Part 1, Chapter 9 Summary

Lyra spends her time trying to figure out how to get to the North, and decides that she must stow away on a boat, but cannot figure out where to hide on the Gyptian's small vessels. She attempts to help in the preparation of the rescue, pestering the key members of the operation, and is viewed pathetically by Farder Coram, who takes her under his wing. Coram tells Lyra that the alethiometer decoder book is in Heidelburg. During this conversation, Lyra is astonished by the beauty of Coram's daemon, Sophonax, a magnificently colored cat with the softest looking fur. However, Lyra cannot touch the daemon because contact with a daemon is limited to its master.

Lyra attempts to use the alethiometer to discover what Mr. de Ruyter, head of espionage, is doing. After setting the three dials to a serpent, for...