Annotation - Chapter 11, Page 79
From Riddley Walker Annotations
- (79:26) "1st the easy askings then its helping the qwirys"
I.e., torture. In the UK, "helping the police with their inquiries" is the standard euphemism for describing a suspect who has been arrested and is being interrogated, whether or not this help is being given willingly. In Inland, police brutality is taken for granted.
Note that inquiry, or the search for information, is generally considered bad luck in this book; and the sound of the word also recalls the theme of what is required.