Brian Jacques - Mossflower

in the crosstrees confirmed Din-'s words. "Sun arising eastward, trees growing

close, we're n the forest."

> *'Keep her head straight," shouted Log-a-Log, standing lout for'ard. "Furl

those sails in before they snag on the 'branches. Lively there!" f Martin

joined him at the prow.

| "At this rate we should make Camp Willow around mid-f(Jay. I never noticed

us navigating the ford that crosses the

Log-a-Log patted the rail. "I chanced it in the dark. Good ^tailoring, see.

Old Wuddshipp skimmed the shallows with ii^er flat bottom. Nice and deep here

though, easy going on ffceoars."

4 The sun rose above the woodland mists, revealing another Ifcot summer day.

Patterns of water light played along the

Bulkheads, leaf and branch shadow mottled the decks. The Iftiars pulled strong

against the deep slow current as the big

thip nosed its course, further into the depths of Mossflower.

315

45

Brogg watched Tsarmina as she lay flat upon the parade ground with her ear to

the floor.

One of Bane's former mercenaries, a rat named Chinwart, tugged at Brogg's

cloak and asked, "What's she up to, Cap'n?"

"Can't you see, she's listening for water."

"Water?"

"Aye, water, wormbrain. What d'you suppose she'd be listening for, strawberry

cordial?"

Tsarmina sprang up, hurried across the parade ground and lay near the wall of

the building. Listening intently, she waved a paw.

"Brogg, over here!"

"Yes, Milady."

"Get down, press your ear to the wall—not up there, down here by the ground."

"Oh, right. Here, Milady?"

' "That's it. Tell me what you can hear.''

"Er, nothing, Milady."

"Are you sure, Brogg?"

"I'm certain, Milady."

"Well, I can hear water running."

"But I can't, Milady."

"Hmm, perhaps it's my imagination."

"Strange thing the imagination. Milady."

316

'Are you sure you searched below the cells last night?"

'Positive, Milady."

'Brogg, if I thought you were lying to me ... You did irch there, didn't you?"

The weasel Captain noted the look of fear that flitted across tormina's

features. He took full advantage of it. "Your Majesty, I personally went alone

to the place be-

-ath the cells where it's all damp and green with slime and w ngus. I searched

around that underground lake where the fCjloomer lived. The place was full of

strange echoes and dripping sounds. Maybe that's what you've heard. The place

is ^•-vays full of odd echoes and dripping noises down there in blackness.

Shall we go down there together and recheck Milady?" Tsarmina could not stop

her whole body shaking; she sat

- the ground, unconsciously wiping her paws across her xt. "No, no, Brogg,"

she said nervously. "I won't be go-down there. I'll be up in my chamber if you

need me for nything."

%. She nurried indoors, brushing roughly past Chinwart, who

ffead been lingering nearby, eavesdropping on the conversa-

Ilion.

f He winked knowingly at Brogg. "I was with you last night.

pfe never went anywhere near that place under the cells. What

|* pack of old fibs you fed her there, mate."

C Brogg grabbed the rat savagely by his ear and pulled him

:fek>se, twisting hard.

"Listen to me, bonebrain. You keep your skinny mouth uit. I'm giving the

orders now, not Bane." ^ "Owowowow, leggo, you're pulling me lug off!"

Chinwart ^whined pitifully.

$ Brogg twisted the ear more cruelly. £ 'Til rip your tongue out too if I hear

another word from prou," he said menacingly. "Let her go and search the deep

4ark places if she wants to. I'm not going down there, not :for all the cider

in Kotir. Unless, of course, you're volun-Jeering to go down there alone?"

:• Brogg released the rat, who stood nursing his ear tenderly. •/'All right,

all right! I haven't seen nothing, heard nothing, |>nd I won't say nothing.

It's none of my business."

317

Brogg contemptuously wiped the claws that had been nipping Chinwart's ear on

the rat's tunic.

"Good. Now get about your business, pigsears."

When the rat had scurried off, Brogg stood sunning himself. He held the larder

keys, had a new red velvet cloak and a-dangerous-looking curved sword. To all

apparent purposes, he was the only Captain at present serving in Kotir.

Life was beginning to feel fairly good.

A packed lunch was served at the river's edge.

Bella tossed an apple core into the water, they watched it bob to one side

then stick in the shallows.

Skipper plucked it out and flung it far. "All I can say is that somehow the

River Moss is at a low ebb. Those holes were underwater when we dug them, and

now they are high and dry."

Ben Stickle lay flat out on the bank, gazing up at the cloudless sky. "Must be

the mild spring we had. Look at it now, hardly a week into the season and it's

like midsummer. Huh, it'll be late autumn before we see a drop of rain at this

rate." "So, what is to be done?" Abbess Germaine asked, putting her milk

beaker aside.

Lady Amber stroked the space where her ear had been, "What d'you think, Skip?

Would it be possible to dam the river now that the level's fallen a bit?"

The otter picked up a pawful of banksand. It ran freely through his claws.

"Marm, even as things are now, it'd be like trying to stop the sunrise at

dawn. We don't stand a chance of even trying to block off a river the size of

old Moss."

"Er ahem!" Chibb perched on a young chestnut shoot. They continued talking,

ignoring the robin. "Maybe if we dig the channels a bit deeper." "Tunnels, you

mean."

"Channels, tunnels—it's all the same, isn't it?" "Ahemhem harrumph!" Chibb

called again. "It is if you're a squirrel, but to a mole or an otter a channel

and a tunnel are two completely different things."

"Humph, ahem, harrumph!" Chibb was becoming impatient.

318

Hurr, that be correck. 'Oles is 'oles an* tuners is fur-

"Harrumph, ahemhemhernhem!"

"What d'you mean, furrows, a channel isn't a furr— "

"Ahem!"

"Chibb, what's the matter with you? Some nut stuck in r throat, is it?"

*Er ahem, no. But I thought you'd like to know there's a |jhip coming up the

river."

"A ship!"

1 "What, you mean a boat?"

| "Harrumph, I beg your pardon, but I'd have said a boat if ;;1 meant a boat.

It is a ship, full size, all black, white skull Idling on the front, rolled up

canvas sails, lots of oars. Ship!" ? Bella leaped up, spreading her paws wide.

"Every creature Itake cover. Abbess, you stay with them. Be ready to make a

flash for Brockhall if you hear my signal. Skipper, Lady Am-, come with me.

We'd better go and investigate. Chibb, id you see who was on the ship?"

"Ahem, 'fraid not. Soon as I sighted it I came here to Report."

;•" "Good work," Bella congratulated him. "Come with us. |We may need you to

carry word back fast to those in hiding." ;V The woodlanders concealed

themselves behind trees, in bushes and under deep loam. The badger, the otter,

the squir-tel and the robin struck out west along the bank, leaving the ricene

apparently deserted.

light, they made swift progress. It was not far to Khe stretch of water where

the ship was. f • Chibb was the first to sight it. He fluttered up and down

txcitedly. "Ahem, see, I told you so. Look at those two big ;£>oles sticking

up above the trees. They're, er, harrumph, big poles that stick up on ships."

;>- Skipper saw them, too.

' "Masts, they are, matey," he explained. "Let's get in Closer and take a