Things were falling into place....

The Baron was satisfied that Captain DeKline and his good ship Fortunate would suit his purpose well enough....the price had been negotiated, and a deposit paid.  So he and Herat would take the coach South in the morning, with a wagon following behind with various and sundry baggage....The Baron was not at all nonplussed by Brever's withdrawal from the expedition...he was a good and loyal servant, but a skinny and fussy fellow, probably not well suited to the rigors they might expect over the coming months.....Herat, on the other hand, was, in addition to being perfectly well mannered and well-spoken, a commanding looking presence....very tall and with broad shoulders, great masses of hair and beard, and a fearsome claymore always slung in the baldric on his back.....he was an enormous trencherman, to be sure, but the Baron wasn't too worried about the food budget at this point....he was itching to get going, to probe the secrets of the Western Lands.....