Chapter 14, River Rat, Chapter 15, Teacher, & Chapter 16, Property Summary

Alvin travels to the nearby town of Hatrack Mouth to get a wagon load of iron from the docks. As he is loading the iron, he notices that a group of vagrants, called river rats, are teasing an elderly lady, saying crass things to her. Seeing how prissy and proper the woman is, Alvin decides to come to her rescue, and tells the river rats to speak more politely to the lady. Although the lady tells Alvin that she does not need his protection, he ends up fighting one of them, Mike Fink, for her honor. Alvin quickly realizes that Mike has a powerful hex tattooed on his butt, which protects him from any harm in a fight. Using his knack, Alvin manages to make the tattoo's ink run, and then...