an effort to be first out of the ditch. Black-tooth won. He grabbed the crust
as Splitnose wailed pite-ously, "Give me some, Blackie. Go on. I'd give you
half if I had bread."
"No you wouldn't, stoatface."
"Yes I would."
138
"Wouldn't."
"Would."
Blacktooth relented with bad grace. "Oh, here, scringe-tail. Don't pig it all
down in one gobful."
"Aaahh, that's not fair. You've got the biggest half."
Scratch had wandered further up the bank. He chewed on a young dandelion,
pulled a face, spat it out and shouted, "Hoi, you two, stop bellyaching and
look at this."
They ambled up, chewing the last of the crust. "What is it?"
Scratch shook his head in despair. "What do you think it is, loafbrains? Look,
it's the track of those two mice and the mole. See, here and here, the
pawprints are as clear as day. They're traveling west."
Splitnose found the pole and held it up triumphantly. "Aha, another clue. They
must have used this to climb out of the ditch on."
"Oh chuck it away, bouldernose," Scratch sneered. "Huh, you'll be telling me
next that they used it to fly through the air on. Come on, you two. At least
we're on their trail."
From the topmost branches of a beech on the south side of Kotir, Chibb checked
the straps on his pack before flying off to the cells. Brush and Birch watched
him flying into the thin dawn light, then Brush readied the next pack.
"Shouldn't take too long, then we can nip back and see how the battle's
going."
Birch looked to his quiver. "I'm nearly out of arrows. Bet the others are,
too. Tell you what—you stay here and see to the robin while I swing back to
base. I'll gather all the arrows I can lay my paws on from the stores and take
them to our archers."
"Good idea. See you later, mate."
Around the back of the elm, it was only a short distance from the heavy loam
of the woodlands. Foremole led the little party, Columbine and Ben bringing up
the rear with Soilflyer, a champion young digging mole. "Hurr on'y a
liddleways, now gaffers," he chuckled secretively. 'Uz diggers do 'ave a foin
tunnel awaiten fer *ee to excape thru." Gratefully they were helped into the
broad tunnel dug by the
139
moles. As they progressed along it, Columbine could hear Soi!-flyer filling in
behind them. Up ahead, Foremole said comfortingly to some mice, "Never 'ee
fear, liddle guddbeasts. We'm a goen' to Moledeep. None may foind 'ee thurr."
Tsarmina's determination was unabated. She pushed her forces ruthlessly
forward.
"Come on. Can't you see they aren't sending over as many arrows or stones?
Keep going. We've got them."
Fortunata's ear throbbed unmercifully. The vixen was lucky that the arrow had
not struck a bit lower, or it would have been her skull. Clamping a pawful of
her own herbs to the wound, she looked up dismally as a large squirrel swung
in laden with quivers of arrows. The fox dropped back a few paces, muttering
beneath her breath, "If you think you've got 'em, Milady, then go and get them
yourself."
Two of Skipper's crew were driving long sharp stakes into the ground at the
base of the elm trunk. Earth had been piled around the stakes and leafy
branches scattered on top. From a distance it looked for all the world like a
crew of otters lying in wait, armed with spears.
The newly arrived arrows drove the Kotir soldiers back a short distance,
despite Tsarmina's threats and blandishments. Lady Amber checked to see that
the moles had got away with their charges.
"Is it ready, Skip?"
Skipper held up a paw. "As ready as it'll ever be, marrn." "Good. We'll fire a
last couple of heavy salvos while you slip off with the crew. See you back at
Brockhall." "Aye. Good huntin', marm. Come on, crew." Once again Amber's tail
stood up straight. "Archers, fire!"
Tsarmina and Cludd heard the command.
"Down flat, keep your heads down, shields up," Cludd bellowed to the soldiers.
When the invaders lifted their heads, the otters were gone. There followed an
eerie silence, broken only by the rustle of the treetops. Tsarmina knew this
was the squirrels retreating. She straightened up and ventured a pace forward.
Cludd joined her.
140
"Ha, bunch of cowards, eh, Milady. Looks like they've run away."
Tsarmina peered toward the mound at the base of the elm. "Maybe, maybe not. I
think they might have set up some sort of trap, or is that a crew of otters
armed with spears? Take ten soldiers and investigate it, Cludd. Go on, we're
here to back you up."
Reluctantly Cludd selected ten creatures and set off gingerly for the enemy
lines. He ducked once or twice when someone stepped on a twig. Finally he
arrived at the mound. Knowing the danger had passed, Cludd kicked at a leafy
bough, and prodded the mound with his spear.
"All clear, Milady. It was only a stupid trick to make us think they were
still here."
"What about the squirrels, Cludd?" Fortunata sounded cautious.
The weasel Captain peered upward into the elm branches then hurled his spear
straight up. Several soldiers dodged out of the way as it landed back, point
up in the mound. A small amount of twigs and leaves fell with it.
"Not a hide nor hair of the lily-livered bunch!" Cludd puffed his chest out as
he retrieved his spear.
Relieved and exultant, the soldiers of Kotir rose up, cheering and stamping
about in a victory dance.
"We won, we won!" "Won what?" Tsarmina's voice rose angrily above the
celebration. "Fools, can't you see it's an empty triumph: no plunder, no
slaves, no submission. They've vanished completely, and what have we gained? A
few yards of woodland that belongs to me anyway.''
The sudden volley of arrows slashed down, taking them unawares. Soldiers threw
up shields, diving headlong for the undergrowth. Even the wildcat Queen had to
beat an undignified retreat behind the elm tree she had conquered.
Once again the chattering derisory laughter of squirrels, as they swung off
into the fastnesses of Mossflower, was all that remained of the woodlanders. •
Gingivere had enlarged the two holes so that Ferdy and Coggs were able to
squeeze through into his cell.
Gleefully they upturned the contents of the first pack.
"Good old mum's apple pie!"
141
"Ooh, elderberry cordial!"
"Look, cheese and hazelnuts!"
"Candied chestnuts, too. Hahaha, bet old Chibb didn't know about *em."
"Come on, Mr. Gingivere. Here's some seedcake and milk. Let's have a secret
supper together, then you can tell us the news from Chibb."
Amidst the laughter, Gingivere brushed away a tear from his eye. He was
delighted with the company of his two little hedgehog friends, after the long
lonely confinement following his father's death.
It was noontide when Martin and Dinny sat down to rest. Gonff stood surveying
the vastness that surrounded them; undulating plain, flatland and moorland
stretched away into the distance, the for horizon danced and shimmered in the
unseasonal heat. Gonff thought he could detect a smudge on the horizon, but he
could not be sure until they had traveled further. The mousethief turned,
looking back to where they had come from.
"Well, mateys, it's certainly a big wide world outside the woodlands and good
old Mossflower. I can still glimpse it back there."
Dinny lay back chewing a btade of grass. "Hurr hurr, an' can 'ee still see yon
liddle mousemaid a-waven to 'ee?"