"Tauno caught the post with both hands, curved his chine, and got toes in between post and hull, resting on a bracket." (p. 62)
Which meaning of "chine" is this?
Ranild, the captain of the cog, says of the merfolk whom he has robbed and tried to kill:
"'They plot evil, be sure of that...'" (p. 64)!
More description of the mid-Atlantic follows:
early summer dawn;
fresh breeze;
choppy waves;
rocking hull;
wild swans;
white eastern sky;
silver-blue western sky;
molten waves with purple and black troughs;
green shimmering sea;
whittering wind in the sails.
The chapter ends with a description of a fight, another Anderson speciality. Ranild, wounded, asks for time to confess but Tauno throws him overboard. I would have let Ranild confess but would not have made the same mistake as James Bond. His task was to assassinate Scaramanga and he had the man at gunpoint but gave him time to pray. After a monotonous Latin monologue, Scaramanga drew forth a small golden gun and almost killed Bond - and, since this was the last novel, might have succeeded.
The Merman's Children, Book Two, is called "Selkie."
1 comment:
Kaor, Paul!
Ranild said the mer people he betrayed were plotting EVIL against him? What gall and chutzpah! HE betrayed them first! Tauno and his sister had every right to avenge their brother and regain the treasure.
Yes, I too, I hope, would have allowed Ranild time to confess and pray. It's been a long, long time since I last read the Bond books so I didn't recall how Scaramanga pretended to pray in an attempt to catch James Bond off guard. Of course Bond should have made sure Scaramanga was totally disarmed first.
Sean
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