Notes on The Hour of the Dragon

FIRST DAY. (DAY OF BATTLE.)

Conan at Valkia. Amalric, Tarascus, Valerius and Xaltotun at Valkia. Orastes at Belverus. Prospero on his way to Valkia.

That Night.

Conan was on his way to Belverus with Xaltotun. Amalric, Tarascus and Valerius were encamped in Valkia, their cavalry pursuing the fleeing Aquilonians through the hills. Prospero was falling back toward Tarantia. Orastes was in Belverus.

THE SECOND DAY.

Conan was a captive in Belverus. Xaltotun and Orastes were in Belverus. Tarascus was on his way from Valkia to Belverus. Amalric and Valerius were marching through the hills toward Tarantia. Prospero was approaching Tarantia.

That Night.

Conan was a captive in Belverus and escaped. Orastes and Xaltotun were in Belverus, Xaltotun sleeping the sleep of the black lotus of Stygia. Tarascus reached Belverus. Prospero arrived in Tarantia and found that news of the battle had preceded him. Amalric and Valerius camped in the plains of Aquilonia, devastating the countryside.

THE THIRD DAY.

Conan crossed the border and took refuge in the hills. Tarascus, wounded, was in Belverus, with Xaltotun and Orastes. The king’s squire pursued Conan in the hills. That evening Prospero evacuated Tarantia. At sunset Amalric and Valerius entered the city, unopposed.

That Night.

Conan slept in the hut of Zelata, the witch. Tarascus and Orastes set out from Belverus to Tarantia. Amalric crowned Valerius king of Aquilonia in the great coronation hall of Tarantia. Xaltotun remained in Belverus.

THE FOURTH DAY.

Conan made his way through the hills toward Tarantia. Xaltotun remained at Belverus. Tarascus and Orastes were on their way to Tarantia. Amalric and Valerius were at Tarantia, receiving homage.

That Night.

Conan made his way through the devastated plains toward Tarantia. Xaltotun remained at Belverus. Tarascus and Orastes were on their way to Tarantia. Amalric and Valerius remained at Tarantia.

THE FIFTH DAY.

Conan, at evening, came within sight of Tarantia. Xaltotun remained at Belverus. Amalric with the Nemedians was devastating surrounding provinces. Tarascus and Orastes arrived at Tarantia. Valerius remained at Tarantia, paying old scores and confiscating property.

* * *

Xaltotun left Valkia at sunset, and arrived in Belverus before dawn. He travelled faster than the average man could travel. That means he made the journey in about twelve hours. It would take the average chariot fifteen, with a change of horses. A man on a good horse might make it in fourteen hours. If Conan left Belverus after midnight, say he was on the road at one o’clock and riding like hell, he had been riding six hours when the sun came up. He would still have eight hours to ride. He rested an hour, which made it eight o’clock. It would be about four o’clock when he reached the hills. He would really be taking a shorter cut, because he had left the road which wound toward the passes in the hills. Belverus lay nearer the border than Tarantia.

* * *

Conan was moving up the valley of the Shirki, a day and a night’s hard marching from Tanasul; Amalric could reach Tanasul in little over a day’s march. The Gundermen were advancing along the valley of Khor, about three days march from Tanasul; Tarascus was at Galparan, a day and night’s march to the Pass of Falcons, and a little over a day’s march from Tanasul.

* * *

THE FIRST DAY:

Tarascus at Galparan;

Amalric, Valerius and Xaltotun at the camp near Tanasul;

Conan to the southewest advancing along the Shirki;

The Gundermen north of the Goralian hills;

The First Night:

Tarascus at Galparan;

The other in camp; Xaltotun making magic;

Conan approaching Tanasul;

The Gundermen moving southward toward Tanasul;

THE SECOND DAY:

At dawn the courier reached Tarascus, who broke camp and reached Amalric’s camp with his horsemen at sunset; the footmen arrived some hours later;

Amalric and his companions lay in camp, waiting for Tarascus;

Conan nearing Tanasul;

The Gundermen marching through the Goralian hills;

The Second Night:

Tarascus, Amalric, Valerius and Xaltotun lay in the camp in the plain;

Late that night Conan reached Tanasul and crossed and camped on the other side.

The Gundermen were camped further back in the hills.

THE THIRD DAY:

Tarascus, and the Nemedian host, marching toward Tanasul, learned that Conan had crossed; he pushed ahead with his horsemen, and arrived at Tanasul just at twilight;

Conan was camped in the Goralian hills;

The Gundermen were pushing southward swiftly;

The Third Night:

The Nemedians camped in the plain beside the river;

Conan camped in the hills;

The Gundermen reached his camp after nightfall.

Part of two nights

It took Conan a day and a night of marching to reach Tanasul;

* * *

Conan marched all the first day until late that night; camped that first night and set out before dawn; marched all the second day; reached Tanasul late the second night. Time: one whole day’s march and part of two nights; would have taken another man two days and two nights.

The first day and night Amalric lay in camp, waiting for Tarascus, who took a whole day in getting there. He could reach Tanasul in a day’s hard riding; with his host it required a day and part of a night.

If he had set out when he wished to, he would have reached the Shirki first, but Xaltotun wished him to wait for Tarascus.