Page 29 (2/2)

'Stopshadow pictures, Detritus'

'Oook'

'What him say?'-

'He said "Do Deformed Rabbit, it's my favourite",' Carrot translated

Rats rustled in the darkness Cuddy peered around He kept i so few ht of the tracks on the wet stone, but he picked the wall And then, there was the particular pipe He'd ,' he said, handing Carrot the torch

Carrot disappeared

They heard his footsteps in the mud, and then a whistle of surprise, and then silence for a while

Carrot reappeared

'My word,' he said 'You two knoho this is?'

'It looks like--' Cuddy began

'It looks like trouble,' said Carrot

'You see e didn't bring it back up?' said Cuddy 'Carrying a huood idea, I thought Especially this one'

'I thought soht enough,' said Carrot 'Well done, men I think we'd betterleave it for now, and come back with a sack later on Anddon't tell anyone else'

'Except the sergeant and everyone,' said Cuddy

'Nonot even them If d make everyone veryjumpy'

'Just as you say, Corporal Carrot'

'We're dealing with a sick ht dawned on Cuddy

'Ah,' he said 'You suspect Corporal Nobbs, sir?'

'This is worse Co pillar-barred cavern 'Any idea where we are, Cuddy?'

'Could be under the Palace, sir'

'That's what I reckoned Of course, the tunnels go everywhere'

Carrot's worried train of thought faltered away on some distant track

There ater in the sewers, even in this drought Springs flowed into them, or water filtered down from far above Everywhere was the drip and splash of water And cool, cool air

It would almost be pleasant were it not for the sad, hunched corpse of someone that looked for all the world like Beano the clown

Vi goith brocade on the sleeves He put it on, and wandered into his dressing roo The rich even had roo in, and clothes to hile you went into the dressing rooet dressed

Fresh clothes had been laid out for hi in red and yellow

about now he'd be patrolling Treacle Mine Roadand a hat It had a feather in it

Vimes dressed himself, and even wore the hat And he seemed quite nor his own gaze in thetable in the guardrooloom They were Off Duty They'd never really been Off Duty before

'What say we have a gareasy pack from somewhere in the noisome recesses of his unifores off theeant Colon

'Now's the chance to win 'es in your hand, Nobby'

Nobby shuffled the cards

' 'S'funny, that,' he said, 'there's kings everywhere, when you look'

'There certainly is if you look up your sleeve'

'No, I et the King's Shilling e join up,' said Nobby 'We got kings all over the place except on that gold throne in the Palace I'll tell youthere wouldn't be all this trouble around the place if we had a king'

Carrot was staring at the ceiling, his eyebrows locked in concentration Detritus was counting on his fingers

'Oh, yes,' said Sergeant Colon 'Beer'd be a penny a pint, the trees'd blooain Oh, yeah Every time someone stubs a toe in this town, turns out it wouldn't have happened if there'd been a king Vio spare to hear you talk like that'

'People'd listen to a king, though,' said Nobby

'Vimes'd say that's the trouble,' said Colon 'It's like that thing of his about using et king inna first place?' said Detritus

'Someone sawed up a stone,' said Colon

'Hah! Anti-siliconism!'

'Nah, someone pulled a sword out of a stone,' said Nobby

'How'd he knoas in there, then?' Colon de out, wasn't it?'

'Where anyone could've grabbed it? In this town?'

'Only the rightful king could do it, see,' said Nobby

'Oh, right,' said Colon 'I understand Oh, yes So what you're saying is, so was before he pulled it out? Sounds like a fix to me Prob'ly so on the other end with a pair of pliers until the right guy ca--'

A fly bounced on thepane for a while, then zigzagged across the room and settled on a beam, where Cuddy's idly thrown axe cut it in half

'You got no soul, Fred,' said Nobby 'I wouldn't'vedoes if you're useful He ht watchman in crappy armour is about your métier,' said Colon, who looked around proudly to see if anyone had noticed the slanty thing over the e 'Nah, catchrespectful to some bloke because he just pulled a sword out of a stone That don'tMind you,' he said, 'someone who could shove a sword into a stonea'A ua yawned

Ding-ding a-ding-ding--

'What the hell's that?' said Colon

Carrot's chair thumped forward He fu, which he upended on to the table Out slid a golden disc about three inches across When he pressed a catch on one side it opened like a clamshell

The stopped Watch peered at it

'It's a clock?' said Angua

'A watch,' said Carrot

'It's very big'

'That's because of the clockwork There has to be room for all the little wheels The small watches just have those little time demons in and they don't last and anyway they keep rotten ti

'And it plays a rune!' said Angua

'Every hour,' said Carrot 'It's part of the clockwork'

Ding Ding Ding

'And it chimes the hours afterwards,' said Carrot