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Finally Lord Vetinari said: 'Very well I believe you're getting ilt-ee, then And have an honourable retire the sword And the Day Watch will be sent down to the Yard shortly to disarht Watch down, Captain Vie – at my leisure Until then, you and your men can consider yourselves on leave'

'The Day Watch? A bunch of--'

'I'm sorry?'

'Yes, sir'

'One infraction, however, and the badge is mine Remember'

Cuddy opened his eyes

'You're alive?' said Detritus

The dwarf gingerly ree in the rim, and his head ached

'It looks like a mild skin abrasion,' said Detritus

'A what? Ooooh' Cuddy gri odd about the troll It hadn't quite dawned on hi unfamiliar, quite apart from all the holes

'I suppose the armour was some help,' said Detritus He pulled at the straps of his breastplate Five discs of slid out at around belt level 'If it hadn't slowed down I'd be seriously abraded'

'What's up with you? Why are you talking like that?'

'Lake what, pray?'

'What happened to the " troll" talk? No offence meant'

'I'm not sure I understand'

Cuddy shivered, and staet out of here'

They trotted to the door It was shut fast

'Can you knock it down?'

'No If this place wasn't troll proof, it'd be empty Sorry'

'Detritus?'

'Yes?'

Are you all right? Only there's stea off your head'

'I do feeler'

Detritus blinked There was a tinkle of falling ice Odd things were happening in his skull

Thoughts that norishly around his brain were suddenly springing into vibrant, coruscat-ing life And there seeoodness,' he said, to no-one in particular

This was a sufficiently un-troll-like co numb, stared at hienuinely cogitating How very interesting!'

'What do you mean?'

More ice cascaded off Detritus as he rubbed his head

'Of course!' he said, holding up a giant finger 'Superconductivity!'

'Wha'?'

'You see? Brain of impure silicon Proble speed sloeather gets hotter, brain stops cohtfall, ie, colder-teh,brain operatesfasterand--'

'I think I' to freeze to death soon,' said Cuddy

Detritus looked around

'There are slazed apertures up there,' he said

'Too hi' to rea', e'en if I st' on y'shoulders,'down further

'Ah, but h them to attract help,' said Detritus

'Wha' pla'?'

'I have in fact eventuated twenty-three but this one has a ninety-seven per cent chance of success,' said Detritus, bea t'throw,' said Cuddy

'I have,' said Detritus, scooping him up 'Do not worry I can co precision And then all you will need to do is fetch Captain Vimes or Carrot or someone'

Cuddy's feeble protests described an arc through the freezing air and vanished along with theglass

Detritus sat down again Life was so siht about it And he was really thinking

He was seventy-six per cent sure he was going to get at least seven degrees colder

Mr Cut-Me-Own-Throat Dibbler, Purveyor, Merchant Venturer and all-round sales into ethnic foodstuffs But it was a natural career procession The old sausage-in-a-bun trade had been falling off lately, while there were all these trolls and dwarfs around with money in their pockets or wherever it was trolls kept their money, and money in the possession of other people had always sees

Dwarfs were easy enough to cater for Rat-on-a-stick was sieneral i standards

On the other hand, trolls were basically, when you got right down to it, no offencerocks

He'd sought advice about troll food froh you'd hardly know it anyhe wore a suit now and, as he said, had learned all kindsa civilized things, like extortion,at 300 per cent interest per ht have been born in a cave above the snowline on some mountain soht in Dibbler liked to think of Chrysoprase as a friend; you'd hate to think of hiive his new approach a try He pushed his hot food barrow through streets broad and narrow, crying:

'Sausages! Hot sausages! Inna bun! Meat pies! Get them while they're hot!'