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No time for that now. Men were arming themselves from corpses and from the armory. I went down
and had to push my way through a throng crowding along the quarterdeck and so into the cabins. Men
gave way for me, for they knew I was Dak, and Dak had freed them. They had been told this by Duhrra,
although some still thought Rukker had organized the break. It did not concern me.
We could find no red cloth anywhere, and no one seemed over keen to wear green. Not even the
Grodnim criminals, who kept very quiet, with good reason.
With seven hundred men or so to arm there was no chance of my equipping myself with a longsword to
match the Genodder, and any man with two weapons had, perforce, to give up one to a comrade who
had none. I bellowed for bowmen and soon all the men who said they were archers clustered on the
deck where all the bows we could find were issued. As for arrows, these were brought up in their wicker
baskets and likewise issued. There were insufficient bows to go to all those who clamored for them.
I saw Nath. He had a piece of cloth. He saw me and waved and then stood on the bulwarks and dived
cleanly into the water.
One or two men yelled and they would have started an outcry.
 Silence, you famblys! Nath the Slinger goes to collect pebbles.
A few other men turned out to be slingers and they went off to collect ammunition. Rukker turned up
again; he was growing tiresome, but I wanted to humor him, for not only did he intrigue me, I needed his
bull-strength in the bows as a prijiker when the attack came in. And that would not be long now. He
wore a mail shirt and a helmet. He carried a longsword. He looked exceedingly fierce.
 I do not know why I suffer your impertinence, Dak. But after we have taken those ships 
I turned to Vax.
 Why have you not put on a mail shirt, Vax?
 Because they are all taken already.
That was the obvious answer to an unnecessary question.
But Rukker took the point. His face went more mean than ever, and he began to bluster. I pointed
forward.  They are almost here.
He swore  something about Targ and tails  and stormed off to the bows. He had selected a strong
prijiker party, those stern fighters who were the cream of a crew.
Again I went a little way up the mast. Grodnim swifters still had only the one mast, apart from the smaller
one for the boat sail forward. I studied the oncoming swifters. Their tall upflung sterns towered. Men
clustered their quarterdecks and poops, armed and armored men, anxious to revenge their fellows in
Green Magodont.
I called down to Fazhan standing on the quarterdeck.
 Get under way and aim for the rast to larboard.
He was a merry soul, this Fazhan ti Rozilloi, when not being flogged at the oars.
 I have ample volunteers to act as whip-Deldars, Dak. But not many oar-slaves.
 We do not need a great speed. Just enough to get our beakhead onto his quarterdeck.
 That I will do.
Vax met me as I reached the deck.
 And the cramph to starboard?
 If Rukker can handle his swifter, I ll take that one.
 Then I will stand with you.
I lifted an eyebrow, but did not comment. Truth to tell, at that moment I was pleased to have him with
me in the fight. Rukker had his party poised, and I saw he had about twenty Katakis with him. Again the
incongruity of Katakis actually being slaves, instead of slavers, struck me.
We could all hear the steady double drumbeat from the oncoming swifters. Their helm-Deldars kept
them sweetly on course, going stern first, and I fancied they would both be smart ships. This was not
going to be as easy as many of the ex-slaves seemed to think, screeching their joy at freedom and their
malefic hatred of the damned Green Grodnims.
Duhrra said,  The one to starboard isVengeance Mortil, Duh  just let me get aboard of her. . .
Vax lifted his handsome, fine-featured face, with the blood staining under the skin.  It will give me
exquisite pleasure to chastise her whip-Deldars.
I said,  And each time you strike you will strike at your father, no doubt.
He flung me a scorching look.
 It is likely, for he and they have much in common. He has done me a great injury and I shall never
forgive him.
 My old man, said Nath the Slinger, walking up dripping wet, carrying a leather bag filled with stones,
 used to knock the living daylights out of us kids. But he meant well, the old devil.
 Back in Crazmoz, said Duhrra, fussing with his hand,  my father was always chasing the women. My
mother used the broomstick on him right merrily. Duh  how we all ran!
My father had died of a scorpion sting, back on Earth; but now was no time to consider how that had
affected my life.
 Just so long as we get onto the deck. By Zair! We hold the Grodnims in play and the men slide below
and release the slaves. That s the only way we ll win.
It was not the only way, of course; but it would be the easiest. And I wished this fight to be over so that
I might resume my tasks in the Eye of the World.
A brief inquiry among the men as the two swifters hauled up to us established the second galley asPearl.
She was smaller, a two-banked six-four hundred-and-twenty swifter. She was not a dekares of the
Golden Chavonth type. I eyed both of them as they backed up. Fazhan had those men of ours who had
not found weapons at the upper tank looms. A little byplay had ensued there, for a group of ex-slaves
without weapons had protested vigorously at taking their places on the rowing benches. I strode up,
mighty fierce, not happy but knowing what I did was right.
 Give us weapons  bellowed the men.  We will fight!
 You will row, I said.  That will be your fighting.
I did not say that by not already snatching up weapons they proved themselves less able than their
comrades who had. But I glowered at them, and spoke more about the glory of Zair, and shook the
Genodder, and finished with,  And two last things! Once we strike the damned Grodnims you will have
weapons in plenty. And if you do not row I shall beat you most severely.
They were convinced.
My friends, even, say that sometimes I have a nasty way with me. This is so. And even if I deplore my
manner, it does get things done in moments of crisis. As I went back to the station I had taken on the
quarterdeck, Vax gave me a dark look, sullen and defiant.
 You are a right devil, Dak.
 Yes, I said, and went off bellowing to a party of men to sort themselves out, with the bowmen in rear,
a great pack of famblys, asking to be slaughtered.
Rukker looked back. The gap narrowed.
I yelled at him:  Get your fool hands down! They ll be shooting any moment.
As I spoke, the first shafts rose from the two Green swifters.
 Get the ship moving, Fazhan! I swung about and roared at the two men who had taken the helm
positions.  Bring her around to starboard! Put some weight into it!
Green Magodont swings rose and fell. We could put out only a few oars; but these gave us sufficient
way to take us out into midstream. I judged the distances. Arrows struck down about us. The helmsmen
looked at me, hard-muscled men, hanging on to their handles, waiting my orders. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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