they eyed temeraire 's ruff very closely as if suspecting him of an imposture , until he put it up and snorted at one of them for going so far as to tug on the spines ; then they grew a little more circumspect but still insisted on searching all the party 's packs , and they made something of a fuss over the one piece laurence had decided to bring along instead of leaving on board the allegiance : a red porcelain vase of extraordinary beauty which he had acquired in peking .