Many Descriptive Details And One Old Friend

"The valley ran from the northwest to the southeast, out of tumbled choppy loess hills, and into the scree and badlands that ran down to the river."
-The Forge, CHAPTER FOURTEEN, p. 249.

("Badlands" is one of those words that I read, get some very loose idea of its meaning from the context, then google and learn that it has a geographically precise meaning.)

"...the load of the flame-fougasse; liquid bitumen, tar, naphtha, sulphur, and the thick green vile-smelling oil rendered down from the greasy flesh of the avocat fish." (p. 254)

(Flame-fougasse is not to be confused with fougasse which would have belonged on our Food Thread.)

The avocat fish earns its keep as a pungent background detail. See Avocati and, in particular, its combox discussion

Addendum a few minutes later: Here is a term that I had never encountered before - "'...quaker cannon.'" (p. 256)