"FREE-45" - читать интересную книгу автора (Jerome Bigge - Warlady 9 - The Freedom Fighters Of Trelandar)Freedom Fighters of Trelandar A Tale of Adventure in the Second Dark Age Book Nine of the Warlady Series By Jerome B. Bigge Chapter Forty Five "It's time," I whispered, shaking Carl awake, the room cold, the fire having died down there in the stove at the interior cor- ner of the room. Our third floor room being on a back corner of the building as I had so wished it, with a window overlooking the roof tops of the buildings to the north. The headquarters of the Imperial occupation force for the village a few doors down. Be- fore dark I'd carefully studied the area, wearing the black wig and different clothing so that no description of me would be all that accurate now. I'd also made a purchase of a gallon of lamp oil, which I'd use. I was becoming quite the "firebug", a rather skillful arsonist. Fire is a very useful weapon for a terrorist. "Trouble with you, you never let a man get a decent night's sleep," he grinned, well aware of what I planned to do here now. The form fitting black wool coverall, what those of the past may have called a "jumpsuit", serving to better conceal me from view. My bleached hair hidden beneath a dark hood that also served to conceal my face, leaving only my dark eyes visible beneath it. I wore special boots, with soles designed to "grip", a dagger at my hip, a sword being too cumbersome for this sort of "work" here. My compound bow, my blackened arrows in their rack ready for use. "Get dressed, get our unicorns ready," I answered him back. "I just hope you know `what' you're doing," he said to me. "Maybe someday I'll be Queen of Trelandar," I smiled back. "More likely `dead'," Carl growled, getting his clothes on. "That's `possible' too," I grinned, teasing him a bit here. The breeze from the east was like the icy breath of death as I crept to the chimney, loaded down with my pipe bomb and my full gallon jug of lamp oil. Checking things out as best I could in the darkness, I then poured a good portion of the lamp oil out on the roof top, doing it slowly here so that it wouldn't run off. I then lit the fuse on the pipe bomb, lowered it quickly on a bit of string I'd brought for this purpose, and quickly poured the rest of the lamp oil on around the area. Placing a fused igniter in the middle of the wetted area, this last making me a bit nerv- ous as it was quite possible that I might ignite the oil before I was able to get clear, although lamp oil as a rule is not really all that "touchy", being more like a "cooking oil" might be here. The fact that I was flirting with death, a horrible death, always in my thoughts as I quickly retreated to the position I'd picked. My experiments with explosives, which I'd done without the knowl- edge of Lana, had been done some distance from the estate, there in the thickest of the forest where none was likely to find out.* * Unlike Lorraine, who manufactured nitroglycerin, actually built a cannon, made napalm by the gallon, my work here was based more upon making small amounts of black powder, which I used in pipe bombs of surprising effectiveness due to the surprise I was able to obtain. I also made vinegar and baking soda bombs, which were much less powerful, but which could injure unlucky troopers here. These being made so that the vinegar, held inside a fragile glass tube there inside the pipe itself, would be released if the pipe was smacked hard against something and then left to then explode. While the Lorr were no doubt well aware of this violation of the "EDICT", they were just as "helpless" as Darlanis at putting any stop to it even with their awesome technology and virtual control of the Earth. Perhaps due to the fact that I was well "aware" of "how" they operated, and made sure to keep things secret. (Sanda) Lying just over the other side of the peak of the roof top, I heard a rather muffled "THUD" as my pipe bomb exploded inside the headquarters, a number of surprised yells leaving no doubt as to the weapon's "effectiveness" here exploding in their chimney.* * The formula for black powder is potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in ratios of six parts potassium nitrate, four parts charcoal, and one part sulfur. NOTE: THE BELOW AMOUNTS WILL YIELD TWO POUNDS (THAT'S 900 GRAMS FOR YOU METRIC USERS) OF BLACK POWDER. HOWEVER, ONLY THE "RATIOS" OF THE AMOUNTS OF INGREDIENTS ARE IMPORTANT. THUS, FOR TWICE AS MUCH BLACK POWDER, DOUBLE ALL QUANTITIES USED. PLEASE BE "CAUTIOUS" WHEN DOING THIS AS BLACK POWDER CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND WILL IGNITE FROM ANY SPARK. MATERIAL REQUIRED ----------------- LARGE WOODEN STIRRING SPOON CLOTH, 2 FT. SQ. FLAT WINDOW SCREENING, 1 FT. SQ. HEAT SOURCE WATER, 3 CUPS ALCOHOL, 5 PINTS (ANY KIND) SULFUR, POWDERED, 1/2 CUP (FLOWERS OF SULFUR, AT A DRUG STORE) 2 CUPS WOOD CHARCOAL, POWDERED, 3 CUPS POTASSIUM NITRATE, GRANULATED, (SALTPETER, AT DRUG STORES) 2 BUCKETS, BOTH 2 GALLON, ONE MUST BE HEAT RESISTANT PROCEDURE: ---------- 1. PLACE ALCOHOL IN ONE OF THE BUCKETS. 2. PLACE POTASSIUM NITRATE, CHARCOAL, AND SULFUR IN THE HEAT RESISTANT BUCKET. ADD 1 CUP WATER AND MIX THOROUGHLY WITH WOODEN SPOON UNTIL ALL INGREDIENTS ARE DISSOLVED. 3. ADD REMAINING WATER (2 CUPS) TO MIXTURE. PLACE BUCKET ON HEAT SOURCE AND STIR UNTIL SMALL BUBBLES BEGIN TO FORM. CAUTION: DO NOT BOIL MIXTURE. BE SURE ALL MIXTURE STAYS WET. IF ANY IS DRY, AS ON SIDES OF PAN, IT MAY IGNITE. 4. REMOVE BUCKET FROM HEAT AND POUR MIXTURE INTO ALCOHOL WHILE STIRRING VIGOROUSLY UNTIL ALL OF IT IS MIXED IN WITH THE ALCOHOL. 5. LET ALCOHOL MIXTURE STAND ABOUT 5 MINUTES. STRAIN MIXTURE THROUGH CLOTH TO OBTAIN BLACK POWDER. DISCARD LIQUID. WRAP CLOTH AROUND BLACK POWDER AND SQUEEZE TO REMOVE EXCESS LIQUID. 6. PLACE SCREENING OVER DRY BUCKET. PLACE WORKABLE AMOUNT OF DAMP POWDER ON SCREEN AND GRANULATE BY RUBBING SOLID THROUGH SCREEN. NOTE: IF GRANULATED PARTICLES APPEAR TO STICK TOGETHER AND CHANGE SHAPE, RECOMBINE ENTIRE BATCH OF POWDER AND REPEAT STEPS 5 AND 6. 7. SPREAD GRANULATED BLACK POWDER ON FLAT DRY SURFACE SO THAT LAYER ABOUT 1/2 INCH IS FORMED. ALLOW TO DRY. USE RADIATOR, OR DIRECT SUNLIGHT. THIS SHOULD BE DRIED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, PREF- ERABLY IN ONE HOUR. THE LONGER THE DRYING PERIOD, THE LESS EF- FECTIVE THE BLACK POWDER. CAUTION: REMOVE FROM HEAT AS SOON AS GRANULES ARE DRY. BLACK POWDER IS NOW READY FOR USE! A PIPE BOMB IS MERELY AN IRON PIPE CAPPED AT BOTH ENDS WITH SCREW ON OR BETTER YET WELDED ON CAPS, A HOLE DRILLED FOR THE FUSE IF A BLACK POWDER BOMB IS USED. A VINEGAR AND BAKING SODA BOMB IS FAR LESS POWERFUL, BUT CAN BE MADE BY ANYONE. THE CHEMICAL REACTION BETWEEN THE TWO MATERIALS PRODUCES A GAS THAT WHEN TRAPPED INSIDE A PIPE WILL EVENTUALLY BUILD UP TO THE POINT THAT IT WILL BLOW IT APART. FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN SUCH THINGS, THERE ARE STILL YET AVAILABLE A NUMBER OF GOOD BOOKS WHERE SUCH INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED. (We may assume our heroine got hold of one) (author) Then suddenly before me the roof over the headquarters burst into flame as the lamp oil caught fire, the flames shooting up as I positioned myself there on the roof, exposing as little of my- self as I could, holding my bow in an almost horizontal position. Someone running out from the building, yelling, my arrow taking him in the chest I thought, dropping him sprawled in the street!! Leaving no doubts here that this was indeed a "terrorist attack"! Having made my "point" here, I felt it wise to depart the scene. A number of people in rooms about the square now looking out, the flames of the fire lighting everything up quite nicely. Drawing the first of a crowd as people came running up, someone now ringing the alarm bell for the firepump as others ran off to get those responsible for putting out such fires. While I could have picked off another Imperial or two, I saw no reason to do so now as my purpose here was instill fear in the occupation forces, not try to kill them all, which I could not of course do anyway!! I jumped down on to a second story porch and then scrambled down the wooden stairway to the ground, Carl coming up now in the darkness with our unicorns, releasing mine as I vaulted into the saddle and grabbed the reins, kicking my mount in the ribs as we sent them racing off into the darkness as fast as they could run! "Some day you're going to get killed doing that," Carl said to me as we halted our animals after a quarter mile's run, the reflection of the fire in the distance reflecting in his eyes. "Lady Sanda Harles has struck again," I smiled back at him. Yours truly having gained quite a "reputation" as a "terrorist". "We'd better ride," he suggested, something I felt wise. We would spend the rest of the night in the forest, and head out in the morning back to the estate, having made our "point" here now. Freedom Fighters of Trelandar A Tale of Adventure in the Second Dark Age Book Nine of the Warlady Series By Jerome B. Bigge Chapter Forty Five "It's time," I whispered, shaking Carl awake, the room cold, the fire having died down there in the stove at the interior cor- ner of the room. Our third floor room being on a back corner of the building as I had so wished it, with a window overlooking the roof tops of the buildings to the north. The headquarters of the Imperial occupation force for the village a few doors down. Be- fore dark I'd carefully studied the area, wearing the black wig and different clothing so that no description of me would be all that accurate now. I'd also made a purchase of a gallon of lamp oil, which I'd use. I was becoming quite the "firebug", a rather skillful arsonist. Fire is a very useful weapon for a terrorist. "Trouble with you, you never let a man get a decent night's sleep," he grinned, well aware of what I planned to do here now. The form fitting black wool coverall, what those of the past may have called a "jumpsuit", serving to better conceal me from view. My bleached hair hidden beneath a dark hood that also served to conceal my face, leaving only my dark eyes visible beneath it. I wore special boots, with soles designed to "grip", a dagger at my hip, a sword being too cumbersome for this sort of "work" here. My compound bow, my blackened arrows in their rack ready for use. "Get dressed, get our unicorns ready," I answered him back. "I just hope you know `what' you're doing," he said to me. "Maybe someday I'll be Queen of Trelandar," I smiled back. "More likely `dead'," Carl growled, getting his clothes on. "That's `possible' too," I grinned, teasing him a bit here. The breeze from the east was like the icy breath of death as I crept to the chimney, loaded down with my pipe bomb and my full gallon jug of lamp oil. Checking things out as best I could in the darkness, I then poured a good portion of the lamp oil out on the roof top, doing it slowly here so that it wouldn't run off. I then lit the fuse on the pipe bomb, lowered it quickly on a bit of string I'd brought for this purpose, and quickly poured the rest of the lamp oil on around the area. Placing a fused igniter in the middle of the wetted area, this last making me a bit nerv- ous as it was quite possible that I might ignite the oil before I was able to get clear, although lamp oil as a rule is not really all that "touchy", being more like a "cooking oil" might be here. The fact that I was flirting with death, a horrible death, always in my thoughts as I quickly retreated to the position I'd picked. My experiments with explosives, which I'd done without the knowl- edge of Lana, had been done some distance from the estate, there in the thickest of the forest where none was likely to find out.* * Unlike Lorraine, who manufactured nitroglycerin, actually built a cannon, made napalm by the gallon, my work here was based more upon making small amounts of black powder, which I used in pipe bombs of surprising effectiveness due to the surprise I was able to obtain. I also made vinegar and baking soda bombs, which were much less powerful, but which could injure unlucky troopers here. These being made so that the vinegar, held inside a fragile glass tube there inside the pipe itself, would be released if the pipe was smacked hard against something and then left to then explode. While the Lorr were no doubt well aware of this violation of the "EDICT", they were just as "helpless" as Darlanis at putting any stop to it even with their awesome technology and virtual control of the Earth. Perhaps due to the fact that I was well "aware" of "how" they operated, and made sure to keep things secret. (Sanda) Lying just over the other side of the peak of the roof top, I heard a rather muffled "THUD" as my pipe bomb exploded inside the headquarters, a number of surprised yells leaving no doubt as to the weapon's "effectiveness" here exploding in their chimney.* * The formula for black powder is potassium nitrate, charcoal, and sulfur in ratios of six parts potassium nitrate, four parts charcoal, and one part sulfur. NOTE: THE BELOW AMOUNTS WILL YIELD TWO POUNDS (THAT'S 900 GRAMS FOR YOU METRIC USERS) OF BLACK POWDER. HOWEVER, ONLY THE "RATIOS" OF THE AMOUNTS OF INGREDIENTS ARE IMPORTANT. THUS, FOR TWICE AS MUCH BLACK POWDER, DOUBLE ALL QUANTITIES USED. PLEASE BE "CAUTIOUS" WHEN DOING THIS AS BLACK POWDER CAN BE EXTREMELY DANGEROUS AND WILL IGNITE FROM ANY SPARK. MATERIAL REQUIRED ----------------- LARGE WOODEN STIRRING SPOON CLOTH, 2 FT. SQ. FLAT WINDOW SCREENING, 1 FT. SQ. HEAT SOURCE WATER, 3 CUPS ALCOHOL, 5 PINTS (ANY KIND) SULFUR, POWDERED, 1/2 CUP (FLOWERS OF SULFUR, AT A DRUG STORE) 2 CUPS WOOD CHARCOAL, POWDERED, 3 CUPS POTASSIUM NITRATE, GRANULATED, (SALTPETER, AT DRUG STORES) 2 BUCKETS, BOTH 2 GALLON, ONE MUST BE HEAT RESISTANT PROCEDURE: ---------- 1. PLACE ALCOHOL IN ONE OF THE BUCKETS. 2. PLACE POTASSIUM NITRATE, CHARCOAL, AND SULFUR IN THE HEAT RESISTANT BUCKET. ADD 1 CUP WATER AND MIX THOROUGHLY WITH WOODEN SPOON UNTIL ALL INGREDIENTS ARE DISSOLVED. 3. ADD REMAINING WATER (2 CUPS) TO MIXTURE. PLACE BUCKET ON HEAT SOURCE AND STIR UNTIL SMALL BUBBLES BEGIN TO FORM. CAUTION: DO NOT BOIL MIXTURE. BE SURE ALL MIXTURE STAYS WET. IF ANY IS DRY, AS ON SIDES OF PAN, IT MAY IGNITE. 4. REMOVE BUCKET FROM HEAT AND POUR MIXTURE INTO ALCOHOL WHILE STIRRING VIGOROUSLY UNTIL ALL OF IT IS MIXED IN WITH THE ALCOHOL. 5. LET ALCOHOL MIXTURE STAND ABOUT 5 MINUTES. STRAIN MIXTURE THROUGH CLOTH TO OBTAIN BLACK POWDER. DISCARD LIQUID. WRAP CLOTH AROUND BLACK POWDER AND SQUEEZE TO REMOVE EXCESS LIQUID. 6. PLACE SCREENING OVER DRY BUCKET. PLACE WORKABLE AMOUNT OF DAMP POWDER ON SCREEN AND GRANULATE BY RUBBING SOLID THROUGH SCREEN. NOTE: IF GRANULATED PARTICLES APPEAR TO STICK TOGETHER AND CHANGE SHAPE, RECOMBINE ENTIRE BATCH OF POWDER AND REPEAT STEPS 5 AND 6. 7. SPREAD GRANULATED BLACK POWDER ON FLAT DRY SURFACE SO THAT LAYER ABOUT 1/2 INCH IS FORMED. ALLOW TO DRY. USE RADIATOR, OR DIRECT SUNLIGHT. THIS SHOULD BE DRIED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE, PREF- ERABLY IN ONE HOUR. THE LONGER THE DRYING PERIOD, THE LESS EF- FECTIVE THE BLACK POWDER. CAUTION: REMOVE FROM HEAT AS SOON AS GRANULES ARE DRY. BLACK POWDER IS NOW READY FOR USE! A PIPE BOMB IS MERELY AN IRON PIPE CAPPED AT BOTH ENDS WITH SCREW ON OR BETTER YET WELDED ON CAPS, A HOLE DRILLED FOR THE FUSE IF A BLACK POWDER BOMB IS USED. A VINEGAR AND BAKING SODA BOMB IS FAR LESS POWERFUL, BUT CAN BE MADE BY ANYONE. THE CHEMICAL REACTION BETWEEN THE TWO MATERIALS PRODUCES A GAS THAT WHEN TRAPPED INSIDE A PIPE WILL EVENTUALLY BUILD UP TO THE POINT THAT IT WILL BLOW IT APART. FOR THOSE INTERESTED IN SUCH THINGS, THERE ARE STILL YET AVAILABLE A NUMBER OF GOOD BOOKS WHERE SUCH INFORMATION CAN BE OBTAINED. (We may assume our heroine got hold of one) (author) Then suddenly before me the roof over the headquarters burst into flame as the lamp oil caught fire, the flames shooting up as I positioned myself there on the roof, exposing as little of my- self as I could, holding my bow in an almost horizontal position. Someone running out from the building, yelling, my arrow taking him in the chest I thought, dropping him sprawled in the street!! Leaving no doubts here that this was indeed a "terrorist attack"! Having made my "point" here, I felt it wise to depart the scene. A number of people in rooms about the square now looking out, the flames of the fire lighting everything up quite nicely. Drawing the first of a crowd as people came running up, someone now ringing the alarm bell for the firepump as others ran off to get those responsible for putting out such fires. While I could have picked off another Imperial or two, I saw no reason to do so now as my purpose here was instill fear in the occupation forces, not try to kill them all, which I could not of course do anyway!! I jumped down on to a second story porch and then scrambled down the wooden stairway to the ground, Carl coming up now in the darkness with our unicorns, releasing mine as I vaulted into the saddle and grabbed the reins, kicking my mount in the ribs as we sent them racing off into the darkness as fast as they could run! "Some day you're going to get killed doing that," Carl said to me as we halted our animals after a quarter mile's run, the reflection of the fire in the distance reflecting in his eyes. "Lady Sanda Harles has struck again," I smiled back at him. Yours truly having gained quite a "reputation" as a "terrorist". "We'd better ride," he suggested, something I felt wise. We would spend the rest of the night in the forest, and head out in the morning back to the estate, having made our "point" here now. |
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