"Katherine Kerr - Deverry 06 - A Time Of Omens" - читать интересную книгу автора (Kerr Katherine)

Maddyn was less than pleased with this vulnerable arrangement, the countryside around was certainly
peaceful enough. As they jingled their way along, they saw two farmsteads, one herd of cows, and
naught else but field after field of cabbages and turnips sprouting under the watchful eyes of crow-chasing
small girls. At last, just when the sun was so low in the sky that everyone in the troop was squinting and
cursing, they came to a deep-running stream, bordered by willows and hazels. Standing beside his black
horse, Wffyn the merchant was waiting for them, and through a clearing in the trees Maddyn could see
what seemed to be a canal barge tethered to the bank.

тАЬThere you are!тАЭ Wffyn sang out. тАЬGood! First shipment just pulled in.тАЭ

As Budyc trotted forward to meet him, it dawned on Maddyn that these men were smugglers of some
sort, a suspicion that was confirmed later that evening, after the silver daggers had made camp. Along
with Owaen, Maddyn followed Caradoc upstream to confer with the merchants on the morrowтАЩs route
and found a line of four barges being loaded from a parade of wagons. Stripped to the waist and
sweating in the torchlight, Budyc and Wffyn were bounding from barge to shore and back again as they
gave orders to the crew or even leant a hand themselves to haul the cargo on board.

тАЬThose look like ale barrels,тАЭ Owaen remarked. тАЬBut I never heard of ale that heavy. Look at those
poor bastards sweat!тАЭ

тАЬJust so, and ale doesnтАЩt clank, eitherтАФit sloshes.тАЭ

тАЬWhat in the three hells is going on?тАЭ Caradoc muttered, somewhat waspishly. тАЬAnd what?! Look at
that lead barge!тАЭ

The cattle barge had slatted wooden sides, and just visible above was a row of cowsтАЩ skulls stuck on
poles and padded with wisps of straw. As the three silver daggers watched, openmouthed with
amazement, a bargeman began wrapping the skulls with bits of leather, humming as he worked and
stepping back now and again for a good look at his handicraft.

тАЬAt night and from a distance they look a good bit like cows,тАЭ Budyc remarked as he joined them.
тАЬEnough to convince the passersby that weтАЩre a perfectly ordinary line of barges.тАЭ

тАЬAll right, good sir,тАЭ Caradoc snapped. тАЬJust what is all this?тАЭ
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тАЬKnow how the smelter masters weigh out raw iron up north? They say they have so many bullsтАЩ worth
of weightтАФthe measureтАЩs actually as much iron as you could trade a bull for back in the Dawntime, or so
the guildmaster tells me. So thatтАЩs what weтАЩve gotтАФa load of bulls, and barrels of the darkest ale in the
kingdom.тАЭ

With a bark of laughter, Maddyn got the point of the joke and the journey both, but Owaen merely
looked baffled.

тАЬIron, lad,тАЭ Maddyn told him. тАЬTheyтАЩre carrying smuggled iron down to Dun Cerrmor, and IтАЩll wager
theyтАЩre getting a good bit more for it than a bull in trade.тАЭ