Noggo spoke for them both. "A dose of the Kurdlys, Boss."
Gruntan devoured the hard-boiled egg swiftly. "Haharr, right first time, me beauty!" He beckoned to Stringle, a tall, thin rat, who was his first officer. "Git down there, an' see
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that the crews are well stowed out o' sight on both banks. Keep yore eyes peeled up 'ere on me, I'll give ye the signal when they're comin'."
Stringle saluted with his spear and loped off. Gruntan Kurdly lay back on the litter, with a sigh of satisfaction, chewing happily on another egg. "Noggo, tell me when ye see those sh'ew boats hovin' into sight, will ye? Haharr, there ain't nothin' like some trim likkle vessels to ride the waters on!"
Sounds of the stream, gurgling softly over its pebbled bed, echoed up from below. Gruntan's eyes began to flutter, a half-eaten egg slipped from his paw. He was just about to start a nice nap, when Noggo shook him.
"Ahoy, Boss, 'ere they comes!"
From the top of the tall rock, the logboats looked small as they negotiated a bend in the stream. They were placed with two close to each bank, the coracle was in midstream, flanked by the remaining two boats. Gruntan murmured, "Come on, me beauties, come to ole Gruntan Kurdly!"
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BOOK TWO A Thief Absolved
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13
Evening shades were turning the ancient walls of the Abbey to a dusty rose pink, the soft air was still warm from the long summer day Little Dimp heaved himself laboriously up the north wall steps, toward the outer walltop. Each stair was an effort for the tiny squirrel, but he was determined to succeed. Down below on the lawn, two more Dibbuns, a mousemaid named Flim and an infant mole-maid, Jorty, stood wagging their paws at Dimp. Dibbuns were forbidden to climb the steps, or to be alone up on the ramparts. Both the tiny maids were shocked at the antics of Dimp, and told him so.
"Cumma down now, naughty squiggle, you not apposed t'be uppa there. Comma down, me say!"
"Hurr, you'm getten inna trubble, zurr Dimp, fall on ee skull'ead, or sumpin'. Coom ee daown, yurr!"
Dimp made it up onto the high walkway. He did a brief jig, calling scornfully to the pair below, "Ho, go an' boil yore bottims!"
Squeaking with shock at Dimp's turn of phrase, the little maids threw their pinafores over their faces and dashed off.
"Hi, hello there, is anyone on the wall?"
Dimp went to the battlements, he began scrambling up, to see who was hailing the walltops from outside. "H'l'm
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onna guard h'up 'ere, wot you want?" Levering his chin over the battlement, Dimp stared down. He had never seen anybeast the size of a badger in his life, and certainly not the huge, gaunt creature in a ragged smock, wielding a gigantic pitchfork. The Dibbun fell back onto the parapet, speechless with fright.
Orkwil was further along to the right of the main gate, when Gorath hailed him.
"There was somebeast up there a moment ago, a little squirrel, I think. I may have frightened him off."
The young hedgehog came scurrying back to his friend's side. He looked up to the walltop. "Listen, friend, you'd better make yourself scarce. Hide in the bushes, I'll speak to whoever it is." Whilst Gorath concealed himself at the north woodland edge, Orkwil began hailing the ramparts. "Hello up there, anybeast about? We need to get inside!"
Flim and Jorty were halfway across the lawn when they bumped into Fenn Bluepaw. The Abbey Recorder confronted the little ones sternly. "What's all this squealing and shouting about, why aren't you two inside, getting ready for bed?"
Jorty jumped up and down on the spot. "Marm, et bee's Dimp, he'm bein' gurtly naughty!"
Flim could not wait to inform on Dimp. "An', an', an' guess wot he sayed, marm, Dimp sayed the bot word to us. Ho good my gracious, it was h'awful!"
Fenn Bluepaw looked from one to the other. "'Bot word,' what's that supposed to mean?"
Flim could hold back no longer. "Dimp telled us to boil h'our ... bottims!"
Jorty nodded vigorous agreement. "Hurr aye, an' he'm cloimbed oop on ee walltops, marm!"
The bottom remark went unheeded. No sooner was the walltop mentioned than Fenn stamped her footpaw wrathfully. "Off to the Abbey, you two, this very instant! I'll deal with Master Dimp!"
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Flim and Jorty watched the Recorder striding purposefully to the north wallsteps, where Dimp could be seen, cowering in the shade of the battlements. The little mouse-maid scowled darkly. "Hah, I not like t'be Dimp, Sista Fenn prolibly chop his tail off for bein' naughty!"
Jorty giggled. "Hurhur, or she'm moight boil his bottim!"
Flim clapped a paw to her little friend's mouth. "Goodness me, you've sayed bottim now!"
They trundled off to the Abbey, giggling together.
Orkwil yelled up to the walltop, for the second time. "Anybeast about, we've got to get inside, it's urgent! Hello up there, who's that?"
Fenn Bluepaw appeared at the northwest gable, her face the picture of indignation. "So, 'tis you, Orkwil Prink? The thief who was banished for a season. I shouldn't even be talking to you! Go on, be off, you scoundrel!"
The young hedgehog spread his paws, pleading. "But marm, ye don't understand, I've got to speak with Abbot Daucus, or Skipper, it's really important!"
Fenn picked little Dimp up, turning her face away from Orkwil, and remarking scornfully, "Huh, first a thief, and now a liar, you haven't changed much. Well, you can stand there fibbing all night, but you're not entering this Abbey!"
Gorath had watched the exchange from the cover of some bushes. He left his hiding spot and came to stand beside Orkwil. The badger, not knowing his young friend's predicament, decided to reinforce Orkwil's plea. Cupping both paws around his mouth, he bellowed out to anybeast that might have been within hearing range, "Listen to me, or you'll be sorry when Redwall is attacked!"
Skipper Rorc emerged from the Abbey for his evening patrol of the grounds, which was more in the nature of a leisurely stroll to walk off a big supper. He heard Gorath's resounding voice, and hurried toward the north wall. On the way, he passed Fenn Bluepaw, who was hauling along
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a reluctant Dimp. Skipper nodded. "Evenin', marm, d'ye know who's doin' the shoutin' out there?"
The Recorder squirrel sniffed. "Pay no attention, 'tis only Orkwil Prink trying to get back into our Abbey. Come on, Dimp, don't drag your paws!"
The squirrelbabe pulled back. "Mista Skip, that not Ork'il, it's a monister wiv a hooj fork, I saw 'im!"
Skipper was already running for the wallsteps, he called back, "It didn't sound like Orkwil, I'd best take a look!"
A moment later the otter was on the walltop, staring down at the bedraggled, weary pair. "Wot's all this about an attack, young Prink, an' who's that giant ye've got in tow?"
Gorath spoke for himself. "I'm Gorath. I don't know who you are, sir, but there's a whole crew of sea-raiding vermin who'll be here before too long. Take it from me, that's a fact!"
Skipper vanished from sight, shouting to Orkwil, "Take yore friend to the main gate an' I'll let ye in!"
Abbot Daucus was cutting a slice of yellow cheese to have with his pear as an after-supper dessert, when the door of the Great Hall burst open. Skipper Rorc strode in, flanked by Orkwil Prink and the biggest badger the Abbot had ever seen. Daucus rose hastily from the table, addressing the badger. "If you enter our Abbey as a friend, there is no need to carry a weapon, sir!"
Gorath looked at his pitchfork, Tung, as if just noticing that it was in his paw. He bowed slightly, placing it on the table. "Forgive me, I didn't mean to frighten anybeast. I came here with Orkwil, to warn you that your Abbey may soon be attacked by vermin, a large crew of them, headed by the fox they call Vizka Longtooth--" Gorath broke off, he seemed to wilt, clutching the support of the table. He staggered slightly, slumping down on one of the benches by the table side.
Orkwil spoke. "Gorath's my friend, he was captured on