there was besides this communique a good deal of gossip about the relations among the dragons , which laurence read to temeraire only half-attending ; between perscitia 's lines he could easily read the frantic reports racing through whitehall : unharnessed heavy-weights descending as they wished into every great city of britain , terrifying the populace and wrecking the business of ordinary carters to boot ; and bribing their harnessed fellows with the greatest of ease , despite all the certain persuasions and efforts of those dragons ' captains .