Brian Jacques - Redwall #16 - Triss

Plugg spat, but missed her. So sorry not to please yer, but’ere I am, fit’n’well, yore’igh royalness.

Kurda shrugged. Never mind, der vound might get poisoned and kill you, den I be very glad, yarr.

Plugg bared his crooked teeth at the Pure Ferret. If’n it does, I’ll come back an’ haunt yew, missie!

She stalked off, sniggering to herself.

Scummy returned with a beaker that contained a few lumps of pine resin.

He placed it on the fire. This should do the trick, Cap’n. I’ll’ave ye lookin’ good as new in a tick. Grubbage, you sit on the Cap’n anold’im still. This is goin’ to’urt, Cap’n,’old tight!

Yeeeeguuurrr! BHsterin’ barnacles, that stuff burns. Pour some in the wound, too, mate, that’ll keep it clean. 1 ain’t about t’die, just ter please that snotty liddle madam. Well,’ow does it look, Grubbage? Tell the truth now!

Looks pretty as a summer morn covered wid roses, Cap’n.

The Freebooter stood up, wincing. Never mind no summer morn wid roses, long as it looks like my tail, in its proper place, too. Well, does it?

Both crewbeasts nodded furiously. Oh, it do, Cap’n, it do!

Before they could blink, Plugg had them both by their noses. His claws sunk in ruthlessly. Now lissen, buckoes, one word of this gets out an’

I’ll be a laughin’stock. So, you keeps yore gobs buttoned tight, or I’ll skin ye both alive an’ make a cloak of yore’ides. Do yew’ear me?

Say ÔAye aye, Cap’n’ if’n ye do.

Tears flooding their eyes, both crewbeasts danced tip-pawed on the spot as they obeyed the command.

Hi hi, Capin, uth heerth yith. Yeeeeek!

Plugg limped a few stepsÑthe tail held firm. He wheeled on Scummy and Grubbage. From now on, wherever 1 goes, you two follow right be’ind me. Everywhere! Keep yore eyes on me tail an’ fix it if’n it slips, afore anybeast can see. Aye aye, mates, look who’s sneakin’ into camp,’tis the slavecatcher.

Riggan padded noiselessly down the bank to where Kurda and Vorto were sitting at their own fire, apart from the Ratguards and crewbeasts.

Plugg and his two followers trailed in her wake, Kurda stared haughtily at the three Freebooters, but they did not move. Leaning on his battle-axe, Plugg sneered back at her.

We knew yore spy sneaked out o’camp. Well, go on, Riggan, make yore report to liddle miss pinky eyes.

Kurda could see there was no fooling the fox. She nodded for Riggan to go ahead with what she had learned. Firelight glinted off the tracker’s keen eyes as she spoke. 1 picked up the slaves’ trail, marm, further upstream. They stopped there awhile, then joined up wid some shrews. Nobeast spotted meÑI kept ‘idden. I tracked them up t’the far side o’ that big water meadow, where we lost the voles. Fools! They was all singin’ an’ dancin’ an’ feastin’. So I got as close up to ‘em as I could an’ lissened. The stripedog said they was bound fer a place called Red-wall Abbey, an’ the leader of the shrews said ‘e knowed where it was. Said ‘e’d take ‘em there. Tomorrow morn at dawn light they’re settin’ off. Four logboats an’ yore vessel.

Plugg interrupted maliciously, My boat ye mean, ratface. Haharr, Redwall Abbey, I’ve ‘eard grand tales about that place. Tis a treasure

‘ouse, ripe fer the pluckin’. We’d best break camp if’n we’re goin’

to follow ‘em.

Kurda smiled thinly. You injured, fox, not able to keep up mitt us, yarr.

The Freebooter winked roguishly. Don’t fret yore pretty ‘ead about me, I’ll be right up front with ye. An’ if’n I finds the goin’ a bit ‘ard, well, I’ll lean on yore fat brother’s ‘ead an’ use ‘im fer a crutch.

Hahaharrr!

Kurda ignored the insulting fox. Rising from her fire, she drew her sabre and pointed upriver. Ve march now, to der Abbey of Redvall!

Plugg set off at her side, but felt himself pulled back by Grubbage.

He turned irately on the fat searat. Will ye stop ruggin’ at me, wot is it?

Grubbage held the tail up. This just fell off, Cap’n, must’ve been the heat from that fire, he whispered.

With a swift motion, Plugg grabbed the tail and punched Grubbage on the nose. Why don’t ye shout a bit louder an’ let the ‘ole woodlands know, bigmouth!

Running stooped, Scummy panted as he fixed Plugg’s tail back in place, with the fox marching forward boldly.

Scummy muttered to Grubbage, I ‘ope this Redwall place ain’t too far!

Grubbage nodded agreement. Aye, mebbe we shoulda used tar!

The Abbot had finished his oft-interrupted breakfast in the orchard and was looking for means of escape from the boisterous horde of Dibbuns.

Wherever he moved there seemed to be one or other of the Abbeybabes, clinging to his robe, wanting to know the answer to a thousand and one unreasonable questions.

Friar Gooch came to his rescue, fending off the little ones. As he shepherded the Abbot from the orchard, the squirrel cook pointed with his ladle at the midwest wall-steps and remarked, Seems fbe a deal of disturbance over there, Father. Did ye hear young Churk whoopin’? Great seasons, I thought we were under some sort of attack!

Nodding absentmindedly, the Abbot replied, I was certainly under attack from those Dibbuns. D’you know why a gooseberry has its pips inside and a strawberry has pips on the outside?

The good Friar looked nonplussed. Never thought of it, really.

Shaking his head, the Father Abbot chuckled. Neither did I, until molebabe Roobil asked me. Right, let’s go and see what all the kerfuffle is about at the wallsteps. Nothing as difficult as Roobil’s problem, I hope.

Skipper, Mokug, Crikulus and Malbun waved and cried out to them across the lawn, Come and see, Churk has found the solution!

Churk waited until Friar and Abbot were seated on the sunwarmed sandstone steps. Skipper puffed out his chest and waved his rudder proudly When ye come t’think of all the scholars within our walls, an’ who was it solved the mystery o’ the scroll an’ pawring? Haharr, none other than me own pretty niece Churk. Let me tell ye, Father, an’ you, Friar, this ottermaid ‘as got an ‘ead on ‘er shoulders,ten, nay, twenny seasons beyond’er age. Ain’t that right, beauty? We’ll find that entrance now, sure enough!

Churk lowered her eyes politely. Uncle Skip, will ye stop embarrassin’

me in front o’ these goodbeasts an’ let me speak for meself?

The otter Chieftain patted her paw. Sorry, missy, you tell’em all about yore discoveryÑme lips are sealed!

Churk indicated the symbol on the pawring. The leaf is five times three, that’s the key to it all. She opened the scroll, pointing to the two bottom lines set apart from the rest. I wondered why this bit was written separate, so I counted the number of symbols on the line: Twenty-six, and each one is different. Now, what’s five times three, Father?

An immediate answer came from the Abbot. Fifteen, why?

Churk smiled secretively. Simple, really. Count along these signs, sir, an’ stop at the fifteenth one.

Moving his paw along the parchment, the Abbot counted. Twelve, thirteen, fourteen, fifteen. Why, it’s the leaf!

Churk asked her next question. What’s the fifteenth letter of the alphabet, Crikulus, sir?

The shrew did a quick count on his paws. Letter O is.

Churk spread her paws triumphantly. Right! Don’t ye see, those twenty-six signs at the bottom are an alphabet, from A to Z!

Malbun seized the ottermaid and planted a resounding kiss on her cheek.

You, Churk, are a positive wonder!

Crikulus gnawed on his straggly whisker ends. Hmph! I stared at that scroll for long enough, but it didn’t occur to me that it might be an alphabet. Well done, miss!

Mokug began wriggling and rubbing his paws. At last, I’ll know wot it all means. Go on, Churk, put it all together an’ read us the message!