gate tower. The footway behind the wall was still jury-rigged.
Up on the gate tower, they studied the terrain inland. The ground was broken by small hillocks. Trees covered everything in a deep green mantle. Heuze was always shocked by the fertility of the land here, so unlike his homeland. In the near distant trees he could see the enemy's siege towers. They were still unfinished, but not too far from completion. Something was going to be done about that, swore Heuze, and very soon.
Later, when Heuze and Polluk were alone in Polluk's quarters, a dugout about ten feet across, Heuze relaxed and took a mug of ale.
"Safe as houses in here," said the general as he yanked the stopper from a flagon. Heuze cast a glance at the tree trunks that had been laid end to end to form a roof over the dugout.
"Well, General"—Heuze raised his mug—"here's to Fort Aeswiren!"
"To the fort!" Polluk raised his mug, then drained it and poured again.
"And, so, General, you've had a week to get ready. When do you strike?"
Polluk had the look of a capable fellow, tall with a square head and a dueling scar on the right side of his face. He was the last of the generals selected by Nebbeggebben for the expedition. All the others were gone now.
Polluk was looking nervous. This inquisition by the admiral was something he'd been dreading. Perhaps the fate of so many other generals was in his mind.
"Well, Admiral, I think we are finally ready to make an armed sortie against the towers."
"Good news. I have been impatient, General. It's a fault of mine, but this campaign has been a long one, and I wish it were over."
"Yes, Admiral. Everyone looks forward to the day when we have peace."
"Hmmm. The road to peace must be made from our victories, as you know."
"My command is ready. We have massed almost eleven hundred men in the fort. The enemy has not visibly reinforced. We suspect that they may not have seen our reinforcements, who all came in the night as secretly as possible."
"Excellent."
Heuze smelled victory. He had been involved in the planning of this from the beginning. The only way to get anything done well was to do it yourself.
Polluk warmed to his theme. "I intend to attack both siege towers simultaneously. We think the enemy has only a few hundred troops in our area. His patrols are rarely done in strength. We can see the same two or three hundred soldiers in visible positions."
"By the great purple ass! You can tell them apart?"
Polluk colored. It might be dangerous to admit such a thing, but it was the truth.
"Well, yes, Admiral. We have studied them very carefully. There are differences in the faces and ears. The eyebrow tufts are often different, too."
"Peel 'em and fry 'em, that's what I say. They're all the same when they're cooked, eh?"
"Yes, Admiral. Do unto them as they would do unto us, so it shall be."
"Have you been able to scout?" Heuze touched on a difficulty faced by all the fort commanders.
"Not very well. The enemy always seems to spot our men. They hardly ever get back."
Heuze nodded. Like everyone else he wondered what happened to men who were captured by the monkeys. If they behaved the way Heuze and his men customarily did with captive monkeys, then the scouts would have been killed and eaten.
"Horrible to think of being captured. They eat their prisoners, no doubt."
"Disgusting animals, daring to eat human flesh. We must exterminate them."
Heuze chuckled. "May the gods give us strength!"
"Sing the praises of He Who Eats!" General Polluk spoke loudly from the habit of a lifetime of truckling to the goddamn priests.
Heuze sighed and waved a hand. "Yes, yes. But the fact remains you have little information about what lies out there."
"We have seen their camp. Just a few primitive tents. They don't seem to use wood for construction."
"Only one camp?"
"Well, there are others, but as I've said, our scouts rarely survive to tell us what they've seen."
"A pity. But you're sure that you're seeing the
Up on the gate tower, they studied the terrain inland. The ground was broken by small hillocks. Trees covered everything in a deep green mantle. Heuze was always shocked by the fertility of the land here, so unlike his homeland. In the near distant trees he could see the enemy's siege towers. They were still unfinished, but not too far from completion. Something was going to be done about that, swore Heuze, and very soon.
Later, when Heuze and Polluk were alone in Polluk's quarters, a dugout about ten feet across, Heuze relaxed and took a mug of ale.
"Safe as houses in here," said the general as he yanked the stopper from a flagon. Heuze cast a glance at the tree trunks that had been laid end to end to form a roof over the dugout.
"Well, General"—Heuze raised his mug—"here's to Fort Aeswiren!"
"To the fort!" Polluk raised his mug, then drained it and poured again.
"And, so, General, you've had a week to get ready. When do you strike?"
Polluk had the look of a capable fellow, tall with a square head and a dueling scar on the right side of his face. He was the last of the generals selected by Nebbeggebben for the expedition. All the others were gone now.
Polluk was looking nervous. This inquisition by the admiral was something he'd been dreading. Perhaps the fate of so many other generals was in his mind.
"Well, Admiral, I think we are finally ready to make an armed sortie against the towers."
"Good news. I have been impatient, General. It's a fault of mine, but this campaign has been a long one, and I wish it were over."
"Yes, Admiral. Everyone looks forward to the day when we have peace."
"Hmmm. The road to peace must be made from our victories, as you know."
"My command is ready. We have massed almost eleven hundred men in the fort. The enemy has not visibly reinforced. We suspect that they may not have seen our reinforcements, who all came in the night as secretly as possible."
"Excellent."
Heuze smelled victory. He had been involved in the planning of this from the beginning. The only way to get anything done well was to do it yourself.
Polluk warmed to his theme. "I intend to attack both siege towers simultaneously. We think the enemy has only a few hundred troops in our area. His patrols are rarely done in strength. We can see the same two or three hundred soldiers in visible positions."
"By the great purple ass! You can tell them apart?"
Polluk colored. It might be dangerous to admit such a thing, but it was the truth.
"Well, yes, Admiral. We have studied them very carefully. There are differences in the faces and ears. The eyebrow tufts are often different, too."
"Peel 'em and fry 'em, that's what I say. They're all the same when they're cooked, eh?"
"Yes, Admiral. Do unto them as they would do unto us, so it shall be."
"Have you been able to scout?" Heuze touched on a difficulty faced by all the fort commanders.
"Not very well. The enemy always seems to spot our men. They hardly ever get back."
Heuze nodded. Like everyone else he wondered what happened to men who were captured by the monkeys. If they behaved the way Heuze and his men customarily did with captive monkeys, then the scouts would have been killed and eaten.
"Horrible to think of being captured. They eat their prisoners, no doubt."
"Disgusting animals, daring to eat human flesh. We must exterminate them."
Heuze chuckled. "May the gods give us strength!"
"Sing the praises of He Who Eats!" General Polluk spoke loudly from the habit of a lifetime of truckling to the goddamn priests.
Heuze sighed and waved a hand. "Yes, yes. But the fact remains you have little information about what lies out there."
"We have seen their camp. Just a few primitive tents. They don't seem to use wood for construction."
"Only one camp?"
"Well, there are others, but as I've said, our scouts rarely survive to tell us what they've seen."
"A pity. But you're sure that you're seeing the
Similar Books
