204

‘Fear can play strange tricks on your eyesight, comrade,’ says the captain, in a patronizing tone. ‘We’ll be upon ’em soon enough. But we’ll smell ’em long before we see ’em, mark my words.’

You try to convince him that you really can see the enemy but stubbornly he refuses to listen. Minutes later, the unmistakable stench of sulphur wafts across the deck and a shout rings out from the crow’s nest that sends the crew into a frenzy of activity.

‘Blockaders dead ahead!’

‘Hard a-port!’ bellows the captain, and frantically his helmsman spins the ship’s wheel. The deck tilts steeply and the timbers groan their protest as the caravel veers away from the enemy line. To your right you see a Darkland ironclad less than a hundred yards distant, its steel-skinned deck bristling with formidable weaponry. Then a sudden flash of blue-white light illuminates its bow and a fiery projectile arcs across the sky towards the Intrepid.

Pick a number from the Random Number Table.

If the number you have picked is 0–2, turn to 20.

If the number is 3–9, turn to 180.