Lee Scoresby disembarked at t in trying to sell tco tories;  ties o cope ers and fur trappers drifting into too  and the animals.

    It o be o make o terior along t ain; for in normal times track of frozen eart even t ing, the surface was a swamp of churned mud.

    So Lee put  into storage and   several tanks of fuel and some stores, and set off up the swollen river.

    first. Not only  s, but ters ree trunks, brused corpse of a man.

    o pilot carefully and keep ttle engine beating o make any headway.

    ribe. For guidance ry some years before, but t memory le difficulty

    in finding t course among t-running streams, even ters. temperature urbed ts, and a cloud of midges made every outline ment and smoked a succession of pungent cigars,  at bay.

    As for er, s taciturn in t against o o o.

    On teered ttle craft up a creek t joined tream, flocreaked ream er a feo a large round rock, t of a o tied up.

    quot;tage ; o er. quot;Remember ter in Nova Zembla  it? It must be six feet under no;

    quot;I o build t; she said, hopping ashore.

    No more ter urned to salute ttle cro ure universal in to signify friends .

    An old Siberian tartar,  lost in t. c er, whe headman spoke.

    Lee replied, and talk.

    quot;My respects to you and your tribe,quot; Lee said. quot;I   I  it to you.quot;

    tion, and one of he bundle Lee removed from his pack.

    quot;I am seeking a man called Grumman,quot; Lee said. quot;I ell ion.  t;

    quot;A; said t;;

    t of teaming sunlig understand t the headmans pleasure.

    Pleasure, and relief, Lee felt er think.

    times.

    quot;e ing you,quot; ;You o take Dr. Grumman to t;

    Lees eyebro ;As you say, sir. Is ;

    quot;Follo; said the headman.

    tfully. Understanding ers distaste for to lope t pato a  ten long bohe larches.

    topped outside t. ted usks and tlers of elk and reindeer, but t merely ing troped sprays of pine, as if for some ritualistic purpose.

    quot;You must speak to ,quot; tly. quot; is

    sick.quot;

    Suddenly Lee felt a ser stiffened in  tcime. From among t yello. It curned ely took a spray of pine in  across tain.

    t in ongue, addressing ter old  later the door opened.

    Standing in t, blazing-eyed, ted strongly, and  glaring on .

    times and o find.

    quot;Dr. Grumman,quot; ;My names Lee Scoresby. Im from try of texas, and Im an aeronaut by profession. If youd let me sit and talk a spell, Ill tell you  I? You are Dr. Stanislaus Grumman, of t;

    quot;Yes,quot; said t;And youre from texas, you say. t;

    quot;ell, trange ;

    quot;Indeed. t. If you  out,  in t and talk out o s.quot;

    quot;Most kind, sir,quot; said Lee, and carried out t to tove and poured to tin cups.   German, to Lees ears, but Englisor of tory .

    ed, er narro osprey daemon glaring into tarted ing at trollesund ians, and told ed lorek Byrnison to Bolvangar, and rescued Lyra and t oward Svalbard.

    quot;You see, Dr. Grumman, it seemed to me, from ttle girl described it, t Lord Asriel just brandis tened t t look closely.

    ts  you migill be alive. And clearly, sir, you  kno you all along tic seaboard, about   of study seems to vary bet ts, about  mig of noen, ts all migeresting. But somety. Im concerned about the child.

    I tant, and so do tc  o tell me. As I said, sometion t you can, which is why Im here.

    quot;But unless Im mistaken, sir, I  I o take you to anot it  truly w ion for you, sir:

    name  some kind of tribal name, some magicians title?quot;

    Grumman smiled briefly, and said, quot;true name, Joo take me to t broug ;

    And  Lee could see but not understand. he saw

    a ring of silver and turquoise, a Navajo design;  clearly and  as s al over more closely at tone imes, years and years ago in ive country.

    anding. er rembling, standing uprig Lees noticing bet going to attack.  undone;  like a cig; t?quot;

    quot;take it,quot; said Grumman, or Parry. quot;Its  summoned you. No need it.quot;

    quot;But ; said Lee, lifting t;I dont understand  t seen ty years.quot;

    quot;I am a s understand. Sit doell you o kno;

    Lee sat again,  again and again.

    quot;ell,quot; ;Im so  you can tell me.quot;

    quot;Very ; said Grumman, quot;Ill begin. My name, as I told you, is Parry, and I  born in t t by any means to travel bet to open tacularly. In my oion to a place in my  corresponds entions, but I  from old legends: a rent in t  lost. In searc even seeing it, and left our oget first  realize oaking it:  world.

    quot;ell, try as  first door in a blizzard. You are an old Arctic  t means.

    quot;So o stay in t ne  seemed t trange kind of gion ing it, someterims of ters, as things are called.

    quot;t  I found t  to leave it. to my o to ottle searco this.

    quot;So ly, and in t tune. Yes, I  knoor ill I entered yours. People  conceive of onis, in turn, at learning t part of my oure iful?

    quot;So or beside me, I ic, like my good friends in t told me of to see to many mysteries.

    quot;I made my o Berlin under told no one about my origins; it . I presented a to t in debate, whod. I

    ter informed ty in gaining membership.

    quot;So ials I could begin to  part, greatly contented. I missed some t my oo be sure. Are you a married man, Mr. Scoresby? No? ell, I le boy not yet one year old erribly.

    But I mighe way back. e were sundered forever.

    quot; otiated into t; I became a sment from bloodmoss, for example, t preserves all tues of t.

    quot;I kno deal about t Dust. I see from your expression t you erm. It is frigo deat ten me. 1 knoest in ory. test in ty-five tory, Mr.

    Scoresby.