Martin The Warrior Part 10

An' oi'd make 'ee wash ten toimes each day.

Til you'm bad manners wurr scrubbed away."

Tiny snores announced that the Squidjees were all asleep.

Rose mopped her brow with relief. "Whew! Thank the seasons the little monsters are finished for the day. Small wonder their mothers don't look after them."

Pallum pointed to some spare mattresses in the corner. "All right, you can stop smiling now and get some rest. Lie there and relax. I'll go and get some supper for us.

101.

I think I saw a big mixed fruit pudding with cream and some new cider."

Grumm flopped down thankfully, swiftly followed by Martin and Rose. Their wooden hobbles clacked together noisily and Rose winced as she held up a paw.

"Sshh! Not so much noise. You might waken the monsters."

"Burr, oi'd throw moiself offen 'ee clifftop iffen they waked."

"From slavery to slavery in one easy pawstep, where will it end?" Martin sighed loud and long.

Rose shook his paw comfortingly. "In Noonvale someday. We won't be here all our lives with a warrior like you about, Martin. Being a nursemaid is not in your stars. I wonder what became of Brome and Felldoh. They'll have drifted in to land, no doubt. That Felldoh is a good tough squirrel. I know he'll look after my brother. I hope they're safe and well."

Martin could hardly keep his eyes open as he watched Pallum approach bearing a heavily laden tray.

"Wherever Felldoh and Brome landed up, they couldn't possibly be worse off than us. Nursemaids to those tiny rogues. Huh!"

102.

12.

An alliance had been made between Badrang the Tyrant and Cap'n Tramun Clogg. Still not trusting each other, the two villainous stoats affixed their signatures to a sprawling birch-bark parchment, Badrang writing his name in a curly flouris.h.i.+ng script, whilst Clogg laboriously scrawled an X and a crude sketch of a wooden clog, his mark. It was witnessed by Gurrad the rat for Marshank and Boggs the ferret for the corsairs. Tramun repeated the terms as he and the Tyrant took a joint beaker of best parsley wine.

"Harr, so, as I sees it you're goin' to call off yer troops an' lend me some slaves to refurbish an' refloat my s.h.i.+p. Meself on the other paw, won't attack, 'ara.s.s or demand slaves from you. I'm to unnerstand that the slaves you lend me is still yores an' 'ave to be returned. Right?"

Badrang sipped his wine and nodded, tapping the parchment. "Aye, agreed, and don't forget all this. At such times as you have a seaworthy craft to sail off in, I keep half of your crew as hostages. When, or if, you return having taken more slaves, then they get divided equally between us and you get your hostages returned to give you a full crew."

Clogg stroked his plaited whiskers, narrowing one eye. "Fairly said, partner, fairly said. An' I can feed me 103.

crew from yer supplies an' billet them 'ere in yer fancy fort, though I'm never to tell other corsairs or searats as I may come across on the 'igh seas the location of this 'ere place."

Badrang nodded, refilling Clogg's beaker. "Right! But don't forget, Tramun, after the first cargo of slaves is split between us you guarantee to sell any further slaves from other voyages only to me. I'll give you the best of weapons, trade goods and supplies."

Clogg slopped wine as he threw back his head and drained the beaker, then draped a paw around Badrang's shoulders. "Haharr, just like in the good ole days, eh, matey!"

The Tyrant reciprocated by throwing his paw about Clogg's neck. "Aye, as y' say, just like in the good ole days, Tramun. But this time there'll be no underpaw dealings, traitors nor spybeasts."

"Spybeasts? I ain't never used spybeasts, matey." The pirate stoat adopted a look of injured innocence.

"There, there." Badrang patted Clogg's neck affectionately. "I know you haven't. There's nothing worse than a spybeast. Why, if I thought there was one in my fortress I'd tie him to the gates and let my archers use him for target practice. Look, just like that fox over yonder."

He turned Clogg's neck with his paw so that the corsair was looking at the inside of Marshank's main gates. The carca.s.s of Skalrag hung there, stuck with so many arrows it was like a pincus.h.i.+on.

Even though he was seething inwardly, Clogg grinned from ear to ear. "Foxes was allus traitors. I never liked that one."

Badrang tightened his grip on Clogg's neck momentarily then released him. The Tyrant matched the corsair grin for grin.

"Neither did I, matey, neither did I!"

Early morning sun bathed the sh.o.r.e beyond the headland, promising a high hot day. Rowanoak harnessed 104.

herself between the shafts of the Rosehips' gaily painted cart and they moved further along the sh.o.r.eline, away from the close proximity of Marshank. Felldoh and Brome enjoyed the company of the Rambling Rosehip creatures greatly; they had been accepted immediately as friends and possible members.

By midmorning they had set up their camp on the clifftops, where they had an excellent view of the area without revealing their presence. The hare Ballaw De Quincewold and Rowanoak were in close conference while the rest unpacked and prepared lunch. Brome helped Gauchee and Kastern to prepare a leek and bean soup, sn.i.g.g.e.ring with the two mice as they watched the pretty squirrel Celandine trying to flirt shamelessly with a much embarra.s.sed Felldoh as he unloaded the cart, blus.h.i.+ng to his tailtip at her simpering compliments.

"Oh Mister Felldoh, you're so strong! You lifted that trunk as if it were no more than a feather. I'll bet you must be the most powerful squirrel in the whole country!"

Felldoh was completely lost for words. He turned away from the cart and started breaking some driftwood up for the fire.

Celandine dabbed at her brow with a dainty lace square. "Oh my, oh my. I'd be all season just trying to break one teensy piece of that wood with an axe, and look at you, sir, snapping it in those great paws of yours like it was dead gra.s.s!"

Trefoil the other squirrelmaid unceremoniously bundled a pile of tunics at Celandine. "Here, missy, get your paws wet was.h.i.+ng those through and leave that poor fellow alone before he turns into a beetroot!"

The temptress flounced off in a huff, laden with dirty was.h.i.+ng. Trefoil began snapping wood alongside Felldoh.

"Take no notice of her, friend. I've seen her fluttering her eyelashes at dragonflies."

Buckler the mole was erecting the awning as a sun- 105.

shade. "Burr aye, she'm a gurt flutterer, that un," he chuckled. "Oi losed moi 'eart to 'er long seasons agone. Hurr, but she'm a foin arctress too!"

The food was good and simple, hot soup followed by wheatflour pancakes spread with wild honey. The company lounged beneath the awning, eating and drinking cool mint and b.u.t.tercup cordial from an old stone jar.

Rowanoak shook her great head.

"What in the name of trees and turnips made us ramble this far up the land, I'll never know. We had good times in the south, friendly creatures to entertain, nice places to stop awhile ..."

Ballaw the hare made a pancake disappear with alarming speed. "True, true, but what's a chap got up here in this bally neck o' the woods? Fortresses, tyrants an' corsairs. Bit thick, isn't it, wot? About the only decent thing was meeting you two jolly lads."

The rest of the company murmured agreement.

Rowanoak stared patiently at the hare. Ballaw carried on guzzling cordial, unaware that he had interrupted her flow. "If you're quite finished, Mister De Quince-wold?" she continued.

Ballaw dispatched another pancake, daintily licking honey from his paws. "Not finished dealin' with these pancakes, Rowan me old oak, but don't let me stop you talkin'. You eat less when y' talk. Hawhaw!"

The badger eyed him frostily before continuing. "Thank you! Now what I have to say concerns our new friends Felldoh and Brome. Here is what I propose. We're up here anyway, for better or worse, so we may as well do something useful. It goes without saying that we will keep our eyes peeled for any sign of their companions, Brome's sister, Martin and the mole Grumm. But meanwhile, as Felldoh has told us, his father Barkjon is a slave in that dreadful fortress. It makes my blood boil when I think of a creature being enslaved, robbed of freedom, beaten, starved and forced 106.

to labor for some jumped-up villain. What do you think?"

There was an instant chorus of agreement with Rowanoak.

"Shame, poor old Barkjon!"

"It's a flarnin' liberty, wot?"

"Yurr, n.o.beaster should be slave to anuther!"

"Oh, I can't imagine it, we've always been free!"

"It's disgraceful. That horrid stoat!"

Rowanoak let them carry on working up their indignation before carrying on with her speech. When they had done she continued.

"When Ballaw and I formed the Rambling Rosehip Players we took on only talented creatures we knew we could rely on. I personally have never been disappointed in any of you, that is why today we are all gather-"

"Oh, stop takin' a bally seavoyage to get round a c.o.c.klesh.e.l.l, old gel. We all want to rescue Felldoh's old pater, don't we?"

"Aye!" The response was loud and wholehearted.

"Good show. Then let's stop jawbangin' an' get to it, wot?"

Rowanoak pa.s.sed Ballaw the pancakes and honey. She was smiling. "Thank you, Bal, you old rascal. Now we need a strategy, and you know the best way that a travelling company can scout the land?"

Buckler held up a sticky digging claw. "Yurss, marm, Us'ns goo thurr an put on 'ee show!"

"What?" Felldoh spluttered on his drink. "Now just hold fast a moment friends. It's very kind of you to offer to rescue my dear old dad. But we've an appointment with Martin in Noonvale. Our plan is to raise an army and free all the slaves. And anyway you'd last as long as a leaf on a bonfire at Marshank."

Kastern the mousemaid chuckled. "Listen, squirrel, if you'd been half the places we've been and done a quarter of the things we've done, you'd know better."

"Chaha! I'd say y' would, old lad. Gauchee, remember 107.

we put on the courtin' of the frog an' the caterpillar for all those fierce toads in the south swamps?"

"Do I ever!" The mousemaid nibbled her carrot, shaking with mirth. "With you playing the villainous toad uncle. I thought those toads were so enraged they were going to toss us in the swamp!"

Celandine giggled. "And they would have, too. Good job they let Celandine b.u.t.terfly tie them all up with the magic rope that would make them all handsome. Heeheeheehee!"

The whole company fell about laughing as Kastern pointed at Rowanoak. "That was when Badger Bountiful hoisted them all up into a tree and told them they too would turn into beautiful b.u.t.terflies and fly away. Ha-hahahahaha!"

"Hoohoohoo! You should've seen their bally faces when we ate all their feast and went off, leavin' 'em all hanging' from a tree waitin' to turn into b.u.t.terflies. Hawhawhaw!"

When the laughter had subsided, Rowanoak winked at Felldoh and Brome, "No need to worry about us. We know what we're doing."

Felldoh grasped the badger's paw. "I don't know how to thank you."

Trefoil was rummaging in the cart. "Oh, don't thank us. We won't be doing it all on our own-you two will be taking part in the show."

Brome leapt up in alarm. "But they'd recognize us right off!"

Kastern placed a huge frog mask over the young mouse's head. "There, your own mama wouldn't recognize you now."

Rowanoak clapped her hefty paws together. "Righto, clear the food away We've got a show to rehea.r.s.e. Felldoh, you look strong enough to be a good catcher ..."

Celandine fluttered her eyelashes. "Ooh, he could catch me anytime of the season!"

108.

Rowanoak gave her a glare then ignored her. "Brome, sorry you can't sing on this job. Your voice is too recognizable. However, you would make rather a good frog maiden."

"Me, a frog maiden?"

"Why certainly, old lad. An' I'll be your wicked uncle toad. Hoho, me proud beauty, you shall never marry that caterpillar!"

Felldoh shook his head in bewilderment as Buckler stuck a large red ball on the tip of his nose. "It sounds just crazy enough to work!"

109.

13.

It was still early morning and already Martin was feeling tired. He and his friends had been roused several times that night by the familiar Squidjee cry, gluggadrink. It seemed that every baby pigmy shrew woke at least twice nightly wanting a drink.

Rose hauled her log away from the noisy breakfast table. She was spattered with food and drink.

"Good morning, Martin. You'll never guess what's planned for the morning after breakfast is through."

Martin shook his head. "Don't tell me, I don't want to know."

Rose told him anyway, stifling a smile as she did. "We're taking all the Squidjees down to the beach for a paddle in the rock pools. Evidently the whole tribe goes down there every day to check on their fis.h.i.+ng nets. If it's good weather like today, the little fiends are brought along to amuse themselves."

"Oh how nice. It will be fun!" Martin put on his fixed smile.

Grumm and Pallum had their paws full wiping off sticky baby whiskers. "c.u.mm yurr, you'm-'orrible liddle toad. Thoi whisker'n be full o' oatmeal."

The Squidjees dodged about chanting ceaselessly. "Wannago sh.o.r.esh.o.r.e! Wannago sh.o.r.esh.o.r.e!"

no Descent to the sh.o.r.e from the high cliffs was not as difficult as it first looked. There was a hidden stairway, cunningly carved into the rock by the pigmy shrews. Martin and his companions had to make the trip several times. Watched by Amballa and her ever vigilant shrews, the four friends had to carry each Squidjee piggyback fas.h.i.+on down to the sand. When all the shrews were attending their nets, the Queen turned to Pallum.

"Squidjees playnow, youwatch plennygood!"

She shook her sword at them in warning before seating herself comfortably where she could keep an eye on everything.

The Queen's infant son Dinjer was trouble on wheels. The other Squidjees were relatively calm and happy, burying Grumm up to his neck in the sand. Martin, Rose and Pallum were building a sandcastle for some others. Pallum pointed to Grumm.

"That was what I always hated, when they decided to bury me. Grumm seems to be enjoying it."

The mole pulled loose a digging paw and waved to them. "Burr aye, 'tis noice 'n' cool on an 'ot morn loik this'n."

"Stillagrumm, staystill!"