Chapter 9 9. Spy

Over the next few days, Laila came up with a dozen plans, but abandoned them all in impatience, because they all ended up being a smuggled boat, and how could one smuggle a narrow canal? Where is the ship?Of course, the actual voyages were in a decent-sized boat, and she knew enough stories to make her think of the various hiding-places on a normal-sized boat; Had to do it the gypsy way. Even if he could reach the beach by himself, he might take the wrong boat.It would be interesting to hide in a lifeboat and wake up to find yourself heading for the highlands of Brazil. Meanwhile, the preparations for the expedition went on all around her, tantalizingly.She hung around Adam Stefanski, watching him pick out the men who would volunteer to fight.She pestered Roger Van Popper, suggesting that they should wear this and that: Remember the snow blindness sunglasses?Does he know the best place to buy a map of the North Pole?

The person Lyra most wanted to help was Benjamin de Root, the man in charge of the investigation.However, in the early morning of the next day after the second connection, he left secretly. As for where he went and when he came back, of course no one can say.So, in his absence, Lyra naturally clung to Farder Colum. "Fadr Colum, I think it would be nice if I could help you," she said, "because I probably know more about gluttons than anyone else, because I nearly became a A glutton. Maybe you'll need me to help you figure out Mr. de Rutte's information." He sympathized with this wild, desperate little girl, and instead of sending her away, he chatted with her, listened to her stories about Oxford and Mrs. Coulter, and watched her study the alethiometer.

"Where's the book with all the symbols in it?" Lyra asked him one day. "At Heidelberg," he replied. "Only this one?" "There may be others, but that's all I see." Lyra could hardly take her eyes off Farder Coram's elf, the most beautiful elf she had ever seen.When Pantalaimon was transformed into a mouse, he looked thin, shabby, and rough, but Sophonax—this is the name of the elf Fardel Coram—had a pair of golden eyes, and looked extremely elegant; She was as big as two real mice, and her fur was very fine and dense.The sun shone on her, reflecting off colors of light, tawny, brown, grass green, beige, ripe autumn, reddish brown... more than Lyra could name.She was tempted to touch her fur and rub her own face, but of course she never did, because of all the faux pas one could imagine, touching another human elf was the rudest.Elves, of course, could touch each other, or fight; but the taboo against contact between man and elf was so strong that no samurai would touch an enemy's elf, even in battle—it was absolutely forbidden.Laila couldn't remember anyone telling her: she just knew the taboo anyway, purely instinctively, the same way she felt disgusted and comfortable.So, although she loved Sophonax's fur, and even imagined how it felt, she had never made the slightest move to touch her, and never would.

Sophonax was smooth, healthy, and handsome, while Farder Colum was weak and thin.He may have been ill, or he may have suffered a devastating blow, but at any rate he had to rely on two crutches to walk, his body was shaking like a poplar leaf, but his mind was sharp and clear , strong.Lyra quickly grew to like him for his knowledge and the unwavering guidance he gave her. "Fadr Colum, what does that hourglass mean?" she asked on a sunny morning, looking at the alethiometer from his boat. "It always returns to this." "If you look closely, you'll always find clues. What's that little old thing on top of it?"

Laila narrowed her eyes and stared carefully. "It's a skeleton!" "Then what do you think it means?" "Death...is it death?" "Yes. So, within the meaning of the hourglass, the pointer refers to death. In fact, death is only the second meaning, and time is the first meaning, which is behind time." "Fadr Colum, do you know what I found? The pointer stopped there on the second lap! On the first lap it was kind of convulsive, on the second circle, it stops. Does this mean that what it wants to tell us is the second meaning?" "Possibly. What question are you asking it, Lyra?"

"I was thinking—" Lyra stopped, and was surprised to find that she had actually asked the alethiometer a question without knowing it. "I just put three pictures together... because I was thinking about Mr. de Rutte, you see... I put together the viper, the cauldron and the honeycomb, asked Mr. de Rutte how the investigation was going, and then -" "Why did you choose these three pictures?" "Because I think the snake represents cunning, which is what a spy should be; the crucible represents knowledge, which needs to be refined; and the honeycomb represents hard work, because bees are always industrious. So, the result of hard work and cunning is knowledge, you see, this That's the work of spies. I pointed the needle at them, thinking of that question, and the needle stopped at death... Do you think the alethiometer is working properly, Fader Colum?"

"It's working, Laila, but don't know if we explained it correctly, it's deep, I don't know—" Before he could finish his sentence, someone knocked eagerly on the door, and a young gypsy walked in. "I'm sorry, Fader Colum, but Jacob Hughesmans has just returned and he's badly injured." "He was with Benjamin de Root," said Farder Colum. "What happened?" "He won't say it," said the young man. "Fadr Colum, you'd better come here, because he's bleeding out of his body and won't last long." Farder Colum and Laila exchanged alert, surprised glances, but only for a second.Immediately, Fader Colum limped out at the fastest speed, leaning on a cane, and his elf trotted ahead.Lyra followed, walking quickly, impatiently.

The young man led them into a boat that was moored on a beetroot pier, and a woman in a red flannel apron opened the door for them.Farder Colum saw her cast a suspicious glance at Laila and said, "Ma'am, it's important that this little girl hears what Jacob has to say." So the woman let them in, stepped back, and her squirrel spirit stayed silent on the wooden pier.A man was lying on a bunk covered with a patched comforter.His face was pale, wet with sweat, and his eyes were dull. "I've sent for the doctor, Farder Colum," said the woman in a trembling voice. "Please don't excite him. He's in pain. He just got off Peter Hawk's boat a few minutes ago. come over."

"Where is Peter now?" "He's stopping the boat. He's the one who told me I had to send for you." "That's right. Jacob, can you hear me?" Jacob's eyes rolled as he watched Farder Colum sit down on the opposite bunk, a foot or two away. "Hello, Fader Colum," he said softly. Lyra looked at his daemon.It was a ferret, lying very still beside his head, curled up but not asleep, eyes open, as dull as his own. "What happened?" asked Farder Colum. "Benjamin's dead," he answered. "He's dead. Gerard's been captured."

His voice was hoarse and his breathing was weak.He paused, his daemon straightening up in pain, licking his cheek.This gave him a little more strength, and he went on: "We plan to break into the Department of Theology, because one of the gluttons we caught told Benjamin that their headquarters is located there, and all orders are sent from there..." He stopped again. "Did you catch Taotie?" Farder Colum asked. Jacob nodded, then turned his gaze to his daemon.Elves generally only talk to their masters and not to others, but sometimes there are exceptions.So she said:

"We caught three gluttons in Clerkenwell and forced them to tell who they did it to, where the order came from, etc., but they didn't know where the children were taken, only that it was in the north, to Lapland ..." She had to stop, gasping for breath, her small chest heaving violently, before continuing: "Later, those gluttons told us the truth about the Department of Theology and Lord Borel. Benjamin said that he and Gerard Hooker went to the Department of Theology, Frans Brockman and Tom Mann Durham to find out about Lord Borel." "Did they do that?" "We don't know, they never came back. Fadell Colum, it's as if they knew everything we did. Maybe Frans and Tom were both killed as soon as they got near Lord Borel. Captured alive." "Go on to Benjamin," said Farder Colum.He heard Jacob's breathing quicken and saw him close his eyes in pain. Jacob's elf let out a cry of anxiety and love, and the woman took a step or two forward, covering her mouth with her hands and making no sound.The elf went on weakly: "Benjamin, Gerard, and us went to the Department of Theology in Whitehall, and found a little corner door, not very well guarded. We waited outside, staring. They unlocked it, and went in. Not yet Within a minute we heard someone yelling in terror and Benjamin's elf flew out asking for our help and flew in again. We took out our knives and ran in after her. It was pitch black and crazy everywhere Figures and voices moved around horribly, making it difficult to distinguish north from south. So we groped around, but at this moment, there was a commotion overhead, and there was a scream, and then Benjamin and his men The elf just fell down a high flight of stairs above our heads, and his elves struggled to get him up, but it was useless because they fell on the stone floor. In a short while, they were both dead . "We couldn't see Gerard at all, but his screams came from above, and we were so frightened that we couldn't move. Just then, an arrow flew from above and hit us. shoulders, and plunged deeply into it..." The elf's voice grew weaker, and the wounded man groaned.Fader Colum leaned forward and gently pulled the sheet back. On Jacob's shoulder, the tail of a feathered arrow protruded outwards, and the shaft and arrowhead were deeply inserted into the bed. Only about six inches of the poor man's chest remained above the skin.Lyra felt dizzy. There were footsteps and voices on the pier outside. Fader Colum sat up straight and said, "Jacob, the doctor is here. Now we're leaving. We'll have a long talk when you feel better." As he walked out, he hugged the woman's shoulder.On the pier, Lyra clung to him, where a crowd had gathered, whispering and pointing.Fader Colum ordered Peter Hawke to report to John Faa at once, and said: "Laila, we're going to talk about the alethiometer thing again as soon as we know if Jacob's going to make it through. Go somewhere else now, son, and we'll send for you." Laila walked away aimlessly by herself, came to the reed-covered bank, sat down, and threw mud into the water.One thing was clear to her: being able to read the alethiometer didn't make her happy or proud—she was scared.No matter what force makes that pointer swing, stop, in short, it can make predictions like an intelligent life. "I guess it's a ghost," Lyra said.For a moment she was tempted to throw the little thing into the swamp. "If there were ghosts, I'd see them," said Pantalaimon, "like those old ghosts at Godestow Abbey. You can't see them, but I can see them." "There's not just one kind of ghost," Lyra accused. "You can't see them all. Anyway, how do those old academicians with no heads explain it? Remember, I saw them." "It's just a shadow in the night." "It's not a shadow, it's a real ghost, you know it. No matter what kind of ghost is moving this pointer, it must not be that kind of ghost." "Probably not some ghost," said Pantalaimon stubbornly. "Oh, what else could it be?" "Maybe... maybe elementary particles." Lyra smiled contemptuously. "It's possible!" he insisted. "You remember that 'photon windmill' at Gabriel College? Yes, that's it." Gabriel College had a very holy thing kept in the church on the high altar, covered (Leila thought) with a black velvet cloth like the one that wrapped the alethiometer.She had seen the thing once, when she had gone to mass with the librarian at Jordan College.At the climax of the prayers, the vicar would lift the cloth, revealing in the gloom a glass dome whose contents were too far to be seen.Then he pulled a string attached to the shutter, and let in a ray of sunlight that fell straight on the dome.At this time, the thing inside became clear: it was a small thing like a weather vane, with four leaves on it, one side was black and the other side was white.As soon as the light fell on it, the thing began to spin.This, the acting bishop said, illuminated a moral issue, and then went on to explain what the moral issue was.Five minutes later, Laila had completely forgotten about the moral question, but not about the small blades swirling in the dusty light.As they headed home for Jordan, the librarian said that whatever they meant, they were happy, and it was all because of the power of photons. So maybe Pantalaimon was right.If elementary particles can turn the photon windmill, there is no doubt that moving a light pointer is also a problem.Still, it bothered her. "Laila! Lyla!" It's Tony Costa.He waved to her from the pier. "Come here," he cried, "you go to the meeting hall and see John Faah. Go run, girl, it's urgent." When she got there, Laila found John Fa'a and Fader Colum and several other leaders there, looking worried. John Faa said: "Laila, Farder Colum told me your understanding of that instrument, boy. I'm sorry to tell you that poor Jacob just died. I think we'd better take you to— —Although this is not to my liking. It makes me very uneasy, but there seems to be no other way. After Jacob is buried according to the custom, we will start at once. Lyra, you understand me Words: You go too, but this time it's not about joy or celebration, it's trouble and danger for all of us." "I asked Farder Colum to protect you. Don't cause him trouble or danger, or you will learn my temper. Now, go tell Ma Costa and get ready to go. " The next two weeks were busier than Laila had ever been in her life.Busy, but time doesn't pass quickly, filled with tediously long waits to hide in a dank pantry infested with lice and watch the rain-soaked hazy fall colors slide by the window , followed by hiding again, sleeping near the engine, smelling of gasoline, and waking up with a splitting headache.Worst of all, I was never allowed to show my face once, to run along the bank, to climb on deck, to tow a boat near the lock, or to catch a cable thrown from the lock. Of course, all because she had to hide.Tony Costa told her all the rumors in the taverns by the water: the whole kingdom is hunting for a little blond girl, whoever finds her will be rewarded, and whoever hides her will be punished heavily.There were also strange rumors: people said that she was the only child who escaped from the Taotie, and she held some terrible secrets.There are also rumors that the child is not human at all, but a pair of ghosts, turned into a child and an elf, and some evil forces sent her to this world for the purpose of causing havoc.There is another rumor that this thing is not a child, but a real adult, shrunk by magic, who was hired by the Tartars to spy on the good English and to work for the Tartar invasion. Prepare. Laila was excited when she first heard the stories, but then became depressed.These people all hated her and were afraid of her!She looked forward to getting out of the narrow square cabin, wishing she was already in the north, in the vast snowfields under the shining aurora.Sometimes she longed to be back at Jordan, climbing roofs with Roger, and then the butler's bell rang to tell people that dinner was half an hour away, and there was noise and hissing and shouting from the kitchen. ...and then how she wished nothing had changed and never would, that she would always be Lyra from Jordan. The only thing that saved her from boredom and anger was the alethiometer.She watched it every day, sometimes with Farder Kolam, sometimes by herself.She found that she was able to enter a state of tranquility more and more easily, and the meaning of those symbols became clearer, just like huge mountain ranges illuminated by the sun and reflected in the field of vision. With all her strength, she tried to tell Farder Colum this feeling. "It's as if you're talking to someone and you can't hear them, and you feel a little silly because they're smarter than you, they just can't speak clearly... and, Farder Colum, they know too much Much! Seems like they know everything, almost everything! Mrs. Coulter knows a lot too, but it seems to be a different kind of knowledge now... Kind of like understanding, I suppose..." Farder Colum would ask specific questions, and Laila would seek their answers. "What is Mrs. Coulter doing now?" he'd ask.Lyra's hand moved immediately, and he said, "Tell me what you're doing." "Well... this Madonna is Mrs. Coulter, and when I put my hand in there, I was thinking of my mother; this ant is busy - it's simple, it's the top layer, A little bit further down represents the present, and that’s where I’m going to focus my attention.” "How do you know where all these meanings are?" "It's like I can see them, or feel them, like climbing a ladder at night, you put your feet down, and there's a rung underneath. Well... I put my attention down, and there's There’s another layer of meaning, and I kind of feel what that means. And then I put it all together. There’s a trick to it, like keeping your eyes on something.” "Then you do it and see what the alethiometer says." Laila complied.Immediately the long pointer began to swing, then stopped, then moved again, and then after a series of searches, pauses, and stopped again.There was something graceful and powerful about it, and Lyra felt it too, and it made her feel like a bird learning to fly.Fadell Colum watched her from across the table, noting where the pointer stayed, watching the little girl push back the hair in front of her face, biting her lower lip slightly, her eyes followed the pointer at first, but then After the trajectory of that hand was determined, she looked elsewhere on the dial—but not aimlessly.Fadell Colum knew how to play chess and knew what the eyes of chess players looked like during the game.Skilled chess players seem to see the contrast of power and influence on the board, to look along the important lines and ignore the weaker parts; Lyra's eyes follow the same way, according to a similar His magnetic field was moving—a field she could see, but he couldn't. The pointer stopped before the thunderbolt, the baby, the poisonous snake, the elephant, and an animal Lyra didn't know the name of.The thing looked like a lizard, with large eyes and a tail wrapped around the branch it roosted on.Under Laila's gaze, the hands repeatedly stopped in this order several times. "What does that lizard mean?" Fadell Colum asked, breaking out of her contemplation. "Nothing... I don't understand what it means, but I must have read it wrong. Lightning represents anger, this kid... I mean me... I was trying to think of that lizard-like thing just now What do you mean, but Farder Colum, you talked to me, and I didn't get it. You see, the pointer is floating here and there." "Yes, I saw it. I'm sorry, Laila. Are you tired now? Do you want to stop?" "No, don't," she said.But already her cheeks were flushed and her eyes were shining.By all indications, she appeared restless and overexcited, made worse by the prolonged confinement in the suffocating cabin. He looked out the window, it was getting dark.The place they are driving now is the last section of inland water, after which they reach the sea.The wide, brown, frothy estuary stretched out under the overcast sky, and in the distance were several rusty tankers carrying kerosene, and the pipes were covered with cobwebs; Smoke rises from there and joins the clouds reluctantly. "Where have we been?" Laila asked. "Fadr Colum, can I go out just for a while?" "This is Lake Colby," he said, "at the mouth of the River Colby. When we got to town we stopped near Smoke Market and walked to the docks. We'll be there in about an hour or two... ..." It was getting dark gradually.There was nothing moving on the wide, desolate river except their boat and a distant coal barge plodding toward the refinery.Lyra's face was burning red and she was very tired from spending so much time in the cabin.Then Fader Colum went on to say: "Well, I guess there's nothing wrong with just being outside for a few minutes. I don't think the air is really fresh, only the wind from the sea. But you can go outside and sit on a boat and see The surrounding scenery, come back when we get closer." Lyra jumped to her feet, and Pantalaimon turned into a seagull, eager to spread his wings outside.It was chilly outside, and although Laila was wrapped up tightly, she soon shivered from the cold.But Pantalaimon was different, he let out a cry of excitement, jumped into the air, sometimes circled around, sometimes passed by, sometimes flapped his wings and flew quickly, sometimes at the bow and sometimes at the stern.Lyra was also jumping with joy, and her heart flew with him, urging him to tease the old helmsman's Osprey spirit and let her race him.The Osprey, however, paid no attention to Pantalaimon, lounging on the rudder rail near his master. There was no life in the dreary brown space, broken only by the steady roar of the engine and the faint sound of water under the oars.Low clouds hung sullenly in the sky, but there was no rain; the air below was foul and smoky.Only Pantalaimon's graceful soaring radiated some life and joy. Pantalaimon swooped first, then climbed sharply, spreading his white wings against the gray clouds.Just then, something dark suddenly swooped towards him and bumped into him.Pantalaimon was thrown sideways, startled, and flapped his wings in pain.Lyra yelped and felt a sharp pain too.At this time, another little black thing flew over and merged with the first one.They don't move like birds, but like flying beetles, heavy, straight and buzzing. Pantalaimon began to descend, trying to dodge and change course, flying towards the eager arms of Lyra aboard.Those two black things kept attacking him, buzzing very ferociously.Pantalaimon's fear and her own were driving Lyra mad.At this moment, something flew past her and flew upwards. It is the spirit of the helmsman.Although she looks clumsy and heavy, she flies very powerfully and quickly.She bit her head violently from side to side, and saw the black wings fluttering in the air, and the white wings shaking.Then a small black thing fell on the roof of the pitch-stained cabin near Lyra's feet, and at the same time Pantalaimon landed on her outstretched hand. Before Lyra could comfort him, Pantalaimon turned into a wild cat again, and jumped up on top of the thing, knocking it back over the edge of the roof as it was crawling, Ready to escape.Pantalaimon's sharp claws clung to it, stepped down, and looked up at the gray sky.The osprey flapped its black wings and circled high into the sky, searching for the other black thing. After a while, the Osprey flew back briskly and called something to the helmsman.The helmsman said, "That one got away. Don't let this one get away, here—" He emptied the tin cup he drank from and tossed it to Lyra. She immediately covered the thing with it.The thing hummed angrily like a little machine. "Here it is," Farder Colum said behind her.Then, on his knees, he slipped a card under the cup. "What is it, Fader Colum?" Lyra asked tremblingly. "Let's go down there and see. Lyra, be careful, hold tight." As she passed the helmsman elf, Lyra glanced at her and wanted to thank her, but Osprey's old eyes closed, so she had to thank the helmsman. The helmsman only replied "You should stay below". She took the cup into the cabin.Farder Colum found a beer mug inside, aligned the tin mug upside down with the mouth of the beer mug, then pulled out the card, and the thing fell into the beer mug.He lifted the glass so they could get a good view of the angry little thing inside. It was as long as Lyra's thumb and dark green, not black.Its elytra stood upright, like a ladybug about to fly.Its wings flapped furiously, and it looked like nothing but a cloud of fog, its six clawed legs struggling against the smooth glass. "What is it?" Lyra asked. Pantalaimon was still a stray cat now, squatting on the table half a foot away, his green eyes following the thing in the glass around and around. "If you peel it open," said Fader Colum, "you'll find nothing alive in it, no animals, no worms, nothing. I've seen one of those things before, but Never thought I'd see it in a place like the North. It's an African thing, it has a clockwork that keeps turning, fixed in place to spring, it has an evil spirit, and its heart is all spellbound .” "Who sent it?" "You don't even have to look at the symbols, Lyra; you can guess them as easily as I do." "Mrs. Coulter?" "Of course it is her. It seems that she has not only explored in the north. In the primitive regions of the south, there are many strange things. I saw this thing in Morocco. It is extremely dangerous; once the soul attaches to it, It never stops; if its spirit is let go, it becomes terribly horrified and furious, and kills the first creature it touches." "But what is it doing here?" "Scout on us. I was so stupid to let you go on deck. I should have let you think about the meaning of those symbols according to your own thinking. I shouldn't disturb you." "I see now!" said Lyra suddenly excitedly. "That lizard-like thing means air! I saw it just now, but I didn't understand why, so I tried to think, but it just didn't come out. " "Oh," said Farder Colum, "I see too. That symbol is not a lizard, but a chameleon, that's why. It represents air, because chameleons live on air alone, without eating or drinking. .” "Then the elephant—" "It's Africa, aha," he said. They glanced at each other.Each time the alethiometer worked, their awe of it increased. "It's been warning us about these things," Lyra said. "We should have listened. But what are we going to do with this thing, Fader Colum? Kill it?" "As far as I know, there's nothing we can do about it but keep it tightly locked in a box and never let it out. I'm more worried about the one that got away, and now it must be returning Go to Mrs. Coulter and tell her he saw you. Damn me, Lyra, I'm such a fool." He rummaged through the cupboard and found a tin can of tobacco leaves about three inches in diameter, filled with screws.He poured them out, wiped the inside with a rag, and snapped the glass over the jar, with the card still attached to the rim. The next few minutes turned out to be a little troublesome.The thing had incredible strength, and one leg stretched out, pushing the jar aside.But they grabbed it anyway and screwed the can down tight. "As soon as we're on the big ship, I'll weld it on all sides, just to make sure there's nothing wrong with it," Fader Colum said. "Can't the clockwork stop?" "Of course a normal clockwork can, but as I said just now, this guy's clockwork is full of ghosts. The more he struggles, the tighter the clockwork will be, and the greater his strength will be. Now let's let this guy go. Step aside..." He wrapped it in a piece of flannel so he couldn't hear its constant humming, and put it under his bunk. At this time, it was already dark.Lyra looked out the window, and the lights on Colby Lake were coming closer.The gloomy air was getting thicker and thicker, turning into a cloud of mist.They tied the boat to the pier next to the "Smoke Market", and everything in their eyes became soft and blurred.The night is like a pearly, silver-gray veil covering the warehouses and cranes, the wooden stalls of the market, the buildings with many granite chimneys - this is where the name of the market comes from, because here, exuding Scented oak sparklers grill fish day and night.The chimneys thickened the moist air, and the pleasant smell of herring, mackerel, and cod grilling seemed to emanate from the cobblestones beneath your feet. Wrapped in the tarpaulin, with her revealing hair hidden in a hood, Lyra walked between Farder Colum and the helmsman.All three elves became alert, checking the front corners and looking behind, listening carefully for slight footsteps. But all they can see are themselves.The citizens of Colby were all at home, perhaps sitting by the roaring fire, sipping Jennifers.They didn't see anyone until they got to the pier, and the first person they saw was Tony Costa, who was guarding the gate. "Thank God you're here at last," he said softly, letting them in. "We've just heard that Jack Verhoeven has been killed and his boat sunk; no one knows where you are. John Faa is on board, and we're about to go." The ship seemed enormous to Lyra: the wheelhouse and funnel in the center, the high nacelle, and a solid crane standing above the canvas-covered hatch;的灯光，桅杆顶上闪着白色的灯光；三四个人在甲板上紧张地忙碌着，但是她看不清他们在做什么。 她抢在法德尔?科拉姆前面，飞快地走上跳板，兴奋地东张西望。潘特莱蒙变成一只猴子，马上爬到了起重机上，但她又一次把他叫下来，因为法德尔?科拉姆要他们待在屋里——或者按照船上的用语来说是待在舱里。 在几级楼梯下面，或者说是在甲板的扶梯下面，有几个人聚在那里，约翰?法阿正在跟负责这艘船的吉卜赛人尼古拉斯?罗克比悄悄谈话。约翰?法阿做事从不草率。莱拉等着他跟自己打招呼，但是他直到把有关潮汐、领航的话说完，才转向这几个进来的人。 “晚上好，朋友们，”他说，“你们也许听说了，可怜的杰克?维荷文死了，他的几个孩子也被抓了起来。” “我们也有坏消息，”法德尔?科拉姆说，然后把他们跟会飞的鬼魂间谍遭遇的事情说了一遍。 约翰?法阿摇了摇大脑袋，但没有责备他们。 “那个东西现在在哪儿？”他问。 法德尔?科拉姆拿出那个金属罐儿，放在桌子上。里面传出异常愤怒的嗡嗡声，震得罐子在木板上慢慢移动起来。 “我听说过这些发条恶魔，可从没见过，”约翰?法阿说，“但我知道，没有办法让它们驯服，也没办法让发条停下来。把它绑在铅块上，扔到大海里也没用，因为总有一天，它的肢体会烂掉，恶魔就会逃出来袭击小女孩儿——不管她在什么地方。不，我们就把它放在身边，多加小心。” 莱拉是船上惟一的女性（因为经过认真思考之后，约翰?法阿决定不带妇女去），所以她有一个属于自己的舱室。确切地说，这个舱室并不大，实际上跟一间盥洗室大小没什么区别，只是里面有一张床和一个气窗——这是舷窗的准确叫法。她把自己为数不多的几件东西放进铺位下面的抽屉里，然后兴奋地跑上甲板，弯腰靠着栏杆，想看看英格兰是怎么在身后消失的。可是她发现，在她此之前，英格兰已经差不多完全消失在雾气中了。 下面的水在匆匆地流动，船体在空中移动着，船上的灯在黑暗中大胆地闪着光，发动机隆隆地响着，盐、鱼、煤油散发着各种味道，这一切本身就足够让人激动不已的了。用不了不久，等这艘船开始驶进北海汹涌的波涛的时候，他们还会碰上另外一件事，令人激动不已。这时，有人喊莱拉到下面去吃晚饭，她发现她没有原来想像的那么饿。她立即决定，为了潘特莱蒙，自己最好是躺下来休息一下，因为麻烦一过，这个可怜的精灵就得了重病。 就这样，她开始了自己的北方之旅。