21 September, Northbound Rail, Outside Karad Tor

My notes on Dwarven tolerance for prolonged vibration were interrupted today by a dispute concerning luggage. I had stored two specimen cases in the rack above my seat, and a Dwarven passenger across from me repeatedly glanced upward with visible concern. Eventually he asked whether the cases contained glass. I said yes. He asked whether the glass was secured, and I said yes again. He asked how, and I described the packing method. He frowned. I asked whether he saw a problem, and he said, “Several.”

There followed a lecture of approximately twenty minutes on vibration transfer, crate bracing, corner reinforcement, suspension packing, and the criminal negligence of Human railway porters. I informed him that the specimens had already crossed three provinces without damage, and he replied that survival was not evidence of competence. This was irritating because I have used the same sentence myself.

At the next station he left the carriage, purchased rope, wedges, felt, and two narrow planks, then returned and rebuilt the internal support structure of both cases while the train was moving. The specimens arrived intact. This proved nothing, and unfortunately it also proved him right.