Part 21 (1/2)

”Jump!”

The swamp had sucked Dandin under, his head disappeared from view.

Mariel, Durry and Tarquin jumped heavily from the tree to the path, falling in an awkward heap atop each other.

The bough straightened with a tremendous rush. Dandin was hauled clear of the swamp with a huge squelching plop He hung there, dangling above the swamp at the rope's end by both paws, covered from ears to tail in thick foul mud. Pulling the sword from where it stood quivering on the trailside where Dandin had dropped it, Tarquin leaned out, supported by Mariel and Durry. Holding the sword by its blade, he hooked the crosstree hilt into Dandin's belt and pulled him in. Mariel and Durry grabbed Dandin's limp body. Tarquin swung the sword upward with a mighty slash, severing the end of the bough that the Gulhvhacker was tied to. All four fell back in a heap on the pathside.

While Tarquin undid the knots to free Dandin's paws, Mariel poured water from their flasks over his face, was.h.i.+ng away the ooze that caked it. Durry forced his mouth open whilst Mariel poured water into it. Dandin struggled feebly and coughed. Mariel sighed her relief. Her voice choking with emotion for her friend, she tried to sound busy and practical.

”Thank goodness for that. I thought he was gone for a moment there.”

Tears were flowing down Durry Quill's homely face as he joked. ”Our Dandin a goner? Naw, he'll be a'right, I 'member Father Abbot sayin' he use to eat mudpies when he were a Dibbun. Hahahaboohoo!”

232.

Laughing and crying at the same time, Durry hugged Dandin's paw.

A fire was lit, though only a small one with the limited supply of fuel in the swamp. Tarquin took a turn at making some mushroom and turnip broth while Mariel tended to Dandin. The young mouse had recovered sufficiently to sit up. He looked away from the darklands swamp and shuddered.

”Uuuuuuhhhhh! It filled my nose and eyes and sucked me under. Right under! It was horrible. I'll never forget it as long as I live!”

Mariel patted his back gently. ”There, there, it's all right, you're safe now. Good job you thought of the tree, Durry.”

The hedgehog looked at her oddly. ”I didn't mention no tree, missy.”

”Oh, it must have been Tarquin then. Thank you, Tarquin.”

”Don't mention it, old thing, but y'don't mind me sayin', what tree?”

”You mean it wasn't you who said, 'the tree, the tree'?”

”Nope, sorry, must've bin some other beastie.”

Dandin and Mariel looked at each other. Dandin smiled.

”Aye, the same one who told me to hold my paws up straight after I went under. Good old Martin the Warrior.”

After a few hours they were able to resume their journey, backtracking until they found another path which looked fairly straight and safe. Mariel walked in front, holding the wart-skinned toad's lantern; it made the visibility slightly better. Tarquin followed at the rear, cleaning mud from his harolina.

”Supreme sacrifice, wot? Chap keepin' another chap afloat in a bally swamp with his harolina. Not many'd do that y'know. Bet Hon Rosie'd think it was a jolly 233.

n.o.ble effort on my part-fact I'm sure she would!” He turned to the big frilled lizard that was following him. ”I mean to say, a chap's harolina is a very personal possession, wot? Omigos.h.!.+ Eulaliaaa!”

Tarquin suddenly brained the lizard with the harolina, knocking it flying into the swamp. Other lizards sinuously scaled up from the sloping pathsides where they had been following the travelers. There were at least twenty or thirty, an a.s.sortment of newts and frilled lizards, their reptilian tongues flickering in and out as they watched the four travelers through cold basilisk eyes.

Durry threw up his paws in despair. ”Lackaday, what now? We've 'ad sticklegs, pikes, adders, Flit-chaye, mad owls, a warty toad, an' now this, dragons! My nuncle Gabe wouldn't believe a word iffen I told him. More like he'd say that I 'ad been a-drinkin' of his strong blackberry wine. Mariel, tell a poor lad who's far from home, what do we do now?”

It was a strange scene. They stood on the trail, holding a hasty conference/ watched by the silent unblinking lizards.

”We have two choices, Durry: stand and fight, or make a run for it.”

Dandin drew his sword. ”I'm with you, Mariel. Just say the word!”

”Now steady in the ranks there, chaps,” Tarquin interrupted. ”I've already cracked a valuable harolina on one blinkin' reptile's bonce. Hold fast a moment, will you. I could be mistaken, but just a moment ago I swear I felt a bit of a light zephyr.”

Durry wrinkled his snout. ”A what?”

”A light zephyr, me old scout. A vagrant breeze, a fortunate breath, a bally puff of wind, in fact. Just give me a moment, will you ...”

Tarquin walked back down the trail to a tree, brus.h.i.+ng aside a newt. ”Beg pardon, old lizard, 'scuse me.”

With an agility which belied his awkward figure, the 234.

hare climbed the tree. He stood on a high branch, paw to forehead, gazing out, nodded with apparent satisfaction, then descended the trunk swiftly, pus.h.i.+ng through the lizards.

”D'you fellows mind not hoggin' the trail? Bad form, y'know, idlin' about an' stickin' your flippin' tongues in an' out like that.”

Returning through the dumbfounded lizards to his companions, Tarquin murmured under his breath to Mariel, ”Tarquin L. Woodsorrel reportin' back, marm. Don't show too much excitement, but I could see the sea from up in that tree, about a couple of hours' good hike from where we are. Does that alter the situation? Just thought you ought t' know, bein' expedition leader an' all that.”

Dandin gave a wriggle of suppressed joy. ”The sea! Well, that does change things, but we've still got these lizards to contend with. Look, there's more coming out of the swamp.”

The lizards from the mud joined their fellows upon the trail, waving long, prehensile tails and strutting about slowly with sinuous reptilian grace.

Mariel weighed the situation carefully. ”Hmrn, they haven't made any move to attack us yet. Maybe it's just a display of strength in numbers, though if we made a run for it they could easily stop us. This is their territory, they know it better than we do, and we're outnumbered at least ten to one. Right, one thing's clear- we can't stand here much longer or something's bound to happen. I've got an idea that might work. Hold my Gullwhacker and give me that sword, Dandin. Don't ask questions, just trust me.”

Wordlessly Dandin gave her the sword. Turning from her companions, the mousemaid faced the gathering of reptiles crowding the path. ”Which one of you is the leader?”

There was no reply. The lizards merely stood staring at her.

235.

”Don't you have a chief, some creature in command?”

Further silence. Mariel brandished the sword of Martin. She gave a great leap and yelled, ”Redwaaaalll! I am Mariel the Warrior. I'll fight you all together or one at a time! Come on, send your best killer out here and I'll meet him in combat! Lizards don't bother me, buckos. I've ate lizard stew before today.”

Behind her she could hear Durry and the others snorting to suppress a fit of laughing giggles.

”Sounds like Mariel Stonehead to me!”

”Lizard stew? Oh I say, that's goin' it a bit!”

”D'you reckon they can understand her? Teeheehee!”

Mariel ignored them. She approached a large crested lizard who stood half a head above the rest.

”What about you, sliptongue? You're big and lazy enough to be a chief. Do you fancy your chance against Mariel the Warrior?”

The lizard blinked, turned slowly and walked majestically away, with Mariel shaking the sword at it.

”So, you're not only dumb, but cowardly with it! Well, let me tell you, slimenose, if any of your tribe try attacking my friends, you're the first one I'm coming after. I'll chop off your tail and stuff it up your nose! We're leaving now. I hope you'll heed my warning!”