Martin parted Brome heartily on the back. "Great work, young un.
Rose can hear us! Right, get ready to send her the message."
From the walltop Nipwort shook his spear at Keyla. "You started all this, otter. Listen, they've even upset that eagle bird now. Get away from there, go on! Get back to the compound. You've caused enough mischief around here!"
Keyla knew his job was done. Martin and his friends could send their own messages to the outside. The young otter trotted off grinning happily as the two guards argued away on the wall.
"I'm not putting up with this row all night." "Oh no, then go down there an' shut them up." "Me? Huh, I'm stayin' right up 'ere, mate!"
"An' so am I, mate. We'll just 'ave to ignore the noise an' keep watch fer the Seascarab."
"Ignore the noise! Are you jokin'? Lissen to that!" "Roseyrosey rosey, Grummgrumm grumm! Lissena mee lissenamee!"
The eagle screech sounded again. Rose and Grumm were listening.
Nipwort and Frogbit plugged their ears with the screwed up corners of their ragged cloaks and concentrated on watching the sea.
Brome sent the message in fine howling style.
"In the middle of the gate set your faces.
Oh, I'm dyin' of the fever!
Walk to the south about twenty paces.
It's a terrible thing this fever!
There are three of us in this awful pit.
The fever, the fever!
As deep as three mice and a bit.
I'm goin' to die of fever!
We need the claws of a good old chum.
The fever, the fever!
I know that you can do it, Grumm,
Don't let me die of fever!"
There was a moment's silence, then the call of the eagle screeched out three times. Rose had received the message.
A quiet peace fell over the star traced seas, the shingled beach and the weary sentries on the walltop. The only sound was small waves gently lapping the land as the tide ebbed. Frogbit unplugged his ears.
Nipwort followed his mate's example.
"Cwaw! Ain't it lovely an' quiet."
"Aye, I think the eagle bird frightened 'em inter silence."
"Silence, wot a lovely word."
"It'd sound better if you shut yer gob an' gave it a chance."
Rose had written it all down on a smooth rock with a piece of sea coal. She read the instructions carefully to Grumm.
"Face the center of the gates, walk twenty paces to the south.
Brome says there's three of them in a pit that is as deep as three and a bit mice. So if we, or should I say you, dig down twice my height then straight tunnel from the twenty pace mark, sooner or later you'll break into the pit at about head height. Can you do it, Grumm?"
The mole winked as he flexed his huge digging claws. "Can oi do et, miz? Can burds floiy in sky, can fishers swim in 'ee seas? Hurr hurr,
'twould be easier'n eatin' yore mama's li'l apple puddens!"
"If you rescue Brome, I'll see that my mama bakes you more apple puddings than you could shake a stick at, when we get back to Noonvale." The mousemaid hurled herself on Grumm and stroked his velvety back fur the wrong way.
"Ohoohoohurrhurr, mizzy. Doant you'm do that. Et tickles, hoohoohurrhurr!"
6
Skalrag the fox watched as Badrang tore at a roasted sea bird and drank deeply of the good damson wine that Clogg had brought him.
When the Tyrant stoat had eaten and drunk his fill he wiped his mouth daintily on a dockleaf and nodded at Skalrag.
"Make your report."
The fox swallowed visibly then spoke, moving from paw to paw as he did so. Badrang had that effect on most creatures. His swift mood changes were a byword among the horde.
"Lord, there are no signs of Clogg and his ship. The sentries are keeping a sharp eye out day and night. The prisoners in the hole have some sort of sickness, Lord. It may be fever. Bluehide and Lumpback are taking stock of the armory. Everything else is quiet and in order.
There is nothing more to report."
Badrang poured himself a little more wine. "Fever, eh? That young mouse, Brome, he must've brought it in with him. Pity, I was going to have some fun with those three, make an example of 'em. Still, fever is a good enough lesson to the slaves. Throw the wrongdoers in the pit where they'll catch the fever. What a clever idea, slaves getting fever from slaves. They can't blame us for that, eh, Skalrag? Hahahaha!"
The fox laughed nervously along with his master. Bad rang suddenly stopped laughing, leaving the other to carry on. Skalrag's thin giggle trailed away as the Tyrant's eyes hardened.
"I've just had another clever idea, Skalrag. If my fortress isn't finished by the end of summer, I might just throw a few of my Captains in the fever pit to rot. That'd liven their ideas up. What do you say?"
Skalrag could feel his paws beginning to shake uncontrollably. "A spl splendid idea, Lord!"
Rose waited until the wallguard changed. There was a considerable interval when nobeast was on the walltop, and she took advantage of this to sneak up to the fortress. Standing facing the centre of the gate, she measured out twenty paces to the south. Marking the wall with a piece of charcoal, she dodged back to the cover of the rocks. Grumm was waiting for her. He nodded over to the X marked on the stones of the fortress wall.
"Be that et, Miz Roser?"
She nodded, watching him sizing the area up. Rose trusted Grumm to do the job swiftly and silently. In all the country there was no stronger digger than her friend.
The mole scratched the tip of his button nose. "Yurr, tain't easy, but tain't 'ard noither, miz. You'm see they rock o'er thurr?"
It was another rocky outcrop, similar to the one they were hiding behind. Rose let Grumm explain his plan.
"That thurr rock be on straightline wi' thoi marker. Oi'll start diggen frum thurr. Thatwise they vurmin guarders on wall woant see us'ns, an' you'm kin spread tunnel durt behoind 'ee rock."
The plan was perfect. It was but the work of a moment to slip from one rock to the other. Grumm took one last look at the mark on the wall, muttering calculations to himself as he squinted at it. Then he held both his heavy diggmg Paw$ to the earth and recited his good fortune charm.
"Luck to oi an' every mole,
As ever went to dig an 'ole.
Tunnel gudd for all oi'm wurth.
Mole be best when diggen urth."
Rose was amazed at his speed and strength. Grumm went straight down in a shower of pebbles and sand, widening as he went. The mousemaid sat and waited. Digging a flat oatcake from their pack, she munched it and sipped cold mint tea from a canteen.
Soon Grumm called out to her, "Do'ee jump daown yurr, mizzy.
Urry naow!"
Without a backward glance, she leaped into the hole. Grumm caught her easily and set her steady. She looked up as he rumbled, "Bo urr, that be 'zactly two mousey lengths."
He was right, it was exactly the height of two mice.
"Yurr, stan' on moi 'ead an' climb owt naow, Roser. No sense in you'm agettin' all durty. Wot udd yore mama an' dad say if'n oi brought you'm back all mucked up. Hoo urr!"
The mousemaid hopped out, assisted by Grumm, and began strewing the rubble from the hole around as he dug steps in the side of it.
Blowing sand from his snout, Grumm eyed his work. "Nawthin'
fancy, but 'ee'll do, hurr aye."
He went straight to tunnelling through the bottom side of the hole in a direct line, faster than any two moles in the whole of Noonvale.
Skalrag stood at the rear of Badrang's longhut, trying hard to stop his paws shaking after the interview with the Tyrant. A bankvole was idly pulling up weeds that grew against the side of the building. The fox watched him for a while before calling to him.
"Druwp, over here!"
The bankvole pretended not to hear but worked his way along until he was close to Skalrag. The fox looked this way and that, making sure he was unobserved as he spoke out of the corner of his mouth.
"Well, what's happening in the compound, matey?"
"I'm not your matey or anybeast's," Druwp answered without looking up. "There's lots happening in the compound but it'll cost you food and wine to find out."