canvas sails, lots of oars. Ship!" ? Bella leaped up, spreading her paws wide.
"Every creature Itake cover. Abbess, you stay with them. Be ready to make a
flash for Brockhall if you hear my signal. Skipper, Lady Am-, come with me.
We'd better go and investigate. Chibb, id you see who was on the ship?"
"Ahem, 'fraid not. Soon as I sighted it I came here to Report."
;•" "Good work," Bella congratulated him. "Come with us. |We may need you to
carry word back fast to those in hiding." ;V The woodlanders concealed
themselves behind trees, in bushes and under deep loam. The badger, the otter,
the squir-tel and the robin struck out west along the bank, leaving the ricene
apparently deserted.
light, they made swift progress. It was not far to Khe stretch of water where
the ship was. f • Chibb was the first to sight it. He fluttered up and down
txcitedly. "Ahem, see, I told you so. Look at those two big ;£>oles sticking
up above the trees. They're, er, harrumph, big poles that stick up on ships."
;>- Skipper saw them, too.
' "Masts, they are, matey," he explained. "Let's get in Closer and take a
better look."
On all fours, they crept to the river's edge, concealing themselves in the
bushes as the ship hove into view. . "You there, come no further," Bella
called from her hide-•|wt, in the forbidding boom of a warlike badger. "If you
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mean harm to any creature in Mossflower, put back to sea— ordeal with me!"
There was silence from the black ship.
On board Wuddshipp, Martin and his friends lay on deck, hidden by the ship's
sides.
Dinny clapped a paw to his mouth, stifling a chuckle. "Hurrhurrhurr, oi know
oo that be a-shouten."
"Bella, good old Bella of Brockhall." There was a distant look in Martin's
eyes. "For a moment there she sounded like Boar. *'
Log-a-Log nodded toward the shore. "Well, we can't lie here all day. Who's
going to answer her?"
Young Dinny solved the problem by standing up and bellowing, "Yurr, thurr be a
beast aboard oo's a-perishen frum luv fer one called Combuliney.''
The creatures in the bushes dashed out in time to see the mole hit the water
with a splash as Gonff heaved him over the side.
"Oo arr, glub, 'elp! Oi baint much gudd at swimmen!"
"Hold fast there, Young Din!" Skipper called, and he was in the water like a
flash. He held Young Dinny up as eager paws hauled them on board.
"Skipper, you old waterwalloper!"
"Gonff, you young piebandit!"
"Hallo, Bella. Ahoy, it's me, Martin!"
"Martin the Warrior, welcome home. Look who's here!"
"Lady Amber, where's your ear?"
Log-a-Log's voice rang out, and suddenly Wuddshipp was swarming with shrews,
mice, hedgehogs, squirrels and hares.
"Bring her hard over. Steady to the bank. Mind those masts on the trees.
Steady that tiller. Watch her head in the shallows!"
Chibb flew to the ship and perched importantly upon the rail. "Ahem, I must
fly and conduct good tidings to those languishing in concealment."
As he flew off, Skipper chuckled. "Does that mean he's going to tell the
others? Strike me colors, but this is a fine 'andsome vessel. I never seen the
like of it afore on old River Moss. You didn't steal it, did you, Gonff? Is
that two sails I spy? Wonderful. Blow me, look at the size of that tiller!
This
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is a real seagoing craft, all right. What's that big skull on the for'ard tip?
A fish! I don't believe there's a fish that big in all the world."
As Wuddshipp berthed alongside the bank, Timballisto held up his paws laughing
heartily. "Hold steady, otter. You must be Skipper. I'm Martin's pal
Timballisto. We'll answer all your questions soon enough."
Bella and Lady Amber came aboard, gazing about in awe as they hugged Martin,
Gonff and Dinny.
Bella smiled fondly at the warrior mouse as she patted his back. "Martin,
you've grown. You really look like a full-blooded warrior now. What a
beautiful sword that is! Is my father here? Where's old Boar the Fighter?"
A silence fell over the ship's crew. Martin gently took Bella's paw.
"Come into the cabin with me, old friend. I have a long story to tell you."
There were many stories told that summer afternoon while Martin and Bella
remained in the cabin. Ferdy and Coggs, Spike and Posy sat among a group of
woodlanders on the deck. The little hedgehogs wore brass sea rat earrings and
carried a round shield each. Their eyes were wide and mouths agape as Gonff
related the events which had befallen the travelers since they left Mossflower
to go questing for Salaman-dastron. Ben Stickle, Goody and the Abbess were
equally impressed, smiling broadly when Gonff could not get his paw loose to
illustrate a point because Columbine was clasping it tight.
"Toads, mateys. You've never seen toads as wicked as this lot. But when that
eel came slithering out of the Scream-hole ..."
"Was the eel as big as a tree, Mr. Gonff?"
"Twice as big, Spike. He'd have eaten you without even opening his mouth."
Lady Amber chuckled drily. "Are you sure you saw mice with wings, Gonff?"
"Oh, I never saw them. But Martin and Dinny did. Isn't that right, Din."
"Burr aye. Gurt leathery burdmouses, a-flyen about inside 'ee mounten."
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"Was that Salamandastron mountain, Mr. Dinny?"
' 'Indeed it was not. Batchaps inside our mountain? Never!''
"Fat chance, young teller me hog, what!"
"Only fire, hares and badgers inside our mountain, old lad."
Gonff looked severely at Trubbs and Company. "Who's telling this story, me or
you?"
"Yes, please be quiet and let Mr. Gonff tell the story, Trubbs."
"Rather, he's a much better storyteller than you."
"Indeed, and isn't little Columbine pretty."
"Then there was this beach," Gonff continued enthusiastically. "Huge, big as
Mossflower, nothing but sand as far as you could see, besides the water and
the crabs."
"Ooh, what's a crab, Mr. Gonff?"
"Well, it's like a spider, only a hundred times bigger, with great nipping
claws and lots of hard armor."
"Did you and Martin slay the big crab, Mr. Gonff?"
"Er, well, no, Ferdy. Actually, I ended up dancing with it."
"Hanahahahaha!"
"Was it a pretty lady crab, Gonff?"
"No, I think it was a jolly sort of male crab, Columbine."
"Oh, then that's all right."
"Here, I nearly forgot, this is a necklace of shells I made for you. Put it
on."
"Oh, thank you, Gonff, it's beautiful. Are they crab shells?"
"No, missie, them's shell shells, c'llected 'em moiself, oi did."
"While Gonff was busy dancing with the crabs, I suppose. Thank you very much,
Dinny."
The mousethief chose to ignore the reference to his dancing talent and
continued the narrative.
He told of the sands, the movement of mighty sea tides, of the scavenging
seabirds and the dead rat whose provisions saved their own lives. He described
the meeting with Trubbs and company and how they led the travelers to the
mountain. Gonff went on to tell of die fabulous place called Salamandastron,
its halls, caves, stairs and passages. He related to his amazed audience the
saga of Boar the Fighter, of his
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roaring forge, gigantic battle sword and his colossal bravery in the war
against the sea rats. Gonff told of the struggle that ended with Boar and
Ripfang going together to the gates of Dark Forest, and finished with the
capture of the ship Blood-wake, now called Wuddshipp.
There was a moment's complete silence, then the wood-landers flocked about