The Rogue Crew (23 page)

Swiffo led the way as the others followed. Posy trotted alongside Fiddy and Frudd, two hairy vole brothers. She could not help noticing they were unarmed.

“Don't you carry weapons?”

Fiddy shook his head. “None of us Fortunate Freepaw tribe do. We avoid violence an' offer it to none.”

Leading them along a tortuous path through the dunes, Swiffo came to his former vantage point on a high, reeded sandhill. He pointed upshore triumphantly.

“See for yoreselves!”

Mowlag judged the distance between the flat shoreline and the dunetops. “Don't see 'ow we'll catch 'em if'n they've gone up there, Cap'n.”

Razzid wiped at his weeping eye, answering caustically, “I didn't think ye would. D'ye recall who got us atop o' the dunes by the stripedog mountain?”

Jiboree wagged his head admiringly. “That was you, Cap'n!”

The Wearat nodded. “Right, an' here's how ye do it. First we find the easiest of these dunes, the smallest. Then 'tis just like steerin' a ship at sea. Get the wind behind ye, then tack an' weave from a distance away. Get the crew standin' by to punt with the oars on both sides. We gets up speed on the flat, then goes full sail at the smallest hill. Soon as we hit it, the crew start helpin' her up by pushin' with the oars. Remember now, mudbrain?”

Mowlag tugged his snout meekly. “Aye, Cap'n, 'twas yore idea. Once we're up, it's like sailin' up an' down the waves.”

Swiffo and the others watched
Greenshroud
from where they crouched in the dunetop reeds.

Frudd scratched his bushy head. “Wot are they up to? Maybe they're goin' back to sea, eh?”

Rekaby, who had been eyeing the vessel keenly, shook his head. “I don't think so. Look, she's caught the breeze on the turn to get up a fair lick along the hard sand.”

Swiffo gasped. “Lookit the speed it's goin' now, good gosh!”

With a stiff breeze bellying out all sails,
Greenshroud
really whipped along below the tideline. Suddenly the big craft changed course, thundering at an angle toward the lowest dune. Excited shouts could be heard from the vermin as their ship hit the reeded slope. Oarpoles shot out, port and starboard, digging into the sand to keep up the momentum. The wheels scarce had time to settle on the duneside. It was an amazing sight.

Gaining the dunetop,
Greenshroud
careered off across the hilly summits, skilfully steered by corsairs heaving and slacking the rigging and ratlines under Razzid Wearat's command.

Rekaby kept his head low, muttering to his companions, “I think 'tis time we weren't here!” The small party made a hasty retreat, though as they surmounted the next dune, a hoarse cry rang out from
Greenshroud
's lookout at the mainmast peak.

“Ahoy, Cap'n, there they go, the two 'ogs an' four otherbeasts. Straight ahead, an' a point starboard. See 'em, Cap'n? Atop o' that dune, crouchin' down!”

Old Rekaby shook his head woefully. “D'ye hear that, the bottlenosed curs have spotted us. I wonder how they managed that.”

Young Swiffo knew. “It's that ole tail o'your'n. Sticks up like a curly silver flag. We'd best make ourselves scarce!”

Rekaby sighed. “Aye, but don't take the trail back to our Fortunate Freepaws, or they'll be huntin' us all down.”

Fiddy pointed northeast. “We'll lead 'em away from our tribe first. Then try to lose the villains somehow.”

Posy looked doubtfully at the suggested route. “But we'll be leaving the dunes for the heathland. Surely they'll overtake us easily on the flat.”

Swiffo grinned mischievously. “Hah, but you don't know this country like we do, miz!”

Greenshroud
was rolling along smoothly under Razzid's command. Driven by the breeze under full sail, the ship glided uphill and down dale without a hitch.

The Wearat yelled up to his lookout, “Where away are they now, Redtail?”

The keen-sighted stoat laughed aloud, pointing. “Haharrharr! The fools are makin' fer the flatlands, Cap'n. We'll run 'em down wid no trouble!”

Jiboree grinned wickedly. “We kin keep the liddle 'ogs'til they tell us where Redwall is. But wot d'ye say we does wid the rest, Cap'n?”

Razzid twirled his trident, imitating a spit. “Been a while since we 'ad somethin' that wasn't bird or fish. Some roast red meat would cheer us all up, eh!”

 

Now the fugitives were on the heathland, which apart from some scrub, was level ground. Uggo managed to run up front with Swiffo.

“I hope ye know wot yore doin', mate.”

The young otter glanced back over his shoulder. “Save yore breath, friend. That wheely boat'll soon be out o' the dunes. Lissen, wot can ye hear?”

Uggo listened carefully. “Nothin' much. Wot d'ye want me to hear, Swiffo?”

Breaking stride, Swiffo caught something in his paw. He showed it to Uggo before it leapt away. “Grasshoppers, big fellers—the sort we calls marsh hoppers. Now look, there's dragonflies, an' black darters. Wot does that tell ye?”

The young hedgehog looked blank; he shrugged. “Wot?” Swiffo called to Posy, who was running behind them, “D'you know, Miz Posy?”

“Dragonflies are usually flying near water—streams, riverbanks an' such. Is there a river round here?”

Rekaby spotted
Greenshroud
coming down the last duneside. “Looks like we'll soon have company. How far now to the marsh, Swiffo?”

The otter scout replied, “We're already on the start of it. Single line, now, an' follow in my trail.”

Uggo looked nonplussed. “Wot is all this about—” Running to one side of Swiffo, Uggo's footpaw suddenly sank.

The young otter grabbed him back on track. “Told ya to stay in my trail. I knows the track through this marsh like the back o' me own paw, so stick close.”

Uggo's paw had made a hole in the crust of the marsh, which was only a thin cover of soil and dead vegetation. The paw made a sucking noise as he pulled it from the foulsmelling, dark green ooze.

Posy covered her mouth against the fetid odour. “Phwaaah! Stinks like cabbage boiled last summer and bad eggs. Don't come near me 'til you've cleaned it off!”

Grabbing a pawful of moss, Uggo began scrubbing at his footpaw. However, he was brought up sharply by a kick on the bottom from Rekaby.

“No time t'be lackadaisical, young un. We've got a shipload o' vermin on our tails. Now, get ye goin', an' keep in line with Swiffo. Ye can get cleaned off later!”

Greenshroud
had made a speedy descent out of the dunes, and a lively breeze was astern. Corsairs and searats crowded her for'ard deck, leaning over the sides and shouting at their quarry, which was looming up in clear view.

“Hoho, supper's ahead, mates—we'll 'ave 'em soon!”

“I wants first go at those fat, 'airy mouses!”

“Makes no diff'rence t'me. They'll all taste the same once they're roasted!”

“Ahoy there, friends, don't run, it'll only tire ye out. Come up 'ere an' ride with us, we'll take care o' ye!”

Mowlag began distributing boat hooks and pikes. “Git up on the prow an' 'ook them aboard once they're within reach. Look sharpish!”

Jiboree's face was one huge smirk. “Shall I tell that greasy ole cook to stoke up 'is galley fires, Cap'n?”

Razzid frowned. To him this all seemed a bit too easy; he was beginning to feel suspicious.

“Slack off sail, Mowlag. I think there's somethin' we don't know about this place that those beasts do—”

Greenshroud
suddenly lurched head down as its weight burst the marsh crust. Two corsairs standing out on the bowsprit with pikes at the ready were hurled from the ship. Razzid's intuition had worked, but too late.

Fiddy and Frudd, who were bringing up the rear, heard the noise and turned to look back. Both hairy voles began leaping jubilantly.

“It worked, it worked! Look at the fools!”

“Haharr, that's wot ye get for chasin' Fortunate Freepaws!” Swiffo shouted at them. “Their ship's stuck, but they can still track an' hunt us. Come on, we ain't got time t'waste. Once nightfall comes, even I could git lost in this marsh!”

Back at
Greenshroud,
it was a scene of chaos, and incredible stench. The big vessel was almost bow deep in the dark soup, with its front two wheels buried up to their rims. Razzid Wearat laid about at everybeast with his trident haft, bawling furiously, “Get aft, all paws aft! Mowlag, we need ropes, hawsers, lines, anything. Lash 'em to the stern an' back wheels. Get off the ship—see if'n ye can find trees or rocks an' tie up to them. We've got t'stop 'er sinkin' further!”

Pushing, kicking and shoving crewbeasts, Mowlag and Jiboree ran about in a frenzy, bellowing, “Yew 'eard the cap'n, empty the rope locker! Shekra, git a shore party an' scout out rocks or trees. Move!”

A slimy paw reached out of the mess, clutching at the bowsprit, where it clung for a moment before slipping back into the gurgling marsh. That was all there was to be seen of the two crewbeasts who had fallen in.

Razzid came gingerly from the stern onto the gently heaving marsh crust. Swiftly making his way to safer ground, he encountered the fat, greasy cook. “You, get a fire goin' here, an' don't go pokin' that peg leg of yores through the floor.”

The cook, a peg-legged weasel named Badtooth, saluted. “Aye, Cap'n, a fire might drive the smell away, eh?” As he spoke, his wooden peg punctured the crust, sending up a jet of odorous liquid.

Razzid was about to hurl his trident at the unlucky Badtooth when the searat Dirgo came creeping carefully up to make a report.

“Cap'n, the vixenfox says to tell ye she's found a big ole tree. 'Tis close enough to haul yore ship out.”

The Wearat almost thrust his trident into the quaking ground, but thinking better of it, he waved it at Dirgo. “Show me this tree. I'd best take charge o' gettin' the ship free, rather'n trust yew idiots!”

As the runaways forged onward, shades of evening began to fall. Posy looked fearfully at Uggo. “Hope we don't get lost here once it goes dark. It's a vile, stinky place!”

Rekaby silenced her with an upraised paw. “Hush, listen!”

From somewhere not too far off, a harsh, challenging cry rang out. The old squirrel smiled.

“We'll be alright now. Sircolo's here. Wait, I'll call him.” Rekaby shouted in an equally aggressive manner, “Ahoy, old raggedy tail, if'n you eat me, I'll poison ye, just for spite!”

There was a whistling noise, and Rekaby was almost knocked flat by Sircolo's huge wings as the big bird came out of nowhere to land in their midst.

Uggo and Posy ran back several paces, awestruck at the appearance of the visitor. Sircolo was a fully grown male marsh harrier, with slate grey back and tail, cream and white underwing plumage and reddish feathered legs. The harrier had the curved beak common to hunting hawks and eyes that were frightening to look at. Sircolo held forth a lethal yellow-scaled talon, which Rekaby shook cordially.

The harrier blinked at him. “Yirrrk! Who would eat you, old gristlebag!”

Rekaby chuckled. “Well, there's a crew of vermin on our tails who ain't too particular what they eat.”

Swiffo boldly came up and rubbed his back under Sircolo's neck. The harrier obviously liked this and made a hoarse chuckling sound.

Swiffo spoke soothingly. “Just think of it, mate. Fat, juicy searats, plump stoats, nice easy pickings, eh!”

Sircolo eyed the present company so hungrily that Posy wondered if the savage bird was really joking.

“Vermin make good eating, much better than you scrawny lot. I suppose you want me to get ye back to firm ground before nightfall?”

Swiffo stroked under the harrier's beak. “Aye, if'n ye'll be so good. The vermin can wait 'til later. They won't be goin' far—their ship's bogged down.”

Sircolo seemed to ponder things for a moment, then he rapped his beak lightly on the young otter's head.

“Well, alright, but this is the last time I help you cumbersome beasts. Next time I'll eat ye all. Agreed?”

Uggo noticed that Sircolo's eyes were twinkling; so were Rekaby's as he twitched his tail in agreement. “Cumbersome, eh? That's a good new word. What's it mean?”

The harrier snapped his savage beak close to Rekaby's nose. “It means you're a nuisance, but better than nothing to a hungry bird!”

The ancient squirrel wrinkled his snout at Sircolo. “Fair enough. This is the last time we'll bother ye, friend. Next time we do, we won't do it again. Right?”