"Nan, you stop 'ere with me, Clatt. I think there's goin' t' be trouble up at Bladegirt. Best we stay out of the way. Tell you what, shipmatewe'll go to the forecastle head cabin an' make skilly, you an' me."
Clatt brightened up at this suggestion. "An' some raisin duff. Can we make a pan o' raisin duff?"
"Aye, skilly an' duff. That'll gladden our 'earts. Ain't nothin' like skilly an' duff in a snug liddle cabin."
Clatt turned to the nearest oarslave, a very young shrew. "Avast, you bilgepup, d'you like skilly an' duff?" The young shrew nodded vigorously. "Yes, sir!"
"Well, you won't be gettin' none, it's all fer me an' Blodge. Hee hee hee!"
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Durry Quill gritted his teeth as they strode off laughing. "I'd like to meet that Clatt when I don't have no
chains on one day!"
oo
The Seatalon rode at anchor in Terramort cove as evening gave way to night. The wind had dropped, leaving the air still and warm. Captain Catseyes leaned over the rail, staring up to the lighted windows of Bladegirt. Blodge popped his head out of the forecastle cabin.
"Skilly an' duff, Cap'n. Me an' Clatt made enough fer all claws aboard."
Catseyes left the rail, adjusting the sword of Martin so it rode more comfortably at his side. "Thankee, Blodge. I think I will!"
00
The weary oarslaves were slumbering chained to their oars as the hooded mouse stole carefully into the galley-deck. He glanced around, shaking his head at the pitiful figures. The mouse was not young anymore, but he was well set up and strongly built. From his belt he drew several sharp three-cornered rasp files. Dandin had been watching him through half-closed eyes; now the young mouse sat upright as the other crept past him. Dandin caught hold of the stranger's dark cloak. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
The hooded mouse held up a warning paw. "Ssshhh! I bring freedom!"
Dandin nodded, recognizing immediate friendliness in the stranger's voice. "What do you want me to do? Say the word and I'll help."
"Wake the others as quietly as you can. Here, take one of these and use it on those chains."
Dandin accepted the file. He shook Durry and Copsey gently. "Hush now, be quiet. Wake up the others, but do it softly."
All around Dandin oarslaves were being wakened as he worked away with the file. It was a good file. He
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freed himself then began on Durry's chains. The hedgehog smiled at him in the darkness.
"Wait'11 I tells my o' nuncle 'bout this!"
The strange mouse gave a low whistle, and twenty other mice entered the galleydeck. They set about helping to release the slaves.
A small thin harvestmouse stood up. Unable to contain himself, he laughed aloud and threw his broken chains noisily to the deck. One of the helpers muffled the harvest mouse in his cloak, but it was too late.
Pawsteps sounded above, then Captain Catseyes' high-pitched voice called out: "Who's that? Who's down there?"
The stranger took off his cloak. Beneath it he was a broad, fit-looking fellow, clad in a searat jerkin, though Dandin noticed that he was completely silvery gray. The mouse bundled the cloak up and passed it to Dandin. "Who's that calling out on deck?"
"Captain Catseyes, the Master of this ship. Why?"
"Everybeast back at their oars, hide the broken chains and leave this to me. Be quick now!"
The oarslaves seated themselves, whilst the other cloaked mice hid beneath the galley benches.
"Cap'n . . . Cap'n Catseyes," the strange mouse called up to the deck. "Gabool sent me down. His Majesty has news for you ..."
Catseyes came bounding down the companionway. Anxiously he strode up to the strange mouse. "What news from King Gabool?"
The strange mouse stepped close in, drawing a dagger from the back of his belt. "Gabool doesn't know, but I brought you this!"
He slew Catseyes with one fierce thrust.
Dandin leaped forward. Unbuckling the dead searat's belt, he retrieved the swrord and scabbard. More paw-steps sounded above on deck.
"Cap'n, can we get some wine from yer cabin?"
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"Aye, skilly 'n' duff's better with a drop o' wine, Cap'n."
"That's Blodge and Clatt," Dandin whispered to the stranger. "Leave them to us when they come down."
"Right, how many more aboard?"
"Four besides them."
"We'll take care of them. Get that body out of sight and sit back down as you were. The rest of you hide."
Blodge and Clatt came stumbling down into the half-light of the galleydeck. Blodge peered around bad-tem-peredly.
"Cap'n, where are yer? Ain't we goin' t' get no wine tonight?"
"Not tonight or any other night, slavedriver!"
Clatt gave a squeak of dismay; blocking the stairway was the stranger, backed by twenty hooded mice. He whirled about to find himself facing Dandin. Blodge unwound the whip from about his shoulders and raised it threateningly. "Get back, or I'll have the hide off yer!"
Dandin chopped the nailing lash in two pieces with a sweep of his sword. "You'll never use that whip on another creature, rat!"
He hurled himself upon the slavedriver, who fell back yelling hoarsely as he grappled at his belt for his own sword.
Copsey and Durry gave Clatt a mighty shove in the back, and he shot from the alleyway straight into the arms of a bunch of oarslaves who were waiting, swinging lengths of broken chain. Clatt had time for just one short despairing scream. Just one, no more!
From above decks the sound of four bodies splashing in the sea told the oarslaves that the stranger and his companions had dealt finally with the remaining crew members. Dandin stood straight, distastefully wiping his sword upon the fallen body of Blodge.
"He died as he lived, a cringing coward who could only strike out at helpless creatures in chains!"
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The freed slaves made their way up to the deck. The stranger and his band were loading up with any weapons that they could find. He nodded at Dandin "All finished down there?"
The young mouse sheathed his sword. "As finished as it'll ever be. What next?"
"We take everything we can from this ship-weapons, food and clothing-then we get off and sink her. From there we go to the caves at the other side of the island. When the time is right we will attack Fort Bladegirt and put an end to Gabool the Wild. Are you with us?" J
The freed slaves looked at Dandin. He grasped the stranger's outstretched paw.
"We're with you every step of the way and glad to be along! My name is Dandin of Red wall. What's yours?"
The stranger swirled his dark cloak about him, a broad, honest grin creeping across his strong features. "They call me Joseph the Bellmaker!"
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33
The morning was a fine one. Blue smoke from the searat campfires drifted through the high woodland trees, mingling with sloping shafts of sunbeam across leafy boughs of oak, ash, rowan, sycamore, elm and beech. Soft mosses, short grass and variegated flowers carpeted the ground, broken here and there by beds of fern and flowering nettles.
The beauty of it all was lost upon the searats; food was the more practical problem of the moment. Gray-patch had argued, ranted and cajoled, but the faction led by Bigfang and Lardgutt won the day, appealing to greed rather than conquest. Hunger made Bigfang unexpectedly eloquent on the subject of food.