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Many years ago, this craft sailed the Tentarias, carrying cargoes of corn and linen to markets in the east. Now, old and leaky, it serves in retirement as a ferry for the farmers and settlers in the north.

The cabin was once luxurious, but it is now a cluttered mess of decaying junk. The sweet smell of pitch and damp timber hangs in the air, and patches of mould colour the walls.

Lying on a solitary bunk amongst a tangle of leather straps, rope and torn clothing is a cork-stoppered flask of purple liquid.

If you wish to pull the cork and sniff the contents, turn to 228.

If you prefer to leave the flask untouched, turn to 98.

Text copyright © 1987 Joe Dever.
Illustrations copyright © 1987 Gary Chalk.