Pratchett, Terry - Discworld 21 - Jingo by Pratchett Terry

Pratchett, Terry - Discworld 21 - Jingo by Pratchett Terry

Author:Pratchett, Terry
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2007-10-04T20:38:36+00:00


Page

124

'Let's see you get up them steps, lad... hup hup hup.. .'

Nobby scrambled up the ladder and disappeared. Colon saluted again. You could usually tell his nervousness by the smartness of his salute. You could have cut bread with this one.

'Ready to go, sah!' he shouted.

'Well done, sergeant,' said Vetinari. 'You're displaying exactly those special qualities I'm looking for–'

' 'ere, sarge,' came a metallic voice from the belly of the fish, 'there's all chains and cogwheels in here. What's this do?' The big auger in front of the thing started to squeak round.

Leonard appeared from behind the fish.

'I think we should all get in,' he said. 'I've lit the candle that'll bum down and sever the string that'll release the weight thatll pull the blocks out.'

'Er... what is this thing called?' said Colon, as he followed the Patrician up the ladder.

'Well, because it is submersed in a marine environment I've always called it the Going–Under–The–Water–Safely Device,' said Leonard, behind him.10

'But usually I just think of it as the Boat.'

He reached behind him and shut the lid.

After a moment any listener in the boathouse would have heard a complicated clonk as bolts slid into place.

The candle burned down and severed the string that released the weight that pulled the blocks out and, slowly at first, the Boat slid down the rails and into the dark water which, after a second or two, closed over it with a gloop.



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