"It"s searats, lads. Climbin" up the ropes to get in here!"
Bagg glanced over to the west wall, where the battle was concentrated. "Huh, no good a-shoutin" f"r that lot, they got enough t" do. "Sides, Ma Mellus"d tan our hides an" make us go back t" bed an" not give us no breakfast tomorrow an" keep us in our room all day an-"
Grubb placed a grimy paw over Bagg"s mouth. "Oh, tell oi no more "orrible stories, otter. Usn"s cut "ee ropes wi" our gurt knoifs. Hoa hoa! "Ee rats"ll fall b.u.mp on 222.
they bottems when "ee ropes do be cutted. Oi"ll start in "ee middle, you two come frum both ends, hurr hurr!"
Kybo was nearly at the top of the wall. Holding his sword between his teeth, he looked back at the others swarming up the ropes, their eyes glinting triumphantly through the darkness as they hauled themselves upward, claw over claw. It was a great distance from the walltop to the woodland floor, and Kybo was not too fond of heights. He partially closed his eyes and tried not to look down, staring at the wallface in front as he pulled himself ever higher. The searat"s claw was about to stretch up and grab the battlement at the walltop, when there was an ominous chuckle, a sawing noise and a discordant tw.a.n.g as the rope parted company with the metal grapnel it had been lashed to.
"Oh noooooooooo!"
Kybo sailed outward from the walltop and dropped like a stone.
Several searats looked up in amazement, their eyes following Kybo as he plunged to the dark floor far below. In a very short time ropes were popping and cracking as they were sliced through by the Redwall Friar"s keen vegetable knives. The thud of bodies and the terrified screams of searats filled the night air. One rat plunged earthward without a sound, staring in puzzlement at the loose rope still firmly clenched in his claws.
Bagg, Runn and Grubb were truly having fun. It took only three slices to cut through the toughest rope, stretched taut as they were.
"A wunn, a two, an" a three, an" away "ee do go, vermint!" Grubb chanted happily.
And away the "vermint" did go, with a loud wail of despair!
Meanwhile, at the Abbey front Graypatch had drastically changed his opinion of the creatures he once called 223.
b.u.mpkins; the accuracy of their stone-slinging had driven him and his searats off the flatlands and down into the ditch. Shaking with frustration, he ducked smartly as another salvo of rocks and homemade spears rattled overhead. The fire at the gates had been smothered under heaps of rubble. Bigfang was still lying senseless on the path; Frink, Fishgill and some others had their claws fully occupied trying to catch the little oarslaves, some of whom had crossed the ditch and were dodging about on the flatlands. Dripnose scrambled along the ditch bed to Gray patch. He was nursing a fractured limb, keeping his head well down as missiles rained in from above.
"Aagh! These creatures fight like mad things, Cap"n!"
"What did you expect them to do, weevilbrain- throw flowers at us?"
"Maybe not, but we"re out of spears an" arrows. The crew are havin" to make do with throwin" back the stuff that"s been flung at us. Huh, they don"t seem t" be short of arms atop o" that wall."
Graypatch spat contemptuously. "Homemade rubbish! There"s not a proper sword or cutla.s.s between the lot of "em. Just wait till Kybo an" his buckos come over their precious wall -we"ll soon sort out the warriors from the wetnoses!"
Deadglim was nearby. He shook his head doubtfully.
"Well, where is Kybo an" the rest? They"ve been around there long enough to build a blasted wall, never mind climb one!"
A second later he regretted the outburst as Graypatch turned to him. "Avast there, smartmouth. Get yourself round to the back of the east wall an" see what"s keepin" "em. Look lively now. Dripnose, get Lardgutt an" see if you can drag that oaf Bigfang back down the ditch here. He"s neither use nor ornament lyin" spark out on that path."
Mother Mellus seized a full basket of rubble and heaved 224.
it toward the ditch with a mighty effort. The screams and curses from below confirmed her accuracy. She winked at a group of enthusiastic slingthrowers. "That"s the stuff to give "em. Keep it up -we"ve got them pinned down tight. How are you doing, Saxtus?"
The young mouse dodged a flying rock and slung one smartly back. "Fine, marm, just fine. Though it"s all a bit puzzling; I"ve noticed that we only seem to be fighting about thirty or so searats, and they had nearly a hundred by Flagg"s count. Where"s the rest of "em?"
The badger weighed a large chunk of rock in both paws as she pondered the question. "I don"t know, really. I wasn"t counting. Maybe we"d better check around the walls to see they"re not laying some sort of trap. You take the south wall and I"ll cover the eas- Oh, thundering fur! The east wall, look, there"s Dibbuns over there!"
The three small comrades in arms were looking for more ropes to cut when Mellus, Saxtus and Flagg descended upon them.
"You naughty little rascals! What are you doing out of your beds, eh?"
"Burr, us"n"s oanly a-cutt -"
"Give me those knives this instant! You could have cut the paws off yourselves, playing around with them. Oh, you scallywags!"
"But we was on"y savin" the Abbey!"
"Not another word, do you hear me! Wait until Friar Alder sees his best vegetable chopping knives. I wouldn"t like to be in your fur!"
Flagg picked up a three-p.r.o.nged grappling hook. "Hold on there, marm. Look at this -there"s lots of "em lyin" about. I wonder where they came from."
Grubb shook his paw severely at Mother Mellus. "That"s what oi be tryin" a-tell "ee, missus. "Twere us"n"s who chopped "ee ropes off"n they "ooks."
"But we won"t nex" time if you start a-shoutin" an" a-scoldin". So there!"
225.
Saxtus was peering over the wall. "Golly! Look at this!"
Upward of half a dozen searats had been killed by the fall, impaled on broken branches or crushed by their falling comrades. The rest lay about in a pitiful state, moaning as they nursed broken and aching limbs. Flagg scratched his whiskers in disbelief.
"Well, give me fins an" call me a fish! So that"s what the rest of the pesky vermin were up to ..."
Grubb shook his furry head. "Not oop, maister. Only arfways oop!"
Saxtus laughed loud at the joke, but his merriment withered under Mellus"s icy stare. Flagg, however, was shaking paws, hugging and patting the three Dibbuns.
"Well done, fellers. Strike me, you saved the Abbey an" no mistake!"
Bagg and Runn sat against the wall, rubbing their eyes and yawning. The badger swept them up, one in each big paw. She tried to look stern but could not help smiling.
"Come on, heroes. Bed for you three, and stay there this time."
Grubb rode down the wallsteps piggyback upon Flagg"s broad back. "Oim not afeared of n.o.beast. Mar-then "ee Wurrier, that be oi!"
Graypatch stood out on the path, his sword tight at Pakatugg"s neck as he called up to the ramparts, "Truce, or I kill the squirrel!"
Rufe Brush slackened off his sling. "Truce then. Speak your piece, rat."
All along the west and north walls the defenders put aside their missiles to listen. Graypatch stood in a pool of moonlight and delivered his message: "Stop throwing and let us withdraw."
Rufe chuckled scornfully. "Had enough, mangy chops?"
226.
Pakatugg squealed slightly as the sword pressed closer. Graypatch was in no mood to bandy insults.
"Aye, we"ve had enough . . . For one try. You may have won the battle but I"ll win the war. Now let us walk away in peace, or this one dies."
Simeon appeared, leaning on his friend the Abbot. "Go then. You could have done that anytime without threatening the life of a helpless squirrel."
At a signal from Graypatch the defeated searats began their retreat north along the path. Graypatch could not resist a parting shot.
"Wait and wonder when we will return, mouse-then you will really see what a battle is like."
Simeon turned his head in the direction of Gray-patch"s voice. "Alas, I will never see anything for I am blind; but I can sense a lot. I can feel you are both evil and desperate. They say you have only one eye. I am surprised at you-even a fool with half an eye could see that you will never triumph against good if you are evil."
227.
After their meal and a short rest, the four travelers struck off westward once more, into the gloomy dark swampland.
Mariel took the lead. Peering into the deceptive half-light, she chose a relatively straight path. The other three followed her in single file along the raised trail, avoiding smooth slippery rocks and testing each fraction of the way with hesitant paws. To both sides of them the overhanging trees grew out of stagnant-smelling smoothness, which occasionally threw up a liquid bubble, betraying the treacherous nature of its surface.
Durry sounded apprehensive. "Oh, nuncle, it wouldn"t do a poor lad much good to fall in there."
Dandin brought up the rear of the file, his paw on Durry"s shoulder. "Aye, be careful and take your time. I just wish it were a bit lighter in here-it"s like trying to plow your way through pea soup, all muggy and dark green. What is it we have to beware in here? The wart-skinned toad?"
Second in line, Tarquin turned his head slightly as he spoke.
"Not a sign of the old wart-skinned blighter. I hope we"re goin" the right way, trail leader old gel."
Mariel kept her eyes straight ahead. "As far as I can 228.
see, we are. I chose the longest and straightest of the paths. Aha! What"s that up ahead? Stop a minute, please."
They halted. Directly ahead of them a light was shining in the gloom, a small flickering golden glow. It stopped, hovering farther up the path. When Mariel moved forward again, it moved also. Dandin recalled the rhyme.
"Beware the light that shows the way!"
"Right you are, Dandin old lad, wot? There"s the very light we"ve jolly well got to watch out for."
Mariel halted once more. "Lie down and be still, you three."
They dropped down and lay perfectly still. Mariel flattened herself against the path and began inching forward. This time the light remained still, glowing a short way above the trail.
Durry lifted his head for a quick peep. "Where"s she a-goin" to?"
Dandin stifled the hedgehog"s mouth with his paw. "Ssshhh! Keep quiet and be still, Durry."
Mariel"s crawling figure had now disappeared into the murky gloom. Ahead of them the light still glowed steadily. They waited with bated breath, pressing themselves flat to the earth. Suddenly from along the path a dismayed croak sounded, followed by a whoop from Mariel and the familiar thwack of Gullwhacker. Springing up, the three travelers made their way along the path as speedily as circ.u.mstances would allow.
The mousemaid stood over a stunned toad. It was an indescribably ugly specimen, completely covered in large wartlike growths. In one paw Mariel twirled her Gullwhacker, while in the other she held a curious contrivance. It was a lantern on a small carrying frame, wonderfully made from thin-cut rock crystal. Inside the lantern half a dozen fat fireflies buzzed, giving off a pale golden light.
229.
Mariel prodded the toad lightly. "Two puzzles solved with one Gullwhacker: the wart-skinned toad and the light that shows the way. Three, in fact-take a look ahead."
By the light of the lantern, they saw that the path ended sharply a short distance from where they stood.
Durry shivered. "If we"d follered that "orrible beast with his light we would"ve gone ploppo! Right into that swamp!"
Dandin prised a rock from the trail. "Aye, ploppo is the right word!" He threw the rock into the swamp. It disappeared, making a small hole which swiftly filled in, leaving the surface undisturbed.
The wart-skinned toad was beginning to recover, groaning pitifully and rubbing his head with slimy webbed paws. Mariel thumped the Gullwhacker down close to the repulsive creature.
"Want some more?" she inquired.
The toad recoiled in fear. "Muurraakk! No more. Rrrreb!"
Dandin unsheathed his sword and tickled the creature"s nose. "Listen, I don"t know what your game is but we want to get out of this place and you"re going to lead us. Understood?"
Still rubbing its head, it nodded unhappily.
Dandin turned to Mariel. "Right, let"s get going. Keep this creature in the lead."
" Kwirraawwwk!"
The wart-skinned toad took off with a sideward leap at the swamp. Dandin reacted swiftly, but not fast enough. He barely grabbed the toad"s back leg as it sailed through the air. The toad flopped into the swamp, pulling Dandin off balance. With a squeak of dismay he toppled from the raised path, slithering on its sloping side for an instant before plunging bodily into the treacherous ooze. Spreading its bulk flat and extending its webs, the wart-skinned toad slithered off 230.
across the swamp surface, leaving behind Dandin, who was rapidly disappearing into the bottomless waste.
"Help, do something, I"m being sucked under!"
Holding Tarquin"s paw, Mariel stretched out, flicking her Gullwhacker toward Dandin. "Here, catch on to this!"
Dandin struggled to reach the rope, without avail. The swamp had pulled him in up to his neck now. Tarquin threw his harolina to Dandin. "Here, old lad, put both y" paws on top of this. It might help to keep you up!"
Dandin did as he was told, but he could feel the tug of the swamp, and panic filled him completely.
"Help! Oh, help me, someone!"
An urgent voice was whispering to Mariel, "The tree! The tree!"
She looked up at the tree hanging low overhead and immediately understood. Clambering up into the tree, she edged out along a thick dipping bough. Below her she could see Dandin, ashen-faced as he hung on to the harolina, the swamp oozing around his chin and lips.
"Hold on, Dandin. Hold on!"
Knotting Gullwhacker tight to the end of the bough, she called out, "Tarquin, Durry, get up here and lean on this branch, belly down!"
Without questioning Mariel, they clambered up into the tree, scrambling out along the branch until they were close to her. Both Tarquin and Durry followed Mariel"s example, straddling the bough stomachs down, jerking to exert more pressure on the limb.
The swamp had closed over Dandin"s mouth. He took a final breath as it started to flood into his nostrils, fighting back the welling panic as it oozed around his eyes.
Mariel felt the branch bend lower. Grabbing Dandin"s outstretched paws, she noosed the Gullwhacker tight 231.
around them, calling to her companions, "Back off now. Back along the branch. Quick!"
Following them with all speed, she managed to cry out as they hung over the path.