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'Positive,' said Rincewind.
They found the horses wandering aimlessly in the scrub, breakfasted on badly-dried horse jerky, and set off in what Rincewind believed was the right direction. A few minutes later the Luggage emerged from the bushes and followed them.
The sun rose higher in the sky, but still failed to blot out the light of the star.
'It's got bigger overnight,' said Twoflower. 'Why isn't anybody doing something?'
'Such as what?'
Twoflower thought. 'Couldn't somebody tell Great A'Tuin to avoid it?' he said. 'Sort of go around it?'
'That sort of thing has been tried before,' said Rincewind. Wizards tried to tune in to Great A'Tuin's mind.'
'It didn't work?'
'Oh, it worked all right,' said Rincewind. 'Only . . .'
Only there had been certain unforeseen risks in reading a mind as great as the World Turtle's, he explained. The wizards had trained up on tortoises and giant sea turtles first, to get the hang of the chelonian frame of mind, but although they knew that Great A'Tuin's mind would be big they hadn't realised that it would be slow.
'There's a bunch of wizards that have been reading it in shifts for thirty years,' said Rincewind. 'All they've found out is that Great A'Tuin is looking forward to something.'
'What?'
'Who knows?'
They rode in silence for a while through a rough country where huge limestone blocks lined the track. Eventually Twoflower said, 'We ought to go back, you know.'
'Look, we'll reach the Smarl tomorrow,' said Rincewind. 'Nothing will happen to them out here, I don't see why —'
He was talking to himself. Twoflower had wheeled his horse and was trotting back, demonstrating all the horsemanship of a sack of potatoes.
Rincewind looked down. The Luggage regarded him owlishly.
'What are you looking at?' said the wizard. 'He can go back if he wants, why should I bother?'
The Luggage said nothing.
'Look, he's not my responsibility,' said Rincewind. let's be absolutely clear about that.'
The Luggage said nothing, but louder this time.
'Go on – follow him. You're nothing to do with me.'
The Luggage retracted its little legs and settled down on the track.
'Well, I'm going,' said Rincewind. 'I mean it,' he added.
He turned the horse's head back towards the new horizon, and glanced down. The Luggage sat there.
'It's no good trying to appeal to my better nature. You can stay there all day for all I care. I'm just going to ride off, okay?'
He glared at the Luggage. The Luggage looked back.
'I thought you'd come back,' said Twoflower.
'I don't want to talk about it,' said Rincewind.
'Shall we talk about something else?'
