Garion, however, was waiting for him. He reached out and stopped the fleeing man with one hand placed flat against his chest, even as he swept the other back and then around in a wide swing that ended with a jolting impact against the side of the tattooed man's head.
The Grolim collapsed in a heap. For some reason, Garion found that very satisfying.
CHAPTER TWENTY-TWO
"Which boat did you want to steal?" Silk asked as Garion dropped the unconscious Grolim on the floating dock that stuck out into the lake."Why ask me?" Garion replied, feeling just a bit uncomfortable with Silk's choice of words.
"Because you and Durnik are the ones who are going to have to sail it. I don't know the first thing about getting a boat to move through the water without tipping over."
"Capsizing," Garion corrected absently, looking at the various craft moored to the dock.
"What?"
"The word is 'capsize,' Silk. You tip over a wagon.
You capsize a boat."
"It means the same thing, doesn't it?"
"Approximately, yes. "
"Why make an issue of it, then? How about this one?" The little man pointed at a broad-beamed vessel with a pair of eyes painted on the bow.
"Not enough freeboard," Garion told him. "The horses are heavy, so any boat we take is going to settle quite a bit."
Silk shrugged. "You're the expert. You're starting to sound as professional as Barak or Greldik." He grinned suddenly. "You know, Garion, I've never stolen anything as big as a boat before. It's really very challenging."
"I wish you'd stop using the word 'steal.' Couldn't we just say that we're borrowing a boat?"
"Did you plan to sail it back and return it when we're finished with it?"
"No. Not really."
"Then the proper word is 'steal.' You're the expert on ships and sailing; I'm the expert on theft."
They walked farther out on the dock.
"Let's go on board this one and have a look around," Garion said, pointing at an ungainly-looking scow painted an unwholesome green color.
"It looks like a washtub."
"I'm not planning to win any races with it." Garion leaped aboard the scow. "It's big enough for the horses and the sides are high enough to keep the weight from swamping it." He inspected the spars and rigging. "A little crude," he noted, "but Durnik and I should be able to manage."
"Check the bottom for leaks," Silk suggested. "Nobody would paint a boat that color if it didn't leak."
Garion went below and checked the hold and the bilges. When he came back up on deck, he had already made up his mind. "I think we'll borrow this one," he said, jumping back to the pier.
"The term is still 'steal,' Garion."
Garion sighed. "All right, steal -if it makes you happy."
"Just trying to be precise, that's all."
"Let's go get that Grolim and drag him up here," Garion suggested. "We'll throw him in the boat and tie him up. I don't think he'll wake up for a while, but there's no point in taking chances."
"How hard did you hit him?"
"Quite hard, actually. For some reason he irritated me."
They started back to where the Grolim lay.
"You're getting to be more like Belgarath every day," Silk told him. "You do more damage out of simple irritation than most men can do in a towering rage."
Garion shrugged and rolled the tattooed Grolim over with his foot. He took hold of one of the unconscious man's ankles. "Get his other leg," he said.
The two of them walked back toward the scow with the Grolim dragging limply along behind them, his shaved head bouncing up and down on the logs of the dock. when they reached the scow, Garion took the man's arms while Silk took his ankles. They swung him back and forth a few times, then lobbed him across the rail like a sack of grain. Garion jumped across again and bound him hand and foot.
"Here comes Belgarath with the others," Silk said from the dock.
"Good. Here -catch the other end of this gangplank." Garion swung the ungainly thing around and pushed it out toward the waiting little Drasnian. Silk caught hold of it, pulled it out farther, and set the end down on the dock.
"Did you find anything?" he asked the others as they approached.
"We did quite well, actually." Durnik replied. "One of those buildings is a storehouse. It was crammed to the rafters with food."
"Good. I wasn't looking forward to making the rest of this trip on short rations."
Belgarath was looking at the scow. "It isn't much of a boat, Garion," he objected. "If you were going to steal one, why didn't you steal something a little fancier?"
"You see?" Silk said to Garion. "I told you that it was the right word."
"I'm not stealing it for its looks, Grandfather," Garion said. "I don't plan to keep it. It's big enough to hold the horses, and the sails are simple enough so that Durnik and I can manage them. If you don't like it, go steal one of your own."
"Grumpy today, aren't we?" the old man said mildly. "What did you do with my Grolim?"
"He's lying up here in the scuppers."
"Is he awake yet?"
"Not for some time, I don't think. I hit him fairly hard. Are you coming on board, or would you rather go steal a different boat?"
"Be polite, dear," Polgara chided.
"No, Garion," Belgarath said. "If you've got your heart set on this one, then we'll take this one."
It took awhile to get the horses aboard, and then they all fell to the task of raising the boat's square-rigged sails. When they were raised and set to Garion's satisfaction, he took hold of the tiller. "All right," he said. "Cast off the lines."
"You sound like a real sailor, dear," Ce'Nedra said in admiration.
"I'm glad you approve." He raised his voice slightly.
"Toth, would you take that boat hook and push us out from the pier, please? I don't want to have to crash through all these other boats to get to open water."
The giant nodded, picked up the long boat hook, and shoved against the dock with it. The bow swung slowly out from the dock with the sails flapping in the fitful breeze.
"Isn't the word 'ship,' Garion?" Ce'Nedra asked.
"What?"
"You called them boats. Aren't they called ships?"
He gave her a long, steady look.
"I was only asking," she said defensively.
"Don't. Please."