"Where I come from on the far north coast, we heard tales of this from seals and sea otters. This is a floating mountain of ice, I think they called it an iceberg. From what I can see, our craft ran into a deep crack in the shallow edge of this iceberg. It crushed both the shrewboat outriggerswe jumped overboard as it struck the longboat. Bladeribb the searat didn't stand a chance."
Viola shuddered at the thought of the searat's fate. "Crushed to death by an ice mountain. What a dreadful way to die."
Grath put aside her bow and quiver, nodding grimly. "Don't feel sorrow for that 'un, missie, his passin' was quick an' easy. Not like the innocent creatures he slew for no reason. Right, wot's the next move, Martin?"
The Warriormouse adjusted the sword belt across his shoulders. "We'd best go and see if we can salvage anything from the wreckage. Plogg and Welko, you stay here with Viola, it should be light soon. Grath, Clecky, come with me."
The hare jumped from the ledge onto the water-covered ice shelf. Immediately he slipped, falling flat on his tail. "Tchah! I say, you chaps, this's all a bit much, no boat, no grub, no fire and now a blinkin' wet behind, wot!"
Grath slid across the ice, using her tail as a rudder. Reaching the edge, she called out happily, "Ahoy, there's the logboat with the supplies in it! Come an' lend a paw, mates!"
The shrew craft was floating just a short distance from where :hey stood, practically undamaged. Having the longest reach of the three, Clecky took Martin's sword and, while they held him teetering on the edge of the ice floe, he leaned out and jabbed at the logboat, using the sword like a harpoon. There was a soft thunk as the sharp steel tip bit into wood. The hare drew the narrow craft slowly and carefully in, then Grath leaned out and grabbed the stern firmly.
"Got it! What a stroke of luck. This logboat must have snapped off and shot backward into the sea instead of being crushed. Here, Martin, hold on to my tail while I pull her up onto the ice."
With a mighty heave the powerful otter lifted the stern clear of the water and slid the logboat up onto the ice. Martin sharpened a broken spar into a pointed stake, then dug a hole in the ice with his swordpoint. Clecky held the stake steady as Grath drove it tightly into the hole. They made the logboat fast to the stake by its headrope, then climbed aboard to take stock of the supplies.
Gradually the grayish fog changed to soft white with the advent of dawn. The silence was total; even the voices of the small crew sounded muffled and subdued by the heavy, all-pervading mist curtain. Using a canvas sail, the friends had rigged a tent from for'ard to aft on the logboat. Now, relatively snug, they sat watching Clecky. The hare had gathered wood from the wreckage, splitting it to find the driest pieces. Using a flint, he struck a spark against Martin's sword blade onto a heap of splinters and torn sacking scraps from the supply wrappings.
A faint glow, accompanied by a wisp of smoke, had the hungry hare chortling happily. "Ohohoho, I say, pals, never mind the dangers an' flippin' perils besettin' us, who's for a good hot scoff, wot wot?"
Everybeast in the crew contributed their cooking skills, to make what for cold and famished creatures was an epic feast. Martin and Viola chopped carrots, mushrooms and any vegetables they could find among the packs; Clecky and Grath boiled water in an iron pot, adding herbs, dried watershrimp and hot-root. Plogg and Welko toasted shrewbread and warmed some damson wine.
Soon they were tucking into tasty bowls of soup, followed by hot shrewbread spread with cherry preserve and small beakers of damson wine, warm from the fire.
Welko patted his stomach. "Eat up, mates, there's nought like good vittles to keep yore spirits high!"
"Aye, make the best of it," Plogg responded, a little gloomily, "there's little enough left. Over half our supplies were lost along with that searat in the other logboat. Dunno where the next good meal's comin' from."
Viola leaned across and dabbed some cherry preserve onto the pessimistic shrew's nose. "Thank you for those few cheery words, sir, you little fat misery! Aren't you glad t'be alive?"
Welko tugged his brother's ear heartily. "C'mon, smile, you sulky liddle toad, smile!"
Plogg pulled a long face, at which Martin burst out laughing. "If only your father could see you now. I vote, as captain of this craft, that if Plogg doesn't start smiling and singing straightaway, we toss him into the water and let him turn into an ice lump!"
There was a loud cry of agreement. Grath seized the shrew by his belt, winking at Clecky. "Good idea. I ain't sittin' in the same boat as a shrew with a gob on 'im like a flattened ferret!"
Immediately Plogg grinned from ear to ear and broke into song.
"Oh, I'm 'appy as the day is long,
I'm cheery, merry, bright,
From early morn I sings me song,
Until last thing at night.
Chop off me paws, slice off me tail,
An' my pore neck start wringin',
You'll never 'ear me cry or wail,
Because I'll still be singin'!
Ooooo, flugga dugga dugga chugchugchug,
With a smile like a duck upon me mug!"
Plogg's song was greeted by laughter and cheers, merriment that would have soon ceased had the friends known that keen dark eyes, scores of them, were watching through the mists as heavy damp forms slid wet and silent towards the little logboat lying on the broad watery ice ledge.
Chapter 33
Powder-blue and cloudless, the morning sky hung hot and still over Redwall Abbey. Dewdrops evaporating from leaf and grass left orchard and lawn a soft summer green; trilling birdsong resounded from Mossflower Wood beyond the ancient sandstone walls. Summer was blossoming into long hot days and still-warm evenings.
Hogwife Teasel sat at breakfast between Auma and Tansy. She rapped the table impatiently with her ladle, glancing from one to the other as she remonstrated with them.
"Sittinere a frettin' ain't doin' you a smidge o' good. I tell you, Auma, those three Dibbuns will show up when they've a mind to, and those others will soon find Viola; we can be sure of that. An' as for you, missie Tansy, great seasons, just lookit yoreself, a mopin' an' a floppin' about like a fish on a bank, what 'elp is that to anybeast?
"Now you lissen t'me, friends, this Abbey'll be searched from attic to orchard today an' those three babes will be found and that's an end to it! Now I needs somebeast t'lend a paw sortin' through the fruit an' veggies from the spring crop. Seein' as I don't 'ave Abbot Durral to 'elp me, I'll need you, Mother Auma.
“ Tansy, take yore liddle friends an' old Rollo and get search-in'lands sakes, we may need those pearls to get our Abbot back! Leave the Dibbun searchin' to Brother Dormal, Skipper an' Sister Cicelythey've got every Abbeybeast organized for a day-long Dibbun hunt."
The badger pushed away her half-empty platter and gave a huge sigh. Smiling, she patted Teasel's workworn paw. "Right! Lead me to those fruit and vegetables. Tansy, you heard our good hogwife, back to your search, miss!"
Piknim, Craklyn and Rollo were trying to pry Gerul loose from the breakfast table. The greedy owl was hurriedly stuffing the last of a batch of bilberry scones into his beak and washing them down with cold mint tea.
"Arr now, don't be rushin' me, y'dreadful creatures, or I'll get indigestions in me ould stummick an' I won't be able to think."
Tansy folded the scones into a serviette and gave them to him. "Here, faminebeak, take these with you. Who ever heard of an owl thinking with his stomach?"
Gerul hopped ahead of them to the attics, still protesting. "Any sensible owl thinks with his stummick, shows how much you know, miss spike'ead. Me ould mother always used t'say t'me that my head was so full of nonsense that I'd have t'think with me stummick an' that way if I fell on me head I wouldn't hurt me brain. So y'see I've got to have plenty o' packin' round me stummick to protect it in case I need t'do some serious thinkin'."