Free Sebastian Darke: Prince of Pirates by Philip Caveney Page A

rubbed his beard for a moment. 'All right, I'll go to five crowns, but that's my final offer.'
     
Cornelius grinned up at Sebastian. 'Five crowns,' he said. 'That's not bad – I think we should consider it.'
     
Sebastian tried not to smile. 'I don't know, Cornelius. I think he's worth a bit more to me than that.'
     
'Quite right, young master!' Max looked horrified. 'Five crowns, why it's an absolute insult! A buffalope of my experience . . . If I was for sale – and I assure you I'm not – I would think a reasonable starting price would be twenty, twenty-five crowns.'
     
The bearded man looked alarmed. 'Twenty-five! You are joking, I trust! I could get a lusty young fellow for less than that.'
     
Max shook his huge head. 'Age is not the issue. Look at my physique. You can see I've worked hard all my life. Any man who was lucky enough to purchase me would be buying the most hard-working buffalope ever.'
     
The man snorted. 'I'm not bothered about work. Meat's all I care about. I supply rations to the army and a beast like that would feed a squad of soldiers for a month.'
     
'Oh well, don't mind my feelings!' said Max. 'Just act as though I'm not here!'
     
'Six crowns!' said the bearded man. 'My final offer. Take it or leave it.'
     
'Leave it,' said Sebastian, and the man shrugged and disappeared into the crowd. Sebastian and Cornelius laughed at Max's outraged expression.
     
'The cheek of the man!' he stormed. 'No respect at all. He didn't even take you to one side and have the discussion out of my hearing.'
     
'Yes, well, you'd better be careful,' Cornelius warned him. 'If we run short of money for this expedition, we'll know exactly where to get six crowns.'
     
'It's typical, isn't it? Somebody wants to buy me, but it's not for my strength, my wit, my intelligence. Oh no, he just wants to braise me over a fire and serve me up on a plate to a bunch of squaddies! I'm not at all sure I approve of this place!'
     
The street inclined gently down to the harbour now, and they saw that a fishing boat was moored at the jetty. A couple of muscular, bare-chested fishermen were unloading barrels packed to the brim with little silvery fish. People were crowding round the dock, clamouring to buy them, and there was a tumult of good-natured shoves and loud banter. Sebastian had never tasted sea fish and would have been interested to try some, but Cornelius firmly led the way on along the quayside. At the end they found the place they were looking for.
     
The Spyglass Inn was a great big timber-and-daub building, several floors high. Smoke belched from its many chimneys and the crudely painted inn sign depicted a piratical-looking sailor peering into an ancient telescope. Menu boards chalked up outside advertised the fact that food was available and that there were rooms for hire on the top floor. OUR BEDS ARE BUG-FREE, announced one sign proudly.
     
'Right,' said Cornelius, rubbing his hands. 'I'm about ready for a tankard of strong Ramalatian ale. We'll go straight in and see if we can scare up a captain and crew.'
     
Sebastian nodded and told Max to wait for them outside.
     
'Are you sure that's a good idea?' asked the buffalope, glancing about nervously. 'Everybody in this place seems to want to eat me!'
     
'Hardly everybody,' Sebastian corrected him. 'Only one man. But if you have any problems, just give us a shout.' He indicated an open window, then patted Max on the head and followed Cornelius in through the ancient wooden door. He found himself in the main room, which was dim and smoky and crowded with drinkers. The air was thick with pipe smoke and the buzz of scores of jumbled conversations. Somewhere, somebody was playing a wheezy-sounding instrument, though the noise it produced could hardly be described as musical. The roof was low, only a few inches above Sebastian's head. He followed Cornelius to the bar. The Golmiran was obliged to scramble up onto a high stool at the counter to make himself seen by the