engineers were busy. Against a city surrounded by
water, ordinary siege towers wouldn't work. They had to build some very special ones. The giant wine kegs in the
captured city were perfect for the purpose. The engineers assembled
their two creations and disassembled them, and reassembled them again
to be sure they would work.
42 "Our information on the height of the walls," said The Hawk, "better
be accurate. If not, we're going to be awfully embarrassed." They
disassembled the towers again, and prepared to move them through the
swamp.
43 The enemy was beginning to show a real annoyance to their raids.
More and more of them were appearing every day. The villages were
better and better defended. "Now is the time," announced The Hawk,
"they have stretched themselves out and cannot be everywhere at once.
Now we move on their capitol. "
44 So a great fleet of boats set sail from their stronghold, making a
straight line through the swamps to the lake. The enemy came at them,
in small parties from all sides, but no great force approached.
45 As they made camp on one of the great beaches, The Hawk did not like
it. Their backs were to the impassible jungle that would take hours to
hack a passage through. Their front was to the water, and on either
side long, narrow beaches. They were stretched out for miles. "If the
enemy," commented The Hawk, "does not take advantage of this, he is a
fool. Double the patrols. I want a man awake in every tent and fires at the waterline. No surprises."
46 His Warlocks and High Damons understood him well. It had just begun
to get light when The Mus came. One moment there was no sign of them,
then,