Brian Jacques - Redwall #09 - Salamandastron

"Workin' on it," Sapwood grunted. "An' less of the 'old feller', you cheeky rogue. You must be at least two seasons older'n me."

"One, actually. What drill d'you think we should follow when we're loose? Personally I think that big hunk o' driftwood looks like a good bet. We'd never make our way through all those vermin back to the mountainthey'd probably stick us so full of bally spears an' arrows we'd look like a couple o' pincushions."

Sapwood wriggled his paws against the softening fibers. "An' what 'as that cob o' driftwood got to do with all this?"

Oxeye sneaked a footpaw loose. "Can't you see? It's an ideal boat. They wouldn't think of you putting to sea. It's the great escape. Sap. You could float up or down the coast apiece, land the driftwood and sneak back to Salamandas-tron."

The Sergeant shook water from his ear as he looked at his friend through one eye. "Me?"

"Yes, of course you! I simply hate watercan't swim a stroke, y'know. But I've watched you doin' all those sporty exercisesyou used to swim like a bally duck, every morn-in'."

Sapwood was not very keen on the idea. "Er, 'scuse me, hold feller, but what'H you be doin' while I'm cruisin' round on a cob of driftwood if Hi might ask?"

"Keepin' 'em busy while you escape, you great pugilistic

duffer." Oxeye chuckled. "One of us has got t' do it. I'll catch up with you as soon as I've roundly cracked a few heads. Now no arguments, Sergeant. Besides, I outrank you I'm a lieutenant, y'know. Never use the title an' I hate pullin' rank on a chap, but that's the way the pebble rocks. First we've got to get some weaponslet's see if we can entice ol' thickhead an' his pal over."

Migroo was nodding off nicely in the late noontide heat when Feadle shook him awake.

"Wot are those two hares up to, matey? Listen to 'em!"

Migroo sat up as the two captives started yelling, "Help, Help! There's a big fish over here tryin' to eat us! Yowch! Gerroff! Do somethin', chaps. It's a big fat fish!"

Feadle grabbed his spear. "Did yer 'ear that, mate? A big | fat fish!"

-5 Migroo also picked up his spear. "Hoho, just the job fer supper. Don't tell the others. Come on!"

They splashed across through the shallows. Feadle got there first, waving his spear animatedly as he shouted, "Where's the big fat fish?"

Sapwood sprang up right on cue, laying the weasel out with a crashing double pawswing. Migroo pulled up short, alarm on his face as he turned tail and ran off yelling, "Escape! The prisoners are escapin'!"

Oxeye's back had sunk into the wet sand and he had difficulty pulling himself up. Coming free with a sucking squelch, he ran to the driftwood and began tugging it into the water. "Come on, Sap. Hurry up! Get this thing out to sea!"

Between them they lugged the heavy tree limb, tripping and stumbling on branches and twigs as they pushed and towed it into the water.

Scores of vermin came racing across the beach with Klitch and Ferahgo yelling in the rear.

"Get them! Stop those hares!"

"Kill the two of them if you have to, but stop them!"

The driftwood was just beginning to float as Oxeye pushed his friend aboard. The enemy was now in the shallows, racing

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toward them through the rippling waves. Sapwood turned and grabbed Oxeye* s free paw.

"I haint goin' anyplace without you, Ox!"

Big Oxeye shook his head and laughed. "No no. Sap, you sail away. I'll hold 'em off. Have a good trip!" He whacked Sapwood beneath the chin with the butt of the spear he had taken from Feadle. The Sergeant lay stunned on the dead tree limb as Oxeye pushed it out into the current and the waves began to recede, carrying the makeshift craft into deep water.

A skinny ferret had outdistanced the rest. He waded out, swinging a sword. The big hare disarmed him with a single spear thrust. Grabbing the ferret, Oxeye pushed his head beneath the waves as he called out to the advancing foebeasts, his anger renewing the warrior spirit of his strength: "Come on, chaps, who's next for a jolly good bath?"

Sapwood was out of reaclrof the enemy as the water bore him on a southerly curve. Far behind him Big Oxeye threw himself spear in paw at the foe crowding forward through the waves.

' 'Eulaliaaaaaaaa!"

36

Dumble sat on the edge of little Droony's bed. The mole listened wide-eyed as the baby dormouse described his flight in great fictitious detail.

"Wizooooo! Right up inna sky we was, anna heagle was frightened, but Dumble wasn't, me laughed, haha! like that."

Brother Hollyberry opened his eyes slowly. "Who's that I hear laughing? Woke me up from a lovely sleep."

Thrugann was caught by surprise. She almost dropped a beaker of lector Flower mixture, juggling it in the air as she hooted, "Mercy me! Look, Furgle, it's Brother 'Ollyberry, an' he's waked!"

Furgle clasped his paws together gratefully. "Oh joy! He was first to go into that deadly sleep and the last to come out. Aren't old mousewives tales wonderful? Flowers of lector boiled in springwaterwho'd have ever thought it?"

Mrs. Faith Spinney trudged up from the Infirmary. She was carrying a trayful of hot hazelnut scones, each one with a blob of buttercream and chestnut on top of it.

"Dearie me, bake, bake, bake! I've done nothing the livelong day but bake since you sleepyheads woke up. Friar Bellows, when d'you think you'll be fit for kitchen duties again, sir?"

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The fat friar hopped nimbly from his bed. "Right now, marm. Are those hot hazelnut scones? Very good, very good. I'm quite partial to a well-baked scone."

Faith rapped his paws. "Then get along wi' you an' bake some, you idle mouse. These are for the big bird. I'm afeared greatly of it meself. Here, Dumble, take these to your friend."

Abbess Vale and the two mousemaids Turzel and Blossom watched chuckling from the dormitory window as Dumble and Droony fed the Wild King MacPhearsome on scones.

"Missus Spinney says don't eat too much, you get heagle's tummyache."

"Yurr, Dumble, let oi give heagle a scone. Burr, 'ere y' are, zurr."

MacPhearsome had never tasted such food in all his wild life among the icy crags. He picked the scones from the infant's paws delicately with his savagely curved beak and wolfed them down, showering the two little heads below with crumbs.

"Och, these vittles are braw eatin', Dumble. Ha' ye nae mair o' those wee veggible pasties the guid hedgepig lady made?''

Droony squinched his eyes until they nearly disappeared into his small velvety face. "Bohurr, you'm heagle do be a-talken funny loik. Oi carn't unnerstan' a wurd 'ee be sayen, Dumble."

That evening the tables were laid out in the orchard. Friar Bellows, Faith Spinney, Thrugann and Furgle were setting out a scratch feast in honor of the two saviors of Redwall: Dumble and the Wild King MacPhearsome. It had all been done on the spur of the moment with what food was available; nonetheless it was a happy and joyous occasion.

Perched on a specially chosen log, the great golden eagle and Dumble did full justice to the food from their place of honor. A large basin of mole's deeper'n ever tater 'n' turnip 'n' beetroot pie stood steaming in the center of the board, surrounded by woodland salad, yellow and white cheeses and oat farls. Farther out it gave way to candied acorns, hazelnuts

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and chestnuts arranged around flagons of October ale. Three plumcakes, heavy with honey, stood at strategic points, and between them were heaped platters of bilberry, redcurrant and apple tarts, with bowls of greensap milk and rich buttercup cream. Friar Bellows had invented a special MacPhearsome cake, comprised mainly of damson cream, stiff comb honey, arrowroot shortbread and glazed maple shoots. It was difficult for the Wild King to keep a dignified posture and satisfy his ravenous appetite, so Dumble translated for him as he sank his talons into the special cake.