to “Best of My Love,” then a medley of hits by the
Bee Gees.
Nearby, Mudge blinked as he slapped varnish on wind-
scoured wood. “Wot’s ‘e tryin’ to do?”
“Ah don’t know,” said Roseroar. “Ah heah no mention
of powerful demons oah spirits.”
Only Jalwar was smiling as he worked. “You aren’t
supposed to, and neither are the ruffians around us. Listen!
Don’t you see what he’s up to? Were he to sing of flight or
battle that leopard would lay open his throat in an instant.
He knows what he’s doing. Don’t listen to the words.
They’re doing as he intends. Look around you. Look at the
crew.”
Mudge peered over his shoulder. His eyes widened.
“Blimey, they’re fallin’ asleep!”
“Yes,” said Jalwar. “They wait ready for the slightest
hint of danger, and instead he lulls them with lullabies.
Truly he is a master spellsinger.”
“Don’t say that, mate,” muttered Mudge uneasily. “I’ve
seen ‘is nibs go wrong just when ‘e thought ‘e ‘ad it
right.” But though he hardly dared believe, it was looking
more and more as if Jon-Tom was going to bring it off.
The spellsinger was now wending his lilting way through
“Peaceful Easy Feeling.” “See,” whispered Jalwar ex-
citedly through clenched, sharp teeth, “even the armpit
of a captain begins to go!”
No question but that Corroboc was slumped in the chair.
Sasheem yawned and sat down beside him. They made an
unlovely couple.
All around the deck the crewmembers were blinking and
yawning and falling asleep where they stood. Only the
three prisoners remained awake.
“We are aware of what he is doing,” Jalwar explained,