The Lutra - Jacques, Brian - Redwall 09 - The Pearls Of Lutra

“ What are you doin' over there, sir?''

The hare stood with both paws searching madly behind his back for the box as he tried to stand still, smiling casually. "What, er, who, me? Er, ahaha, old feller, nothin' at all, nice an' snug in this corner, doncha think, wot wot?''

The Friar advanced on him, shaking a ladle threateningly. "Yore up to some prank, I know it! Now get out o' my kitchen; tea'll be ready when I've made it!" He grabbed hold of Clecky's tunic and pulled sharply. "Come on, out I said!"

But the hare had hold of the box in both paws and was unwilling to let go. He tottered forward and overbalanced, shouting indignantly, "I say, leggo, y'great foozlin' Friar! Yaaaahah!"

Higgle dodged to one side as the hare fell, bringing the candlestick crashing down to the floor with him. Candied chestnuts from the fractured box rolled around the kitchen floorstones. Martin and Higgle helped Clecky up. The Friar was furious.

"Now lookit what you done, an' all through sheer greed for a few chestnuts. The great summer candle is broke, snapped clean in two pieces! You'll pay for this, sir ten-bellies!"

Rollo, Tansy and Gerul were gathering up the spilled nuts. Tansy could not help grinning as she nudged the old Recorder. "Rollo, shame on you, don't eat them, put them back in the box. Really, a vole of your seasons pinching candied chestnuts like a Dibbun, you're worse than Clecky ... Hello, what's this?"

By accident, she had trodden on a lump of the congealed candlewax, which had broken from the holder in its fall.

As the candlewax broke under Tansy's paw, a large pink globe rolled out across the floor.

Martin stared at it in wonder. "A pearl," he whispered. "A perfect pink pearl."

"So that was it," said Rollo. "Hidden in plain view! Fermald pushed the pearl into the molten wax and it set around it. Clever!"

Rollo sat flat upon the floor, watching Tansy breaking up the rest of the hardened wax globules. "Tears, the Tears of all Oceanswe're hunting for pearls!Why didn't I think of it before? The most precious thing to come out of the great waters; though I've never heard them referred to as tears of oceans before. What a charming description! Tansy, you're making a dreadful mess breaking up all that wax over the floor. What are you doing?"

The young hedgehog maid produced a greasy ball of rolled-up paper, the same size as the pearl, from among the wax pieces.

"Hah! I found it, the clue to the second pearl!" she cried.

Clecky tried to look as if he was not chewing three chestnuts as he swaggered about, dusting himself down. "Mmmff snch! Knew I'd be able to help you chaps, mmf glupp! Takes an eagle eye an' a sharp brain t'hunt the jolly old pearls y'know, gronnff snch! No need to thank me, all in a day's work, wot? Youch!"

Friar Higgle's ladle caught him smartly on the tail, and he fled from the kitchens, yelling amid the laughter that followed him, "Base ingratitude. Yowp! Desist, sir, I say. Owch!"

Chapter 16

Of all the seagoing vermin frequenting Sampetra, Rasconza was the only fox. He was bosun to Slashback, searat captain of the ship Bloodkeel.Rasconza was tough, ambitious and smart; after the captains' revolt he had appointed himself leader of the rebel crews roaming the island's high hills.

The fox was a renowned blade thrower, having about him no fewer than ten daggers, which he would use at the drop of a paw. None of the other vermin challenged his position.

Rasconza crouched on a hilltop at the isle's northwest tip. Behind him in a hollow the vermin crews lay about, eating fruit, roasting fish and dozing in the warm tropical noon. But the fox was alert, watching the sea before him.

Barranca and the captains were sailing the Freebootertowards the inlet below, unaware that Sagitar, with a full crew of Trident-rats, was following in the Bloodkeel.Barranca had taken the open sea route, but Sagitar had followed at a distance, hugging the coast. Bloodkeelwas now lying in wait around the high curving hills of the headland. Once Barranca sailed his ship into the inlet, Sagitar could slip around and block the exit with her vessel, trapping Freebooterand the captains. It would be the perfect ambush.

Rasconza's sharp brain and keen eyes took in the situation at a glance, and he laid his plans swiftly. Slipping away from the drowsing rebels was but the work of a moment. Once out of their sight the fox dashed headlong down the cliff towards the inlet and arrived in time to hail Barranca as Freebooternosed into the shallows.

"Cap'n, 'tis I, Rasconza. There's a shipload of Trident-rats lying in wait for ye, they'll round the point soon an' trap yer!"

Barranca glanced around the narrow inlet, realizing it was too late to back water and turn for an open run out to sea. "We'll 'ave to stand an' fight 'em! Are the crews close by, mate we're goin' t'need 'elp!"

Rasconza put on his steadfast and honest face and saluted Barranca. "Leave it t'me, Cap'n," he said, voice grim and determined, "I'll muster 'em an' get back 'ere in a flash! You 'old those Trident-rats off, I won't be long!"

Barranca returned the salute as Rasconza trotted off. "That's the spirit, messmatetogether we'll give 'em a drubbin' they won't fergit!"

Rasconza ran puffing and panting uphill until the ships below looked like toys. Slowing down, he crept into the hollow where the crews lay asleep around the ashes of their fires. The fox cocked up both ears and listened, satisfied that he could hear no noise from far below. Then, retrieving half a roasted fish from the paws of a sleeping searat, he began eating slowly, mentally calculating the wait before putting the next stage of his plan into action.

After what he deemed an appropriate interval, Rasconza stood up, kicking those about him into wakefulness. "Our cap'ns are bein' massacred down there, look!" he yelled.

He dashed to the hilltop and pointed down to the inlet. Wave vermin rubbing sleep from their eyes joined him, yelling outrage at the scene below.

"Trident-rats! They've got the cove blocked off!"

"Scum, they've overrun the Freebooter!

"Let's get down there an' rip into 'em!"

"Aye, we'll make the waters run red t'save our cap'ns!"

Rasconza strode to the fore, bellowing, "Too late to save those cap'ns now, mates. I got a plan, lissen! We split into three groups. Baltur, you take one lot down there to the left, bypass the Trident-rats an' board the Bloodkeelfrom 'er stern! Gancho, you take another lot to the right an' board 'er from the for'ard end, that way we've got ourselves a ship! I'll take the rest straight down the center an' attack the Trident-ratsI'll make 'em pay fer slaughterin' our cap'ns!"

A roar of approval went up from the crewbeasts.

Sagitar had not thought it would be so hard to slay six captains and take one prisoner, but it had been a long and bitter fight. Once she had blocked the inlet by anchoring Bloodkeelacross it, she ordered her Trident-rats to attack. They went overboard and had to swim until the water was shallow enough for them to wade.

The captains were waiting for them. Having armed themselves with pikes and boathooks, they dashed around Freebooter'srails, hacking and stabbing at every head that appeared over the side. But numbers began to tell. Urged on by Sagitar, the Trident-rats fought their way aboard. Immediately Barranca and his companions abandoned ship and, wading ashore, they speared viciously at the foebeasts in the shallows. Then Flaney fell to a trident thrust, followed by Rippdog and Rocpaw. Back to back, Slashback, Bloodsnout and Bilgetail kept off the advancing Trident-rats. Barranca joined them, blood streaming from him as he slashed about with his sabre, shouting, "Where's that fox got to with our crews?"