The wily fox did not want to attract attention from the battle area by burning the longboats.
"Put up those bows, use your swords an' knives to hole these boats.
That'll leave Clogg trapped on the shore."
Unaware that the longboats were being destroyed, Martin and his companions were heading for them, figuring to take one and sail further up the coast, where they would leave the boat and travel to Noonvale for help.
Felldoh looked to the fiery glow beyond the headland. "We'd better hurry. Those searats will be coming for the longboats to see if they can save their ship."
Martin glanced back towards the fortress as he remarked to his friend, "Good guess, Felldoh. There's a whole bunch of them coming this way!"
The dark shapes of yelling corsairs could be seen leaving the fray and making for the longboats. Martin grasped Brome's paw.
"Let's put a move on, otherwise they'll catch up with us."
Grumm had been looking ahead towards the boats. "Hurr, lookit, thurr be other vurmin by they boats an' they see us'ns!" he groaned in dismay.
Felldoh gritted his teeth. "Foebeasts behind an' before us, Martin.
Either way is trouble."
Martin sized the situation up quickly. "We can't turn back now.
There's less of 'em in front of us. Keep going. We'll have to chance rushing them. Rose, take Grumm and Brome, pick out a boat and get going. Felldoh and I will hold them off. Please don't argue, just do as I say. Right, Felldoh?"
The big squirrel nodded. "Right! I recognize that half eared rogue at the boats it's Skalrag. There's about ten with him. Let's get at it, Martin!"
The young mouse and the squirrel dashed towards Skalrag's group, yelling at the top of their voices.
"Freedom! Chaaaaaaaarge!"
Skalrag was not sure whether the swiftly advancing pair were armed, though he knew by their warlike cries that they intended doing battle. The fox hesitated a moment, unsure whether to meet them sword in paw or go for his bow. He lost the initiative, barely having time to shout a warning to his archers before Martin and Felldoh were on him. The squirrel grabbed Skalrag's sword paw, struggling to get hold of the blade as Martin dealt the nearest rat a flying kick with both footpaws.
"Help me, help!" Skalrag was screaming.
Now some of Clogg's creatures spotted the activity by the longboats.
They unsheathed their weapons and dashed forward to protect their boats. Two rats went down under the hefty digging claws of Grumm and a hearty wallop from a chunk of driftwood held by Rose. Brome began shoving the smallest of the boats out into the surf, and Grumm and Rose lent their weight to his efforts. Martin was holding on to one rat who was trying to stop the boat, while he held the head of another under the water. Felldoh had a stranglehold on Skalrag, whose sword belt had snapped; both sword and belt were lost somewhere in the shallows. The corsairs came charging in, yelling, surf splashing beneath their paws.
Rose leaned over the stern of the small boat, pulling Brome in while Grumm found the oars. She began shouting. "Martin! Felldoh! Over here, quickly!"
Thinking swiftly, Martin stunned a sea rat with a heavy blow.
Grabbing a half throttled Skalrag from Felldoh, he thrust the fox at the corsairs.
"Here, mates. One of Badrang's lot, tryin' to steal our boats!"
With a concerted howl of rage the corsairs threw themselves upon Skalrag and another rat Felldoh pushed towards them.
Martin nudged his friend, whispering urgently. "Quick, into the boat!"
Half wading, half swimming through the night dark waters, they made for the boat. Grumm and Brome held oars over the stern to them.
"Burr, 'asten, zurrs!"
As they grabbed the oars and began climbing aboard, the corsairs suddenly realized what was going on.
"Those ain't searats. Stop 'em!" the ferret called Boggs yelled hoarsely.
Martin scrambled into the boat, but Felldoh was having a hard time with his huge bushy tail weighed down by sea water. The rat called Growch floundered forward and seized the squirrel's footpaws. From the boat Martin managed to grab Felldoh by his other two paws, then another searat latched on to Felldoh's tail and a tug of war began.
Felldoh was stretched between water and boat, helpless, his mouth filled with salt water.
Rose leaned over the stern, wielding an oar.
Thonk! Boff!
She stunned the rats with two direct hits. Martin heaved mightily and Felldoh came tumbling into the boat.
While some of the corsairs held Skalrag and his platoon prisoner, the rest jumped into the boats and began rowing after the escapers.
"Row!" Martin cried out to his friends. "Paddle with your paws!
Anything! Hurry. They're coming after us!"
Grumm sat in the stern, not moving. Rose looked at him curiously.
"Come on, Grumm. Paddle, don't just sit there."
The mole shrugged unhappily. "Oi carn't move, mizzy. Iffen oi do, us'll sink. Oi be setten roight on a gurt 'ole in 'ee boat!"
The mole sat, completely soaked, blocking the hole as best he could, with water swilling around the bottom of the boat.
Brome started to laugh. Felldoh eyed him disapprovingly.
"I can't see much to laugh about, young un. It's not a very funny situation we're in."
Brome held his sides as he tried to paddle and stop laughing at the same time. "Whooheehee! I'm sorry, Felldoh, can't help it, heeheehee!
Oh dearie me! Look at those creatures, hahahahahaha!"
The two boats loaded with corsairs that were following were only going one way. Down!
Rose joined in with Brome's laughter. "Of course, that's what Badrang's creatures were doing, holing the boats after they'd set fire to the big ship. Lucky old us, we picked the one with the smallest hole in it!"
The corsairs' faces were a picture of abject misery as they baled furiously, while the boats filled up and sank beneath them. They floated about, treading water and watching the small craft, low in the water but going strong, head straight out to sea. A joyous shout rang out across the choppy night waves as the little boat pulled away.
"Freeeeeeeeeeeeee!"
9
Dawn brought with it a lull in the battle at Fortress Marshank. The weather was humid, and a heavy grey sky hung like a pall with greenish purple tinges out on the horizon. Badrang stood with Gurrad on the walltop, his battle weary horde ranged along the ramparts, dull eyed as they ate breakfast and catnapped at their positions. The Tyrant stoat noted with grim satisfaction that he had successfully defended Marshank against the corsair invasion. But Clogg was a resourceful enemy. What would his next move be?
Oily looking plumes of smoke rose into the still air from the cooking fires of the corsairs on the shore. The pirates were in surly mood. Not only had they failed to breach the gates of the fortress, but they had also suffered the indignity of having their ship gutted by fire and sunk. Cap'n Tramun Clogg and several of his messmates were holding an interrogation session behind a semicircular rocky outcrop close to the tideline.
The unfortunate Skalrag and six of his remaining archers were the prisoners they were questioning. They huddled together on the beach, cruelly bound paw and muzzle with tough dried kelp strands. Skalrag stifled a terrified whimper as he stared wide eyed at the ruthless faces of the searats and the vicious twinkle in the eyes of Clogg. The pirate stoat drew his cutlass, grinning evilly as he licked the blade and squinted along it towards the quaking fox.
"Harr, tell me, Skalrag, what would you do to anybeast who set fire to yore ship an' scuttled 'er?"
Skalrag's muzzle was tightly bound. The most he could manage was a strangled sob. Clogg swung the cutlass at the petrified fox's head. It clipped several whiskers and neatly severed the gag. Skalrag fainted clean away in a heap. The corsairs laughed uproariously as they doused him with sea water to bring him round.