Miss Hakkandottir-A fateful duel

	“She lost it in a sword fight on the deck of a pirate ship, of all things. She's an excellent swordsman . . . -woman.” Mr. Socrates paused. “Oh, and it was a sword fight with me, by the way. Twenty years ago.”

	“You cut off her hand?” Modo blurted out in disbelief.

	His master paused and took a deep breath. Then, without the slightest hint of regret, he said, “Yes. Outside Hong Kong. We had stopped a Chinese junk we believed to be smuggling goods and she was the captain. Even though we had shot her crew dead and she was outnumbered, she wouldn't put down her sabre. She called me some nasty names and demanded that I duel with her. I couldn't refuse the challenge. We fought on the deck while my men watched. I was left with a few scars and a punctured lung. She lost her hand.” ” (Slade, 130)