Raiders of Gor

14 How Bosk Conducted Business Upon Thassa

It must be understood that the ship itself it the weapon.

The Dorna, a tarn ship, is not untypical of her class. Accordingly I shall, in brief, describe her. I mention, however, in passing, that a great variety of ram-ships ply Thassa, many of which, in their dimensions, their lines, their rigging and their rowing arrangements, differ from her considerably. The major difference, I would suppose, is that between the singly-banked and the most doubly- or trebly-banked vessel. The Dorna, like most other tarn ships, is single-banked; and yet her oar power is not inferior to even the trebly-banked vessels; how this is I shall soon note.

The Dorna, like most tarn ships, is a long, narrow vessel of shallow draft. She is carvel-built, and her planking is fastened with nails of bronze and iron; in places, wooden pegs are also used; her planking, depending on placement, varies from two to six inches in thickness; also, to strengthen her against the shock of ramming, four-inch-thich wales run longitudinally about her sides. She carrieds a single, removable mast, with its long yard. It is lateen rigged. Her keep, one hundred and twenty-eight feet Gorean, and her beam, sixteen feet Gorean, mark her as heavy class. Her freeboard area, that between the water line and the deck, is five feet Gorean. She is long, low and swift.

She has a rather straight keel, and this, with her shallow draft, even given her size, makes it possible to beach her at night, if one wishes. It is common among Gorean seamen to beach their craft in the evening, set watches, make camp, and launch again in the morning.

The Dorna's ram, a heavy projection in the shape of a tarn's beak, shod with iron, rides just below the water line. Behind the ram, to prevent it from going too deeply into an enemy ship, pinning the attacker, is, shaped like the spread crest of a tarn, the shield. The entire ship is built in such a way that the combined strength of teh keel, stempost and strut-frames centeres itself at the ram, or spur. The ship is, thus, itself the weapon.

The bow of the Dorna is concave, sloping down to meet the ram. Her stern describles what is almost a complete semicircle. She has two steering oars, or side rudders. The sternpost is high, and fanlike; it is carved to represent feathers; the actual tail feathers of a tarn, however, would be horizontal to the plane, not vertical; the prow of the tarn ship resembles the ram and shield, though it is made of painted wood; it is designed and painted to resemble the head of a tarn.

Tarn ships are painted in a variety of colors; the Dorna, of course, was green. Besides her stem and stern castles the Dorna carried two movable turrets amidships, each about twenty feet high. She also carried, on leather-cushioned, swivel mounts, two lihgt catapults, two chain-sling onagers, and eight springals. Shearing blades, too, of course, were a portion of her equipment. These blades, mentioned before, are fixed on each side of the hull, abaft of the bow and forward of the oars. They resemble quarter moons of steel and are fastened into the frames of the ship itself. They are an invention of Tersites of Port Kar. They are now, however, found on most recent ram-ships, of whatever port of origin.

Although the Dorna's true beam is sixteen feet Gorean, her deck width is twenty-one feet Gorean, due to the long rectangular rowing frame, which carrieds the thole ports: the rowing frame is slightly higher than the deck area and extends beyond it, two and one half feet Gorean on each side; it is supported by extensions of the hull beams; the rowing frame is placed somewhat nearer the stem that the sternpost; the extension of the rowing frame not only permits greater deck area but, because of the size of the oars used, is expedient because of matters of work space.

The size and weight of the oars used will doubtless seem surprizing, but, in practice, they are effective and beautiful levers. The oars are set in groups of three, and three men sit a single bench. These benches are not perpendicular to the bulwarks but slant obliquely back toward the stern castle. Accordingly their inboard ends are father aft than their outboard ends. This slanting makes it possible to have each of the three oars in an oar group parallel to the others. The three oars are sometimes of the same length, but often they are not. The Dorna used oars of varying lengths; her oars, like those of many tarn ships, varied by about one and one-half foot Gorean, oar to oar; the most inboard oar being the longest; the outblard oar being the shortest. The oars themselves usually weigh about one stone a foot, or roughly founds pounds a foot. The length of those oars on a tarn ship commonly varies from twenty-seven to thirty foot Gorean. A thirty-foot Gorean oar, the most inboard oar, would ommonly weigh thirty stone, or about one hundred and twenty pounds. The length and weight of these oars would make their operation impractical were it not for the fact that each of them, on its inboard end, is weighted with lead. Accordingly the rower is relieved of the weight of the oar and is responsible only for its work. This arrangement, one man to an oar, and oars in groups of tree, and oars mounted in the rowing frame, long and beautiful sweeps, had been found extremely practical in the Gorean navies. It is almost universal on ram-ships. Thie rowing deck, further, is open to the air, thereby differing from the rowing holds of round ships. This brings many more free fighting men, the oarsmen, into any action which might be required. They, while rowing, are protected, incidentally, by a parapet fixed on the rowing frame. Between eacy pair of benches, behind the parapet, is one bowman. The thole ports in a given group of three are about ten inches apart and the groups themselves, center to center, are a bit less than four feet apart. Then Dorna carried twenty groups of three to a side, and so used one hundred and tweny oarsmen.

From this account it may perhaps be conjectured why the oar power of a single-banked ram-ship is often comparable or superior to that of a doubly- or trebly-banked ship. The major questions involve the number and size of oars that can be practically mounted, balanced against the size of ship required for the differing arrangements. The use of extended rowing frame, permitting the leverage necessary for the great oars, and teh seating of several oarsmen, each with his own oar, on a given bench, conserving space, are important in this regard. If we suppose a trebly-banked ship with one hundred and twenty oarsmen, say, in three banks of twenty each to a side, I think we chan see she would have to be a rather large ship, and a good deal heavier than the single-decked, three-men-to-a-bench typ, also with one hundred and twenty oarsmen. She would thus, also, be slower. And this does not even take into consideration the longer, larger oar possible with the projecting rowing frame. To be sure, they are many factors involed here, and one might suppose triple banks following the model of the single-banked, three-men-oars-to-a-bench type, and so on, but, putting aside questions of the size of vessel required for such arrangements, we may simply note, without commenting further, that the single-banked, three-men-three-oars arrangement is almost universal in fighting ships on Thassa. The other type of ship, though found occasionally, does not seem, at least currently, to present a distinct challenge to the low, swift, single-banked ships. In questions of ramming, I suppose the heavier ship would deliver the heaviest blow, but, even this might be contested for the lighter ship would, presumably, be moving more rapidly. Further, of course, the chances of being rammed by a lighter ship are greater than those of being rammed by a heavier ship, because of the greater speed and maneuverablitity of the former. Other disadvantages to the double- and triple-banked systems, of course, are that many of your oarsmen, if not all, are below decks and thus unable to enter into necessary actions as easily as they might otherwise do; further, in case of ramming or wreck, it is a good deal more dangerous to be below decks than above decks. At any rate, whatever the reasons or rationale, the single-banked tarn ship, of which the Dorna is an example, is the dominant type on Thassa. I had, at my disposal, thirty ram-ships, eighteeen of my own, and twelve on consignment from the arsenal. The treasure fleet, with her escort, consisted of seventy ships; forty were ram-ships and thirty round ships. Of the forty ram ships, twenty-five were heavy class, and fifteen medium class. Of my thirty ram-ships, twenty were heavy class, and ten medium class. There were no light galleys in either fleet.

I had made it a practice never to ram round ships, and I had seen that this practice was wel publicized. I had even had it observed by men at the various slave wharves, presumably inspecting the merchandise. Doubtless, from hold to hold over the months, this word had spread that Bosk not only would not sink a round ship, but that, when he took one, he freed her slaves. I think, had it not been for this, my own actions against round ships of the past months would not have been as successful as they had been. Further, I had spread the rumor that I would be displeased should I discover, after capturing a round ship, that her slaves had been either mistreated or slain. Accordingly I thus, in effect, recruited tacit allies in the rowing holds of round ships. The slaves, eager for the capture of the vessel by one of my ships, could scarcely be expected to row with their full strength, and the masters, knowing full well the ship might be taken, feared, under the conditions obtaining, to seriously abuse or slay the chained oarsmen. The principal alternatives, under these conditions, open to the men of Cos and Tyros would then seem to be, first, to use free oarsmen, which was not, however, traditional on round ships, or, two, increase the ram-ship escort for round ships. It was this latter alternative, rather expensive, which the men of Cos and Tyros had apparently, almost invariably, selected. On the other hand, the treasure fleet, under any conditions, would have a heavy escort, which it did.

The prices of goods, I might note, carried on ships of Cos and Tyros and her allies, because of the need of paying for additional escort, had risen considerably. Accordingly, her goods, to the dismay of her merchants, were becoming less competitive in the markets of Thassa. Insurance rates on such shipments, even those with escort, I might add, had also soared.

Because of my practices in connection with round ships, I did not expect Cos and Tyros to enter them seriously into any naval engagement with my fleet. Thus, the odds, which might have been prohibitive under normal conditions, of seventy ships to thirty, I supected I had reduced to something of forty, or perhaps fifty, to thirty. But even so, I did not regard it as rational to undertake odds of forty, or fifty, to thirty. I had no intention of engaging except under conditions of either equality or, preferably, superiority. The important thing as I saw it, was not so much the absolute numbers of ships involved as the numbers of ships that could be applied at a given place and given time. Accordingly I began to put my plan into effect.

With twelve ships I began to approach the treasure fleet from the southeast. Although I had had the masts, with their yards, taken down and lashed to the decks, and the saild stored below, I had the flutists and drummers, not uncommon on the ram-ships of Thassa, strike up a martial air.

Then, rather bravely, the music drifting over the water, or oars at only half of maximum beat, we moved across the gleaming waters toward the large fleet. Since the ram-ships of the enemy had not yet struck their masts, it would be only a matter of moments before we were sighted.

From the stern castle of the Dorna, then, with a long glass of the builders, I observed, far across the waters, the masts of ram-ships, one by one, lowering. I could hear, moreover, their war trumpets, carrying form ship to the other, signaling fleet movements. Message flags, doubltless repeating the message of the trumpets, were being run from the decks on their halyards to the heights of the stem castles. Although I could not yet see the decks, I had no doubt that there was a flurry of activity there. Bowmen were setting their weapons; helmets, weapons and shields were being brought up from below decks. Fires were being stoked to heat pitch and stones; bundles of tarred javelins would be shaken out near the springals and light catapults. In a few moments hides, soaked overside, would be spread over good portions of decks and bulwarks; and bags of sea water, for putting our fires, would be drawn and placed about the ships. In about ten Ehn the decks of the treasure fleet, save for the paraphernalia of war, would be clear, and her hatches would be secured. Similar preparations, of course, were taking place on my own ships.

"Quarter of maximum!" I called down to the oar-master, some feet below me. I did not wish to approach the fleet too rapidly.

The treasure fleet would have no way of knowing that I definitely knew her size and composition.

For all the knew I might be astonished at the force on which I had come. I listened for a while, chuckling, to the brave tunes being put forth by my flutists and drummers.

Then, when I saw the perimeter ships of the treasure feelt swinging about toward me, I motioned for the musicians to discontinure their performance. When they were silent, I could hear the flutes and drums from the enemy ships. I called down to the oar-master to rest oars.

I wanted it to appear that I was suddenly undecided as to whether or not to attack, as though I was confused, startled.

I signaled my trumpeter to transmit the command "Rest oars." The same message was run up the halyard to the height of the stem castle.

Over the faint music coming from the distant ships, now approaching, I could hear her war trumpets and, with the glass, observe her flags. Whereas I did not know exactly the codes employed by the treasure fleet, I had little doubt that our hesitation was being signaled about the fleet, and then I heard other trumpets, and saw the round ships drawing apart, and tarn ships streaking between them, fanning out in our direction.

I slapped shut the glass of the builders and laughed. "Excellent!" I cried. Thurnock, near me, the tooth missing on his upper right side, grinned. "Helmsmen about," I said. "Oar-master, half beat."

I did not even, following my plan, signal this move to my other ships. I wished to appear that we were turning, suddenly fearing, in flight. I wanted it to appear that the other ships must take their cue to action from our own, as though, in fear and confusion, we had not even signaled them. I heard more trumpets from across the water. Some of these were from the enemy fleet. Others, brief notes, interrogations, demands for clarification, were from my own ships. They had good commanders. I listened to the flutes and drums of the ram-ships of the treasure fleet. A javelin, with tarred, buring blade, fell hissing into the water, some hundred yards away.

I snaped open the builder's glass again.

I counted, clearly, some twenty ships, fanned out in a long enveloping line moving toward us.

The Dorna had now come about and, at half beat, was moving southeast, directly away from the pursuing ships.

The other eleven ships with me were, not too gracefully, by intention, coming about to join me in my flight.

I ordered the trumpeter and the man on the flags to now signal flight to them. These twelve ships, including the Dorna, incidentally, were my swiftest. It seemed probable, with a decent start, which we had, we could stay ahead of the pursuing ram-ships, if we chose, either indefinitely, or, if they were faster, which I doubted, at least for several Ahn.

We were not moving, of course, at only half beat.

I wished our pursuit to be tempting.

It was.

Anothered tarred, flaming javelin fell hissing into the water. This time in fell only fifty yards astern.

In another quarter of an Ahn I could count thirty ram-ships engaged in our pursuit. IF there were more, I could not see them. The treasure fleet itself lay to.

I watched a burning javelin from the lead ship of the pursuers arc gracefully and smoking through the air and drop hissing into the water some fifteen yards to my right, abeam of stern.

I smiled. "Three quarters beat," I recommended to our oar-master.

My vessels as though in terror, were keeping no formation, but apparently scattering across the southeast. Each had picked up two or three pursuers. My own ship, perhaps recongnized as the probablye flagship, it having been first in the original formation, was honored by five pursuers. After two Ahn, sometimes increasing the beat, sometimes decreasing it, depending on whether or not we wished to avoid being actually overtaken or we wished to encourage our pursuers, we had spread them behind us in a long, straggling line, its spacing an index to the speed of their individual ships.

By this time, of course, the balance of my fleet, eighteen ram'ships, would have struck the treasure fleet, now protected only by some ten ram-ships, from the northwest.

I was puzzled somewhat, but not too much, that our pursuit had been so relentless.

I had flown the flag of Bosk, from the marshes, boldly trusting that this incitement would encourage prompt and fierce pursuit. Doubtless in Cos and Tyros there was a high price indeed on my head. I was puzzled only that the pursuit had been as relentless and prolonged as it was. I had not realized my importance to the men of the two island Ubarates. I chuckled. Apparently I was more significant to them than I had fancied myself.

It was the twelfth Ahn before the commander of the first pursuing ship understood either that had been tricked or that he was not likely to overtake our ships.

"Rest oars!" I called.

I watched the tarn ship heave to, then port oars, and turn away.

"How are the men?" I asked the oar-master.

It was he who had been oar-master on the Rena of Temos.

"They are strong," he said, "You did not even call maximum beat."

"Rest them now," I said.

There were trumpet signals now from the ship that had been pursuing us, and flags on her halyards. The ships behind her began turning about. Some of the ships to the sides, perhaps having seen the flags with glasses from their stem or stern castles, also ceased the pursuit. Others were out of visual range, scattered somewhere on Thassa.

As soon as I saw the tarn ship which had been pursuing us begin to move away, I gave my orders.

"Come about," I said, "and maximum beat."

There was a cheer from the oarsmen.

I had little doubt the Dorna was swifter than the ship that had pursued her. She was now moving way, perhaps at half beat.

I did not think she would have time to turn about again.

We fired no missile, and gave no warning.

We were within fifty yards of her before a seaman on her stern castle, looking back, screamed the warning.

The iron-shod ram of the Dorna splintered into her stern a foot below water line.

"Back oars!" came the cry from the oar-master, and the Dorna, rocking and shuddering from the impact, chopped her way backward.

"Helmsmen pass to starboard!" I called. "Stroke, Maximum beat!"

The stern of the enemy ship was already under water as she slipped past her. Crossbow quarrels struck the reinforced parapet protecting my rowers. There wee no other missiles.

We heard screams, cries of alarm.

There were still fourn ships ahead of us. The nearest was not more than a hundred yards before the one we had just struck.

The noice of our strike and the cries of the men aboard the rammed ship carried over the water.

We saw the ship ahead of us trying to come about, but, before she could make four points of the Gorean compass, or ram struck the corner of her stern, skidding through and freeing itself, the ships, the Dorna's port ors inboard, grating together, and the the Dorna was clear, free, and we were driving toward the stern of the next ship.

We heard trumpets blaring behind us frantically, trying to warn the ship ahead of us.

It, too, began to come about, and we caught her amidships, the ram thrusting through the heavy planking like kindling, then stopped by the shield, like a spread tarn's crest, and we chopped our way back and free, and then knifed past her stern toward the next two ships.

By this time the two ships ahead of us wee well aware of their danger and, given he distances involved, neither captain elected to chance the dangerous maneuver of coming about to meet us. Both were fleeing at maximum beat.

"Half of maximum beat," I told the oar-master.

The oar-master grinned, and went to the center of the rowing frame. As the beat dropped, I took out the glass of the builders and scanned the horizon.

I could see few ships, but most of those I swa were green, my own. I could see the wreckage of two of the enemy tarn ships. I was quite content, of course, if each of my ships not in view were continuing to lead their pursuers a merry chase. If each of them could lure their two or three hounds astray, the oods of engagement at the truly critical points would be so much the more in my favor. I was willing to spend one ship to draw two or three enemy ships from the battle, if battle there was to be. And, of course, as soon as he enemy ships would turn back, they would be vulnerable to my own, presumably faster vessels. Of the twelve ships in my diversion, five were my fastest and seven were among the fastest in the arsenal.

I now turned the glass again to the ship fleeing me. As I had expected, he had now begun to dawn substantially ahead, since I had reduced to half to maximum beat. In another four or five Ehn I expected he would regard his lead as sufficient to permit him the time to safely come about and engage. He would assuming, of course, that I, in pursuing him, was at maximum beat, as he was. I had held my beat to had of maximum. My oar-master had been calling beat, this time, by mouth from the center of the rowing frame.

When I saw the tarn ship ahead, its captain doubtless confident of his speeds and distances, lift her oars, preparing to come about, I called to the oar-master, "Now!"

Without the loss of a stroke he, at the center of the rowing frame, began to call maximum beat, "Stroke! Stroke! Stroke!"

The Dorna, stern low, ram almost lifted from the water, leapt ahead, as beautiful, as eager and vicious as an unleashed sleen.

We took the fourth ship amidships, as we had the third.

Angrily the Dorna shook herself loose.

Then, in an Ehn, we were in pursuit of the last ship. It showed no sign of turning. It was now far in advance of us.

"Maximum beat," said the oar-mater to his keleustes, and then came to stand beside me on the stern castle.

"Can we catch her?" I asked.

"Hand me your glass," he asked.

I did so.

"Do you know the ship?" I asked.

"No," he said.

He looked at her for better than an Ehn, studying the rise and fall, the sweep, of the oars.

Then he said, "Yes, we can catch her."

He handed me back the glass.

He then went down the steps of the stern castle, to the helm deck, and then down to the chair of the oar-master.

"Three quarters beat." I heard him tell the keleustes.

I did not question him. I knew him to be a good oar-master.

From time to time I observed the distand ship growing father and father away. But after about an Ahn and a half, when I again raised the glass. I saw that she was not much father way than she had been when last I had looked. My own men were still drawing a strong three quarters beat.

The oar-master again joined me on the stern castle. He did not ask for the glass again.

"She carrieds one hundred and thirty-two oars," he said. "but she is a heavier ship, and her lines are not as good as those of the Dorna."

"Apparently," I said, "she has had to reduce her beat."

"She will be at three quarters now," he said, "as we are. One cannot maintain maximum beat that long. And, at three quarters we can overtake her." "Thank you," said I, "Oar-master."

He returned to his chair.

Doubtless it would soon become evident to our enemy also that she could not outrun us. Accordingly, sooner or later, she would turn to fight.

After a quarter of an Ahn, in the distance, I could see her, at last, come about.

"Quarter of maximum," I called to the oar-master. Then, aobut four ehn later, "rest oars."

The two tarn ships, the Dorna and the otehr, faced one another, motionless, save for their respons to the swells of Thassa.

We were separated by some four hundred yards.

Since the principal weapons of the ram-ship are the ram and shearing blades, she is most dangerous taken head on. Accordingly, in such a combat situation, involving only two ships at sea, both ships commonly described the broad starboard circles, prowling about one another like wary sleen, exchanging missiles, watchful fro the opportunity to engage with ram and blades. I had little doub that the Dorna, a somewhat lighter ship, with better lines and shorter keel, would be more responsive to her helm than the other ship and that, sooner or later, as the circles grew smaller, she would be able to wheel and take her foe in the stern quarter or amidships.

Doubtless this was reasonably clear, also, to the commander of the other vessel. He had surely refused to engage. Now it seemed he had no choice.

He did what I expected.

His oars took up maximum beat and his heavy ship, the crest of the ram dividing the water before the concave bow, the tarn's beak just below the water line, plunged toward us.

I laughed. I had caught the other ship. I had proven the Dorna, and her oar-master.

The other ship did not truly wish to fight.

"Helmsmen," said I, "take your course four points to starboard."

"Yes, Captain," said they.

"Oar-master," said I, "we have an appointment with the treasure fleet of Cos and Tyros."

He grinned up. "Yes, Captain!" said he. Then he called to his keleustes. "Maximum beat!"

The ram of the other ship did not find us. As it plunged through Thassa we had slipped, as swiftly as a sleen, from its path, knifing by a hundred yards past his port bow, and soon leaving him astern. He did not even fire missiles. I laughed.

I saw him turn slowly toward Cos.

I had removed him from the battle, if battle there was to be.

"Helmsmen," said I, "take your course now for the treasure fleet of Cos and Tyros."

"Yes, Captain," said they.

"Half-beat," said I to the oar-master.

"Yes, Captain," said he.

Matters had proceeded as I had expected at the treasure fleet. Of the forty tarn ships in her escort, thirty, lured away, had pursued my ships far from the critical points. I myself had damaged or destroyed four of these ships. and had removed a fifth from the theater of action. As my other eleven ships, one by one, began to return to the treasure fleet, the story was similar with them. Some of the enemy ships, however, in turning back from the chase, had been able to regroup and somewhere, abroad on Thassas, there was doubtless a fleet of some ten enemy tarn ships, still a possible threat. They had not yet returned to the treasure fleet. The others had been damaged or destroyed, or driven away. At the treasure fleet itself, while most of her escort pursued my diversionary ships, the other eighteen vessels in my fleet had fallen, suddenly, silently, on the ten tarn ships left behind with the treasure fleet. Using, on the whole, elementary triangle, tactics, wherein an attack by two ships, from different quadrants, is made on a single ship, which can face but one of the attackers, my ships had, in a short time, less than an Ahn, destroyed seven of the ten ream-ships left behind at the treasure fleet. Two had been permitted to escape, and one lay, even now, penned in among the round ships. Some of the round ships, intelligently, had scattered, but, of the thirty originally in the fleet, there were now twenty-two ringed with our vessels. And another was soon herded in by one of my ram-ships, which, in returning to the fleet, had picked it up. I was in no particular hurry to move against the captured round ships. They were mine.

I was more interested in the seven round ships that had fled.

Accordingly, as soon as a sufficient number of my ships had returned to the treasure fleet, I set about organizing a pursuit of the missing round ships. I communicated with my other ships by flag and trumpet, some of them conveying my messages to others more distant. I dispatched ten tarn ships abroad in search patterns, hoping to snare some of the seven missing round ships. Five of these search ships I sent in a net formation toward Cos, supposing this the most likely, if not the most wise, course that would soon be taken by the majority of the escaping round ships. My other five search ships I sent in sweeps away from Cos. If the endeavors of these various ships, after two days, were unsuccessful, they were to return to Port Kar. This left, after the last of my orginal eleven ships had returned, tweny of my ships with the treasure fleet, more than enough to counter any returning enemy tarn ships.

I ordered the mast raised on the Dorna. When the mast, with its sail fastened to its yard, had been set in the mast well, and stayed fore, aft and amidships, I climbed to the basket myself, carrying the glass of the builders.

I looked upon my twenty-three round ships, and was not unsatisfied. Round ships, like ram-ships, differ among themselves considerably. But most are, as I may have mentioned, two masted, have permanent masts and, like the ram-ships, are lateen rigged. They, though they carry oarsmen, generally slaves, are more of a sailing ship than the ram-ship. They can, generally, sail satisfactoryily to windward, taking full advantage of their lateen rigging, which is particularly suited to windward work. The ram-ship, on the other hand, is difficult to sail to windward, even with lateen rigging, because of its length, its narrowness and its shallow draft. In tacking to windward her leeward oars and rowing frame are likely to drag in the water, cutting down speed considerably and not infrequently breaking oars. Accordingly the ram-ship most commonly sails only with a fair wind. Further, she is less seaworthy than the round ship, having a lower freeboard area, being more easily washed with waves, and having a higher keel-to-beam ratio, making the danger of breaking apart in a high sea greater than it would be with a round ship. There are in the building of ships, as in other things, values to be weighed. The ram-ship is not built for significant sail dependence or maximum seaworthiness. She is built for speed, and the capacity to destroy other shipping. She is not a rowboat but a racing shell; she is not a club, but a rapier.

I, swaying in the basket at the masthead, with the glass of the builders, smiled.

Penned in among the twenty-three round ships was a long galley, a purple ship, flying the purple flag of Cos. It was a beautiful ship. And the flag she flew was bordered with gold, the admiral's flag, marking that vessel as the flagship of the treasure fleet.

I snapped shut the glass of the builders and, by means of a slender rope ladder fastened at the masthead and anchored to a cleat near the mast well below, took my way down to the deck.

"Thurnock," I said, "let the flags of division and acquistion be raised." "Yes, Captain," said he.

There was a cheer from the men on the deck of the Dorna.

I anticipated, and received, little resistance from the round ships. There were various reasons for this. They had been herded together and could not maneuver. They were slower than the ram-ships and, under any conditions, little match for them. And their rowing slaves, by this time, were fully aware that the fleet encircling them was that of Bosk, from the marshes.

Vessel by vessel my men boarded the round ships, commonly meeting no resistance. The free crews of these ships, of course, were hopelessly outnumbered by my men. The round ship, although she often carries over one hundred, and sometimes over two hundred, chained slaves in her rowing hold, seldom, unless she intends to enter battled, carries a free crew of more than twenty to twenty-five men. Moreover, these twenty to twenty-five are often largely simply sailors and their officers, and not fighting men. The Dorna, by contrast, carried a free crew of two hundred and fifteen men, most of whom were well trained with weapons. In an Ahn I stepped across the plank thrown from the rail of the Dorna to that of the flagship of the treasure fleet. The ship itself, by my men, had already been subdued.

I was met by a tall bearded figure in a purple cloak. "I am Rencius Ho-Bar," said he, "of Telnus, Admiral of the Treasure Fleet of Cos and Tyros." "Put him in chains," I told my men.

He looked at me in fury.

I turned to Clitus, who had been on the ship before me. "Do you have the master cargo list?" I asked.

He presented a folio-sized book, bound with golden cord and sealed with wax, bearing the impress of the Ubar of Tyros, Chenbar.

The admiral, to one side, was being fitted with wrist and ankle irons, joined by a length of chain.

I broke the golden cord and the seal and opened the master cargo lists. They were most excellent.

From time to time, I scanned the lists, there was a cheer from one round ship or another as her slaves were freed. The free crewmen, of course, were places in chains, men and officers alike. The distincition of man and officer does not exist on the benches of a galley.

"Admiral!" said the admiral of the treasure fleet to me.

I glanced to the gold-bordered, purple flag, the admiral's flag, flying from the halyard strung between the forward starboard mooring cleat and the height of the stem castle. "Strike that flag," I said, "and put there the flag of Bosk, from the marshes."

"Yes, Captain," said Thurnock.

"Admiral!" protested the admiral of the treasure fleet to me.

"Take him away," I told my men.

He was dragged from my presence.

I snapped shut the book. "If these figured are correct," I said to Clitus, "as doubtless they are, we and the Captains of Port Kar are today the master of much treasure."

He laughed. "Surely enough," said he, "to make us all among the richest of men!" "More wisely spent," said I, "these goods would go to increase the arsenal fleet of Port Kar."

"But surely," said he, "the arsenal does not require so much?"

I laughed. "The arsenal share," said I, "is eighteen shares of thirty." Eighteen of the ships in my fleet had been arsenal vessels.

I had, by agreement with the council, reserved to myself twelve shares of thirty divisions, as well as all slaves taken.

"Captain," said a voice.

"Yes," I said.

A seaman had approached me.

"The Lady Vivina," said he, "asks to be presented to you."

"Very well," said I. "Tell her that her request to present herself to me has been granted."

"Yes, Captain," said he.

I reopened the book of cargo lists.

When I lifted my head again I discovered that the Lady Vivina was, and had been, standing before me.

Seeing me, she started.

I smiled.

Her hand was before her veil. Her eyes were wide. She wore swirling, dazzling robes of concealment, of purple and gold cloths, brocades and silks. The veil itself was purple, and trimmed with gold.

Then she caught herself and presented herself before me, as a high-born lady. "I am Vivina," said she, "of the city of Kasra of Tyros."

I nodded my head. "Call me Bosk," I said. "I am a captain of Port Kar." Behind the girl, in robes almost as rich as hers, were two other high-born maidens.

"I gather," she said, "I am your prisoner."

I said nothing.

"You will, of course," said she, "be severely punished for what you have done." I smiled.

"As you know," she said, "I am pledged to be the Free Companion of Lurius, Ubar of Cos. Accordingly, my ransom will be high."

I indicated the two girls behind Vivina. "How many of these are there?" I asked Clitus.

"Forty," he said.

"They did not appear," I said to him, "on the master cargo lists."

Clitus ginned.

The girls looked at one another uneasily.

"My maidens," said Vivina, "will also be ransomed, though their ransoms will be less than mine."

I regarded her.

"What makes you so certain," I asked, "that you will be held for ransom?" She looked at me, stunned.

"Remove you veil," I told her.

"Never!" she cried. "Never!"

"Very well," said I. I returned my attention to the master cargo lists. "What is to be done with us?" she asked.

I turned to Clitus. "The Lady Vivina," I said to him, "will of course grace the prow of this ship, the flagship of the treasure fleet."

"No!" she screamed.

"Yes, Captain," said Clitus.

Already two men held her arms.

"Take then those that were with her," I said, "and distribute them to the extent of their number among our other ships, the twent most beautiful to our twenty tarn ships now with the fleet, and the most beautiful of the twenty to the prow of the Dorna, and the other twenty set at the prows of twenty of our prizes. "Yes, Captain," said Clitus.

Men laid hands on the two girls behind the Lady Vivina, and they cried out with fear.

I again turned my attention to the master cargo lists.

"Captain!" said the Lady Vivina.

"Yes," I said, lifting my head and looking at her.

"I–I," she said, "will remove my veil."

"That will not be necessary," I said.

I handed Clitus the book of cargo lists and strode to the girl, jerking out the pins that held her veil, face stripping her.

"Beast!" she cried.

I gestured that the seamen should remove the veils from the two girls who stood behind her.

They wept.

They were beauties, all.

I looked down into the face of the Lady Vivina, who was beautiful.

"Put her at the prow," I said to Clitus.

I turned away, taking the book of master cargo lists from Clitus, and again giving them my attention. The other two girls were taken from my presence. The Lady Vivina, to one side, was readied for the prow.

Within the Ahn we were ready to sail for Port Kar. I had the admiral of the treasure fleet, Rencius Ho-Bah of Telnus, in his chains, brought before me. "I am returning one round ship to Cos," I said. "You withe certain of the seamen captured, will sit chained at her benches. Beyond this, I will give you, from among our prisoners, ten free men, six seamen, two helmsmen, an oar-master and a keleustes. The treasure from the ship, of course, will be placed aboard other ships, taken to Port Kar as prizes. On the other had, your ship will be adquately provisioned and I do not doubt you will make port in Telnus within five days"

"You are generous," said the Admiral, dismally.

"I expect," I said, "when you return to Telnus, should you decide to do so, that you will make a reasonably full and accurate accound of what had occured here recently."

"Doubtless," smiled the Admiral, "I shall receive requests to that effect." "In order that your information my be as accurate as possible, at least to this point, I inform you that seven of your treasure ships have, at least until now, eluded me. I expect to pick up some of them, however. And, of tarn ships, I have one captured, your flagship, and from the reports of my captains, some eighteen or twenty have been seriously damaged or sunk. That would leave you with some ten, or perhaps twelve, ships yet abroad on Thassa."

At that point, from the foremast of a nearby round ship, where I had placed a lookout, came the cry, "Twelve sail! Twelve said abeam!"

"Ah," said I, "twelve ships, it seems."

"They will fight!" cried the admiral. "You have not yet won!"

"Doubtless they will strike their masts," I said, "but I do not think they will fight."

He looked at me, his fists clenched in his irons.

"Thurnock," said I, "signal seventeen of my twenty ships to present themselves to our apparoaching friends. Let two remain on the far side of the treasure fleet. The Dorna, for the time will remain here. The seventeen ships are not to enter battle unless accompained by the Dorna, and under no conditions, if battle ensues, are any of my ships to move more than four pasangs from the fleet." "Yes, Captain," roared Thurock, turning and crossing on the plank to the deck of the Dorna, then taking his way to the shielded flag racks at the foot of her stem castle.

Soon the flags were whipping from the halyards.

Battled preparations were underway on my ships. Seventeen soon began to move around the fleet, or come about, to face the approaching twelve vessels. Men sat ready at the oars of the Dorna, should I come aboard her. Others, with axes, stood ready to chop away the lines that now bound the Dorna to the flagship. "They are striking their masts!" came the cry from the lookout.

In a quarter Ahn my vessels were aligned for battle. The enemy fleet, the twelve ships, was now, by estimate from the lookout, with his glass, some four pasangs distant.

If they came within two pasangs, I would board the Dorna.

I had the admiral freed of his leg irons and he and I, from the stem castle of his own ship, regarded the approaching ships.

"Do you wager," I asked him, "that they come within two pasangs?"

"They will fight!" he said.

The Lady Vivina, prepared for the prow, stood nearby, a sailor's hand on her arm, she, too, watching the approaching ships.

Then the admiral cried out with rage and the Lady Vivina, her hand at her breasts, eyes horrified, cried out, "No, No!"

The twelve ships had put about, taking their course now for Cos.

"Take the admiral away," I said to Turnock.

The admiral was dragged away.

I looked on the Lady Vivina. Our eyes met. "Put her at the prow," I said.