He had every bird flappin' round, lookin' scared, as he hunted for eggs without rest, an' against every wish, he would never eat fish,
Gruntan Kurdly craved eggs from the nest!
'Til one fatal day, O it grieves me to say, that his greed got the better of him, he set his sights on the fine egg of a swan, that he thought had gone out for a swim!
Thinkin' that he knew best, Kurdly swam to the nest, where the bird sat with its family,
'There's a rat at the door, Ma,' the little 'uns cried,
'an' he's after some eggs for his tea!'
Mrs. Swan in a huff, lookin' rowdy an' tough, honked, 'Come here now, ye fat, thievin' rat!'
An' with many a blow, she laid pore Kurdly low, just by usin' her beak like a bat!
Now against Kurdly's wishes, he's feedin' the fishes, they're nibblin' his ears, snout an' legs, but his ghost's at Hellgates, where I'm tellin' ye, mates,
'tis a place where they don't serve boiled eggs!"
In the silence which followed the dirge, the Brownrats sat gazing into the fire. Noggo, who was forced to sit apart from the rest, owing to the stench of rotten eggs which clung to his fur, sniffed brokenly. "We'll never get anudder boss like ole Gruntan."
Laggle cackled. "Not if'n we're lucky we won't!"
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Noggo's companion Biklo, the other scout, spread his paws in bewilderment. "But without the boss, wot are we goin' t'do about Stringle an' all the others?"
Laggle tossed more wood on the fire, she stared around at the company in disbelief. "Look at ye all, are ye dull, daft or just dozy? Who needs a boss anymore, or did ye enjoy carryin' Kurdly everywhere on yore backs! The great, bullyin' lard barrel, he's gone now, an' good riddance, sez I. Hah, as for Stringle an' the rest, let 'em get on with it. If'n they likes fightin' an' warrin', then I'll be the lastbeast to stop 'em, aye, or join 'em!"
The leaderless Brownrats sat openmouthed, taken aback by the old ratwife's attitude.
Noggo rose, pacing about in agitation. "But... but... wot are we goin' to do?"
Young Duggerlo suddenly blurted out, "Anythin' we wants to, that's wot!"
Laggle rocked back and forth, cackling wildly. "Heehee-heehee! There's a rat with more brains than the lot of ye. Lissen to 'im, ye thick'eaded clods! Ye don't 'ave t'do any-thin' fer Gruntan fatty gut Kurdly no more, he's deader'n a fried frog. Ye can please yoreselves wot ye do, yore free!"
Biklo scratched his head hard. "An' wot are you goin' t'do, old 'un?"
Laggle snuggled down by the fire. "Me? I'm goin' to sleep late in the mornin'. An' I ain't movin' from 'ere. I likes these watermeadows, there's everythin' I needs right 'ere. Water, vittles, long, sunny days an' nobeast to give me orders!"
Duggerlo smiled. "I'm with ye, granny!"
The rest of the company were quick to agree.
"Aye, me, too, no giant stripe'ound's gonna slay me!"
"Right, mate, we can boil eggs for ourselves from now on!"
"Haharr, I'm goin' to break Kurdly's litter up, an' make a nice liddle shelter out of it!"
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"You do that, mate, I'm sure ole Gruntan won't object."
"Aye, Kurdly's boss o' the fishes now, wonder wot they think of 'im?"
Laggle replied between cackles, "Heeheehee, they prob'ly think the boss tastes a bit eggy. Heeheeheehee!"
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34
Stringle backed nervously away from the band of Bludgullet vermin, as their captain, Vizka, advanced, his long fangs showing in a broad smile.
"Don't be frightened, friend, I only wants ta talk."
Stringle blustered to hide his fear. "I ain't frightened of ye, fox, I'm cap'n of Gruntan Kurdly's Brownrats, we chased you up the ditch, remember?"
The golden fox continued smiling. "Aye, but it was us who chased yew down der ditch first." He shoved the magnificent sword he was carrying into his waist sash, and hung the mace and chain, which he was also armed with, across his shoulders. "Don't worry, I ain't here ta harm ye. We both wants ta put an end to dose creatures up dere on de rocks. So why don't me'n'yew join forces, we'd stan' a better chance together, don't ya t'ink?"
Stringle backed off farther, holding up a paw. "Wait." Grabbing a nearby Brownrat, he muttered furiously to him, "Get back to the boss, quick as ye can. Tell 'im I needs 'im 'ere, urgent!" Stringle turned back to the fox, who was lounging casually against a poplar. "Er, 'ow many warriors do ye have, we've got an 'orde."
Vizka chuckled, enjoying the Brownrat's discomfort. "A
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horde, eh, dat could mean any number. I got enough to 'elp out 'ere. Wot d'ya say, Cap'n?"
Stringle hesitated. "Er, I dunno.... I mean, I'll 'ave to wait an' see wot Gruntan Kurdly sez."
Welcome paws reached out, helping the Guosim up onto the plateau. Osbil dispensed with greetings, joining Maudie and Rangval in a parrying movement against the Bludgullet vermin who were scaling the rim behind them.
"Drive those scum back, mates. Logalogalogaloooog!" Half the Guosim joined the charge, the remainder staying with the two badgers to defend the front edge of the plateau. The Sea Raiders were taken off guard by the wild sally, it was not long before the defenders had full control of the table-shaped sandstone top.
Introductions were made until Salixa was acquainted with everybeast. Gorath clasped Osbil's paw. "That was a brave charge you made, those Brownrats had you well outnumbered, you did well to break through."
The Guosim Log a Log sheathed his rapier. "What happened to young Orkwil?"
Maudie shrugged ruefully. "Can't say, old lad, one moment he was with me'n'Rangval, next thing he was gone. We're tryin' not to think the worst about him."
Rangval let his tail droop mournfully. "Ah, there's only one reason a pore creature goes missin' in the midst of a fight. Orkwil was a good little feller, I'll miss him, so I will!"
Maudie chaffed the rogue squirrel. "Come on, you old misery, tails up, wot! Look on the bright side, Orkwil might be fine an' well!"
Salixa turned in a slow arc, taking in the whole plateau. "Yes, let's hope he is. Meanwhile, we have other things to consider before this affair is over."
Osbil looked up from sharpening his rapier. "Wot sort o' things, miz?"
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One of the Guosim, a gruff-mannered old shrew, snorted. "We ain't 'ere t'think, missy, us Guosim are 'ere to fight!"
Gorath silenced him with a severe glance. "Listen to what Salixa has to say, she has learned much from the Tabura, and does not talk just to hear the sound of her own voice."
Osbil tested the edge of his blade by licking it. "Aye, be quiet an' let's hear wot she has t'say."
The slender badgermaid did not have to raise her voice. There was a calmness about her as she spoke. "The one good thing to come out of this is that the Abbey need not fear attack. The enemies of Redwall are surrounding us at the moment, they cannot turn their backs on our force, small as it is. However, we are cut off up here, and outnumbered by Brownrats and the sea vermin. So, I think our main concern for the moment is, how do we defend our position?" By Salixa's tone, she was obviously looking for suggestions.
Rangval peered over the sandstone rim. "Sure, 'twas a charge that got these shrews up here, couldn't we make a grand ould stampede back down agin?"
There were murmurs of agreement from the Guosim, who were always headstrong, and ready for a fight.
Maudie shook her head. "Bad idea, old chap, not good form!"
The rogue squirrel deferred to the haremaid. "Well, it's the best I can do for ye, me darlin'. Though bein' a member o' that Long Patrol from Salamandastron, I suppose ye'll know a thing or two about warfare. So, Maudie me gel, wot's yore plan?"
Smiling ruefully, the haremaid scratched one ear. "Actually, I haven't got a single bloomin' idea. But let's see if I can't think this thing out, the way Major Mullein would. Right, how are we in the jolly old weapons department? Osbil?"