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secret and our little advantage."
They talked on through most of the night, the enormity of the task not
escaping them in the least. Finally Ruddygore handed Joe a small, round
portrait of a distinguished-looking man of middle age with gray hair and a
bushy gray mustache.
He had dark, piercing eyes that the artist had caught exactly, and it was
clear to look at him that he was one of those lucky ones who aged so well they
were even more handsome than they had been in their youth.
"Count Boquillas," the sorcerer told them, explaining the background. "If you
happen across him, or can determine his whereabouts, then be sure to tell me.
He is the mystery player in this game, in that we don't really know which side
he's on or what his game might be. All we know is that a powerful and
outspoken critic of the Barony has suddenly vanished, and it would be of great
value, not only to find him but to prove how little the Baron's word is worth,
if Boquillas is in fact a prisoner."
"So when do we start this death march?" Joe asked.
"I think tomorrow, about sunset," Throckmorton P. Rud-
dygore replied.
CHAPTER 10
SAILING DOWN THE RIVER
Piracy need ml be a dishonorable vocation if bound by the Rules.
 Rules, CLIX, Introduction
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THE PORT DISTRICT OF SACHALIN WAS BUSY ALMOST ALL THE
time. Although much trade had closed down for the convention, ships kept to
schedules as they had to, and that meant those depending on those ships must
be ready when they arrived.
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DEMONS OF THE DANCING GODS JACK L. CHALKER 141
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Ruddygore had arranged passage for the trio on a merchant-
man carrying what seemed to be thousands of neatly racked amphoras of whiskey
made from the unusually large harvest surplus in the region. Accommodations
were not the most gra-
cious or comfortable, but the ship's captain, who was also half owner, was
being well paid and neither asked questions nor even raised an eyebrow at the
sight of the unlikely-looking group.
Lake Zahias was huge, and by midmoming there was no land in sight as they
moved out to the deep center and proceeded south. The ship was close to three
hundred feet long and had a slightly rounded hull that accentuated any rough
water but allowed it to take full advantage of the wind, which was quite
brisk. Twin masts each held a single, enormous square sail, bright orange in
color and with the ship's identification symbol inside a round yellow circle
in the center of each. Joe had to admire the way the crew seemed to anticipate
every little shift in wind and water and do just what was necessary to keep
the speed steady and the ship relatively stable. The sight of so much water
reminded him of the ocean, although there was no smell of salt in the spray
and the large number of sea birds trailing the vessel betrayed land off
somewhere within flying distance.
There were long, empty stretches, but other areas seemed filled with small
fishing boats trawling for fish, shrimp, and whatever else these waters held;
here and there, they passed a ship like theirs headed the other way and
watched the sema-
phores on both send greetings and news of conditions to each other.
One such passing was followed by a sudden flurry of activity from the crew,
each sailor hurriedly falling to one or another task. Joe, who'd been getting
very bored playing a local version of backgammon with Tiana, grew curious and
soon learned that there was word of a major storm ahead. At the time, it was
sunny and fairly warm with just a few fleecy clouds in the sky, and both he
and Tiana found all this haste hard to justify.
Within an hour, though, a huge front seemed to move in on them. Not long
after, the wind picked up until it quickly became a roaring gale, complete
with monster waves, thunder, lightning, and tremendously heavy rain. It soon
became im-
possible to walk even below, the ship lurching and turning in what seemed all
directions at once, and Joe found himself wishing for boredom once again.
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He and Tiana both became violently ill before too long and just strapped
themselves to their too-small bunks, trying to hit the chamber pots when they
had to.
Marge came in, looking very comfortable and seemingly unaware that she was
being tossed about with the ship. She spotted them both and regarded them with
some pity. "You should see it up there!" she said excitedly. "Waves just about
swallow half the ship, then up it comes again. It's real ex-
citing and the crew is wonderful."
They looked at her with misery and irritation in their eyes, "You don't
feel anything?" Joe managed.
"A little wet, maybe. I'm sorry for you both, but I guess I
just don't get seasick. Hell, I've never been out on a body of water this big
before and I think it's exciting."
"Well, go enjoy it, then," Tiana groaned. "Return when the sun shines and the
water is like a mirror."
Marge took the hint, but the storm did not abate during the night or into the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]