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"I ought to behow I have had one close-run thing of it after another, and I around yet; and I don’tLaurence, who had co stu friend rather than foe had spurred a spirit of generosity on the part of the city, iovernor in the light of saviors who had coainst the invasion; Laurence suspected he had not yet mentioned the altered circueon had been provided, along with enough strong spirits to render Granby still ious were now nursing hih regardless," Granby added, "and I suppose I can get a hook, so pray don’t listen to , hadn’t we? I can’t h I ood when I was stationed in Gibraltar, but it seems pretty clear we are needed in Rio yesterday if we are to have any hope of finding the Regent there, anyway"

"We will not go for a few days more," Laurence said quietly; Granby was still pale and fever-hectic "Te with their local priest, and several of the traders, to plot us a route: ill save the ti to hunt after water as we fly"

"All right, then; and tell Iskierka to behave herself, and I will creep out onto the balcony again to-night," Granby said, and let hi; Laurence pressed his good shoulder, and went out to be pounced on for inforlad you killed so ons," Iskierka said to Teone to speak with the surgeon about solad; only I wish I had done it, and perhaps I will go back and do it now If Granby should not get well, I shall, too"

"That would not be in the least sensible," Te theons in question, and it is not as though all of them had an equal share in the assault upon us: I dare say there are a great on who never heard of us at all If you would like to blame someone, you had better blame the Inca; or even Napoleon, for I suppose the Inca set the dragons on us for his sake Anyway you are still not well, either: have some more of this cow"

Iskierka ate, if sullenly, and Te up, according to his instructions and what Teleaned froly up to him for questions

Iskierka sed the haunch and said, "That whale"

"Yes?" Temeraire said, absently

"May I have it?" she said, and leaned over to nudge Kulingile "And your half, also"

"Can I have the head of your last cow?" Kulingile asked, opening an eye

"Yes, all right," Iskierka said, and pushed over the cauldron in which it had been stewed

"If you like; but what do you mean to do with it?" Teht away froood anymore, as we did not preserve it"

"I don’t want the meat; I want the blubber," Iskierka said, and insisted she did not care that the blubber would surely have taken on all the flavor of the spoiled meat; which Temeraire did not understand in the least, until she ca and sooty and triumphant, and fell upon her share of the provisions which the to daily made them

"Granby has asked for you twice," Temeraire said, reproachfully, and flattened back his ruff, "and you ?"

"I have been rendering down the whale," Iskierka said, tearing at her sheep, "for soo about it, and now I aolden hook"

"One ht think she would be above trickery," Tee Granby anything at all; but it was ht have said so if she knee old for it"

He could not stifle resentment when he saw the result, and had to watch as Granby came down from his sickbed at last several days later, to be presented by Shipley--whom Iskierka had recruited as her deputy in the matter and was all s as he held out the box--with the truly splendid hook: shining gold on black velvet

"It will be too soft for use, you know," Granby said, when he could speak again, "so ill have to put it by for special occasions--"

"Not at all," Iskierka said, "for I thought of that; and so they have old on the outside; the rest of the funds went for the dia faceted geleamed all around the base of the hook in even rows

"Put it on, at once," Iskierka said, audibly hissing steam in her excitement, and then Granby put down the lid of the box and said, "No"

Te, to watch as Granby said, "No I am done with this, Iskierka, do you hear ed about, and ht call a fashion-plate, and married off--"

"But you are not married, at all--" Iskierka protested

"No fault of yours if I am not," Granby said, which was very true, "and I dare say if I let you go on as you have been, you will try again, soon enough as you have found so about--" Iskierka twitched in what Teuilty fashion "--and I shan’t put up with it anyer, and we are going to have a little more sense Or you may take your leave of me, and find a captain ill s all your starts, and let you do just as you like--"

"Never, never!" Iskierka said, bristling wildly "Oh! How can you be so cruel, when youof you"