The Second Book of Lankhmar

would you please unbutton my pouch for me?"
           She was studying the red-scored pads of her left ring finger and thumb, where the cord had taken skin as it had jerked away from between them, but she quickly complied with his instructions, being careful not to use these two digits in the process.
           He plunged his cupped hands into his pouch and went on saying, "Now tie the cord around the button — no, through the central button hole of the pouch flap. Use a square knot. Although it is not moving now, this thing is best securely confined. I don't trust it anymore, no matter what it's told us."
           Cif followed the further instructions without argument, saying, "I thoroughly agree with you, Lieutenant Pshawri. In fact, I don't think the cinder cube has been tracing the Mouser's movements underground at all, except perhaps at first to start us off."
           The knot was firmly tied. As Pshawri withdrew his hands she closed the flap on the pouch and he buttoned its three buttons.
           "Then to what power do you think it's responding?" Rill asked, getting to her feet.
           "To Loki's," Cif averred. "I think he wants to lead us on a wild goose chase across the sea. It has all the earmarks of his handiwork: a fascinating lure, strange developments mixed with painful surprises." She popped her injured finger and thumb into her mouth and sucked them.
           "It does seem like his tricksy behavior," Rill agreed.
           "He's an outlaw god, all right," Mother Grum nodded. "And vengeful. Likely the one who sent Captain Mouser down."
           "What's more," mumbled Cif, talking around her fingers, "I think I know the way to scotch his plots and perhaps return the Mouser to us."
           "Dowsers ahoy!" a bright new voice called out. They turned and saw Afreyt coming briskly across the Meadow carrying a hamper woven of reeds.
           She went on, "There's news from the digging I thought you all should know, but Cif especially. By the way, where's Fafhrd?"
           "We haven't seen him, Lady," Pshawri told her.
           "Why should he be here?" Groniger asked blankly.
           "Why, he left off digging to rest and think alone," Afreyt explained as she reached them and set the hamper on the grass. "But then Udall and another saw him take a jug and lamp and head out after you. They had nothing to do and watched him until he was halfway to you, Udall said."
           "We've none of us seen him," Cif assured her.
           "But then where are Gale and Fingers?" Afreyt next asked. "Their cot in the shelter tent was empty and their clothes gone that had been warming beside the fire. I thought they must have followed after Fafhrd, like they'd been doing all night."
           "We haven't seen pelt or paws of them either," Cif insisted. "But what's this news you promised?"
           "But then where in Nehwon..." Afreyt began, looking around at the others. They all shook their heads. She told herself, "Leave it," and Cif, "This should please you, I think. We'd driven the sideways corridor about fifteen paces in ... the digging went faster than straight down — it was a soft sand stretch — and the shoring was easier, despite the added task of roofing ... when we found this embedded halfway up the face."
           And she handed Cif a grit-flecked dirk scabbard.
           "Cat's Claw's?"
           "The same."
           "Right!" Cif said as she examined it eagerly.
           "And it was lying horizontal, point end toward us," Afreyt went on, "as if the earth had torn it from his belt as he was being dragged or somehow gotten along, or as though he had left it that way as a clue for us."
           "It proves that Captain Mouser's down below, all right," Skullick voiced.
           "It does give weight to the two earlier findings of the dirk and cowl," Groniger admitted.
           "And so you can understand," Afreyt went on, "why I wanted to tell Fafhrd about it at once. And you, of course, Cif. But what's been happening with the dowsing? What's brought you here to the coast? You surely haven't traced him this far — or have you?"
           So Cif told Afreyt how the dowsing had gone and how the bob had tried to escape on the last trial of its powers and was no longer trusted, and also her guess that Loki was behind it all.
           Afreyt commented at that, "Fafhrd himself warned me the