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.Iolo sprang back and from a safe distance watched Cugel's efforts to avoid beingdrawn into the hole.Cugel saved himself at the last moment by clinging to a stump.Hecalled out: "Iolo, make haste! Fetch a cord and tie the tentacle to this stump; otherwise itwill drag me into the hill!"Iolo folded his arms and spoke in a measured voice: "Avarice has brought this plightupon you.It may be a divine judgment and I am reluctant to interfere.""What? When you fought tooth and nail to wrench the object from my hand?"Iolo frowned and pursed his lips."In any case I own a single rope: that which ties mypelgrane.""Kill the pelgrane!" panted Cugel."Put the cord to its most urgent use!""You yourself valued this pelgrane at a hundred terces.The worth of the rope is tenterces.""Very well," said Cugel through gritted teeth."Ten terces for the rope, but I cannotpay a hundred terces for a dead pelgrane, since I carry only forty-five.""So be it.Pay over the forty-five terces.What surety can you offer for theremainder?"Cugel managed to toss over his purse of terces.He displayed the opal ear-banglewhich Iolo promptly demanded, but which Cugel refused to relinquish until the tentaclehad been tied to the stumpWith poor grace Iolo hacked the head off the pelgrane, then brought over the ropeand secured the tentacle to the stump, thus easing the strain upon Cugel's leg."The ear-bangle, if you please!" said Iolo, and he poised his knife significantly nearthe rope.Cugel tossed over the jewel."There you have it: all my wealth.Now, please free mefrom this tentacle.""I am a cautious man," said Iolo."I must consider the matter from severalperspectives." He set about making camp for the night.Cugel called out a plaintive appeal: "Do you remember how I rescued you from thepelgrane?""Indeed I do! An important philosophical question has thereby been raised.Youdisturbed a stasis and now a tentacle grips your leg, which is, in a sense, the new stasis.Iwill reflect carefully upon the matter."Cugel argued to no avail.Iolo built up a campfire over which he cooked a stew ofherbs and grasses, which he ate with half a cold fowl and draughts of wine from a leatherbottle.190aaTTnnssFFffooDDrrPPmmYYeeYYrrBB22.BBAAClick here to buyClick here to buywwmmwwoowwcc.AAYYBBYYBB r rLeaning back against a tree he gave his attention to Cugel."No doubt you are on yourway to Duke Orbal's Grand Exposition of Marvels?""I am a traveler, no more," said Cugel."What is this 'Grand Exposition'?"Iolo gave Cugel a pitying glance for his stupidity. Each year Duke Orbal presidesover a competition of wonder-workers.This year the prize is one thousand terces, whichI intend to win with my 'Bagful of Dreams'.""Your 'Bagful of Dreams' I assume to be a jocularity, or something on the order of aromantic metaphor?""Nothing of the sort!" declared Iolo in scorn."A kaleidoscopic projection? A program of impersonations? A hallucinatory gas?""None of these.I carry with me a number of pure unadulterated dreams, coalescedand crystallized."From his satchel Iolo brought a sack of soft brown leather, from which he took anobject resembling a pale blue snowflake an inch in diameter.He held it up into thefirelight where Cugel could admire its fleeting lusters."I will ply Duke Orbal with mydreams, and how can I fail to win over all other contestants?""Your chances would seem to be good.How do you gather these dreams?""The process is secret; still I can describe the general procedure.I live beside LakeLelt in the Land of Dai-Passant.On calm nights the surface of the water thickens to afilm which reflects the stars as small globules of shine.By using a suitable cantrap, I amable to lift up impalpable threads composed of pure starlight and water-skein.I weavethis thread into nets and then I go forth in search of dreams
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