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to be angry with the whole island of Madeira spread out before him and the
wind in his hair, and Temeraire excitedly pointing out new things of interest,
such as animals, houses, carts, trees, rocks, and anything else which might
catch his eye; he had lately worked out a method of flying with his head
partly turned round, so that he might talk to Laurence even while they flew.
By mutual agreement, he perched at last upon an empty road that ran along at
the edge of a deep valley; a bank of clouds was rolling thickly down the green
southern slopes, clinging to the ground in a peculiar way, and he sat to watch
their movement in fascination.
Laurence dismounted; he was still growing used to riding and was glad to
stretch his legs after an hour in the air. He walked about for a while now,
enjoying the view, and thought to himself that the next morning he would bring
something to eat and drink on their flight; he would rather have liked a
sandwich, and a glass of wine.
 I would like another one of those lambs, Temeraire said, echoing his own
thoughts.  They were very tasty. Can I eat those over there? They look even
larger.
There was a handsome flock of sheep grazing placidly on the far side of the
valley, white against the green.  No, Temeraire; those are sheep, mutton,
Laurence said.  They are not as good, and I think they must be someone s
property, so we cannot go snatching them. But perhaps I will see if I cannot
arrange for the shepherd to set one aside for you for tomorrow, if you would
like to come back here.
 It seems very strange that the ocean is full of things that one can eat as
one likes, and on land everything seems to be spoken for, Temeraire said,
disappointed.  It does not seem quite right; they are not eating those sheep
themselves, after all, and I am hungry now.
 At this rate, I suppose I shall be arrested for teaching you seditious
thinking, Laurence said, amused.
 You sound positively revolutionary. Only think, perhaps the fellow who owns
those is the same one we will ask to give us a nice lamb for your dinner
tonight; he will hardly do so if we steal his sheep.
 I would rather have a nice lamb now, Temeraire muttered, but he did not go
after one of the sheep, and instead returned to examining the clouds.  May we
go over to those clouds? I would like to see why they are moving like that.
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Laurence looked at the shrouded hillside dubiously, but he more and more
disliked telling the dragon no when he did not have to; it was so often
necessary.  We may try it if you like, he said,  but it seems a little risky;
we could easily run up against the mountainside and be brought by the lee.
 Oh, I will land below them, and then we may walk up, Temeraire said,
crouching low and putting his neck to the ground so Laurence could scramble
back aboard.  That will be more interesting in any case.
It was a little odd to go walking with a dragon, and very odd to outdistance
one; Temeraire might take one step to every ten paces of Laurence s, but he
took them very rarely, being more occupied in looking back and forth to
compare the degree of cloud cover upon the ground. Laurence finally walked
some distance ahead and threw himself down upon the slope to wait; even under
the heavy fog, he was comfortable, thanks to the heavy clothing and oilskin
cloak which he had learned from experience to wear while flying.
Temeraire continued to creep very slowly up the hill, interrupting his studies
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of the clouds now and again to look at a flower, or a pebble; to Laurence s
surprise, he paused at one point and dug a small rock out of the ground, which
he then brought up to Laurence with apparent excitement, pushing it along with
the tip of a talon, as it was too small for him to pick up in his claws.
Laurence hefted the thing, which was about the size of his fist; it certainly
was curious, pyrite intergrown with quartz crystal and rock.  How did you come
to see it? he said with interest, turning it over in his hands and brushing
away more of the dirt.
 A little of it was out of the ground and it was shining, Temeraire said.  Is
that gold? I like the look of it.
 No, it is just pyrite, but it is very pretty, is it not? I suppose you are
one of those hoarding creatures,
Laurence said, looking affectionately up at Temeraire; many dragons had an
inborn fascination with jewels or precious metals.  I am afraid I am not rich
enough a partner for you; I will not be able to give you a heap of gold to
sleep on.
 I should rather have you than a heap of gold, even if it were very
comfortable to sleep on, Temeraire said.  I do not mind the deck.
He said it quite normally, not in the least as though he meant to deliver a
compliment, and immediately went back to looking at his clouds; Laurence was
left gazing after him in a sensation of mingled amazement and extraordinary
pleasure. He could scarcely imagine a similar feeling; the only parallel he
could conceive from his old life would be if the
Reliant had spoken to say she liked to have him for her captain: both praise
and affection, from the highest source imaginable, and it filled him with
fresh determination to prove worthy of the encomium.
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 I am afraid I cannot help you, sir, the old fellow said, scratching behind
his ear as he straightened up from the heavy volume before him.  I have a
dozen books of draconic breeds, and I cannot find him in any of them. Perhaps
his coloration will change when he gets older?
Laurence frowned; this was the third naturalist he had consulted over the past
week since landing in
Madeira, and none of them had been able to give him any help whatsoever in
determining Temeraire s breed.
 However, the bookseller went on,  I can give you some hope; Sir Edward Howe
of the Royal Society is here on the island, taking the waters; he came by my
shop last week. I believe he is staying in Porto
Moniz, at the north-western end of the island, and I am sure he will be able
to identify your dragon for you; he has written several monographs on rare
breeds from the Americas and the Orient.
 Thank you very much indeed; I am glad to hear it, Laurence said, brightening
at this news; the name was familiar to him, and he had met the man in London
once or twice, so that he need not even scramble for an introduction.
He went back out into the street in good humor, with a fine map of the island
and a book on mineralogy for Temeraire. The day was particularly fine, and the
dragon was presently sprawled out in the field which had been set aside for
him some distance outside the city, sunning himself after a large meal. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]