Part 24 (1/2)
The badger answered the question with another question. ”Does night follow day?”
Kurda was still perched on the Seascab's Seascab's bows, watching the smaller craft's progress. She turned anxiously to Plugg, who was standing nearby, draped in a blanket and swigging hot grog. bows, watching the smaller craft's progress. She turned anxiously to Plugg, who was standing nearby, draped in a blanket and swigging hot grog.
”Dey go straight 'head, sailink for der stream, you fink?”
She recoiled as the silver fox belched a fraction from her nose. He did not seem unduly worried. ”Aye, that's their liddle game. At first I though they'd sail in among the reefs, but they couldn't stay there forever. We'd be circlin', waitin' for 'em to come out. You mark my words, missie, if n they plans on makin' a run up yonder stream, that'll dome just fine!”
Bladd pulled his blanket tighter about him. Taking a sip from a beaker of steaming grog, he coughed and spluttered. ”How vill it do you just fine, Cap'n?”
s.n.a.t.c.hing the beaker, Plugg drained it at a gulp. ”One o' two things, yer princeness: either they'll miss the channel an' run 'er aground, or else they'll smash the bottom out when they whacks into that burnt ole boat. Either way, we'll be in plenty o' time to lay paws on 'em. Though I 'opes they only runs my nice likkle craft aground. I don't like to see me property damaged, eh, yer 'igh royalness?”
Kurda sneered. ”Long as ve capture dem, I don't care!”
Plugg pushed by Kurda and shouted out orders. ”Lay south a point, Grubbage, take 'er in short o' that there stream an' drop anchor. Crew! Stand ready an' armed to jump ash.o.r.e an' grab those imperdent beasts. I'll h'eddi- cate that rabbit in the ways of me battle-axe when I lays paws on 'im. We'll see 'ow pretty 'e talks then!”
With a strong breeze at their backs and the tide running high, the two otters held the tiller dead onto the stream mouth, which drew closer by the moment. Sagax dashed up to the bow point, shouting aloud into the bright blue morning, ”Let's give her a good old Salamandastron Eu-lalia to send her in, mates!”
Triss turned to the hare. ”I like the sound of that what's a Salamandastron Eulalia?”
Scarum explained. ”Somethin' to make the jolly old fur stand on end, marm, the battle cry of real warriors. Just yell it out loud and long. Right ho, chaps, altogether now.”
They roared at the top of their lungs as the sleek vessel whipped head-on into the fresh water. ”Eulaliiii-iaaaaaaaa!”
In the narrow mouth, wild following-wave swells drove them like an arrow up the channel.
Because of the time having been spent picking up Plugg and Bladd, the Seascab Seascab had lost ground, plus the fact that they had to haul in sail to stop them from running aground in the shallows. All this added up to slow the big s.h.i.+p's speed. Kurda was dancing with rage. had lost ground, plus the fact that they had to haul in sail to stop them from running aground in the shallows. All this added up to slow the big s.h.i.+p's speed. Kurda was dancing with rage.
”Look, look, dey vent right into der stream, straight in!” Plugg was donning another frock coat, even tattler-looking than the wet one he had cast off. He smirked confidently. ”Don't fret yore pretty white 'ide, dearie, the wrecked boat'll stop 'em, won't it, Slitty?”
Slitfang nodded dutifully. ”Aye, Cap'n.” What he did not say was that the Freebooters had hauled quite a bit of it, still burning, to feed their fire the previous night.
Ripper raised a paw, but dropped it at a glare from Slit-fang, who muttered, ”Shut yore gob or 'e'll skin us both!”
As the Seascab Seascab sailed in closer to land, Plugg went aft to question Grubbage, shouting down the deaf rat's ear, ” 'Ow far up the stream d'ye reckon that wreck is?” sailed in closer to land, Plugg went aft to question Grubbage, shouting down the deaf rat's ear, ” 'Ow far up the stream d'ye reckon that wreck is?”
Grubbage winced. ”Ye don't need t'shout so loud, Cap'n. They're about right at that spot now.”
”I'd say they've gone clear past it!”
Plugg looked sharply at Riggan the slavecatcher, who had just made the remark. ”An' how d'ye figger that out?”
Riggan pointed overboard at the broken and burned struts of timber floating in the shallows. She observed drily, ”I watched that float out o' the stream mouththat means they've broke through an' pa.s.sed the place. The fire prob'ly burned right through the ketch an' broke 'er up afore they arrived,”
A few of the crew standing about nodded guiltily. ”Aye, yore right there, matey, she burned right through!”
Plugg kicked out at them and cuffed a few ears. ”Then why didn't ye say, why didn't anybeast tell me, eh? Get over the side an' catch 'em, the useless lot o' ye!”
Several Freebooters promptly leaped overboard, but the water closed in over their heads. Grubbage watched them. ”Water ain't shallow enough yet, Cap'n. We needs t'be closer in t'sh.o.r.e.”
Kurda came running to berate the Captain. ”Iz too deep 'ere. Ve need to be closer in!”
Leaning over the rail, Plugg buried his face in both paws. ”You 'eard 'er, Grubbage, take the s.h.i.+p in closer to sh.o.r.e.”
Grubbage manoeuvred the tiller, muttering darkly, ”I ain't throwin' my clothes ash.o.r.e fer n.o.beast. I'll just take 'er in closer to the beach!”
Poling and paddling energetically, the friends took their vessel into the high, sandy canyon walls of the dunes. Scarum paused to swat at a curious fly.
”Shove off, you bounder, go an' eat somebeast who's fatter.”
Triss could see the Seascab Seascab drifting to a halt, side-on, far down at the tideline. ”Scarum, don't stop to argue with insects. Keep poling!” drifting to a halt, side-on, far down at the tideline. ”Scarum, don't stop to argue with insects. Keep poling!”
Sagax could see overhanging tree foliage further ahead. ”We'll be in the woodlands soonkeep going, mates. Kroova, have they left the s.h.i.+p yet? Are they ash.o.r.e?”
The otter took a quick glance. ”One or two of 'em. Wait, they're lowerin' the s.h.i.+p's boat!”
Plugg sat in the jollyboat facing Kurda and Bladd as it splashed gently into the water. ”Slitfang, git yoreself in 'ere, you'll be rowin'. Tazzin, Grubbage, Ripper, yore at the oars, too. Come on, move!”
”An' vot about mine captain and Ratguards?”
Plugg leaned back in the most comfortable seat. ”Oh, them, they can run both sides o' the bank wid the rest o' my crew. If'n yew wants ter give up yore seat to another beast, you'll 'ave t'get out an' walk too. I ain't takin' on any more pa.s.sengers. Wot d'you say, Bladd, me ole mate, eh?”
The fat Prince snorted indignantly. ”I not gettink out der boat for others, let dem valk!”
The silver fox toyed with his battle-axe, teasing Kurda. ”Yew travel in style, me beauty, wid yore beloved brother an' yore dear old uncle Plugg. Don't fret now, we'll punish those naughty slaves an' get my nice likkle boat back.”
Kurda smiled back at the Freebooter. ”An' ven 'tis all over, you deliver me back to mine father?”
The Freebooter winked broadly at her. ”Why, bless yore 'eart, pretty one, of course I will!”
Kurda's eyes went cold. ”Gutt, den I vill see him hang you in chains over his gates.”
3i Suns.h.i.+ne and shadow dappled through the trees onto the stream's surface. It was far more calm running in the woodlands. Shogg took down the sail and furled it. The others kept rowing and poling, with Scarum expounding his list of complaints.
”I say, my bloomin' paws are jolly well sore, must be worn down to the flippin' bones by now. Blisters on top of my blisters, that's what I've got!”
Sagax poled stoically onward. ”Should have blisters on your tongue, the way you're yammering on there. Give it a rest.”
However, Scarum was not to be deterred so easily. ”A rest? Jolly good idea, if y'ask me. A rest and a whacking great feed. We're going to have to stop soon and eat, y'know. It's not fair, a chap starvin' to death, all because a few mangy vermin are chasing us. Can't one of you bright sparks think of somethin' to slow 'em up or put 'em off a bit, wot?”
Sagax snorted. ”We could always chuck you overboard like we did those other two. That'd slow them up.”
Kroova stumbled as his pole hit a root.
Shogg peered through the crystal-clear water. ”Look! See that root running across the bottom of the streambed?
There's lots of 'em from the trees on the bank. Just the sort o' thing we need, mates.”
Picking up the broken oarshaft that he had used as a weapon earlier, Shogg felt the broken end; it tapered down to a blunt point. The broken oar was almost as tall as he was. ”Kroova, I think we need two otters for this job, matey.”