Part 20 (1/2)
”Ahoy, mate, go'n' tell the Cap'n we'll be droppin' anchor soon. Move yerself, Princeness, Cap'n don't like t'be keptwaitin'!”
Bladd, who had got used to being bullied by Freebooters, staggered upright, scratching his midriff. ”I go, but den I take another shleep in mine nice soft bed.”
Grubbage, whose hearing had not improved, waggled a grubby paw in his ear and nodded. ”1 allus said you 'ad a nice soft 'ead. 'Op along now, mate!”
Slitfang ran down to the sea and waded in, shouting up to Plugg, who was standing in the bows. ”This is the place, Cap'n, I found it. An' I got three prisoners for ye, too!”
Two of the crew lowered Plugg down on a rope. On reaching Slitfang, he boxed the weasel's ears soundly.
”Three prisoners, eh? Then why aren't ye back there guardin' 'em? An' why did yer let that ketch git burned down?” Stumping up to the burned-out campsite, he glared at Sagax, Kroova and Scarum distastefully.
”A streamdog, a stripedog, an' a rabbit, wot good are they t'me? Why didn't ye destroy them an' save the ketch, instead o' savin' them an' lettin' the craft get ruined?”
The crew got out of Plugg's way. It was obvious he was in a bad mood. Grubbage came up the beach, followed by Prince Bladd and the rest of the Seascab's Seascab's crew. A sudden thought struck Grubbage. crew. A sudden thought struck Grubbage.
”Cap'n, 'ow's the Princess an' those Ratguards goin' to find us again, now that ye've moved the Seascab Seascab down the coast?” down the coast?”
Plugg sighed. ”I forgot about that lot.”
Bladd giggled. ”I hope dey are losed forever, 'specially mine sister. I not vant to see her again, dat's for sure!”
Scarum had been listening with interest to the conversation. The talkative hare could not resist taking part. ”I say, old chap, that's a bit heartless, wot, not wantin' to see your sister again. I bet she misses you terribly!”
Plugg waggled his axe threateningly under the hare's nose. ”Who asked you, rabbit? 'Ere, Tazzin, gut these three an' toss 'em in the sea fer fishfood!”
Tazzin twirled her knife, smiling eagerly. ”Aye aye, Cap'ri!”
Sagax decided it was time for him to speak up. ''Only a fool would do that. D'you know who we are?”
The young badger tried to look as regal as he could, which was not easy, lying dumped and bound on the sand. ”I am the son of a great mountain Lord. The hare, Bescarum, is from a very wealthy family. Our otter friend is the son of an emperor of sea otters. If you slay us, think of the ransom you'd miss out on.”
Scarum interrupted. ”He's right, y'know, old lad. Our families would prob'ly swap a jolly great s.h.i.+pload of treasure t'get us back. No sense in slayin' us, wot wot?”
Plugg sat down on the sand beside Scarum. ”Haharr, 'tis long seasons since I 'eld anybeast to ransom. Righty ho, rabbit, we'll let you'n yore mates live, but you'd better 'ope yore rich pappas an' mammas stump up plenty, or ye'll be fed to the sharks, one at a time. D'ye unnerstand?” Scarum shook his head in mock admiration of the Freebooter. ”I say, sir, you're a born genius, what jolly clever thinkin'. I'd shake your paw heartily if I weren't tied up at the moment!”
Slitfang placed a paw on his hip and swaggered about, trying to imitate Scarum's speech. ”Ho I say, wot wot, jolly ole rabbit! Don't 'e talk pretty?”
Plugg fetched Slitfang a whack that sent him sprawling. ”That's 'cos 'e's a gentlebeast, not like you, slabnose. That there rabbit's 'ad a h'eddication, more'n wot we've ever 'ad. My old uncle was a gentlebeast wid a h'eddication. I liked 'im. My old uncle could sing wunnderful h'ed-dicated ditties, too!”
Plugg whirled on Scarum, shoving his double-headed axe under the hare's chin. ”Kin yew sing h'eddicated ditties?”
Scarum gulped. ”Educated ditties, sah, I was brought up on 'em, could sing ditties before I could talk!”
Plugg aimed a cheerful kick at the floored Slitfang. ”See, I told yer, that 'un come from the quality. Go on, then, h'eddicated rabbit, sing us a ditty.”
Scarum bobbed his ears politely. ”These ropes are pretty tight.”
The silver fox raised his axe meaningly. ”Never mind tellin' us the name o' the ditty, just sing it!”
Scarum pulled a wry face at Sagax and Kroova, then launched into his song.
”O 'tis marvellous what an education docs for a chap, His eyes light up when he puts on the old thinkin' cap, His brain begins to whirr an' click, Ideas pour in fast an' thick, 'Cos that's what an education's for!
If it takes one mole to dig a hole, Ten seasons and a bit.
How many moles could dig that hole, If they were fat an' fit?
Then if two squirrels helped them, As deep as they could reach.
If those two squirrels made a pair, The answer is a peach!
That's what an education does for a chap, It leaves the blinkin' duffers in a bit of a flap, For learnin' facts you may depend, One spouts out answers without end, So hearken now an' I'll astound you more!
If two sparrows had six arrows, And set out to shoot a duck, Just how long would it take them, Before they had some luck?
The answer's jolly simple, As clever types will know, To bag that duck they had no luck, Because they had no bow!
'Cos that's what an education does for a chap, When learnin' dawns upon him like a big thunderclap, As they hear his knowledge flow, The clods will cheer and shout what ho, Now that's what an education's for!
If I had two an' you had two, And she had two as well, If they had two, just like we two, The truth to you I'll tell, If one knew far too little, Those facts would be too few, But if one had education, One would find the answers, too!”
The Freebooter crew, who had gathered around to listen, sat slack-jawed with wonderment at Scarum's rapid delivery of the song, for he had sung it at an alarming rate, without a single stumble.
Kroova could not help smiling. ”Well done, matey, I'd clap ye if'n me paws was free!”
The hare sniffed. ”Think nothin' of it, old lad. Huh, you'd wait a long time expectin' applause from these vermin oafs!”
Plugg swiftly cuffed a few ears and kicked some tails. ”Come on, ye dimwits, if'n ye ain't got a h'eddication, the least ye can do is to show the rabbit you've got some manners!” He strode among his crew, making sure they all cheered.
Sagax moved closer to Kroova and murmured quietly, ”Good old Scarum. While he's keeping them amused, they're not talking about slaying us, eh, mate?”
Kroova looked at the cheering vermin, knowing that their mood could change in the blink of an eye, depending on their captain's good or bad humour.
”Aye, mate, but it'll only last as long as ole Scarum can keep 'em entertained.”
Sagax watched his friend. Scarum was launching into a funny story about a rhubarb pie fight between two frogs. The young badger shook his striped head.
”I know he's the world's worst glutton and we've had to yell at him from time to time, but we'd be in a bad way right now if we didn't have him along. To think that our very lives are depending on Scarum keeping a crew of vermin amused.”
Kroova had to raise his voice to make himself heard above the guffawing crew of the Seascab. Seascab. ”Yore right, mate, I'll never shout at 'im again for robbin' vittles. If'n we gets out o' this lot, ole Scarum can stuff 'is face to 'is 'cart's content!” ”Yore right, mate, I'll never shout at 'im again for robbin' vittles. If'n we gets out o' this lot, ole Scarum can stuff 'is face to 'is 'cart's content!”
Sagax shot the sea otter a warning glance. ”Not too loud, mate. Keep your voice downhe might hear us!”
26.
After wading through the small stream they had been following, Triss felt as though the one it flowed into was almost a riverbroad, deep and fairly swift-running. Almost up to her neck, she clung to Shogg's paw, which supported her stoutly. Arvicola went ahead with them, his watervole tribe bringing up the rear, no strangers to overhanging foliage and a night-darkened waterway.