Caramon and Sturm argued over who should keep watch first and tossed a coin. Caramon won. Raistlin wrapped

himself in his blanket, prepared to spend his first night outdoors, lying on the ground beneath the stars.

Sleeping on the ground was every bit as uncomfortable as he'd imagined it would be.

Silhouetted against the dying embers of the fire, Caramon whistled softly to himself, whittling a stick as he

kept watch. Raistlin's last glimpse, before he drifted off into an uneasy slumber, was of Caramon's large body

blotting out the starlight.

The kender kept an eager lookout the next day for the '1 + priests of Belzor, but they must have walked all night

either that or they turned off the road-because the companions did not run into them that day or the next.

The peddler may have held a pessimistic view as to the probable success of the Harvest Home Fair, but this was

not the view of the general populace of Abanasinia. The road became more and more crowded, providing enough

interesting subjects that Tasslehoff soon forgot all about the snakes, much to Tanis's relief.

Wealthy merchants, whose servants had been sent ahead with their wares, traveled along the road in ornate

litters, borne on the shoulders of stout bearers. A noble family passed, accompanied by their retainers, the lord riding

at the head on a large war-horse, the wife and daughter and the daughter's duenna following on smaller ponies. The

horses were decorated in bright colored trappings, while that of the daughter was adorned with small silver bells on

the bridle and silk ribbons braided into the mane.

The daughter was a lovely girl of about sixteen, who charitably bestowed a smile on Caramon and Sturm as she

might have bestowed coins upon the poor. Sturm doffed his hat and made a courtly bow. Caramon winked at her and

ran after the horse, hoping to speak to her. The noble lord frowned. The retainers closed ranks around the family.

The duenna clucked in disapproval and, plucking a scarf over the young girl's head, admonished her in loud tones

not to take notice of the riffraff one saw along the road.

Her harsh words wounded Sturm. "You behaved boorishly," he said to Caramon. "You have made us look

ridiculous." Caramon thought the episode was funny, however, and for

the next mile he minced along the side of the wagon on his tiptoes, his handkerchief covering his face, feigning to be

disgusted by them all and shouting "riffraff" in falsetto tones.

The trip continued uneventfully until midafternoon.

Springing up from his place in the back of the wagon, Flint shouted, "Look out!" and pummeled Tanis on the

shoulder by way of emphasizing the danger. "Drive faster! Hurry! They're coming closer!"

Expecting to see no less than an army of minotaurs in hot pursuit, Tanis looked behind him in alarm.

"Too late!" Flint groaned, as the wagon was immediately surrounded by a party of about fifteen laughing kender.

Fortunately for the dwarf, the kender were far more interested in Tasslehoff than they were in the dwarf's wares.

Always delighted to meet more of his kind, Tas jumped off the wagon into a thicket of small, outstretched arms.

There is a proscribed ritual involved in the meeting of kender who are strangers to one another. This ritual takes

place whether the meeting is between two kender or twenty.

First come handshaking all around and formal introductions by name. Since it is considered extremely rude for

one kender to forget or mistake the name of another, the introductions take some time.

"How do you do? My name is Tasslehoff Burrfoot." "Clayfoot?"

"No, Burrfoot. Burr-as in the little sharp pointy things that stick to your clothes."

"Ah, Burrfoot! Nice to meet you. I am Eider Thistledown." "Eiderdown?"

"Thistledown. Eider comes first. And this is Hefty Warblethroat."

"Glad to meet you, Tuftedhair Hotfoot."

"Tasslehoff Burrfoot," corrected Tasslehoff. "It is an honor to meet you, Flabby Cutthroat." And so on down the

line.

Once all kender have been properly introduced and everyone knows the name of everyone else, they then move

into the second phase of the ritual, which is determining if they are related. It is a known fact among kender that

every kender born can trace his or her ancestry back to, around, up, or over the famous Uncle Trapspringer.

Kinships are therefore easily established.

"Uncle Trapspringer was my mother's aunt's third cousin on her father's side by marriage," said Eider

Thistledown.

"Isn't that amazing!" cried Tasslehoff. "Uncle Trapspringer