Noggo, who was one of the bearers, piped up. "But worrabout the giant stripe'ound, wot Stringle's got surrounded, Boss?"
Noggo was close enough, so Gruntan grabbed him, and broke both the eggs over his head. Gruntan gave a gap-toothed smile of vindication. "See, I told ye they was rotten. Never you mind about Stringle, I'll deal with that 'un. Durty great fibber, he ain't got no giant stripe'ound surrounded!"
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Laggle made sure she was out of his reach. "An' how d'ye know that, eh?"
Gruntan smirked knowingly. "'Cos I just saw the stripe'ound on top o' Redwall, that's 'ow. I've seen the beast fer meself, so 'ow can Stringle've seen 'im, tell me that, clever whiskers!"
Laggle put forward her explanation. "Well, there might be three stripe'ounds, have ye thought of that?"
Gruntan shot her his meanest scowl. "Don't talk stupid, unless ye want to get a bad attack o' the Kurdlys. Now, where's that watermedder!"
It was a beautiful sight, a watermeadow in a woodland setting. Bulrushes and reeds flourished along the margins. Large dragonflies, mayflies and damselflies flittered and hovered amid widespread waterlilies, golden crowfoot, white flowering cottongrass and blue-starred brooklime.
All nature's splendour was lost on Gruntan Kurdly as his litter was carefully lowered onto the firm ground of the border. "Haharr, this is the place fer eggs, buckoes. Now if'n ye'd caught up with those sh'ews awhile back, I'd 'ave me a nice liddle logboat t'sail round 'ere in. Well, let's see if'n ye can make yoreselves useful now. Laggle, get some 'elp an' light a fire, git that water cauldron filled an' bubblin', ready for me eggs. Youse young 'uns, cast about an' see if'n ye can hunt up some decent nests, with lots of eggs in 'em. Go quiet an' easy now. If'n ye kills any birds, then ye can keep 'em to roast an' eat. But remember, the eggs are mine, off ye go now, an' don't dare come back empty-pawed, or I'll boil the lot of ye in this cauldron!"
The young Brownrats stole silently off to their duties. Gruntan amused himself awhile, swatting at any winged insect which came within range. Within a short time he was snoozing again.
Noontide shadows were lengthening over the tranquil watermeadows when Gruntan was gently shaken into
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wakefulness by Laggle, who whispered in his ear, "Ye'd better wake up, Boss, they've found a swan's nest!"
Gruntan sat bolt upright, grubbing at his eyes. He breathed reverently, "A swan's nest!"
The one egg he had never tasted, a swan's egg. To the Brownrat chieftain the nest of a swan was his ultimate dream. The swan was the largest of all birds! Gruntan had never seen its egg, but he imagined it would be a thing of legendary proportions. He shuddered with unconcealed delight. All thoughts of Stringle, his lies and stripehounds were banished from his mind as he whispered orders to his Brownrats.
"Who was it wot found the swan's nest, which one of ye?"
A young male rat came hesitantly forward. "Me, Boss."
Gruntan gazed at him fondly. "Wot's yore name, mate?"
The young rat did not know whether to be proud or afraid. "Duggerlo, Boss, me name's Duggerlo." He blinked each time Gruntan patted his head.
"Duggerlo, eh, an 'andsome name for a clever young 'un. So yore the bright spark wot found the swan's nest, d'ye think ye could take me to it, Duggerlo?"
Feeling more confident, Duggerlo nodded vigorously. "Aye, Boss, 'tis over yon, where those willows are. There's a little stream runs through them into the meadows. The nest is right there, I saw it."
Gruntan turned to the other Brownrats. "Youse lot stay 'ere, keep the fire goin' an' the cauldron bubblin' 'til me'n Duggerlo returns."
At the far side of the watermeadow, Gruntan and Duggerlo stood waist-deep in the water, the willows were some distance away. It was not going to be as easy as the Brownrat chief first thought. He questioned the youngster. "Tell me, 'ow did ye make yore way across?"
"I waded most o' the way, an' swimmed a bit, Boss."
Gruntan scratched his stomach underwater. "Hmm, an' yore certain the nest is over there?"
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Duggerlo pointed. "Ye can't miss it, Boss, right in the stream mouth, 'tween those far two willows."
After a few moments' thought, Gruntan reached a decision. "Right, young 'un, you stay 'ere, an' keep quiet, I'll go over there by meself. If'n I needs ye I'll shout."
Being much taller than Duggerlo, Gruntan figured he would not need to swim. Keeping his gaze fixed on the willows, he began wading. The going was slow, but steady; he squelched onward, feeling the ooze, old tree roots and vegetation beneath his footpaws. So obsessed was he with his quest for the fabled swan's egg, the Brownrat chieftain did not want any otherbeast sharing his discovery.
Wading closer, he could make out the nest now, a sprawling, unwieldy construction, probably based on some underwater willow roots. Gruntan could mentally picture the egg, lying there in solitary splendour, white as the driven snow, and big as a seaside boulder. His paws trembled with desire and anxiety as he pushed himself faster through the water, which was now lapping about his chin. He was spitting water by the time he reached the nest, but his footpaws found a hold on the underwater roots. Grabbing the outside of the huge nest, he hauled himself upward, gurgling with happiness.
Under the weight of the Brownrat's bulk, the entire nest came toppling sideways on him, in a hideous cacophony of sound. Two gangling cygnets and a fully grown female mute swan fell upon Gruntan. The young swans scrabbled back onto the half-capsized nest, trumpeting weakly, whilst their mother set about punishing the unwelcome trespasser.
Defending its nest and family, the mute swan was an awesome sight. It towered over the unfortunate Brownrat, hissing and snorting, thrashing him with both webbed limbs, beating him with wings like windmill sails. Then it pounded away at his head with its fearsome orange beak, which was backed by a hard, black protrusion at the base.
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Once, twice, thrice the swan struck, each blow powered by its long, powerful neck. Gruntan Kurdly sank limply beneath the waters, with a fractured spine, and a cracked skull. Still hissing and snorting its wrath, the mute swan shepherded its two cygnets away to safety.
Duggerlo stood clinging to a clump of bulrushes, still waist-deep in the watermeadow. Shocked by what he had witnessed, his gaze was still rooted to the scene of the attack, watching the spot where Gruntan had sunk, expecting him to reappear, roaring orders to slay the swan. Duggerlo stayed quite awhile, until it finally dawned on him that only a fish could stay underwater so long.
The young Brownrat staggered into camp dripping wet. He had to impart the story three times, in full detail, before anybeast began believing him. Though there were a few cynics.
"Garn, Kurdly slayed, no bird could do that!"
"Hah, shows 'ow much you know, you've never seen a swan close up. One o' them things is even bigger'n a stripe'ound. It could finish off the boss, an' three like 'im. Swans is bigger'n giants!"
"Well, I don't believe the boss is dead, so there!"
Duggerlo lost his patience with the speaker. "Well, why don't ye go over there, an' swim under the water an' ask 'im?"
That ended the argument. They sat around the fire, boiling the few eggs that had been collected for the departed. Laggle, the old female Brownrat, made Duggerlo recite the tale once more, then she composed a dirge for the slain chieftain. Laggle considered herself an accomplished Dirger, a highly respected position in the Brownrat horde.
That night, by the light of the fire, she sang unaccompanied in a flat monotone the words she had put together for her former boss. The others wolfed hard-boiled eggs, some for the first time, as they listened to the dirge.
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"O come listen, ye Brownrats, take heed o' my words, all about Gruntan Kurdly our chief, for he stood fat an' tall, well respected by all, as a murderin', plunderin' thief!
Kurdly rose through the ranks, with his foul, wicked pranks, but his stomach grew greater than he, an' his awful downfall, I'll relate to youse all, was he loved hard-boiled eggs for his tea!