining on them?"

"It's a bigger s.h.i.+p so it has got what we technically call more sails more sails," said Jenkins. "And they're fast hulls on those Klatchian boats. And we've got a full hold-"

He stopped, but it was too late.

"Captain Carrot?" said Vimes.

"Sir?"

"Throw everything overboard," said Vimes.

"Not the crossbows! They cost more than a hundred dollars ea-"

Jenkins stopped. Vimes's expression said, very clearly, that there were a whole lot of things that could be thrown off the boat, and it would be a good idea not to be among them.

"Go and pull some ropes, Mr. Jenkins," he said.

He watched the captain stamp off. A few moments later there was a splash. Vimes looked over the side and saw a crate bob for a moment and then sink. And he felt happy. Thief-taker, Rust had called him. The man had meant it as an insult, but it'd do. Theft was the only crime, whether the loot was gold, innocence, land or life. And for the thief-taker, there was the chase...There were several more splashes. Vimes fancied the s.h.i.+p surged forward.

...the chase. Because the chase was simpler than the capture. Once you'd caught someone it got complicated, but the chase was pure and free. Much better than prodding at clues and peering at notebooks. He flees, I chase. Simple.

Vetinari's terrier, eh?

"Bingeley-bingeley beep!" said his pocket.

"Don't tell me," said Vimes. "It's something like 'Five pee em, At Sea,' yes?"

"Er...no," said the Dis-organizer. "Says here 'Violent Row With Lord Rust,' Insert Name Here."

"Aren't you supposed to tell me what I'm going to do?" said Vimes, opening the box.

"Er...what you should should be doing," said the demon, looking very worried. "What you be doing," said the demon, looking very worried. "What you should should be doing. I don't understand it...er...something seems to be wrong..." be doing. I don't understand it...er...something seems to be wrong..."

Angua stopped trying to rub the collar off against a bulkhead. It wasn't working, and the silver pressing against her skin seemed to freeze her and burn her at the same time.

Apart from that-and a silver collar on a werewolf was a fairly major that that-she'd been treated well. They'd left a plate of food, a wooden wooden plate, and she'd let her wolf side eat it while the human side shut its eyes and held its nose. There was a bowl of water, quite fresh by Ankh-Morpork standards. She could see the bottom of the bowl, at least. plate, and she'd let her wolf side eat it while the human side shut its eyes and held its nose. There was a bowl of water, quite fresh by Ankh-Morpork standards. She could see the bottom of the bowl, at least.

It was so hard to think think in wolf shape. It was like trying to unlock a door while drunk. It was possible, but you had to concentrate every step of the way. in wolf shape. It was like trying to unlock a door while drunk. It was possible, but you had to concentrate every step of the way.

There was a sound.

Her ears p.r.i.c.ked up.

Something tapped once or twice under the hull. She hoped it was a reef. That meant...land, possibly...with any luck she could swim ash.o.r.e...

Something clinked. She'd forgotten about the chain. It was hardly necessary. She felt as weak as a kitten.

There was a rhythmic noise, like something chewing at the wood.

A tiny metal point splintered through the wall just in front of her nose, and rose an inch.

And someone spoke. It sounded far off and distorted, and perhaps only a werewolf would have heard it, but words were happening, somewhere under her paws.

"-can stop pedaling now, Corporal n.o.bbs."

"I am knackered, knackered, sarge. Is there anything to eat sarge. Is there anything to eat?"

"There's some more of that garlic sausage. Or there's the cheese. Or cold beans."

"We're in a tin with no air and we're supposed to eat cheese? I ain't even going to comment on the beans."

"I'm very sorry, gentlemen. Things were rather rushed and I had to take food which would keep."

"It's just that it's getting a bit...crowded, if you get my meaning."

"I will pay out the rope as soon as it's dark and we can surface and take on air."

"Just so long as we get rid of the air we've got, that's all I'm saying..."

Angua's brows wrinkled as she tried to make sense of this. The voices were familiar. Even m.u.f.fled as they were, she recognized the tones. The vague feeling that fought its way through the mists of animal intellect was: friends.

The tiny little unchangeable center of her thought: good grief, next thing I'll be licking hands.

She laid her head down near the point again.

"-way to do it, young man. There you go again! Sink s.h.i.+ps? I can't imagine how anyone could think of such a thing!"

Names. Some of those voices had...names.

Thinking was getting harder. That was the silver at work. But if she stopped, she might forget how to start again.

She stared at the point of metal. The point of metal metal with with sharp sharp edges. edges.

The tiny part of her mind raged at the wolf brain, trying to get it to understand what it needed to do.

It was after midnight.

The lookout man knelt on the deck in front of 71-hour Ahmed and trembled.

"I know what I saw, wali wali," he moaned. "And the others saw it, too! Something rose up behind the s.h.i.+p and began chasing us! A monster!"

Ahmed looked at the captain, who shrugged. "Who knows what lies on the floor of the sea, wali wali?"

"Its breath!" moaned the seaman. "There was a great roar of breath like the stink of a thousand privies! And then it spoke!"

"Really?" said Ahmed. "This is not usual. What did it say?"

"I did not understand!" The man's face screwed up as he tried to a.s.semble the unfamiliar syllables. "It sounded like..." he swallowed, and went on, "'Ye G.o.ds, that was better out than in, sarge!'"

Ahmed stared at him. "And what did that mean to you?" he said.

"I do not know, wali wali!"

"You have not spent much time in Ankh-Morpork?"

"No, wali wali!"

"Then return to your post."

The man stumbled out.

"We have lost speed, wali wali," said the captain.

"Perhaps the sea monster is clutching at our keel?"

"It pleases you to joke, lord. But who knows what has been disturbed by the rising of the new land?"

"I shall have to see for myself," said 71-hour Ahmed.

He walked alone to the stern of the s.h.i.+p. Dark waters sucked and splashed and left a phosph.o.r.escent glow edging the wake.

He watched for a long time. People bad at watching didn't last long in the desert, where a shadow in the moonlight could be just a shadow or it could be someone anxious to help you on your way to Paradise. The D'regs came across many shadows of the latter persuasion.

D'reg wasn't their name for themselves, although they tended to adopt it now out of pride. The word meant enemy enemy. Everyone's. And if anyone else wasn't around, then one another's.

If he concentrated, he might believe that there was a darker shape about a hundred yards behind the s.h.i.+p, very low in the water. Waves were breaking where waves shouldn't be. It looked as though the s.h.i.+p was being followed by a reef.

Well, well...

71-hour Ahmed was not super superst.i.tious. He was was subst.i.tious, which put him in a minority among humans. He didn't believe in the things everyone believed in but which nevertheless weren't true. He believed instead in the things that were true in which no one else believed. There are many such subst.i.tions, ranging from "It'll get better if you don't pick at it" all the way up to "Sometimes things just happen." subst.i.tious, which put him in a minority among humans. He didn't believe in the things everyone believed in but which nevertheless weren't true. He believed instead in the things that were true in which no one else believed. There are many such subst.i.tions, ranging from "It'll get better if you don't pick at it" all the way up to "Sometimes things just happen."

Currently he was disinclined to believe in sea monsters, especially ones that spoke in the language of Ankh-Morpork, but he did believe that there were a lot of things in the world that he didn't know about.

In the far distance he could see the lights of a s.h.i.+p. It didn't seem to be gaining on them.

This was much more worrying.

In the darkness 71-hour Ahmed reached over his shoulder and grasped the handle of his sword.

Above him, the mainsail creaked in the wind.

Sergeant Colon knew he was facing one of the most dangerous moments in his career.

There was nothing for it. He was out of options.

"Er...if I add this A and this O and this I and this D," he said, the sweat pouring down his pink cheeks, "then I can use that V to make 'avoid.' Er...and that gets me, er, a...what d'you call these blue squares, Len?"

"A 'Three Times Ye Value of Thee Letter' score," said Leonard of Quirm.

"Well done, sergeant," said Lord Vetinari. "I do believe that puts you in the lead."

"Er...I do believe it does, sir," squeaked Sergeant Colon.

"However, I find that you have left me the use of my U, N and A, B, L, E," the Patrician went on, "which incidentally lands me on this Three Times the Whole Worde square and, I rather suspect, wins me the game."

Sergeant Colon sagged with relief.

"A capital game, Leonard," said Vetinari. "What did you say it was called?"

"I call it the 'Make Words With Letters That Have All Been Mixed Up Game,' my lord."

"Ah. Yes. Obviously. Well done."