Finding Ranger Little

[Sinold Bragasson]

The short and to the point note from Sir Robin left Sinold quite puzzled. What had the man to show him in the Ranger's Glen that he couldn't do so here in Windstorm?

Saddling Ligea, knowing Letha was away with a few of the ladies again (chatty women, he just hoped they would maybe have a calming influence upon his Letha? Oh, he didn't want Letha to be a docile non-entity, but sometimes her temper… hmm, whatever she was doing with the other womenfolk, Sinold knew Letha was in good hands and thus he had no qualms about leaving for a short sojourn to the Glen north of the castle.

The guards let him leave without muss fuss, was one of them winking at him? The Norse couldn't quite tell… the ride to the appointed place was uneventful although wet. it was raining quite steadily, and Sinold had his cloak drawn about him closely. He barely remembered the way to the Glen… way back when he had first been here, he had found it merely by chance, and for the way back to Windstorm he had been securely packed on the back of his horse, taken out by one of the guards for being too nosy.

It took him a while to find the vicinity of the glen again, the rain increasing by the hour. Ranger Little… Ranger that he was he wouldn't just stand there in the forest, waiting for him in the open. No. He would be hiding, likely watching him approach from afar already. never had Sinold or any of his men encountered such sneaky and well-hidden men as these Rangers. He was quite certain that against such men any Norse troop of men would be hopelessly unprepared and would meet their doom quickly. Sinold had come to respect Loxley's men. They were good warriors, loyal to the core… well, almost all.

He was now nearing the place he remembered as being where he had first picked up signs of Ranger activity, Little couldn't be far now. Maybe he should simply let his presence be known? Superfluous, he knew, but it never was a good idea to sneak up on someone as formidable as a Windstorm ranger.

"Little?… Are you there? Show yerself, I'm sick of standing in this rain!"

The pull on his reigns let Ligea make a slow turn about herself so Sinold could scan the dark and quite uninviting forest. And what was it that would be waiting for him here? Sinold would not take any chances and had taken both his sword and his bow with him this time. One could never know when a bow came in handy, although Sinold had to admit he was far from being an expert with that weapon.

[Ranger Little]

(ooc.. thanks for your patience in waiting for a response. I have also partly melded “Letter to Lord Hawkmoon” in here as well *S*.hope no one minds!!)

Ranger Little waited patiently for Sinold to arrive in the vicinity, his eyes scouring the horizion for as far as he could see from his perch within the oak tree. The weather was indeed most foul this day as the rain continued to fall incessantly. Finally he spotted Sinold making his way towards the vicinity of where the Rangers had first come across him.
“Hmm , nae a bad memory has this man “ Ranger Little *chuckled to himself*. He liked that !! Master Robin was right!!.

Sinold had just arrived within a short distance from where he sat comfortably dry within the canopy of the oak and was about to hail him when Sinold Spoke

“Little?...Are you there? Show yerself, I’m sick of standing in this rain”

Ranger Little laughed quietly to himself as he unfurled himself from his sitting position within the tree ( nae an easy task for one that was quite the opposite of his namesake) and as Sinolds horse turned slowly in a circle , he dropped out of the tree behind them.

“Then get out of the rain Goodman Sinold , lead ye horse under the tree” and he burst into a hearty laugh as he approached the man and extended his large hand in greeting.

“Tis late in the day Sinold so we shall make camp here for ther night iff that’s agreeable to ye , as we can nae start to find that which we seek till first light on the morrow. Is that right with ye ?

Ranger Little studied the man before him closely , noting that he looked both vexed and angry about something, and so without recieving an answer he motioned to Sinold to follow him to the small camp that he had made earlier in the day.

Setting a small fire and lighting it quickly he quickly sliced off two portions of venison from the beast hanging in the camp and skewering the portions he placed it over the fire and started to rotate them slowly.

“So Sinold of Windstorm , what news of the Castle do ye bring with ye this day” He smiled genuinely at the man, hoping that the man would at least get something of his mind so that they might have a constructive day on the morrow.

[Sinold Bragasson]

((No problem, I know how scarce online time is for some. I proceed from the premise that this meeting here predates the events of last night, i.e. Sinold’s last tiff with Hawkmoon and the arrival of the mysterious baby*smiles*))

A slight scowl crossed over Sinold’s face when he finally saw the ranger on the ground before him and Ligea. Not so little at all, he thought, and yet he managed to stay dry. A feat not easily done.

“You look quite dry, Little. How do you do that? I doubt any caves are around here ... don’t tell me you sat in a tree like a monkey?” He laughed and shook the man’s hand. He had a firm grip, hardened callusses from drawing both sword and bow, no doubt. These men lived in the wilderness often, Sinold knew that much about them. Hardy folk, and not easily deceived. “And what is it that we seek, goodman?” He didn’t get an anser, however. Bah, these rangers were as cryptic as his Letha, Sinold thought. How he hated games like these, but for the time being he was willing to play along. “Aye, let’s get to that magical place where it’s dry I hope. A camp you have here? Been waiting long?”

With a grunt, Sinold dismounted and took Ligea’s reigns to lead her after him, following Little to a small but well-established camp. The smell of freshly killed venison wafted into his nose, the man had been efficient preparing for a longer, or at least a night’s, stay. The fire was quickly lit, and soon a pair of heavy chunks of venison found themselves roasting over the open fire.

“So Sinold of Windstorm , what news of the Castle do ye bring with ye this day”

The man’s smile was infectious, and Sinold couldn’t help but smiling himself. “What news? Oh... not much. The lasses are as breath-taking as ever and the Lords are seldom seen these days. Oh, rest assured, the castle is well guarded, no fear of that. And as long as those damn Franks are anchoring in the harbour, the captain will make certain no-one e’er leave the castle unprotected. A lovely cage for the womenfolk, but none for those who know how to use its back doors... but you know all that already, don’t ya? I know he has eyes and ears within the castle even if he is seldom seen himself... and it was him who bade me come here. Your master, that is.”

By now the slowly rotaing pieces of venison were emitting a pleasing aroma and Sinold took his piece off the fire, blowing against the meat and then sniffing it. Wonderful! His stomach began to grumble and after another few moments to let it cool just a little, Sinold took a hearty bite out of his piece. Juices and not yet coagulated blood dripped down onto the forest floor and into Sinold’s beard. He liked his meat half-raw, it let him remember that this once was a living breathing being he was consumating right now.

He chewed thoughtfully, watching the man opposite him closely. Finally he spoke up again. “There is about only one thing I hate more than even the Franks, Little... that is, being cryptic about a matter. My Letha is a master of cryptic... well, she’s a woman, maybe it is in their blood. But when a man like you gets cryptic... I will question his motives for doing so!” Again he took another bite off his chunk of meat, chewing and speaking with half his mouth full. “So tell me ... like a man, and not like a woman – why am I here? What is it that we seek in the morrow?”

The flames of the fire bathed the ranger’s face only partially in light and it was hard to see what went on in the man’s mind. Sinold, however, was determined to find out, because if he rode many a mile in pouring rain, there better be a good reason for it!

[Ranger Little]

Ranger Little sat and listened to the words of the man in front of him, sharing the makeshift camp and sharing his food with him..By the stars* he thought* this man can nae keep his mouth closed for more than a birds breath between calls*.

Sinold had rabbited on about women in a cage refering to the female nobility of the Castle, he thought, suggested that he ( Ranger Little) was a slave to some sort of master.and then he had waffled some nonsense about the franks anchored in the harbour and ended the tirade by referring to him as though he was of “womanly” tendencies the likes of which it seemed the woman he was to shortly marry had!!.

He stood suddenly , and walked to the base of a tree , bent down and rummaged about for a bit . Rising and silently moving back to his seat , he looked at Sinold for a moment, and then spoke.

“Sinold Bragasson , this be but a small token from us Rangers as we know that yer to be wed shortly and that ye have nae been in our lands long. We know what it is to be within a new Realm and ta have nae family nor in fact any that a man can call a friend to talk to. We wish ye to accept this token from us for it has in previous times been extended to us also. There be a months pay from each of us , so use it well and look after that fine lady ye are ta wed !!”

He thrust the sack into Sinolds hands and smiled.

Sitting down again and reaching for his portion of the venison , Ranger Little suddenly stopped , looked at Sinold, and added “ye call me a maiden agin and I’ll crack yer head open with me staff!!”..mmm not bad eh , he said biting into his portion..” fit enough fer a King *

[Sinold Bragasson]

The sack landed heavily in Sinold’s lap, the coins jingling as they were tossed about within their confinement. For a long moment Sinold looked at the ranger, incredulous. Why would they do such for him? A second later he knew why, Little had told him just a moment ago. These men had been starngers here, like he had? Curious.. there was so much he still didn’t know about the men and the land he was now living in.

Sinold didn’t look into the bag... it would be highly impolite, he knew, to be curious as to how many coins these men had collected amongst themselves. He held the bag, weighing is with one hand, then getting up without a word, securing his new small fortune in one of the saddle bags.

Sitting down again, Sinold fixed Little with his eyes, a genuine smile finally appearing on his face.

“Thank you... to you and your fellow Rangers. You cannot know how much this gesture means to a man like me. I am no beggar and usually I do nae accept charity, from no-one. But I know this is not a charity...it comes from honorable men, like yerself. Again, I thank you, and I will put the coin to good use. For Letha...”

Sinold took another bite from his slap of meat, chewing thoughtfully. “I take this gift from you, gladyl, but I want to repay the kindness.” Sinold hesitated a second. “M;y arm is strong as is my sword sharp. I am a good fighter, and even though i may not be of this land... i know I could learn a lot from you and your men... and your master, Sir Robin. Yous is an honorable profession, which would keep food on the table of a family, and serve the family I have come to love.” He laughed before taking another bite. “A man can become morrose if chained to the house for too long. He needs a task, a challenge; and to earn his own honest coin.”

Sinold looked at Little, wondering if the man had understood what he had been alluding to just now. Maybe... maybe not. He would not press him further. It either happened or it did not, and so Sinold let his attention drift to his original question. “But this generous gift was not the only reason for calling me here, aye?”

The fire crackled, a barn owl was heard not too far away as the two men continued to share their meal and their thoughts.

[Ranger Little]

Ranger Little watched as Sinold Looked at him in disbelief as he felt the weight of the sack then stood and placed the sack into the saddle bags of his mount. He was pleased that Sinold had accepted the gift from the Rangers and even more so when the man smiled a smile that had genuine happiness to it.

What Sinold said next , however, took Little a bit by surprise !

“I take this gift from you, gladly, but I want to repay the kindness.” Sinold hesitated a second. “My arm is strong as is my sword sharp. I am a good fighter, and even though i may not be of this land... i know I could learn a lot from you and your men... and your master, Sir Robin. Yours is an honorable profession, which would keep food on the table of a family, and serve the family I have come to love.” He laughed before taking another bite. “A man can become morrose if chained to the house for too long. He needs a task, a challenge; and to earn his own honest coin.”

Little looked at Sinold and thought about this for a moment , silently chewing on his venison, then smiled at the man opposite him and chuckled.

“ I agree wholeheartedly Sinold , tis nae good ta be chained too long within a house and I shall speak to Lord Robin of thy wish to become a Ranger.”

He smiled as Sinold mentioned that there was another reason for calling him there and he shook his head in the affirmative and spoke again.

“Aye Sinold there is another reason indeed , praps ye could give us the answer we seek , after all ,ye have sailed the seas have ye not , or at least been on a few vessels ? We wish of ye thy opinion on a weapon that will protect our shores.”

Little smiled again at the man opposite him and then finishing his venison he settled himself close to the fire and closed his eyes. “Best ye get some sleep Sinold for we shall leave early on the morn”

[Sinold Bragasson]

"A weapon that will protect our shores?" Sinold only knew too well from whom they would be seeking protection – from his kin, the Norse. Ranger Little was right, these coastal lines, and the particular stretch where Windstorm's realm was located upon, was not particularly difficult to assault. No watch towers, no mighty and well-protected castles in which the populace and any wealth could be secured into in case of an attack, or from which at least stones could be flung to crush the enemy below.

Suddenly, some very mixed feelings began to engulf Sinold. Would he truly be willing to set his knowledge against those who were of his blood? It dawned on him then – this was a test of his loyalty to Windstorm. A test to see if he would value his new family more than the lives of those who came from his former home.

Sinold merely nodded as ranger Little spoke of what would be expected of him and that sleep was the course to pursue right now for tomorrow's task to be successful. Even after Little had laid down and snug into his blanket, closing his eyes and starting to snore as sleep overcame him, Sinold still sat by the fire, watching the man through the slowly dying flames. he trusted him with his life... he and his men, and maybe even Sir Robin. he would not betray that trust in him, Sinold knew, and he would give his opinion on the problem these men sought a solution for.

And at that point something strange happened. Sinold was still looking into the flames, observing the regular shallow breaths Little was taking ... when the face of his brother appeared within the flames, his face full of anguish and pain when the sword of one of Windstrom's defenders had found its mark and robbed Godewine of his life. Sinold could almost feel the fingers of his brother as they dug into his arms, just as they had that day on the beach, two years ago, when Godewine had tried to keep from falling to the ground, reaching for his brother Sinold. The face in the flames had its mouth open, as if Godewine was screaming a protest about what Sinold was going to do ... betray his own kin for the last and ultimate time.

"No," Sinold sighed, his words quite so as to not disturb the ranger's sleep, "I'm not betraying you or us. These people now are my family, and I will do anything to protect them, and my future wife." His thoughts drifted to Letha for a brief moment – yes, he would keep her safe, at all costs! "Try to understand, Godewine... and make father understand when you'll see him soon."

Sleep didn't come to Sinold for another hour, but eventually his eyes fell close and he too shrugged into the blanket he always carried with him on Ligea, his sleep not as restful as he had hoped it would be.

[Ranger Little]

It was before the sun rose that Ranger Little woke and started preparing the morning meal. He had finished cooking and was about to awaken Sinold when he looked over and saw that the man was stirring. With a smile on his face he greeted the man with a cheery voice “ Good morn to ye Sinold ! Did ye sleep well ? here get this food into ye for we shall leave shortly.”

He handed Sinold his plate of venison and duck eggs and sat down and started eating his own portion, looking all the while at Sinold, and for a moment he said nothing. Then finishing his meal he spoke again whilst the man before him continued to eat.

“ You mentioned,the day past, the Franks in the harbour. M’Lord Robin thinks that in the nae too distant future that they will be joined by more Franks and thus we have been preparing just in case.”

Seeing that the man had finished his meal he stood and leaned over and took the plate from the man and proceeded to clean it with water from a vessel and a rag. Then tucking them into a cloth sack he placed it carefully within a fork of a tree. Turning and facing Sinold he said “ Come Sinold the day wears on “ and with that he started at a slow run to their destination. An hour later they came to a field where a group of Rangers waited for them, all standing closely to a large, odd looking, catapult.

Ranger Little greeted the waiting party and introduced them to Sinold . They all looked at Sinold and greeted him heartily. Ranger Little turned back to the Rangers and nodded.The Rangers started to ready the catapult , lifting a spiked ball of steel the size of a large shield into the first seat of the catapult then repeating the process they placed another into the second seat which was about four feet from the first and slightly lower. Making sure that the chain between the two spheres was clear they looked at Little and indicated they were ready.

Ranger Little stepped up to the machine and belted the fastening pin loose and then watched as the two spiked spheres left the Catapult. The chain snaped taught as they flew towards the dead tree they were aimed at and continued their flight in a circling motion. The Spheres flew past the trunk of the tree until the chain stopped them . The ensuing struggle between timber and metal was brief as the tree snapped under the pressure and weight of the spheres.

Ranger Little looked at Sinold “ Well Sinold , do ye think that this could bring down the mast of a ship ?? for if we can stop them in the water we can then hit them again with bolts from our Ballistae !! Will it work ??”

[Sinold Bragasson]

The morning started hectic enough, a run through the woods to meet with some of Little's ranger friends. Although Sinold was no stranger to running longer distances – when Norse landed ashore some profitable land, they often marched long ways to their intended target, since carrying horses on board the warships was costly and unpractical – by the time they arrived in the clearing, he was winded, and had to catch his breath for a few moments.

From his slightly crouched position he could observe the men around him for a short while – strong, wiry and intelligent looking men... had he even seen the one or the other when he has here before, two years ago? if so, they didn#t look as if they held a grudge against him. No, these men he could trust, Sinold was certain of that now.

Ending his brief rest, he listened attentively to what the men had to say and show him, for which he wasn't quite prepared.

"Ye expect an attack of the Franks? Not of... others?" Somehow a big boulder dropped off his shoulders, at least his kin were not immediately on these men's minds when they showed him their invention.

The tree snapped like the neck of an old man... a few of the rangers quickly stepped aside so as to not stand in the crashing timber's way. In awe Sinold looked at the catapult, then went over to where the two large spiked iron balls lay at rest now, touching their surface, trying to pick one up. He only managed with a concerted effort. Holding the ball in his hands, he looked back at the men, then dropped the iron sphere, careful to avoid his food when dropping it.

"How many of these do you have? ... This is an impressive weapon, and no mast will stand long through an onslaught of one of these. but... you'd need many of them! And..." he was thinking back to when he was here first," these might hinder a Frankish ship, but never a Norse Longship! You break our masts, we keep rowing and landing nonetheless. The Franks rely less on oars for propelling their ships, although they are much sturdier than the ones of my kin." Somehow, it felt right to divulge such information to Little and the men around him; he was now one of them. "You might stop the Franks, if only shortly. Can yee load these balls with coals or fire, or heat them? Fire is the worst enemy of any ship, and even a Longship knows fear of fire... Yee may not snap their masts but turn their own boats into their graves...Also, where will you place these catapults? ... On the beach? ... The cliffs? ...How far do they throw their load, and how precisely? ...Boats, or floating platforms that would carry these catapults could get closer... they'd need to be stable, but manned by only few ... the balls wrapped in dry, oil-soaked grass or something else that will smoke and thus obscure their view... then you could get close enough for entering or breaking whatever oars they have...watch towers, you need more of them. The earlier you see them, the faster ye can react ..."

There was a barrage of other thoughts coming to Sinold as he paced the forest floor, speaking more to himself than to the men around him, again hefting one of the balls up, trying to ascertain if they were hollow or not. "If these were hollow, you could fill them with oil... place a piece of cloth closing the opening, using it as igniter rod, burning ballista with the power to break masts and send these damn Franks to their unholy God!"

All of a sudden, Sinold stopped, realizing he might have gotten carried away with his enthusiasm and inadvertently insulted their God. Sinold lowered his head, letting the balls drop to the ground again, murmuring.

"Forgive me, I didn't intent to insult your God. ... Those improvements, can they be done, ranger Little?"

[Ranger Little]

The first words Sinold uttered “ Ye expect an attack of the Franks Not of others?” made Ranger Little smile slightly . He watched Sinolds reaction as the catupult made short work of the tree and a larger smile split his face as the Norseman launched into a tirade of questions and advice , all jumbled together, in amongst it all was how to stop a longboat.

Little held his hand up when Sinold had finished, he was now the one that was in awe, for they had nae thought of many of the things that Sinold had asked. He answered that towers could be built along the coast & indeed that was a good thing and one that they had started upon. “Sinold .. we have near a score of these, waving his hand at the catapult, nearly finished but thy thoughts of fire within these spheres had in all truth nae occurred to us. We were going to send fiery bolts from our ballistae instead ( but the range would be shorter), but thy idea of hollowing out the spheres and filling them with oil and a burning cloth is a clever one indeed. Our best testing gets us about three hundred yards in distance but ( leans down and points to the blocks of timber underneath the arm of the catapult) iffn we added more blocks here and extend the arm thus far ( measuring back a way with his hand) then we should get much farther methinks.”

Ranger Little looked at Sinold and laughed heartily “Cmon Sinold , do ye have time to visit the local blacksmith and explain thy invention afore ye return to ther Castle ? and mayhaps an ale at the local tavern as well ? .

Little nodded to the other Rangers “hide that “ he indicated at the catapult then turning he said to Sinold “now tell me more of these floatin things yer mentioned “ as he started out for the Blacksmiths

[Sinold Bragasson]

Never one to say No to the offer of a free ale, Sinold nodded towards Little and followed him to the shop of the blacksmith not too far from where they had met. Sinold’s construction was rather easy, the idea behind it was explained and understood by the blacksmith after Sinold drew a few sketches into the floor of the smithy. It would take a while to fashion those balls, however. Maybe too long for the threatening Frank assault?

“Maybe it will be wise to let the man work on one sphere, see how long he needs, then pace the production of the others accordingly. Also, we should get ready to start building the floaters. Basically they can be build from large trees… you have one catapult, right? One floater then…large enough to carry the catapult and the iron ballista…oh this will be tricky.”

The Norse ran his hands through his hair, slightly frustrated at the enormous task before them. “Let’s go drink, Ranger. Ale always clears the mind in moderate doses and once we have the solutions to all our problems, we can drink more to forget about them!”

He threw Little a broad smile and waited fro the man to take the lead towards the nearest tavern.

[Ranger Little]

Little stood by and watched as Sinold drew the sketches of his idea's on the floor of the smithy's domain and then listened to Sinold as he spoke to him of the time praps needed to bulid such a sphere and agreed heartily with him .

Looking to the smithy seriously for a moment, he smiled and shook the mans hand " For the Realm and thy own family's safety goodman Smith , work as fast as ye can and git them layabout sons of yers ta 'elp as well. Ye will paid well my friend and the matter is urgent".

As he recieved an enthusiastic reply , he turned to Sinold again and they left the Smithy's workshop.

"Aye Sinold ye let me knows what size trees ya needs an we'll git them fers ya and aye again we have just one finished at ther moment but more are near ready " . He stopped in mid stride and spoke out aloud .

" This will be hard Sinold for if nae built ther right way , when the spheres are released the float may upend itself".

By this time the pair had reached the tavern and Little *smiled* at the barmaid and ordered two ales , then found a free table away from the crowd of villagers and promptly anounced to Sinold .

Iffn ye wish it Sinold , this shall be thy project, ye just tells me what materials ye will need and how ya need things done and i'll provide the men , both Rangers and Villagers, to help ye . After all yer the sea traveller , i'm just a Ranger " .

Little smiled at the man and raised the mug of ale ,that had just been placed in front of him , and heartily clashed mugs with Sinold's .

"Here's to a great adventure goodman Sinold , welcome to ther team , may we all be blessed with good fortune iffn indeed the Franks come to our shores in anger. Now tell me of what ye need me to supply ye with!"

[Sinold Bragasson]

It honored Sinold that Ranger Little thought so much of his skills as to make the defense against the soon approaching Frankish ships his to command. It also made him apprehensive since he was no natural leader. So far in his life he had served a Lord, followed the commands of others as any good warrior knew how to. he was clever, but never before was such responsibility laid upon him.

He rubbed his hands and smiled a little at Little. "You wanna give me the job of defending Windstorm? A great leap of faith on your part..." He scrutinized Little's eyes, but all he could see there was trust, and he returned such in kind. "Aye, I will tell you what we need. I just thought of something better than simple floating devices – we will make rough trading vessels." He immediately held up his hands before the other man could protest. "Norse trading ships are easily build, and fast. they have a shallow bow, are stable in water and can carry a lot of weight. They will also provide room for the spheres...Yes, we build three or even five of such quickly, two weeks should do. A lot of men will be needed... a lot of wood too."

He wished he could draw in the sand again, but instead had to resort to words to describe what he needed first. " We need boughs, bend like this..." Sinold bend his forearm so that his whole arm looked like a capital L now." Two for each boat, for the front and back. Then we need long strong trees, many of them. planks will be made of those... and we need wooden nails... we can fashion those from what remains of the trees once we have the planks. I'll show your men and the villagers how to do it. And... we need ALE! No man works hard without the promise of ale!... Can you get those things?"

By now Sinold had talked himself into an excited frenzy, his mind reeling, always thinking on new things, better things... more effective ways to employ men and beast for the task. "Tell your men and the others, this will be hard work, day and night. But when we'll be finished, we'll have the means to repel almost anyone from our shores!"

[Sinold Bragasson]

It honored Sinold that Ranger Little thought so much of his skills as to make the defense against the soon approaching Frankish ships his to command. It also made him apprehensive since he was no natural leader. So far in his life he had served a Lord, followed the commands of others as any good warrior knew how to. he was clever, but never before was such responsibility laid upon him.

He rubbed his hands and smiled a little at Little. "You wanna give me the job of defending Windstorm? A great leap of faith on your part..." He scrutinized Little's eyes, but all he could see there was trust, and he returned such in kind. "Aye, I will tell you what we need. I just thought of something better than simple floating devices – we will make rough trading vessels." He immediately held up his hands before the other man could protest. "Norse trading ships are easily build, and fast. they have a shallow bow, are stable in water and can carry a lot of weight. They will also provide room for the spheres...Yes, we build three or even five of such quickly, two weeks should do. A lot of men will be needed... a lot of wood too."

He wished he could draw in the sand again, but instead had to resort to words to describe what he needed first. " We need boughs, bend like this..." Sinold bend his forearm so that his whole arm looked like a capital L now." Two for each boat, for the front and back. Then we need long strong trees, many of them. planks will be made of those... and we need wooden nails... we can fashion those from what remains of the trees once we have the planks. I'll show your men and the villagers how to do it. And... we need ALE! No man works hard without the promise of ale!... Can you get those things?"

By now Sinold had talked himself into an excited frenzy, his mind reeling, always thinking on new things, better things... more effective ways to employ men and beast for the task. "Tell your men and the others, this will be hard work, day and night. But when we'll be finished, we'll have the means to repel almost anyone from our shores!"