The Ultimate Stonemage: A Modest Autobiography Read Online Free PDF Page B

From there, it was taken over several houses, and, at one point, when the workers on the ropes decided to rest, they gently lowered the mast so it lay on the roofs of two huts. I should rather say, on the remains of the roofs of two huts, for the town had suffered damage during the recent storm. Then, after the workers had rested for a time, the great mast was raised once more, and continued its walk towards my ship.
    On reaching the pier, the “legs” were brought very closely together, and, swaying precipitously, the mast was walked down the pier and alongside my ship. Next, the two forward legs, which had been notched at their base, were fitted over the edge of the pier, and lowered towards the ship, while the rear legs were swung around at ninety degrees, then pulled in the direction of my ship. This action had the effect of tilting the mast.
    Little by little, the mast was moved towards the hole which the damaged mast had occupied. Try as they might, however, the labourers were unable to fit the mast into the hole at an angle steep enough to allow the mast to slip in. This was because the mast was very much taller than the legs which supported it. Finally, the workers took the mast away again, using the same wooden legs, and proceeded slowly back across the town. When they reached the cliffs once more, they stopped to reassess the situation.
    The enthusiasm and vigour of these people was certainly noteworthy; however, I was pressed for time, so at this point I sent out my slaves, telling them to remove the mast from the complex assembly of beams and ropes, and to transport it back by carrying it in the normal way. This they did, carrying it through the town with the greatest of ease. We quickly installed the mast into the deck of the ship, then set sail back to the town of Lyce, our efficiency bringing astonishment and perplexity to the people of Leaf-of-Mint.
    As I write this now, it occurs to me I did not remember to give the townspeople the ale I had promised them in payment for the mast. The oversight, however, was an honest one.
    When we arrived back in Lyce, we found our tubs of willow wax waiting for us. My crew instantly set about smearing the substance on the ship’s white hull. Since I found the smell of the fresh wax disagreeable, I used the time to pay a farewell visit to the astronomer Yorke.
    On entering his mansion, however, I was met with the most mortifying sight. Sitting with Yorke, apparently as guests, were a number of seafarers wearing the colours ofGavor Hercules. The leader of these I knew well, for he was the nephew to the lord, as well as being his lieutenant-in-chief. His name was Panka, but he was known to all asThe Spear, and he had been a regular guest at the lord’s dinners. Of course, he recognized me immediately, and cried out to his men to seize me, which they promptly did.
    At this, Yorke protested, telling The Spear that, according to custom, we were all bound by the laws of guest-peace while we were upon the Duck Islands, for we were both of us equally his guests. He then requested The Spear to release me, and to forget our enmity until we had left the islands.
    The Spear was completely receptive to this suggestion, not merely because he respected the laws of guest-peace, but also because he found the business of hanging and skewering men unpleasant. “It is a gruesome end, and barely worthy of a warrior to inflict,” he said to me. “I should far rather sink you at sea and be done with you that way.” These words he spoke to me with the utmost good cheer and camaraderie, although I had no doubt of his sincerity, for, as I have already told, I had heard his uncle speak in much the same manner of his own enemies.
    I responded: “If you will do me no harm while I am here on these islands, then I will happily stay.”
    To which he said: “I’ll warrant you would. But I tell you now, we navigators are a patient lot. I will gladly wait here for years if I must.”
    As you will