'Protect me from what?' he said.
'Colds, and so on, ' said the king. 'Your mother says you've got to wear it. And… er... that reminds me. Mr Varneshi says he'd like you to drop in on the way down the mountain. He's got something for you. '
His father and mother had waved him out of sight. Minty didn't. Funny, that. She seemed to have been avoiding him lately.
He'd taken the sword, slung on his back, sandwiches and clean underwear in his pack, and the world, more or less, at his feet. In his pocket was the famous letter from the Patrician, the man who ruled the great fine city of Ankh-Morpork.
At least, that's how his mother had referred to it. It certainly had an important-looking crest at the top, but the signature was something like 'Lupin Squiggle, Sec'y, pp'.
Still, if it wasn't actually signed by the Patrician then it had certainly been written by someone who worked for him. Or in the same building. Probably the Patrician had at least known about the letter. In general terms. Not this letter, perhaps, but probably he knew about the existence of letters in general.
Carrot walked steadfastly down the mountain paths, disturbing clouds of bumblebees. After a while he unsheathed the sword and made experimental stabs at felonious tree stumps and unlawful assemblies of stinging nettles.
Varneshi was sitting outside his hut, threading dried mushrooms on a string.
'Hallo, Carrot, ' he said, leading the way inside. 'Looking forward to the city?'
Carrot gave this due consideration.
'No, ' he said.
'Having second thoughts, are you?'
'No. I was just walking along, ' said Carrot honestly. 'I wasn't thinking about anything much. '
'Your dad give you the sword, did he?' said Varneshi, rummaging on a fetid shelf.
'Yes. And a woolly vest to protect me against chills. '
'Ah. Yes, it can be very damp down there, so I've heard. Protection. Very important. ' He turned around and added, dramatically, 'This belonged to my great-grandfather. '
It was a strange, vaguely hemispherical device surrounded by straps.
'It's some sort of sling?' said Carrot, after examining it in polite silence.
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