The Flying Sorcerers by David Gerrold; Larry Niven

Author:David Gerrold; Larry Niven
Language: eng
Format: mobi
Tags: Fiction - Science Fiction, American Science Fiction And Fantasy, Science Fiction, Science Fiction & Fantasy, General, Fantasy, Science Fiction - General, Fiction
Publisher: Jennifer Canzoneri
Published: 2004-04-14T14:00:00+00:00

And then the water stopped rising

.

It was up to our chests, and waves were sloshing over the sides of the boat. We had stopped sinking. The windbags held the boat just a few hand's-breadths from total immersion. We stood there up to our chests in cold sea water and glared at each other. I said, 'Well, don't just stand there treading water, Purple! Do something!'

He glared at me. Shoogar glared at me. Wilville and Orbur glared at me.

The bags of wind hung over us, the restless sea tossed around us. The red sun began to seep behind the horizon. We had perhaps an hour and a half of daylight left-

Well, since nobody else was going to do anything-

I trod water to the center of the boat and ducked under. I came up with a ballast bag, pulled it to the rim - I could not have lifted it without going under - opened the mouth and poured the ballast over the side. I ducked, found another bag and emptied it.

Purple began to laugh.

Shoogar had gotten the idea and was helping me empty the bags of water overboard. It wasn't enough. The windbags tugged upward on the boat frame, but they couldn't lift it. They could only keep it from sinking into the uneasy swells. Shoogar searched around for some more ballast bags, ducking under the feeling around with his hands. The dumping of ballast did not help noticeably. The rim of the boat frame continued to show only as an outline in the water.

Purple had been clinging to the rigging and chortling helplessly while we worked. It seemed a singularly rude act. Now he found his voice and said, 'Stop. Please stop. You're only emptying water out of water.'

'But it's ballast,' said Shoogar.

'But it's water too - it just replaces itself as fast as you bail it.' He swam over to us. 'Put the plug in first then bail.'

I looked at the plug in my hand and shrugged. Why not? - I ducked into the water and felt around for the hole. There was no pressure to fight this time, and the plug slipped in easily. I surfaced with a gasp.

'Is it in?' asked Purple. I nodded. He dove under to check it himself. He came up beside me. 'All right, it's firm enough.' He gave Shoogar and me a look. 'You two start bailing while I finish refilling the balloons. Wilville, Orbur, keep pedaling.'

'We have to,' they called back, 'Otherwise we'll sink.'

Grumbling, Purple splashed aft. Shoogar and I grabbed buckets and set to work. We bailed fast and furiously. By the time Purple had two more balloons refilled, we had the water level down to our thighs. 'You know,' I mused, 'this might be a good way to keep boats from sinking - hang them from windbags.'

Purple only glared at me.

I went back to my bailing.

The red sun seeped down behind the horizon, leaving only a festering glow across the western edge of the world. We worked in shivering darkness.

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