The Bellmaker Part 19

job well done! How's the mast coming along, Log-a-Log, nearly there?"

"Aye, almost ready," the shrew Chieftain called up from the for'ard hold. "I'm seatin* it in pitch an' caul kin' it tight with oak.u.m so it'll be waterproof and stand firm."

Foremole and Rosie poked their heads from the galley. "We'm gotten noice cool 'tober ale yurr for ee!"

"And a Pearl Queen Pudden, though you chaps best hurry or it'll start stick!n' to the stove!"

The rudder workers joined the mast riggers, and with the added help of willing paws they had the foremast rigged as the sun dipped below the western horizon and night set in.

The Pearl Queen Pudden was voted a huge success by all the crew, who went back licking their spoons for second helpings. Rosie undid her ap.r.o.n with a flourish, winking at Foremole. "Y'know, it wouldn't hurt old Finnbarr to appoint me permanent cook aboard this vessel, jolly wise choice!"

Foremole heaped two bowls with pudding for himself and Rosie. "lie must amember, miz Rose, that cookers be potwashers too, hurr."

Rosie threw the ap.r.o.n to a nearby shrew. "Hmph! I've just resigned!"

Sheltered by the high rocks, the cove was snug from wind and weather. With no anxiety and the prospect of sailing on the morrow, Pearl Queen's crew lay about on the hatch covers, eating, drinking, and singing. Rosie was prevailed upon to perform her laughing song. With Finnbarr twiddling the keys of his ottercordion, she braced herself and launched into it.

The crew found themselves sorry they had asked her 258.

to start. Rosie stood demurely, paws clasped, eyelids aflutter, and began singing in a piercing soprano voice, outrageously twisting and elongating the words: "There is nought on this earth to com-pa-a-a-a-are, With a comely young fee-hee-male ha-a-a-a-a-are, He-er beauty is winsome to see-e-ee-e-e-ee-ee, She will smile and she'll larff pri-ti-lee-eeeeeeee! Whoohahahahooh haha, whoohahahahooh ha ha ha."

She smiled coyly at her stunned audience. ' 'Tarquin wrote this for me, y'know - there's another six verses. Shall I sing them for you, chaps?"

There followed a joint unplugging of paws from ears as the entire crew yelled in a single voice, "No thank you!"

The Hon Rosie sniffed airily as she launched herself at a bowl of pudding. "Rotten lot. Somebeasts have no appreciation at all of life's finer things, wot?"

However, her indignation soon vanished as she clapped paws with the rest, in time to Joseph's rendition of an old favorite. Finnbarr twiddled an accompaniment as the Bell-maker's strong baritone voice echoed around the cove.

"O w.i.l.l.yum mole to his father said, 'Why don't I hear daybreak?

And why can't I hear the nightfall?

No noise does either make.

O riddle me diddle me riddle me ree, Silly old father tell to me, Why doesn't a fish nest in a tree, 259 Or a bird fly under the sea?'

'O wise little son,' said his father, 'You never hear daybreak, And you're never awake to hear nightfall, You're asleep for goodness sake!

So riddle you diddle you fiddle you do, Your silly old father loves you true, If you're good I'll tell you something more, A beech is a tree and a beach is a sh.o.r.e, And if sky is blue and wind blew too, Your silly old father is wiser than you, So weigh my words as you go on your way.

Tomorrow's today when the night falls away!' "

Amid the applause that followed Finnbarr slipped back into the darkness, fading away like a shadow. Log-a-Log followed him, rapier at the ready. Rufe noticed them going and said in a loud voice to Patch, "Where are those two going, mate?"

"Keep yer voice down, Rufey, an' act normal like," the Guosim shrew cautioned him.

There followed a squeal and a scuffle. Joseph reached for a boarding pike as he whispered, "Stay calm, every-beast, keep your weapons close to paw and wait until Finnbarr or Log-a-Log calls us. There's been something or someone out there since dusk!"

"Owow, lemme go! Get y'paws off me, searat!"

Durry was startled by the shrill voice. He turned to see Finnbarr hauling a struggling young squirrel over the rail. "Be still, yer liddle rogue, or I'll tan yer 'ide. Ouch! 'E bit me!"

Log-a-Log materialized out of the gloom, tugging a 26o .

small, sobbing mousemaid behind him. "Here's another one; I reckon there's more out there!"

The mousemaid broke free; throwing herself down in front of Joseph, she pleaded brokenly, "Oh, please don't slay us, sir. Please!"

The young squirrel attempted to bite Finnbarr Galedeep again; he struggled and kicked viciously, shouting, "Save your breath Wincey. They're pirates, you won't get mercy from this sc.u.mmy lot!"

Rosie Woodsorrel confronted him. "Now see here, young thingummybob, mind your manners. Do we look like pirates?"

Squirming hard to get free of the sea otter's iron grip, the young squirrel bared his teeth. "If you're not pirates, then tell this big searat to let go of me!" he snarled.

Joseph filled two platters with Pearl Queen Pudden, then, taking the mousemaid's paw gently, he signaled Finnbarr to release the young squirrel. "Don't be frightened of Finnbarr," he said to them. "He's just a great big old sea otter. What's your name, young un?"

"My name's Benjy an' I'm not afraid of you or any-beast!"

"Of course you're not. Come and have something to eat, Benjy." Joseph placed the plates of pudding in front of Benjy and Wincey, speaking softly to allay their fears. "Rosie, is there any raspberry cordial in the galley? Bring our guests a beaker each. Come on, young uns, eat up. You look as if a plate of pudding apiece would cheer you up. Oh come on now, we're not going to hurt you."

They ate hungrily, grunting and snuffling in their haste to get the pudding down. Rosie brought their cordial.

26 (.

"My word, has there been a seven-season famine around here?" She laughed.

With his whiskers coated with fruit and pastry, Benjy shot her a quick glance. "You don't look like no searat," he said.

"I should hope not, and don't speak with y'mouth full," Rosie said as she refilled the two plates. "We're honest voyagers from Redwall Abbey, and we don't go about slayin' and whatnot. Just look at you two! A good bath, some more food, an' clean clothes is what y'need."

Joseph took the little mousemaid on his lap. "I had a little one like you, though she's quite big now. Tell me, Wincey, how did you come to this place?"

She took a great sucking gulp of raspberry cordial and shrugged. "Always been here, I think."

The squirrel called Benjy had moved closer until he was leaning against Joseph. "Aye, always, me an' Wincey an' Figgs."

"Figgs, who's that?" said the Bellmaker, ruffling Ben-jy's ears fondly.

Benjy smiled secretly as he licked his pudding plate. "Figgs is Figgs. She's our sister. Want me to call her?"

Before Joseph could reply, Benjy was crying out, "Figgs, Figgs, come out wherever y'are! Hurry up. They've got nice pudden an' drinks an* they're not sea-rats!"

A tiny ottermaid popped her head shyly over the rail. "Pudden's nice, Figgs wants some!" she squeaked.

Shaking with laughter, Foremole lifted her over the rail. "Ee liddle raggym.u.f.fin choild, you'm can 'ave pudden 'til ee bursters. You'm a needen et t' be growen gurt!"

Figgs was so tiny that she had to pick up the wooden 262.

spoon in both paws, but there was nothing tiny about her appet.i.te.

Finnbarr shook his head in wonderment at her. "She could go to sea in a clamsh.e.l.l with a sail! Ahoy there, Figgs matey, is that the full crew of ye, or is there any more giants out there 'idin' silentlike?"

Figgs paused a moment as if thinking hard. "No, only our father. Benjy knows where our father is."

The young squirrel took Joseph, Finnbarr, and Rosie on a short walk into the hinterland of the island. Holding torches, they followed him through thick undergrowth to a tattered sailcloth rigged askew of a fallen aspen. Benjy stopped short of it, pointing as if ashamed to go near. "Our father's in there," he said.

Finnbarr strode forward and went into the tent. He came out swiftly, shaking his head at Rosie and Joseph. "You don't want ter go in there; faint a nice sight!" Tears were rolling silently down Benjy's face as the sea otter placed a tattooed paw about his shoulders. "Hush now, matey, yore a big feller now, don't weep." The young squirrel snuffled, wiping tear-stained eyes on his tail. For one so fierce and scarred, the sea otter spoke surprisingly softly.

"Who was that 'edge'og in there," he asked, "and 'ow did you all come t'this isle? Tell me, young un."

Benjy sniffed several times before explaining. "s.h.i.+p was wrecked t'pieces out on the sea at the start of summer. Burrom the hedgehog was hurled bad by a falling mast, but she clung to it an' pulled us aboard with her. Figgs too, though she was just born; don't know what happened to Figgs's mother. We got washed through the rocks into the cove; been living here all through summer.

263.

Poor Burrom never really got over that mast falling on her. She was mixed up all the time, talking strange." Benjy shuddered hugely, as if fighting back more tears. Finnbarr kept him talking as a distraction.

"How long's she been like that... I mean ..."

The young squirrel pulled himself together gallantly. "You mean dead? Since last full moon, though I couldn't tell Wincey and Figgs. They kept wanting to see her, but I told them she was sleeping/'

"But you said father," Joseph interrupted. "Burrom was a female?"

The young squirrel smiled through his tears. "That was Wincey's idea. She never knew her father, so she thought it would be nice to call Burrom father. I told Figgs we were her family, brothers and sisters. She's too small to know any different."

To cheer him up Rosie chuckled, "Well I'm a mother and you can count on me, though you'll have lots of fathers aboard Pearl Queen, brothers too. Hmm, should've brought more sisters along with us!"

When they got back to the s.h.i.+p, Foremole had made beds up for Wincey and Figgs in the crew's accommodation. Joseph settled down on the hatch covers with Benjy close by, and they lay watching the stars, like silver pins, holding up the dark, velvet canopy of the night sky. Joseph outlined his plans for them. "We're sailing in the morning, right after breakfast. I think you and your sisters would be better off coming along with us, Benjy. What d'you think?"

"I think that's the best thing too, sir. I'll have to tell Wincey and Figgs that Burrom won't be coming along. It'll be difficult, 'specially for little Figgs."

264.

nodded understandingly. "You're growing up well, Benjy. You stay aboard with the others, and Finnbarr and I will go ash.o.r.e early and give Burrom a decent burial."

The young squirrel sat upright. "No, please, leave our father in the tent. I couldn't bear thinking about Burrom buried there all alone. Besides, she might get better and wake up someday..."

"So be it, Benjy," said Joseph, smiling sadly, "but don't grieve. Burrom will be glad that you three are safe and with friends now. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, sir. Oh, may I ask where we're going on your s.h.i.+p?"

"It's not my s.h.i.+p. Pearl Queen belongs to Finnbarr. We're bound for Southsward to search for my daughter, Mariel, and her friend Dandin. It's a long story."

Benjy's eyes shone bright in the darkness. "Southsward, that's my home!"

Now it was Joseph's turn to sit up. "You come from Southsward?''

"Yes, sir, every creature on the s.h.i.+p did. We were driven out of there by Urgan Nagru the Foxwolf-his rats killed both my parents. I want to go back to Southsward!"

"I'll bet you do, Benjy!" said Joseph, looking steadily at the youngster. "Come to the galley with me; there's food and drink there. We have a lot to discuss."

BOOK THREE.

Southsward 26.

Rosy-hued dawn flooded through the guest room window at Redwall Abbey as Mellus and Tarquin stirred the snoring searat Captain from a tangle of sheets.

"C'mon, Slipp, rise and s.h.i.+ne, old rat. Let's see if you were m.u.f.fin* when you said you could cook."

Slipp tried burrowing deeper into the bed linen, as Tarquin turned him none-too-gently onto the floor. "Go 'way, s'only just dawn, beat it!" he grumbled.

The hefty paw of Mother Mellus scooped the searat up onto his paws. "Less of your insolence! You said you were a cook, so let's see you up and cooking!"

Blaggut poked his head from beneath the pillow, giggling dozily as he watched the proceedings. "Show 'em what yore made of, Cap'n. Burn up a mess o'skilly an' duff; that'll warm the c.o.c.kles of their 'earts, hahaharr!"

The badger turned as she propelled Slipp through the doorway. "I wouldn't laugh too much if I were you, Blaggut; there's two friends outside want to see you. Go in and wake the nice rat up, my Dibbuns!"

267.

268.

The mousebabe and the molemaid came das.h.i.+ng in and threw themselves upon Blaggut, buffeting him unmercifully with Slipp's pillow. "c.u.mmon, mista Blackguts, Ma Mellus said you was a carpenter, we wanna see you carp!"

"Carp, y'say. Well, I dunno," said Blaggut as he sat up and scratched himself absently. "Let's see, mates, wot d'yer want ole Blaggy ter carp for ye?"

Furrtil the molemaid was in no doubt at all. "Ee lickle boat to sail on ee Abbey pond, zurr, so's us'n's can set in it. Can ee carp a boat, zurr Blackguts?''

Blaggut sensed a chance to help Slipp achieve his desire. "Mebbe I kin, mebbe I cain't. Boats don't git carped fer nothin', mates. D'you know where the secret treasure of this 'ere Redwall h'Abbey is 'idden?"

The mousebabe looked furtively about, then drawing close he whispered in Blaggut's ear, "A course we does!"

The searat brightened up; his ruse was working. "Right then, you show me the treasure, an' I'll make ee an' 'and-some liddle boat t'sail round the pond in, eh?"

"No, Zurr," said the molemaid, stroking her digging claws solemnly. "Furst you carp ee boat fer us'n's, then we tell ee whurr secret treasure be 'idden, hurt!"

Blaggut considered the offer, peering closely at the two well-scrubbed faces radiating honesty and trust at him. "Haharr, you drive an 'ard bargain, but it's a deal, buckoes. One thing though: swear you won't tell anybeast about this?"