"He`s terrified, lass," he said.  "Give him a chance to calm down, eh? He`ll come out on his own."

Elspeth sighed, stepped back.  "Aye," she said.  "But Sweet Gibertus on a spike, who`d have thought a child inside the whale?"

"I know," said Jayne.  "It`s some kind of miracle, though looks like it weren`t just him, first at least.  There`s 3 skeletons, skulls anyway, in there with him."

"I never heard the like."

"But there he is," said Jayne. 

Elspeth turned the compass over in her hands.  "Says `Salubrious` on the back," she said.

Jayne shook his head.  "Means nothing to me, though most likely the name of the ship it sailed for.  We`ll have to scriven out some manifests."

"What are we going to do?" asked Elspeth.

"Nothing to do but wait," said Jayne.  "Doubt I can safely haul him out of there if he ain't for it, and right now he`s buried up under the tongue, scared stiff."

"And if he don`t come out on his own?"

"Then we`ll dismantle his house around him," said Jayne.  "Ain`t no other way for it to go."

Elspeth shook her head.  "Storm's rollin' up soon, Jayne," she said.  "We ain't got all the time we'd like for him to come on out."

Jayne shrugged.  "I know that," he said.  "But even a wry child like that could cause a whole heck of hurt for any bloke trying to haul him out.  There ain't no balance inside a whale, El, it's like size don't hardly matter.  First lesson you learn as a Hammerhand.  You're only as good as what you're held onto.  Can't be bashing a hole in a gut with nothing firm to cling to."

"So we wait," said Elspeth. 

"As all we have," said Jayne.  "Aye.  But now, other things.  We gotta see to getting some more lads out here, and we gotta get the barrels rolling."

Elspeth nodded.

"Already sent Shume and Fralla in the gully back to the city for a convoy," she said. 

"Good lass," said Jayne.  "And worry not on the child.  That's my province.  We'll have him afore the storm.  And if we don't, well, I can swim him out of a storm, as you'll know."

"I don't like it," said Elspeth.