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You get to End Main later by moon-up, keeping away from the side of the road that Towser the unheimhund is on.
No sound from either of you, but you smell each other. You see Towser's eyes tracking you from under a veranda steps, with the rope to the tree trailing in.
You give it the finger from across the Mains road as you pass.
>gobbl my greenz doggbich
>gonn shew yew yerz guttz soonish
You barely hear the answering snort, just a fat metallic [i:lit]chnkchnkchnkchnk[/i:lit] as Towser scratches himself.
>YOLL SEE MOY GOTTS MOGGOT
>WHON OY TORN YOH TOH POOHP
Hostile formalities exchanged, you turn in where the Mains starts getting cobbles instead of gravel.
The grounds of the Mayorate Court used to be open, you guess; some pig iron fencing on plastry blocks at most.
Now it's got a moat with a stockade overlook like the cottage island, and two watchers. These ones don't sleep, actually look tuffy. Splicemail hood, gamberjacks (quilt armor), leather gloves wiv plates sewn on, and leather chapper leggings.
Pollaxes; a short iron-bedded staff with a small ballweight on one end, and an ax-pein-spear pokey on the other.
You suspect they also have short sordz n bucklers like the Pit watchmen but you carnt see those because of the stockade.
They both smoke, constantly. Local baccy, wiv sumn sharpish pepped in. You see one lift a kettle, pour it for both of them. Carnt smell it from way here, but you expect it's tea, topped strong.
As they walk about you hear a brassy [i:lit]rpank, rpank[/i:lit] on one of them. He's wearing a hand bell on his belt. They might even have a whistle or something around their necks or in the pocket. Theyz serious.
Then you see a lamp moving far behind them, the opposite side of the stockade. There's another pair at the back of the Mayorate Court, keeping watch from there.
You count eight lamps turnt up bright: four front four back. The Watch Boss spends on oil.
You get up a tree for a perky innada moat: plastry floor, probably thin; wood pokeys and wire mazes for anything wot fell in; and loads of sheeping tar. There's probably a few ready bundle-torches on the stockade wall, ready to set the moat off burning. Maybe Fire Chucks (clay molotovs) as well, hrnn.
Theyz watching the front and back entries to the Court, with the lamps allus in front of their eyes; good for you.
You get under the thin cover of trees from the side, where the lamplight doesnt hit, then wait. When you no longer see the tops of their heads you start creeping. In and out the moat is easy at the sides: they put most of their sheep tar on the front and back defenses.
The wiretraps are made from barbwire, but again, most of it is in front and back. To make up for not having enough wire to do a full job, they put in more pokeys instead; you use them as handholds and spider over the wires, crossing the moat jiffy quick.
At the stockade you cut the binding ropes holding two thinner logs together, dig a bit unda their feet, n bam: long trapdoor.
