The Barrow-Downs Discussion Forum - View Single Post - The Lonely Star -- Chapter 4

piosenniel · 10-13-2002, 10:22 AM

M12_30 POST

Phura cleared his throat, arms folded across his chest. "Tuka. Existing tools and weapons."

Tuka nodded. "Existing weapons. Well, there are three picks and three shovels from the graveyards. Then there are twelve picks and fourteen shovels in the new mines, none in the old mines. In the old Smithy there are seven hammers, four hobbit-sized and three men-sized; and ten sets of tongs, and five very long pokers that are too long for a hobbit to wield well, I think. And four shorter, hobbit-sized pokers."

Phura nodded. "I'm not counting the weapons that are too big for hobbits, although you are of course welcome to them," he nodded at Piosenniel, "So that's seventeen shovels, fifteen picks, four hammers, four pokers and ten tongs. We've lost most of our smiths, so the hammers may go unused, but for the rest, those weapons will be wielded by the people who are used to using them on a daily basis and are used to their weight and balance already. Then they'll just have to learn what to aim for. Your help with that would be greatly appreciated," he nodded at Piosenniel. "We're not used to thinking in lethal terms.

"In addition to that, we're sharpening thirty-six sets of cheekpieces and visors to serve as single-edged daggers. Since many of our stoutest hobbits will be wielding pickaxes or hammers or shovels, the more slender and agile hobbits will be wielding the daggers, about half of them women. These daggers are intended for the main assault, which will be slightly unconventional. Gamba?"

Gamba stepped forward and put his hands behind his back. "We've settled on a tackle-and-slit method," he began. "We're planning five to seven hobbits per man. We're trying to decide whether we extinguish the lights only, and then tackle them, or whether we hit the men with some rocks first, and then extinguish the lights, and tackle them. But the all the lights in the main cave have to go out together and a few dim ones be left in the annexes, or it's no good. With dim light, we've found that hobbits can still aim and throw. Training for the rock throwing is easy. Training for the tackling is harder to manage; we're trying out some climbing exercises but we don't have men volunteering to be climbed, so it's a little difficult. We've experimented vaulting off each other's backs and catching something above us one-handed, dagger in the other hand. But we can only do that where there are no guards, and that means in the old mines."

Phura nodded. "We don't have enough full-grown hobbits to complete thirty-six teams. Teams with smaller teenage children will have seven hobbits total; teams with larger-sized hobbits will total five."
There was a stunned silence, and all eyes went to Phura.

"If we don't pull this off, they'll die anyway," Phura said evenly, and continued, "I'm including any willing volunteers that are taller than my breastbone, which is two and a half feet tall. Parents are free to refuse permission."

Gamba snorted, and everyone realized that most of the young volunteers were probably orphans.

[ October 13, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ]

10-13-2002, 10:22 AM	#207
piosenniel Desultory Dwimmerlaik Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: Pickin' flowers with Bill the Cat..... Posts: 7,779	M12_30 POST Phura cleared his throat, arms folded across his chest. "Tuka. Existing tools and weapons." Tuka nodded. "Existing weapons. Well, there are three picks and three shovels from the graveyards. Then there are twelve picks and fourteen shovels in the new mines, none in the old mines. In the old Smithy there are seven hammers, four hobbit-sized and three men-sized; and ten sets of tongs, and five very long pokers that are too long for a hobbit to wield well, I think. And four shorter, hobbit-sized pokers." Phura nodded. "I'm not counting the weapons that are too big for hobbits, although you are of course welcome to them," he nodded at Piosenniel, "So that's seventeen shovels, fifteen picks, four hammers, four pokers and ten tongs. We've lost most of our smiths, so the hammers may go unused, but for the rest, those weapons will be wielded by the people who are used to using them on a daily basis and are used to their weight and balance already. Then they'll just have to learn what to aim for. Your help with that would be greatly appreciated," he nodded at Piosenniel. "We're not used to thinking in lethal terms. "In addition to that, we're sharpening thirty-six sets of cheekpieces and visors to serve as single-edged daggers. Since many of our stoutest hobbits will be wielding pickaxes or hammers or shovels, the more slender and agile hobbits will be wielding the daggers, about half of them women. These daggers are intended for the main assault, which will be slightly unconventional. Gamba?" Gamba stepped forward and put his hands behind his back. "We've settled on a tackle-and-slit method," he began. "We're planning five to seven hobbits per man. We're trying to decide whether we extinguish the lights only, and then tackle them, or whether we hit the men with some rocks first, and then extinguish the lights, and tackle them. But the all the lights in the main cave have to go out together and a few dim ones be left in the annexes, or it's no good. With dim light, we've found that hobbits can still aim and throw. Training for the rock throwing is easy. Training for the tackling is harder to manage; we're trying out some climbing exercises but we don't have men volunteering to be climbed, so it's a little difficult. We've experimented vaulting off each other's backs and catching something above us one-handed, dagger in the other hand. But we can only do that where there are no guards, and that means in the old mines." Phura nodded. "We don't have enough full-grown hobbits to complete thirty-six teams. Teams with smaller teenage children will have seven hobbits total; teams with larger-sized hobbits will total five." There was a stunned silence, and all eyes went to Phura. "If we don't pull this off, they'll die anyway," Phura said evenly, and continued, "I'm including any willing volunteers that are taller than my breastbone, which is two and a half feet tall. Parents are free to refuse permission." Gamba snorted, and everyone realized that most of the young volunteers were probably orphans. [ October 13, 2002: Message edited by: piosenniel ] __________________ Eldest, that’s what I am . . . I knew the dark under the stars when it was fearless - before the Dark Lord came from Outside.