Grumm helped as much as he could, calling out, "Marthen, swim o'er 'ere. See iffen you'm can catch a hold o' moi paw!"
Painfully Martin came fractionally nearer his friends on the oar.
Rose kicked back with all her might to hold the oar from being swept off, and Grumm stretched himself full length in the water.
The sun began breaking through the windswept grey cloud masses, bringing with it a heavy summer rain slashing and hammering on to the face of the deeps. Half blinded and spitting sea water, Martin felt his outstretched paw come in contact with Grumm's footpaw. He clung on furiously for dear life as Rose cried out, "Hang there, Martin. Just tread water. It'll relieve the weight on this paddle. When I'm tired I'll change places with you."
Rose kicked out with the waves, sending the oar skimming along through the rain washed sea.
Felldoh had his mouth open to the sky, trying to drink in some rainwater. Brome had heaved himself up on the oar. Anxiously he scanned the sunny stormswept wastes.
"There's no sign of 'em. The waves are too high!"
Before Felldoh had a chance to reply, the water beneath them heaved and they were both lifted high into the air. The big fish had hauled the sinking boat around like an empty peapod. It had found something to play with! Its huge body buffeted and banged the boat about.
Felldoh was still holding on to the oar as the fish temporarily lost interest in the boat and charged at the oar. The squirrel saw the wide mouth gaping through the water. Rows of pointed white teeth and a cavernous pink interior whooshed through the sea towards him.
Felldoh let go of the oar and submerged. He felt a thump on his back as the giant creature seized the oar and made off with it, frolicking and leaping, sometimes half its own length above the surface. Suddenly it dived and was gone.
The hull of the upturned boat struck his head as Brome leaned over and seized his ears. "Gotcha, matey!"
Scrambling and kicking, Felldoh managed to haul himself on to the upturned keel, where Brome was clinging with all paws.
"Whew! That was a close call. Still, fair exchange is no robbery. The fish can have the oar, we'll keep the boat."
Felldoh wiped dashing rain from his eyes. "Let's hope that monster doesn't feel playful again and come back for the boat after he's chewed our oar up. Hang on to my tail and steady me, young un. I'm going to take a look around for the others."
With Brome clinging to his tail, Felldoh stood gingerly and surveyed the stormy scene. Sunlight shafted down through the cloud masses, which were showing areas of bright blue sky between them.
The wind whipped the wavetops into white foam, sending massive rollers combing across the main.
"Any sign of 'em?"
Felldoh shaded his eyes from the rain with a paw.
"Not a glimpse, but there's a dark splotch on the horizon that must mean land. It must be floodtide we're headed straight for it."
Brome was not sure whether it was rain or tears in his eyes. "Thank the seasons for that! I wouldn't become a seafarer at any price. Leave the water to the fishes, I say."
The morning wore on, but the rain showed no signs of abating.
Grumm clung to the oar, half asleep, with Rose hanging on to his footpaw. Martin paddled doggedly on, pushing the oar in front of him, his body numbed from the cold of the sea and the driving rain. The sun was now coloring the sea in glorious tints. Rose stared at it through salt rimmed eyes, lost in its beauty for a moment until Martin's voice cut into her reverie. "The sun sets in the west, doesn't it?" Rose nodded. "Hmm, suppose it does." Martin's voice became suddenly hoarse with excitement. "This is the Eastern sea. If it were morning the sun would rise on its horizon. Don't you see what that means, Rose?"
"I'm too tired to work it out, Martin. Tell me what it means."
"It means that we have to face inland to see the sun in the afternoon. So if we can see the sun in front of us now, we are travelling towards land!"
Rose came fully awake, hauling herself up on Grumm's back she gave a loud yell.
"Land!"
It was still distant, but it was definitely land. Dark cliffs showed against the sky. She patted her mole friend's wet back heartily.
"Land, Grumm! It's land ahead!"
"Oi woant berleev et until these yurr diggen claws c'n scrape it, mizzy, an' then iffen et be so, thiz yurr beast woant never even be caught drinken water agin, never moind a swimmen in et."
Martin found renewed strength and kicked out harder towards firm ground.
10
Hisk the weasel Captain watched the bankvole rummaging about near Badrang's longhouse. Sneaking silently up, he pressed a dagger against the unsuspecting creature's back.
"Be very still or you're a deadbeast!"
Druwp did not move, nor did he show any surprise. "My name is Druwp. Kill me and you'll answer to Skalrag. I'm his spy."
Hisk moved the dagger point up to Druwp's neck. "You're lying. I think I'll kill you anyway"
"Do as you please, Captain," Druwp shrugged. "But I have valuable information."
"Like what, for instance?" Hisk curled his lip contemptuously.
"Like the three prisoners in your pit, for instance. They're not there any more. They've escaped."
Hisk spun Druwp around to face him. "You're lying. Nobeast could escape the prison pit!"
Druwp let a sly smile cross his lips. "Then go and see for yourself. If I'm lying, you can always kill me later. I'm not going anywhere."
Hisk grabbed Druwp by the neckfur and held the knife to his throat.
"Then I'll go and see for myself. If you're lying, I'll come back and kill you. Skalrag won't save you or didn't you know, he's been missing since last night."
Badrang was on the walltop when Hisk sidled up and whispered in the Tyrant's ear, "The three beasts we had in the prison pit are gone."
Badrang narrowed his eyes. "Gone? What d'you mean? They've died or been killed?"
"No, Sire, they've escaped."
"Rubbish, nobeast escapes my prison pit."
"That's what I thought, Sire, but they're gone sure enough. I went down and checked myself. The strange thing is that there's no sign of escape. The grating was locked tight and the pit was secure."
"How did you find out they were gone?"
"A bankvole slave, name of Druwp, told me. Said he was Skalrag's spy."
Badrang toyed with a lethal looking dagger, tapping it against his teeth. "Hmm, he may be useful to us. Have him brought to my longhouse tomorrow. Make sure none of the other slaves know."
A cry rang up from the shore. "Badrang, ole messmate! Sing out,
'ave you 'ad enough?"
"Is that you, Clogg, me 'earty?" The Tyrant smiled thinly as he slipped back into the old corsair language. "I'm the one should be askin' you that question. I've burned yer ship, stoved in yer boats an'
left you with nought but the sea behind yer and me wid me fortress an'
me horde in front of yer. What d'ye say t' that?"
Cap'n Clogg's irrepressible laughter rang out of the darkness.
"Haharr harr! But yer a few beasts short. My bullies slew a good number o' yours, an' I've got yer ole messmate Skalrag, trussed up like a fowl ready fer the pot. Oh, and some of yer darlin' liddle slaves 'ave escaped. Did ye know that?"
Badrang tapped the dagger against his teeth before he replied. "Out wid it, Tramun. Wot d'ye want?"
"A truce an' a parley wid me ole one time shipmate."
"Oho, there's a change of tune for yer. Why should I parley wid the likes of you, yer great plaited seaswab?"
"Cos iffen yer don't, I'll lay long siege to yer great palace. It don't cost nothin' to camp right 'ere on yer doorstep an' fish yer waters, an'
plunder yer fields. Me an' my buckoes ain't goin' noplace. I could keep a war goin' until yore dim in the eye, long in the seasons an' white in the beard. Then you won't get no fancy empire built, an' sooner or later yer horde'll starve. So be a good cove an' parley wid me."