When you spend a large part of your life under­ground, you develop a very literal mind. Dwarfs have no use for metaphor and simile. Rocks are hard, the darkness is dark. Start messing around with descrip­tions like that and you're in big trouble, is their motto. But after two hundred years of talking to humans the king had, as it were, developed a painstaking mental toolkit which was nearly adequate for the job of un­derstanding them.

"Surely Bjorn Stronginthearm is my uncle, " he pointed out, slowly.

"Same thing. "

There was a pause while the king subjected this to careful analysis.

"You're saying, " he said, weighing each word, "that we should send Carrot away to be a duck among humans because Bjorn Stronginthearm is my uncle. "

"He's a fine lad. Plenty of openings for a big strong lad like him, " said Varneshi.

"I have heard that dwarfs go off to work in the Big City, " said the king uncertainly. "And they send back money to their families, which is very commendable and proper. "

"There you are then. Get him a job in… in…" Var­neshi sought for inspiration,"…in the Watch, or some­thing. My great-grandfather was in the Watch, you know. Fine job for a big lad, my grandad said. "

"What is a Watch?" said the king.

"Oh, " said Varneshi, with the vagueness of some­one whose family for the last three generations hadn't travelled more than twenty miles, "they goes about making sure people keep the laws and do what they're told. "

"That is a very proper concern, " said the king who, since he was usually the one doing the telling, had very solid views about people doing what they were told.

"Of course, they don't take just anyone, " said Var­neshi, dredging the depths of his recollection.

"I should think not, for such an important task. I shall write to their king. "

"I don't think they have a king there, " said Varne­shi. "Just some man who tells them what to do. "

The king of the dwarfs took this calmly. This seemed to be about ninety-seven per cent of the definition of kingship, as far as he was concerned.

Carrot took the news without fuss, just as he took instructions about re-opening Shaft #4 or cutting tim­ber for shoring props. All dwarfs are by nature dutiful, serious, literate, obedient and thoughtful people whose only minor failing is a tendency, after one drink, to rush at enemies screaming "Arrrrrrgh!" and axing their legs off at the knee. Carrot saw no reason to be any different. He would go to this city - whatever that was - and have a man made of him.

They took only the finest, Varneshi had said. A watchman had to be a skilled fighter and clean in thought, word and deed. From the depths of his an­cestral anecdotage the old man had dragged tales of moonlight chases across rooftops, and tremendous battles with miscreants which, of course, his great-grandad had won despite being heavily outnumbered.

Carrot had to admit it sounded better than mining.

After some thought, the king wrote to the ruler of Ankh-Morpork, respectfully asking if Carrot could be considered for a place amongst the city's finest.

Letters rarely got written in that mine. Work stopped and the whole clan had sat around in respectful silence as his pen scrittered across the parchment. His aunt had been sent up to Varneshi's to beg his pardon but could he see his way clear to sparing a smidgen of wax His sister had been sent down to the village to ask Mistress Garlick the witch how you stopped spelling recommendation.

Months had gone by.

And then there'd been the reply. It was fairly grubby, since mail in the Ramtops was generally handed to whoever was going in more or less the right direction, and it was also fairly short. It said, baldly, that his application was accepted, and would he present him­self for duty immediately.

"Just like that?" he said. "I thought there'd be tests and things. To see if I was suitable. "

"You're my son, " said the king. "I told them that, see. Stands to reason you'll be suitable. Probably of­ficer material. "

He'd pulled a sack from under his chair, rummaged around in it and presented Carrot with a length of metal, more a sword than a saw but only just.

"This might rightly belong to you, " he said. "When we found the... carts, this was the only thing left. The bandits, you see. Just between you and me," he beckoned Carrot closer,"we had a witch look at it. In case it was magic. But it isn't. Quite the most un-magical sword she'd ever seen, she said. They nor­mally have a bit, see, on account of it's like magnetism, I suppose. Got quite a nice balance, though. "

He handed it over.

He rummaged around some more. "And then there's this. " He held up a shirt. "It'll protect you. "

Carrot fingered it carefully. It was made from the wool of Ramtop sheep, which had all the warmth and softness of hog bristles. It was one of the legendary woolly dwarf vests, the kind of vest that needs hinges.

"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. "