Tramun Clogg put the point of his cutlass to Skalrag's nosetip. "I wouldn't chop yer 'ead off, bucko. Ho no, that'd be too quick fer the likes o' you. Avast, mates. Tell this scum wot we do t' ship burners an'
scuttlers."
The corsairs tickled Skalrag with their knifepoints as they told him.
"String 'im upside down in a crab pool!"
"Roast 'im o'er a slow fire!"
"Chop off 'is paws an' make 'im eat 'em!"
"Use 'im fer a batterin' ram agin the fortress gates!"
"Oh no, please, Cap'n," Skalrag wailed in despair. "Don't let them do it. I was only carrying out Badrang's orders!"
Clogg sat by the fox and stroked his head soothingly. "There there now, matey. Dry yore eyes an' don't blubber no more. Ole Tramun Clogg's got an 'eart soft as swans down. I won't let nobeast kill yer.
But 'earken now, y' must swear on yer oath that you'll do exactly as I tell yer."
Skalrag nodded vigorously. "I will, Cap'n, I will. I swear on my oath as a fox!"
Tramun chuckled as he patted the fox's cheek tenderly. "Of course yer will, matey, cos if yer don't, the things my crew threatened to do to yer would be as nothin' to wot I'd do when I caught up with ye. Lissen now, 'ere's wot you'll do ..."
"What about them?" Skalrag nodded towards his six bound comrades.
Tramun winked broadly. "Oh don't fret yore 'eart over that lot.
Worms like that'd be too much trouble as galley slaves. They'll be fishbait afore nightfall, mate."
Skalrag's former archers gave a muted moan of anguish.
The slave compound was a circular palisade of upright logs driven into the ground and bound together by ropes. It had a single gate, which was generally kept locked. Inside, the occupants shifted as best as they could for themselves. Most slept on their sack mattresses against the walls, some underneath a rough wooden awning that shaded part of the structure. At night the slaves were allowed a fire in the center of the dirt floor.
Keyla and the rest of the slaves had been on barricade duty all night, piling rubble and rocks against the gates to reinforce them against the battering ram. Now they sat locked inside the slave compound, relieved of quarry and field labors while Marshank was under siege.
Old Barkjon shook his head. "It's a bad business. If Badrang wins, we'll still be slaves here. However, if the victory goes to the corsairs, we'll all end up as galley slaves after we've been forced to refloat their vessel or build a new ship. Slavery is bad enough, but the life of a galley slave is worse than death."
Amid the troubled muttering that followed, Keyla came forward.
"That's the bad news, now here's some of the good. Before we were herded back in here at dawn, I checked the prison pit. There was nobeast inside. Martin, Felldoh and Brome have escaped they're free!"
Barkjon's chin quivered a little as he patted Keyla's paw. "That is good news indeed. My son Felldoh a free creature! He'll bring help to us, you'll see!"
"Aye and Martin too," Hillgorse the old hedgehog chimed in. "He's a tough one, that young mouse. He'll see that we get help of some sort!"
The slaves nodded agreement, one or two of them even emitting low cheers. Barkjon silenced them with a wave of his paw.
"Keyla, was there something else you wanted to say?" The young otter held a piece of sacking. It clinked as he strode about speaking in a low clear voice.
"All very good, but what are we doing to help ourselves? It's no use just sitting here on our tails making fine speeches and waiting for others to do something. Look!"
He flung the sacking open and weapons clattered to the ground.
"Three knives, a spearhead and four slings. I collected them from dead vermin while we were working through the battle last night. There's a start to our armory."
Purslane, a mother mouse, stepped forward carrying her infant. She took an axehead and a broken sword blade from inside the little one's shawl and added them to Keyla's weapons.
"I managed to get these. It's not much but it's a start." Others started to come forward and add their contributions.
"This dagger's got no handle, but it's sharp." "Here's the top from a long pike. It only needs a pole." "I got a whip and these two arrows.
The bow was too big to carry."
"Pouchful of slingstones, a sling and this iron hook." A hedgehog, little more than a baby, tottered out and threw his offering on the small pile of armaments. "Dagga an' stones to fro'!"
The otter called Tullgrew began gathering them up. "Well done.
We'd best hide these until the right time comes along. I'll bury them in the earth underneath my pallet."
Hillgorse nodded approvingly. "Good work. Remember now, stick together, help each other, steal anything
you can from Badrang's creatures. Each day, my friends, we will become stronger, more determined. Only our bodies are held in slavery. Our minds and hearts are free."
The meeting ended, Tullgrew began burying the weapons. Druwp the bankvole pretended to be sleeping, but he was noting through half closed eyes the spot where Tullgrew was digging.
Slavebeasts snuffled and moaned in their slumbers. The fire burned low in the crowded compound, and stars in the soft dark sky looked down on the misery of the wretched creatures below as they slept, all save two.
Keyla was still watching Druwp!
Dawn light found the small boat had been carried far out by the ebbing tide. It bobbed about on the heaving grey waves like a leaf in a storm. Felldoh, Martin and Brome baled with paws and oarblades, trying to splash the water over the sides. They were fighting a losing battle. Rose stood in the stern, straining her eyes for a sight of land.
All she could see were mountainous grey green waves wherever she looked. Grumm sat miserably, blocking the leak with his bottom, baling with his little ladle as the boat settled ever lower in the water.
"Burr, oi can't swim. Et be a shame t' finish up drownded."
Something struck the side of the boat, causing the timbers to creak.
Brome looked up from his baling.
"I hope that was a rock or something floating by. I'd hate to think it was a big fish!"
Rose peered down into the water. Her eyes went wide with shock.
She looked up, pretending to scan the horizon.
Her brother shook his head. "C'mon, Rosie, you can't fool me. I saw you gaping into the water. What's down there?
"It's a big fish!" Rose's voice was little more than a whisper.
They stopped baling. Felldoh chuckled halfheartedly, "Big enough for us to catch and eat?"
Rose shook her head. "The other way round, friend. It's big enough to catch and eat us!"
There was another thump against the boat's side. Grumm sat tight, staring uncomfortably at the sky.
"Burr, oi 'ates t' think o'moi pore bottom a poken through 'ee bowt wi' a gurt fisher swimmen under oi."
The fish struck again!
This time it fractured the planking, and sea water squirted in as the boat settled lower.
Martin grabbed an oar. "This will make a good float, Felldoh. You and Brome hang on to that other oar. I'll take this one with Rose and Grumm. If we get separated, we'll meet up at Noonvale. Look out, here we go!"
The boat filled up, sea water rushing in over the sides as it dropped from beneath them, plummeting into the depths below. In an instant they were all in the sea, struggling and kicking out as they held on to the oars. Submerging his head, Martin gazed down into the depths. He could dimly make out the gigantic shape of some deep sea fish as it chased the sinking craft into the greeny depths. As he pulled his head from the waters, Rose was shouting. "Brome, Felldoh, over here. Can you reach us?"
The young mouse and the squirrel were being swept away on the crest of a big roller, while Martin's oar was being pushed under, weighted as it was by three creatures. Instantly, Martin released his hold on the oar. It bobbed up and began travelling away from him on the waves, and he struck out after it. Rose paddled madly, turning the oar so it would drift nearer to Martin.