Posy took a long piece of tough heaving line. “Wait—this should buy us a bit of time!”
There was a ring on the underside of the trapdoor flap. She doubled the rope to it and tied it tight to the latch hasp on the bulkhead door.
“There. They won’t open that in a hurry. Come!”
Uggo led the way, holding on to Posy with one paw and the chisel with the other. They went slowly and carefully, feeling their way with each step. Without a lamp, or any other illumination, it was difficult.
The way narrowed, then Uggo felt cold water washing around his footpaws. Not knowing they were in the bilges, he muttered fearfully, “Hope we’re not sinkin’. I can hear the waves from outside. Wish I knew wot way we’re goin’—it’s so flippin’ dark down here, an’ wet, too.”
His companion had been working things out.
“When we were taken to the captain’s cabin, I could see the water from the back window. I think we must be going toward the front of the ship, least I hope we are.”
Uggo raised his paw, scraping the woodwork over their heads with the chisel. He wiped ash from his eye. “More burnt wood, though this board feels a bit loose. Wot d’ye think, shall I try to lift it?”
Posy was in agreement. “Have a go, but be careful in case there’s anybeast nearby. Here, I’ll lend a paw. Gently now, Uggo. . . . Easy, easy.”
The board creaked slightly under their pressure, but the noise seemed to blend in with the usual sounds of a vessel at sea. When it was lifted enough, Uggo boosted Posy to take a view of their surroundings. After a quick peep, she dropped back down with some news.
“It’s open deck above us, near the front end of the boat—the bow, I think they call it. But there’s a vermin, one of those searats, about two paces from where we’ll come up. You take a look, see what you think.”
She assisted Uggo to peer out. He watched the searat for some time before dropping down.
“I think he’s supposed t’be on watch, but he’s leanin’ o’er the rail. From the sloppy way he’s loungin’, ’tis my wager that he’s fallen asleep on duty. Let’s try sneakin’ quietly out an’ hope he don’t notice us.”
The board groaned ominously as they pushed at it. Then it came loose suddenly, clattering over onto the deck. Uggo levered himself up, getting scratched by the scupper edge as he emerged to face a half-awake searat, turning to stare at him in bewilderment.
“Worra yew doin’ round ’ere, mate?”
Uggo swung hard, with the chisel clenched in his paw. The shock ran through him as his fist belted the vermin square on its chin. The searat collapsed to the deck, totally knocked out.
Posy was holding out a paw. “Hurry, Uggo, help me!”
He had to use one paw, the other being numbed by the force of the blow he had dealt. He was massaging the paw when the hogmaid hissed at him, “Never mind that now— we need someway to get off this ship. Take a good look around. . . . Here, what are these?”
Uggo shrugged. “I dunno—some kind o’ big arrows?”
Posy, all business now, ordered him briskly, “Get me some rope—hurry!”
Uggo cast around, coming up with a sounding line. She grabbed it and began binding the four thick shafts together. “This’ll have to do as a raft. Take one end, and we’ll throw it overboard. Move, Uggo!”
Grunting, he took an end of the thick bundle. “Which side do we chuck it o’er? I mean, which way is it to the land—I can’t see any, can you?”
Posy hesitated briefly, then decided. “Left, I think. Aye, left. One . . . two . . . heave!”
The bound arrow bundle hit the water with a splash that was followed by two lesser splashes as the young hedgehogs plunged into the sea after it.
There was a shout from the deck as the sleeping corsair at the tiller was wakened by the noise.
“Ahoy, wot’s goin’ on there?”
Holding on to the spearshafts in the sea, the two friends heard the crewbeast shuffling for’ard.
Uggo grabbed a matted fender hanging from the ship’s side. “If’n we push off for shore now, we’ll be spotted. I’ll hold us in here, under the bow!”
They clung under the hull’s curve, scarcely daring to breathe. On deck, the pawpads of the tillerbeast got closer to the prow. Posy heard the corsair, a weasel, speaking aloud to himself.
“Nah, then, wot’s goin’ on ’ere? Is dat you, Dirgo? Huh, yew’ve bin at the grog agin, aincha? Cap’n Razzid’ll feed yer guts t’the fishes if’n ’e catches yer rotten drunk an’ snoozin’ on watch. Cummon, mate, up ye come, I’ll git yer back t’the galley, out o’ the way.”
There followed some heaving and cursing, then the sound of the weasel staggering off under his senseless burden. Posy set her footpaws against Greenshroud’s hull. “Let’s push off and see if we can’t get a good distance away by daybreak.”
It was not as easy as they had first thought, hanging on to the bundle whilst kicking with their footpaws.
Uggo gritted his teeth in exasperation. “We’ve been paddlin’ for a bloomin’ age, an’ we don’t seem t’be goin’ anywhere. Look ’ow close the ship still is. We’re goin’ t’get caught soon.”
They drifted slightly further on a rising swell. Posy patted her friend’s paw reassuringly. “It feels like the tide’s turned. We’ll move quicker now.”
However, Uggo continued to pose problems. “If we’re travellin’ with the tide, it’s still no ’elp, Posy. The ship’ll follow us.”
The pretty hogmaid shook her head. “See that thick rope hanging from the back of the ship? It’s an anchor, to stop it drifting. Now paddle, mate!”
Posy was right. In the first streaks of grey dawn, they had gone a good distance. Uggo laid his head upon the arrowshafts.
“I’m dead tired. Got to ’ave a little sleep—just a doze, eh?”
But his companion would have none of it. “Now’s not the time to be sleeping. Keep going. We’ve got to get ashore, before those vermin find us missing!”
Uggo opened one eye, staring at the way ahead. “There ain’t no sign o’ land anywhere. We could be goin’ the wrong way—out t’sea, for all you know.”
Posy was beginning to lose her temper with Uggo. “We’re going the right way, I’m sure of it. Now, stop complaining and start paddling. Honestly, you really are the limit, Uggo Wiltud. Yeek, what’s that?”
The sea rose around them as something huge and black displaced the water. It had four shiny humps, and several fins. Moreover, it made the most awful noise.
14
The army of pygmy shrews and sand lizards was taken completely by surprise. A huge piece of the wall smacked down on their front rank. In that same instant, Captain Rake Nightfur and Colour Sergeant Miggory came at them, leading over a halfscore of Long Patrol hares, all of them bellowing and roaring fearsome war cries.
“Eulaliiiiaaaa!”
“Give ’em blood’n’vinegar!”
“Forward the buffs an’ lay on ’em!”
“Eulaliiiiiaaa!”
Demoralised by the speedy assault and deafening battle shouts, Queen Dukwina’s horde fled in disarray. They left eight of their number stunned flat by the section of wall.
Miggory came smartly to attention, saluting Rake. “H’all runts defeated, sah! Tootled h’off like billyoh h’at the sight o’ proper warriors, sah. H’any further ordahs, Cap’n?”
The tall, dark hare sheathed his claymores. “Ah cannae see us pursuin’ ’em, Sarn’t. Form the column up, an’ let’s follow the others, at the double!”
The young Patrollers were jubilant at such a quick victory.
“I say, chaps, see how those blighters took off, wot!”
“Shouldn’t wonder if they’re still jolly well runnin’, eh!”
“I say, we should’ve pursued the little scoundrels an’ kicked a few tails, wot wot!”