Though he did not know it, Magger had overplayed his cards. One thing a Sea Raider captain had to be constantly aware of was any threat to his authority. Vizka put aside his supper, lying back he half-closed his eyes, murmuring gently, "I'll let ya know me plans in der mornin'."
Magger nodded and turned away. He did not see Vizka smile, that long, toothy, dangerous smile, which always meant death for somebeast.
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From their hiding place beneath the dead leaves in the curve of the dry ditchbed, Maudie saw four hulking Brownrats leaving the campfire. She covered little Yik's head, stopping him from bobbing up.
Alongside her, Luglug hissed urgently, "Y'see, I told ye the vermin heard us. Look, they're comin' over here, I'm sure we've been spotted, what are we goin' to do, mate?"
The haremaid instinctively knew their hideout would be discovered. Yik was wriggling to get out of her grasp, and the snake was moving, too. It had begun to come around, and was writhing feebly to rid itself of the halter, with which Maudie had bound its jaws shut. It was a time for rapid action. She swiftly imparted a scratch plan to the Guosim chieftain. "Got to get out of here jolly fast, old lad. Create some sort of diversion, then make a flippin' run for it, wot?"
The four Brownrats were already descending the far side of the ditch.
Luglug stared wide-eyed at Maudie. "Diversion, wot sort o' diversion?"
The haremaid hardly stopped to ponder the question. "We've got two things goin' for us, bucko, the advantage of
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surprise, an' this whoppin' great snake. Time for gossipin' is done, grab that confounded Yik an' follow me...."
The Brownrats were completely taken by surprise. Whirling the maddened snake with both paws, and yelling like a banshee, Maudie rushed them. "Gangway, chaps! Eulaliiiaaaaaa!"
Two of the rats were knocked aside by the reptile's flailing coils, the other two stood rooted to the spot in dumb shock. With Luglug holding Yik tight to his body, running crouched behind her, Maudie breasted the ditchbank. The haremaid charged straight through the centre of the Brownrat camp, still flailing the big reptile. Gruntan Kurdly almost choked on the hard-boiled egg he had just popped whole into his mouth. Maudie looked like something out of nightmare as she bounded out of the night into the firelight. "Yahaaar! Blood'n'vinegar! Eulaliiiiaaaaa!"
More rats went down beneath the windmilling snake's body, then she flung it right at Kurdly. It was not a totally accurate throw, most of the reptile hit the Brownrat leader, but its tail landed in the fire. This move did not improve the snake's temper, it latched furiously onto the Brown-rat's body, constricting as its tail shot out of the flames and beat a frenzied tattoo on Gruntan's head.
Spluttering hard-boiled egg widespread, he whooped aloud in terror, "Gerritoff! Waaaarrrgggh! Oo ... oo! Ger-ritoffameeee!"
Clear of the Brownrat camp, Maudie slowed her pace for Luglug to catch up. From behind them she could hear angry shouts.
"Kill it! Slay the thing, ye mudpawed oafs!"
"Wot was it, 'ow many of 'em was there?"
"Round six if'n ye ask me, seven countin' the snake."
"It was the punchin' rabbit, I saw it with me own two eyes, came straight out the ditch it did!"
Gruntan Kurdly's voice rose to an enraged shriek. "I don't give a bee's be'ind who it was. Gerrem! Killem! Skin
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'em alive an' bring their 'eads to me! Don't jus' stan' there, idjits, go. Go go go!"
Luglug gave a weary sigh as he heaved Yik up onto his shoulders. "We better git movin', fast."
Maudie held out her paws. "Give me the little chap, he'll hold you back."
For some reason best known to himself the Log a Log snapped back at her, "I said we'd better git movin', I can manage him!"
Yik tugged Luglug's ears. "I wanna go wiv 'er, she can run fasterer!"
The shrew chieftain growled at him. "Keep yore mouth shut an' stay up there, young 'un!"
Maudie shrugged. "As you wish, old chap, but let's be goin', wot. Don't want t'get collared by that scurvy lot!"
The haremaid took off at a brisk lope, but soon had to wait for Luglug to catch up again. They pounded on through the darkened woodland, with the noise of pursuit growing behind. Maudie adjusted her pace, running alongside Luglug. "Y'know I can run just as easy with Yik on my back, why don't you let me carry him, wot?"
Yik hauled on his bearer's ears, haranguing him. "Flippin' bloomin' wotwot, I wanna go wiv 'er!"
This made Luglug even more stubborn and irate. "You stop tuggin' my ears, an' watch yore language. I can carry ye as well as anybeast can."
An arrow zipped past Maudie, it quivered in a beech trunk. She glanced anxiously over her shoulder. "They must have a few fast front runners ahead of the rest. I wonder how far from Redwall we are?"
Luglug was beginning to pant, but he strove onward. "Keep to this trail an' we'll soon see the two-topped oak. After that we'll come out o' the woodlands an' cross some open fields t'the southside o' the Abbey. I remember this route now, came this way once afore when I was younger."
Maudie nodded. "Save your breath, old chap, those
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blighters are closer than you think." An arrow buried its point in the ground, narrowly missing Maudie's footpaw, another flew close by Yik's ear.
The little shrew shouted, as if it were all some kind of game, "Yah, y'missed me! C'mon, we havta run fasterer!"
Luglug pointed ahead. "See, there's the two-topped oak, straight ahead, not too far now!"
Maudie spied the big, lightning-riven object. Even in the night it stood out above the other trees at the woodland edge. Wild cries of the Brownrats could still be heard behind them, but she knew the front runners would keep silent, hoping that they could outpace their quarry. On an impulse, she slowed, letting Luglug carry on ahead. Crouching down, Maudie scanned about for movement.
There they were! Two Brownrats, tall, slim vermin, running swiftly from tree to tree, pausing briefly to loose off arrows in the direction of the runaways. Now Luglug stopped, looking back at Maudie and calling, "What are ye doin', miz?"
Both the Brownrats were close enough to hear him. In a trice they had loosed off the shafts, which were lying ready on their bowstrings. Maudie ran without looking back, straight for the rats. The first one had another arrow almost ready to fire as the haremaid hit him like a thunderbolt. He collapsed to the ground immediately. Maudie grabbed his bow, whipped about to face the other, sighted and fired. The shaft struck true. With a strangled cry the other rat went down, grasping the shaft, which protruded from his neck.
Then the main body came running into view. Maudie dropped the bow and ran. Luglug was leaning against the riven oak, with Yik still on his shoulders. He was gasping heavily. Grunting with the effort, he lifted Yik free, holding him out to the haremaid. "You'd better carry ..."
Maudie grabbed the Guosim infant, then saw the broken
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arrow buried deep between the Guosim chieftain's shoulder blades, as he turned and slid slowly down the tree trunk. Half drawing his rapier, he gasped, "Take it to Osbil, save the little 'un...." His head fell limply to one side as his eyes clouded over and he gave one last sigh.
There was no time to think. Maudie could make out the faces of the vermin as they came hurrying forward, shouting and yelling. Grabbing the rapier from Luglug's lifeless paw, she swung Yik up on her shoulders and ran. The sight of their victims-to-be spurred the Brownrats forward. However, they reckoned without the speed and determination of a Long Patrol hare. Mad Maudie Mugsberry Thropple ran as she had never run before. The shrewbabe on her shoulders hung on for dear life, with the night breeze blowing his fur back flat.
Out of the woodlands the haremaid rocketed, onto the flatland facing the Abbey's south wall. Her footpaws drummed the earth as she sped onward, with a screeching horde hard on her trail. "Eulaliiiaaaa Redwaaaaallll!" Maudie roared.