Brian Jacques - Redwall #22 - The Sable Quean

Midda watched the stoat lumbering off. She was about to give a sigh of relief when he turned, looking around suspiciously.

"Why's it so dark in 'ere? Where's the other lantern? There should be two of 'em in 'ere."

Midda tried to keep the panic out of her voice. She babbled nervously, knowing that Tura had taken the other lantern with her. "Er, haha, it's always dark in here, sir. I always thought we had only the one lantern--ain't that right, Diggla?"

"No, we got two lanter's. Too'a squiggle got one."

Midda groaned inwardly, until Tura startled the fat stoat by looming up out of the darkness with the extinguished lantern in her paw.

"The little un's right, sir. We have got two lanterns. Here's the other one, but it's gone out."

The vermin guard grabbed it roughly from the squirrelmaid. "Gone out, eh? Wait there!"

He stumped off, returning a moment later with a lighted lantern, which he passed to Midda. "Here's a new un. Yore

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in charge of it. Don't let these liddle brats play with it an' it'll stay lit, unnerstand?"

There was genuine relief in the shrewmaid's voice. "Aye, sir. I'll look after it, thankee sir!"

The stoat stared sourly at her. "Never mind thankee sir. Yew just keep this lot quiet an' let me get a bit o' sleep ... or else!"

He went off back to the guardpost, where within a short time, his slobbering snores were audible.

Tura sat down next to Midda. They began conversing in hushed whispers.

"Whew, you just made it back in time, Tura. Well, what did ye find in there?"

Tura glanced at Jinty, Jiddle and some of the others who had gathered around to listen. "Now, hold yore silence or we'll have that stoat back in here. There's a tunnel behind that back wall!"

Midda's paw shot out, gagging Jiddle, who was about to squeak aloud happily. The young hog mumbled, "Mm surry" allowing Tura to continue.

"Aye, a long dark tunnel. It goes both ways, t'the left an' right. I took a look both ways but couldn't stay long enough. I had t'come back when I heard you two young thick'eads yellin'. D'ye realise that yore voices echo all round behind that wall?"

Tura issued them both with a stern look before she carried on. "I don't know, but I had a feelin' that the tunnel t'the left was the one I fancied."

Midda clasped her friend's paw. "You did well, mate, an' if ye want to go left down the tunnel, then left it is!" She turned as Jinty's paw tapped her back. "What is it? Keep yore voice down."

The Witherspyk hogmaid asked timidly, "Two things, really. Are we all goin'? And when?"

Tura chuckled quietly. "Of course we're all goin'. If we're goin' to escape, then nobeast gets left behind."

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Midda stroked little Diggla's head; he was dropping off. "Right, but when'll be the best time to go?"

Jiddle was not in any doubt. "There'll never be a better time than now, while the guards are asleep!"

Tura nodded. "He's right, Midda, but we'll have to move fast. Once they find we've gone, that Sable Quean'll have the whole lot of 'em right on our tails!"

"Unless ...I"

She looked questioningly at Jiddle. "Unless what?"

The young hog gave a sly smile. "Unless we block the openin'--sort of disguise it so they can't tell where we've gone to."

Tura tweaked his snout. "That's a great idea. How d'ye think we should go about it?"

Jiddle cast swift glances around the cavern, his ingenuity coming to the fore as he outlined his scheme.

Jinty went first. Once she was through the crack, she held up a lantern and guided the youngest ones through. When only Midda, Tura and Jiddle were left, they scoured the cave for any loose rock and rubble. There were some quite sizeable lumps of stone, large clumps of earth made up of dead roots and clay-based soil and some single pieces of thicker root limbs. Working swiftly and noiselessly, they passed the material through to Jinty, who piled it up. "That should be enough, mates. Come on through now."

Once on the other side, Jinty and her brother led the little ones off down the left of the tunnel, holding up a lantern to guide their way. With the aid of the remaining lantern, Tura and Midda commenced blocking up the escape hole. They jammed the rocks, earth clumps and root limbs into the narrow aperture, ramming it hard with their footpaws. They completed the task, panting with the force of their efforts.

Midda gave the jammed mass a final pat. "There, I think that should do it. D'you think it'll fool 'em?"

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Tura shrugged. "Well, if'n it doesn't, let's just hope it buys us enough time to get clear away."

They hurried off to join the others, the lantern casting a pool of light around the rough-hewn tunnel as they went.

The passage took a sharp bend after a while. That was where they came upon Jiddle and Jinty sitting in a huddle with the little ones.

Tura reproved the Witherspyk hogs. "Wot'n the name o' fur'n'fancies are ye thinkin' of, sittin' about like moles at a meetin'? We're supposed t'be bloomin' well escapin'!"

Jinty indicated the babes, some of whom were curled up slumbering soundly. "It ain't our fault. It's these little uns--they're tired. Some can't go any further without rest."

Tura lifted the mousebabe Diggla up onto her back. "Well, we can't stop here. We'll just have to carry 'em. You two take one apiece. Me'n Midda will take another two. The rest look fit enough to go on."

Midda heaved one of the harebabes onto her shoulders, jollying the rest along with a cheery comment. "Haha, you lot are all bigbeasts now--y'don't need carryin', do ye!"

The remaining babes all voiced their various opinions.

"Gurr, oi'm turrible 'ungry!"

"An I be thirsty, too--gimme a drink, Midda!"

A volebabe set them all off with her impassioned wails. "Waaahaahhaah! I want my mammy!"

Immediately, the tunnel echoed to the cries of homesick babes wanting mothers, fathers and grandkin.

Midda decided the only way to be kind was to take a firm stand and suffer no nonsense. Holding up her lantern, she set off down the tunnel with the harebabe Urfa on her back, calling to the others, "You'd best follow me, then, 'cos ye won't get mammies, daddies, vittles or drinks by sittin' there cryin'. Ain't that right, Tura?"

The squirrelmaid set off after her, assuring the babes, "Aye, that's right enough. You come with us an' soon you'll get everythin'--vittles, kinbeasts, the lot!"

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Once Jiddle had picked up the remaining lantern and followed Midda, the rest scrambled to join them. Nobeast wanted to be left alone in a darkened tunnel. However, it did not take long before the questions started, little ones being what they were. Both Midda and Tura did their best to answer.

"When do I sees my mammy?"

"Oh, t'won't be long now. Just keep goin'."

"Wot sort o' vikkles bees us'n's agoin' t'get?"

"Er, nice vittles, I imagine, only the best."

"Do we gets h'apple pudden?"

"Aye, lots of apple pudden."

"Wiv hunny on, an' meddycream?"

"As much as ye like and arrowroot sauce, nice'n'hot."

"Yikk, I not like harry'oot sauce, not nice."

"Then you don't have to have it. Catch up, now."

"Yurr, wot we'm bee's a-drinken, marm?"

Tura stifled an anguished groan. "What d'ye like to drink, eh?"

Mousebabe Diggla, from his perch on the squirrelmaid's back, shouted aloud into her ear, "Straw'bee fizz, dat's wot us likes!"

Tura clapped a paw to her ear. "Right, strawberry fizz it is!"

The babes set up a rousing cheer. Apparently strawberry fizz was a firm favourite with little ones.

They carried on along the tunnel until Tura suddenly halted. Midda bumped into her.

"What's up, mate? Why've ye stopped?"

The splashing was audible underpaw. Both lanterns were held up, revealing a flooded expanse lying ahead of them.