The badger maid walloped furiously at the tongue with her shattered paddle as Pikkle and the others hammered at the widespread jaws and teeth. The monster veered away, turning
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its attention upon the capsized boat and its crew. The shrews shrieked as they floundered and struggled in the water, fighting to avoid the lashing coils that pounded the lakewater into a bubbling lather.
Mara could only watch in helpless horror as the scaly behemoth seized a half-drowned shrew in its jaws. Two others were cruelly trapped by the convolutions of its massive body as it twisted about, slamming them against the hull of the overturned boat.
"Help, badger. Help me, please!"
With his paws bound, Tubgutt was bobbing about in the roiling melee, buoyed up by the air trapped in his fur. Mara grabbed the fat shrew and hauled him aboard quickly. Log-a-log, Nordo and the rest of the Guosssom crew drew their rapiers. They leaned over the side, rocking the boat perilously as they stabbed repeatedly at the gigantic bulk that thrashed about between the two logboats.
"Nordo, watch out!" Pikkie hurled himself bodily at the shrew. Cannoning into him, he knocked him out of harm's way just in the nick of time. The flailing tail whipped down mightily on the boat, striking the spot where Nordo had stood a split second before and smashing a large chunk out of the vessel's side.
As suddenly as it had appeared, the Deepcoiler vanished down into the mysterious unfathomed depths of the lake, taking with it three shrews. Instantly the surface was restored to mirrorlike calm. Log-a-log slung out a grappling hook on a line, neatly snagging the upturned boat. Willing Guosssom paws heaved to turn the craft upright. Mara, Pikkle and some others pulled the survivors to safety, some semiconscious, others injured, but all grateful to be alive.
As Mara released Tubgutt from his bonds, Nordo sized up the situation. "Well, we've lost three good shrews and the provisions from the other boat. Just look at the damage to our boat!"
Pikkle was ministering to those he had rescued from the water. "These chaps aren't too badly injuredknocked about
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a bit, mostly bruises an' cuts. We'll live t' fight another day, lads!"
Tubgutt went down on all fours. Taking Mara's paw, he placed it on his head. "I'm sorry I ever spoke out against you, badger. I owe you my life. From now on I will be at your side. Your friends are my friends and your enemies my enemies, this I swear upon my oath as a Guosssom shrew!"
Mara chuckled to hide her embarrassment- "Thank you, Tubgutt. But I wouldn't try to outscoff Pikkle again, if I were you. Next time you might swell up and explode."
Minutes stretched siowly into hours. Dawn was a long time in coming as the two boats rocked gently on the surface of the great waters. Throughout the night watches everybeast sat awake, too fearful for sleep.
Log-a-log, Nordo and Tubgutt repaired paddles as best as they could. Mara and Pikkle issued a scratch meal from the depleted rations. Other shrews tended to their injured comrades. All through the long night countless worried glances were directed at the silent dark waters, dreading a return attack from the Deepcoiler.
Daylight arrived in rosy mist-shrouded splendor, lifting the spirits of the voyagers. The sun banished wreathing vapors from the lake and a cloudless blue sky heralded another glorious summer day as they paddled over the vast deep. Trailing lines and small nets were thrown out, and they trapped a few trout fry and some freshwater shrimps. These were cleaned and spread in the sterns to cure by sun-drying. Midafternoon brought with it a cry from the lookout.
"Land ho!"
Log-a-log had been baling out water from the damaged boat. He looked up gratefully and called back, "Where away?"
"It's an island, straight for'ard as we go!"
Mara stood carefully on tip-paw. Sure enough, there was an unmistakable smudge on the horizon that could only be an island of some kind.
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Pikkle bobbed up and down at her side. "Well, blow me down with a feather. Is that it? I say, good show! I don't give a frog's hoot how many ghosty ol' badgers live theretake me to it. Anything's better than floatin' about out here waitin' for that blinkin' Deepthingy to work up an appetite again."
Log-a-log scooped busily at the water building up in the bottom of the boat. "Fligg, Rungle, lend a paw here! This is worse than I thought. We've got a crack running halfway under the hull. Huh, we'll be lucky to make land in this leaky tub, though we might stand a chance if we bale fast and paddle even faster!"
Mara took up a paddle and moved to the prow. Nordo, Pikkle and Tubgutt joined her. The badger maid struck out deep and strong.
"Right, come on, Gousssom shrews. Let's see what you're made of. Me and Pikkle are only land-lubbers, but I'll wager we can paddle the paws off you idle lot!"
Nordo grinned across at her. "Hah, did you hear that, lads? Come on, let's show these two that we're the sons of the roarin' shrews!"
Paddles plunged deep as the logboat shot forth like an arrow, each shrew defending the reputation of^ the Guosssom as they bent their backs and rendered a lusty paddling shanty.
"Pull, boys, pull!
O, we're the sons of the roarin' shrews And a logboat is the home we choose. O, pull, me bullies, pull! Now we can stamp an' we can fight An' paddle logboats day and night. Pull, boys, pull!
I was bom in a stream on a stormy day, So I jumped in a boat and paddled away. O, pull, me bullies, pull! A paddle's me son an' a boat's me wife, An' the open water is me life. Pull, boys, pull! O, I can scoff an' outfight you,
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I'm the paddlin' son of a roarin' shrew. O, pull, me bullies, pull!"
Not to be outdone, the crew of the other logboat took up the shanty and began paddling harder. Soon it had developed into a full-blooded race. The two boats fairly skimmed over the waters, paddles flashing and bow waves throwing up spray.
For all his girth and weight, Tubgutt was a powerful creature. He dug his paddle long and deep, laughing aloud at Pikkle's unorthodox but effective methods. The young hare was like some crazy jack-in-the-box, ears flopping either side as he bobbed up and down, grunting hard at each paddle stroke and improvising his own shanty.
"O, I'm a Salamandastron lad, An' by my reckonin' that's not bad. Scoff, chaps, scoff! Now listen, shipmates, while I say I'd rather scoff than paddle all day. O, scoff y'villains, scoff! I don't think that I'd feel so sore With an apple pudden in each paw. Scoff, chaps, scoff! So set me down on good dry earth, I'll eat an' snooze for all I'm worth. O, scoff, y'villains, scoff!"
On through the afternoon the two logboats raced, sometimes neck and neck, but mainly with Mara's boat in the lead, owing to the formidable strength and staying power of the badger maid and her friends. Because of the speed they were traveling, the pressure on the hull of the damaged vessel was causing water to leak in ever faster. Log-a-log and the bailing party had their paws full trying to cope with the flow but, caught up in the spirit of the race, they battled on.
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