The Second Book of Lankhmar

sweeps.
           "My dear, I must leave you for a brief space," he told Cif. Then taking the last Mingol with him, he went forward and said in a gruff voice to Mikkidu, "Come with me to my cabin. A conference. Gib will replace you here," and then hurried below with his now apprehensive-eyed lieutenant past the wondering glances of the women.
           Facing Mikkidu across the table in the low-ceilinged cabin (one good thing about having a short captain and still shorter crew, it occurred to him) he eyed his subordinate mercilessly and said, "Lieutenant, I made a speech to the Rime Islers in their council hall night before last that had them cheering me at the end. You were there. What did I say?"
           Mikkidu writhed. "Oh, captain," he protested, blushing, "how can pou expect — "
           "Now none of that stuff about it being so wonderful you can't remember — or other weaseling out," the Mouser cut him short. "Pretend the ship's in a tempest and her safety depends on you giving me a square answer. Gods, haven't I taught you yet that no man of mine ever got hurt from me by telling me the truth?"
           Mikkidu digested that with a great gulp and then surrendered. "Oh captain," he said, "I did a terrible thing. That night when I was following you from the docks to the council hall and you were with the two ladies, I bought a drink from a street vendor and gulped it down while you weren't looking. It didn't taste strong at all, I swear it, but it must have had a tremendous delayed kick, for when you jumped on the table and started to talk, I blacked out — my word upon it! When I came to you were saying something about Groniger and Afreyt leading out half the Rimelanders to reinforce Captain Fafhrd and the rest of us sailing out to entice the Sun Mingols into a great whirlpool, and everybody was cheering like mad — and so of course I cheered too, just as if I'd heard everything that they had."
           "You can swear to the truth of that?" the Mouser asked in a terrible voice.
           Mikkidu nodded miserably.
           The Mouser came swiftly around the table and embraced him and kissed him on his quivering cheek. "There's a good lieutenant," he said most warmly, clapping him on the back. "Now go, good Mikkidu, and invite the lady Cif attend me here. Then make yourself useful on deck in any way your shrewdness may suggest. Don't stand now in a daze. Get at it, man."
           By the time Cif arrived (not long) he had decided on his approach to her.
           "Dear Cif," he said without preamble, coming to her. "I have a confession to make to you," and then he told her quite humbly but clearly and succinctly the truth about his "wonderful words" — that he simply hadn't heard one of them. When he was done he added, "So you can see not even my vanity is involved —whatever it was, it was Loki's speech, not mine — so do you now tell me truth about it, sparing me nothing."
           She looked at him with a wondering smile and said, "Well, I was puzzled as to what you could have said to Mikkidu to make him so head-in-the-clouds happy — and am not sure I understand that even now. But, yes, my experience was, I now confess, identical with his — and not even the taking of an unknown drink to excuse it. My mind went blank, time passed me by, and I heard not a word you said, except those last directions about Afreyt's expedition and the whirlpool. But everyone was cheering and so I pretended to have heard, not wanting to injure your feelings or feel myself a fool. Oh, I was a sheep! Once I was minded to confess my lapse to Afreyt, and now I wish I had, for she had a strange look on her then — But I didn't. You think, as I do now, that she also ...?"
           The Mouser nodded decisively."I think that not one soul of them heard a word to remember of the main body of my — or, rather, Loki's — talk, but later they all pretended to have done so, just like so many sheep indeed — and I the black goat leading them on. So only Loki knows what Loki said and we sail out upon an unknown course against the Mingols, taking all on trust."
           "What to do now?" she asked wonderingly.
           Looking into her eyes with a tentative smile and a slight shrug that was at once acquiescent and comical, he said, "Why, we go on, for it is your course and I am committed to it."
           Flotsam gave a long lurch then, with a wave striking along