Tongues of Serpents Page 0,90

"I wish," he said to Laurence, "I do wish that other dragons were not always thinking me peculiar; not that anyone would value Iskierka's opinion, but it makes one doubtful."

"I hope you never doubt the value of charity," Laurence said, "regardless of any contrary opinion which you should meet: do you imagine Iskierka would have concerned herself particularly with the fate of the French dragons, as a consequence of the spreading of the disease?"

"No-o," Temeraire said, and looking slantwise asked, "Laurence, then you are quite sure that we have done as we ought?"

"Very sure," Laurence said. "And consider, my dear: a week ago his imminent death was certain, and now he is eating well and steadily gaining weight, and he was of material use in extracting you from the quicksand. I must think his prospects of further improvement are high."

That was not precisely what Temeraire had meant, but he was very cheered to know that Laurence felt the two acts were connected in such a way, and equally necessary; he had wondered sometimes if Laurence might have had some regrets - some feeling of disappointment, that Temeraire had asked so much of him. He did not at all mind bringing Kulingile along, or carrying him forever, if it should mean Laurence were not distressed.

And, he suddenly realized to his consolation, if he were doing so, then it was not really as though Demane was not his own anymore: if Kulingile was to be always riding with him, then it was more as though he was part of Temeraire's crew himself. "And," he told Kulingile, who listened intently, "if we should see some action, I think you might be of very real use, as no one might board while you were on my back: if only you can contrive not to grow very much more."

"Well, I will try," Kulingile said, but then he took the second half of the lizard in front of him and threw his head back and swallowed the whole thing at once, so that it traveled down his throat as a distended lump, as much as to say, Look how much I have eaten.

"That is not going to help," Temeraire said, exasperated.

There was not very much more water to be had, either, as they flew onward: the water-holes which they found were almost all drying up, in the heat of the day, in a suspicious manner. "I expect they are telling one another to dry them up for us," Temeraire said, rather disgruntled, as he lapped a little water up from a rocky basin; he could not take nearly as much as he wanted, as it should have to serve for all.

"Well, let us dig up some more of these coverings, and then I will breathe fire in at them," Iskierka proposed. "That will bring them out, and they will soon learn not to be causing trouble for us."

"I don't see why you must be so quarrelsome," Caesar said. "I suppose if you want to be dragging up their houses all over, you can't be too angry if they don't like it, and I don't much fancy waking in the middle of the night up to my neck in sand, either. We might leave them a kangaroo or two, and see if that sweetens them up to give us water."

"As if we were going to give them presents, after the way they have behaved," Temeraire said, revolted, and Iskierka snorted her disdain; but much to their shared dismay, Laurence and Granby thought the idea sound.

"Consider, my dear, the very real difficulty we should have in constantly facing the objections of so widespread and hostile a force," Laurence said, "if indeed they are communicating, as you imagine not without grounds."

"And we are not here to pick quarrels with bunyips or anyone else, for that matter," Granby said. "We are here to find that egg, and be shot of this wretched desert; if they like to live here, there is no reason we shouldn't leave it to them, if you ask me."

To make matters still worse, Rankin alone disagreed. "You will only encourage the creatures by bribing them," he said, "and induce them to think humans more worthwhile prey: they ought to be eradicated one and all."

If he did concede so far as to not at once fire all the bunyips' lairs - which was a pity, as it seemed to Temeraire an excellent strategy, particularly as the bunyips should also have to flee the smoke, and come out