The Continent Makers and Other Tales of the Viagens by L. Sprague de Camp Page B

prince and his mummy departed in a twenty-oar barge down the Pichidé River, then returned to his paperwork and put the kinglet out of his mind.
    Until he got a letter from Gorbovast, the resident commissioner of King Eqrar of Gozashtand in the free city of Majbur. Gorbovast, in addition to representing King Eqrar, picked up a little change on the side by spying for Abreu. The missive read:

    From the writer to the distinguished addressee, greeting:

    O worthy one, a matter of interest to you has come to my notice. As you know, the Prince of Sotaspé has resided here for a ten-night or more, having with him the mummy of King Manzariyé. Today there docked here a vessel flying the banner of Sotaspé, carrying the Sotaspeo prime minister, Sir Qarao bad-Avé. ’Tis said a tame bijar flew a message to Sotaspé for this ship to come fetch the prince.
    The matter of most interest, however, is the ship Kerukchi herself. For the means of propulsion on which she relies, besides sails, are not oars but a mechanical device. To either beam is affixed a great wheel having paddles of wood set about its rim so as to dip into the water as the wheel turns. The wheels are revolved by a machine within the hull, whose details I cannot give you because the Sotaspeva let none aboard their craft. ’Tis said, however, that the machine works by boiling water, and that smoke issues from a tall pipe amidships.
    As the Kerukchi will probably sail soon, when the machine has been readied for the voyage, you must hasten if you’d view this craft. My respectful regards to you and yours.

    Abreu, after reading the letter through again, buzzed furiously for Castanhoso.
    “Herculeu!” he shouted. “Make an appointment with the barber for both of us! We’re going out! Green hair and all the rest!”

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    Meanwhile in Majbur, Prince Ferrian was giving his prime minister a proper dressing down.
    “You utter, unmitigated idiot!” he cried. “Has Sotaspé no ships of the conventional kind, that you must even bring the Kerukchi hither, where rumors of its being will surely reach the Earthmen at Novorecife? Take that, fool!” He slashed at the minister’s head with an aya-whip.
    Sir Qarao ducked, prostrated himself, and beat his head on the floor. “Have mercy, Your Sublimity!” he wailed. “You know I could never manage your harem!”
    “What about my harem?”
    “Why, this ill-starred venture was undertaken upon the insistence of your wife, the Lady Tánzi, who said she sought to do you proper honor by sending the pride of our navy to fetch you!”
    “Pride! Honor! Ghuvoi such talk! My wife the Lady Tánzi wished to score one over my wife the Lady Kurahi, did she not? Why sought you not the counsel of my wife the Lady Ja’li?”
    “I did, but she’s ill, and referred me to your wife the Lady Rovrai, who took the part of the Lady Tánzi . . .”
    “I see,” snarled Ferrian. “A proper muddle. Well, at least this error shall not be repeated, for when I return to Sotaspé there shall be a new law in the land. A lawbook I read while among the Earthmen convinced me of its desirability.”
    “What’s that?” said Qarao, raising his head from the floor.
    “Compulsory monogamy, as among the Gozashtanduma.”
    “Oh, but Your Sublimity! What will you do with all your faithful wives?”
    “Faithful, ha! I can imagine, after all these years . . . But to answer your question, I’ll divorce all but one and pension them off. If they’d find other husbands, let ’em. They’ll have little trouble, since they’ll have wealth and prestige and we have a surplus of men.”
    “Which will you keep, godlike sir?”
    “That I hadn’t decided. The Lady Ja’li’s the most sensible, but she’s old; the Lady Dunbeni’s the most beautiful, but she’s cold; while the Lady Tánzi’s the most loving, but lacks the wit the gods gave an unha . . .”

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    Two days later, Abreu and his assistant stood before Gorbovast in Majbur. Gone were the trim