Brian Jacques - The Rogue Crew

Standing up in the dark, she touched the trapdoor lid. “Get a piece of rope, not too thick. I’ll lift this door a touch, and you jam the rope in. Then we’ll try to get an idea of what this place is like. Let’s hope they’re not watching too closely.”

Thankfully, the door did not creak as Posy opened it a touch. Uggo fed the bit of rope between the tiny gap. It worked, allowing a small shaft of light to shine through from the cabin lanterns. Standing on tippaw, Uggo strained his head to one side, reporting what he could see.

“There’s only two of ’em there now. One lyin’ on the bunk, the other—the fox, I think—snoozin’ in a chair.”

Posy was exploring the rope locker. She replied in a whisper, “That must be the Razzid vermin on the bunk. This place is just a mess of old rope ends. Oh, just a moment, what’s this?”

Uggo was at her side swiftly. “Have ye found somethin’?”

Posy scratched the bulkhead with her pawnails. “Look, there’s been a fire here at some time. This wall hasn’t been fixed. . . . Great seasons, it’s a door!”

Uggo could see only a sliver of the bulkhead in the light. “How can ye tell it’s a door?”

There was a dull, metallic clunk, followed by the hogmaid’s explanation. “Because I’ve found the latch. It won’t open outward. We’ll have to shift some of this rope. Come on.”

They heaved frayed coils of sea-rotted ropes, cables, hawsers and rigging, piling them up to one side until a space was cleared. Uggo opened the door inward, holding his breath each time it made a creak or a scrape.

“Hope the vermin didn’t hear anythin’. What d’ye think?”

“Ssshhh, wait a while, just in case,” Posy cautioned him.

Moments ticked by as they stared through the open door into the darkness beyond. At last, Uggo relaxed. “They’re still asleep. Where d’ye suppose it leads to?”

Posy felt around the door. “I don’t know. . . .What’s this?” Moving back into the slim shaft of lantern light, she held up a sharp but well-worn wood chisel.

“The workbeasts must’ve left this behind when they were repairing the burn damage. It’ll do as a weapon, eh?” Bending his head, Uggo crawled through the doorspace. “Let’s see where this leads.”

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.”