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As fer Ike, if Jack says he’s okay, that should be good enough fer me

Ike waves a hand in front of my face Saba, he says, I said d’you wantmouthful of stew an starts to chew While he chews, you can see hi time Final y he ss Wipes the ends of his moustache Then, We’l head out in the mornin, he says Let’s drink on it

Somethin tickles le

Go ’way, I mut er There’s a poundin inside gle Then somethin wet drips onto s above me, upside down She’s holdin a drippin cloth over roan agin

Rise an shine! she says

Leave it up! she says

I cain’t move, I says There’s soit from a heavy wet, she says

Whadda you knoays, I mut er

I know that you drank too ive you this It’l help yer head

I drag myself up to lean on my elbows, moanin the whole time Emmi pushes a tumbler into my hand I snif at it

What is it?

Jest drink it, she says Down in one

Where’ve I heard that before? I says But I do like she says an throw it down ustin! What is it?

Boar’s blood an a raw pigeon egg, she says Jack says it’s good fer a hangover

Jack says, I mut er I look around There ain’t nobody in the tavern but me an Em Where is everybody?

Loadin the horses, she says An Ike sent al the no-good lowlife bastards packin jest after dawn

Hey! I says Watch yer language!

But that’s what Ike cal ed ’em

But that’s what Ike cal ed ’eiit slowly to my feet I ain’t never felt so vile in s like soggy string an a head ful of rocks At least the poundin in my head’s startin to ease some Maybe Jack’s foul brew’s doin the trick

As we shu e over to the door, I can see it’s a bright sunny ht stabs at my eyes I lift a hand to shield

’em I squint to see what everybody’s up to

Good hs

Uh oh, says Epona Poor you

She stops loadin her horse

Come with me, she says She takes my arm an leads me over to the water barrel Sorry about this, she says

Then, without another word, she shoves aspin, an she shoves in

The shock of the cold water’s like a slap in the face When I come up the second time, I yel , What the hel ’d you do that fer?

Sorry, says Epona Guess I should of warned you

Anybody else did this to ood-hearted soul I know she only ht, I says Thanks I … I feel a lot bet er

An, to my surprise, I do

I dunk myself a couple more times, then rinse o my shoulders an arh cloth an keeps his eyes on the ground while I dry myself with it