Hacknee

Hacknee was a dwarf constable in the Ankh-Morpork City Watch during the events of The Fifth Elephant. While the watch was under the command of acting-captain Colon, who tactfully suggested that dwarves should be paid half that of the humans, 'as they were only half our size' and that trolls should not get double pay despite being twice human size as 'they were only half as intelligent'. With attitudes such as that Hacknee joined Abba Stronginthearm and other experianced watchmen in quitting the watch as looking for work elsewhere. As a result by the time Carrot Ironfoundersson returned the watch consisted of just five officers; Dorfl, Reg Shoe, Visit, Nobby Nobbs and Fred Colon who was barricaded in the watch house guarding the three remaining sugarlumps.

Annotation

Hacknee's name could be derived from the unfortunate dwarfish habbit of getting drunk, having a fight and using their axes to remove people's kneecaps. Vimes has objected to this in the past, confiscating troll clubs and dwarf axes despite their cultural significance as 'I have a strong cultural aversion to having my head knocked in and my knees chopped off'.

A hackney carriage is also the traditional name for a London taxi, and before that for a light horse-drawn cab. Does Hacknee come from a family of Dwarfs who traditionally carried the closed-in sedan chairs used by ultra-orthodox deep-down grags, whenever they are forced to visit the surface?