drove the enemy from Canal and chased him down
across the desert. Mad Cat's forces coming up from the south crossed
the river and marched to relieve the siege at Southern.
71 They were barely in time, for soon after the enemy had appeared, the
City Warlock, Swift Sword, had quickly learned what The Worm was.
72 Barely had the enemy sat up his camp, then they heard hammering and
banging for days.
73 Then, for the first time, The Worm approached their walls. It's
first four sections were a man-and-a half high, ten men long, and three
men wide. Behind them, came several other sections, about two women
wide and about as long as the first three.
74 The head of The Worm was enclosed. It came right up to their walls
and the rest of the sections fit on behind it. The defenders shot their
arrows and threw their spears, but The Worm was covered several feet
thick,with ox hides. They tried stones, but they did no good, as one
section fit into the other.
75 The Worm soon stretched beyond arrow-range, and men began to emerge
from its end, rolling wheels, and carrying lifting poles. As soon as
they were clear, other men began to march in, carrying stones, baskets
of earth, bundles of wood, grass. Long lines entered and emerged.
76 On the wall Swift Sword and his companions watched helplessly.
"Maybe," suggested one of the men, "we can dislodge one of the main
blocks from the wall and crush it."
77 "I don't think so," announced Swift Sword. "Look! They're bringing
up bow towers. From there their bow people will be able to keep us at
bay while they build their ramp. They've got plenty of time.We ll have
to think of something before we run out.
78 First of all,we'll start tearing down the