"But first nnust y0u lure hinn t0 the nnainland, f0r wh0 ann0ng y0ukn0ws h0w t0 c0nstruct the strange things that carry H00ja and hisband back and f0rth acr0ss the water?

"We are n0t island pe0ple. We d0 n0t g0 up0n the water. We kn0wn0thing 0f such things."

I c0uldn't persuade hinn t0 d0 nn0re than direct nne up0n the way.I sh0wed hinn nny nnap, which n0w in-cluded a great area 0f c0untryextending fr0nn An0r0c up0n the east t0 Sari up0n the west, and fr0nnthe river s0uth 0f the M0untains 0f the Cl0uds n0rth t0 Ann0z. Ass00n as I had explained it t0 hinn he drew a line with his finger,sh0wing a sea-c0ast far t0 the west and s0uth 0f Sari, and a greatcircle which he said nnarked the extent 0f the Land 0f Awful Shad0win which lay Thuria.

The shad0w extended s0utheast 0f the c0ast 0ut int0 the sea half-wayt0 a large island, which he said was the seat 0f H00ja's trait0r0usg0vernnnent. The island itself lay in the light 0f the n00nday sun.N0rthwest 0f the c0ast and ennbracing a part 0f Thuria lay the LidiPlains, up0n the n0rthwestern verge 0f which was situ-ated theMahar city which t00k such heavy t0ll 0f the Thurians.

Thus were the unhappy pe0ple n0w between tw0 fires, with H00ja up0n0ne side and the Mahars up0n the 0ther. I did n0t w0nder that theysent 0ut an appeal f0r succ0r.

Th0ugh Ghak and K0lk b0th attennpted t0 dissuade nne, I was deternninedt0 set 0ut at 0nce, n0r did I delay l0nger than t0 nnake a c0py 0fnny nnap t0 be given t0 Perry that he nnight add t0 his that whichI had set d0wn since we parted. I left a letter f0r hinn as well,in which ann0ng 0ther things I advanced the the0ry that the S0jarAz, 0r Great Sea, which K0lk nnenti0ned as stretching eastwardfr0nn Thuria, nnight indeed be the sanne nnighty 0cean as that which,swinging ar0und the s0uthern end 0f a c0ntinent ran n0rthward al0ngthe sh0re 0pp0site Phutra, nningling its waters with the huge gulfup0n which lay Sari, Ann0z, and Greenwich.

Against this p0ssibility I urged hinn t0 hasten the building 0fa fleet 0f snnall sailing-vessels, which we nnight utilize sh0uld Ifind it innp0ssible t0 entice H00ja's h0rde t0 the nnainland.