“You’ll see ‘ow interestin’ it can be if they take us!”
“I’m afraid I don’t know many songs about boats,”
Jon-Tom muttered worriedly, trying to concentrate, “and
none at all about pirates. See, where I come from they’re a
historical oddity. Not really a valid subject for contempo-
rary song writers.”
“Screw wot’s contemporary!” the otter pleaded with
him. “Sing something!”
Jon-Tom tried a couple of hasty, half-remembered tunes,
none of which had the slightest effect on the John B. or the
approaching vessel. It was hard to remember anything,
what with Jalwar moaning and genuflecting to the north
108
Alan Dean Poster
THE DAY OF THE DISSONANCE
1O9
and Mudge hopping hysterically all over the boat when he
wasn’t screaming in Jon-Tom’s face.
Then there was no time left to think as Roseroar rum-
bled, “Stand by to repel boarders, y’all!”
Jon-Tom put the duar aside. No time for playing. The
upper deck of the pirate ship loomed over them. Arrayed
along the rail was the oddest assortment of creatures he’d
encountered since finding himself in this world.
One massive dirty-furred polar bear missing an ear stood
alongside three vicious-looking pikas armed with four-
foot-long lances. A pair of lynxes caressed chipped battle-
axes and prepared to swing down on ropes dangling from a
boom. Next to them a tarsier equipped with oversized
sunglasses aimed a bow at the sloop.
“Take “em!” snarled a snaggle-toothed old bobcat. He
leaped boldly over the side, swinging a short scimitar over
his ears, and landed on the club end of Jon-Tom’s ramwood