Klitch chuckled nastily. "Oh we hear you all right, you great windbag. But soon you'll hear from your friends Oxeye and Sapwood. When the sun dries them out and all they have
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to drink is seawater, then you'll hear them calling for mercy, screaming for a quick death. What'll you do then, eh?"
Oxeye shut his eyes against the midmorning sun. Licking parched lips, he looked across at Sapwood. "Are they still parleyin' up there by the mountain. Sap?"
The Sergeant tried to crane his head, but the rope across his throat pulled tight. He lay back with a sigh. " 'S no good, Hi can't see a thing. Ox, but Hi tell yer, if n Hi was Urth-stripe, Hi'd wipe Klitch an' Ferahgo out as soon as they was close enough an' fergit us two."
Migroo menaced them with his spear. "Shut yer mouths, yew tew!"
Big Oxeye winked at him. "Do me a favor, ol' chapgo an' boil your scabby head!"
1 "One more word an' I'll run yer through!" The stoat touched Oxeye's throat with the spearpoint.
"Slay away, old lad, slay away." Oxeye closed his eyes again, dismissing Migroo. "But if you harm a single hair of our handsome heads, young Master Klitch'll let his daddy skin you alive, then he'll kill you."
Klitch came striding up and stood over his captives.
Oxeye stared boldly up at him. "Listen, sonny me old weasel, if that chap Migroo kills us, would you be awfully kind and kill him back for us?"
"I wouldn't be so cheerful if I were you." Klitch kicked the big hare savagely. "Urthstripe is leaving both of you here to die. We've given him until dawn tomorrow to make up his mind, but by then a couple of tides will have washed over you and the gulls will be pecking at your corpses."
Oxeye raised his head slightly, smiling insolently at Klitch. "Feedin' the jolly old birds, eh. At least we'll be doin' some-thin' useful. What d'you say, Sap?"
"Oh aye, but Hi think I'd sooner feed 'em this 'ere weaselthat's if they haint too fussy wot they eats."
Klitch leaned down and struck Sapwood in the face. The boxing Sergeant wrinkled his battered features scornfully. "You ain't got much of a right, sonny. Try yer leftit might
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be better. Tell yer wot, why not untie me an' I'll give yer a free boxin' lesson."
Bart Thistledown and Pennybright watched from the top of the crater. Pennybright was very upset, but Bart comforted her in his laconical style. "Now don't be gettin' y'self in a tizzy, young Pen, wot? Oxeye an' Sap look in good form from here. No doubt Milord Urthstripe'll lead a party out an' rescue 'em tonight."
"Oh, Bart, d'you think he will?" Pennybright gnawed her lip anxiously.
"Goes without sayin', young Pen. Bad form not to, y'know. Milord would never give up his jolly old mountain, but he's a good ol' stickhe wouldn't leave two of his best chaps in the clutches of those vermin, you can bet your bally lettuce on that! I say, speak of the badger an' here he comes. Sah!" Bart came smartly to attention as Urthstripe ascended the crater stairs.
"Thistledown, get your weapons ready. There'll be you, Moonpaw, Catkin, Seawood, myself and some others. We're going out tonight to rescue Sergeant Sapwood and Big Oxeye. Penny, you'll stay here and guard the mountain with the rest., No arguments, missie! Bart, one hour after sunset, be ready at the main entrance!"
When Urthstripe had gone, Bart turned to the crest-fallen young hare. "See, I told you, Penwe'll have 'em both back by mornin'. Now now, don't stick your lip out like that, m'gelmakes you look quite ugly. Some-beasts have got to stay here and mind the old place. Cheer up, I'll slay a few for you, eh?"
By late noon the tide was swirling in. Fortunately for the two hares it was not a spring tide. They lay staked out with the water oozing around their backs and paws.
Sapwood shook his head several times. "Cor, it's runnin' down me ears. D'you think it'll come much 'igher? Hi'd 'ate ter be drownded by the sea."
Oxeye strained against the neck rope. "Me, too, Sap. Bad
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enough a chap gettin' all his back V tail soaked in salt water. Where's old stoatbottom an' his pal got to?"
"Over there, see, sittin' on those rocks an' keepin' their paws dry."
Oxeye turned his head on one side, watching Migroo and Feadle as they sat on the warm dry rocks. The big hare wiggled his paw. "Now don't get too excited, Sap, but I think I've got me bally paw free. Those dimwits prob'ly didn't realize that these ropes are only twisted grass fibers, and the water makes 'em soft V stretchy. Hold fire a tick, there! That's one paw free. Now for the other three. How are you doin', old feller?"
"Workin' on it," Sapwood grunted. "An' less of the 'old feller', you cheeky rogue. You must be at least two seasons older'n me."
"One, actually. What drill d'you think we should follow when we're loose? Personally I think that big hunk o' driftwood looks like a good bet. We'd never make our way through all those vermin back to the mountainthey'd probably stick us so full of bally spears an' arrows we'd look like a couple o' pincushions."
Sapwood wriggled his paws against the softening fibers. "An' what 'as that cob o' driftwood got to do with all this?"
Oxeye sneaked a footpaw loose. "Can't you see? It's an ideal boat. They wouldn't think of you putting to sea. It's the great escape. Sap. You could float up or down the coast apiece, land the driftwood and sneak back to Salamandas-tron."
The Sergeant shook water from his ear as he looked at his friend through one eye. "Me?"
"Yes, of course you! I simply hate watercan't swim a stroke, y'know. But I've watched you doin' all those sporty exercisesyou used to swim like a bally duck, every morn-in'."
Sapwood was not very keen on the idea. "Er, 'scuse me, hold feller, but what'H you be doin' while I'm cruisin' round on a cob of driftwood if Hi might ask?"
"Keepin' 'em busy while you escape, you great pugilistic
duffer." Oxeye chuckled. "One of us has got t' do it. I'll catch up with you as soon as I've roundly cracked a few heads. Now no arguments, Sergeant. Besides, I outrank you I'm a lieutenant, y'know. Never use the title an' I hate pullin' rank on a chap, but that's the way the pebble rocks. First we've got to get some weaponslet's see if we can entice ol' thickhead an' his pal over."
Migroo was nodding off nicely in the late noontide heat when Feadle shook him awake.
"Wot are those two hares up to, matey? Listen to 'em!"
Migroo sat up as the two captives started yelling, "Help, Help! There's a big fish over here tryin' to eat us! Yowch! Gerroff! Do somethin', chaps. It's a big fat fish!"
Feadle grabbed his spear. "Did yer 'ear that, mate? A big | fat fish!"
-5 Migroo also picked up his spear. "Hoho, just the job fer supper. Don't tell the others. Come on!"
They splashed across through the shallows. Feadle got there first, waving his spear animatedly as he shouted, "Where's the big fat fish?"
Sapwood sprang up right on cue, laying the weasel out with a crashing double pawswing. Migroo pulled up short, alarm on his face as he turned tail and ran off yelling, "Escape! The prisoners are escapin'!"
Oxeye's back had sunk into the wet sand and he had difficulty pulling himself up. Coming free with a sucking squelch, he ran to the driftwood and began tugging it into the water. "Come on, Sap. Hurry up! Get this thing out to sea!"
Between them they lugged the heavy tree limb, tripping and stumbling on branches and twigs as they pushed and towed it into the water.