Chapter 9
IN THE NEXT few days, it rained a lot more. The river broke its banks on the eastern side as well as the western side and started encroaching on the camp. Some people in the lower parts of the meadow had to move their tents, which made the higher side of the meadow very crowded.
With the help of Captain Arense, Johanna found two young men who agreed to be scouts and check on the situation in Saardam. Master Deim helped organise a small dinghy, and Johanna leant them a harness and two placid sea cows so that they could come back again.
Johanna watched them go with a pang of apprehension. The river was an expanse of churning, muddy water and the men had to harness the animals just to be able to control the little boat. If they were hit by a floating tree trunk, they would have n
