Dann tugged the shrew’s tail sharply. “Keep your voice down an’ stop thinkin’ of just yore stomach. Song’s right, we’d best get goin’ while the goin’s good. I don’t trust that ole gray watervole. He’d like it fine if’n he could hang on to both the Leafwood an’ his boat. Those voles seemed friendly enough, but you never can tell.”

“Yiss yiss, y’could never tell, ’specially with a crafty ole beast like the Gray One!”

They whirled around as Burble emerged from the willows, carrying a sack of food and two extra oars. Dann eyed him levelly. “Where d’you think you’re goin’?”

Brushing past them, Burble slid the boat into the water and threw his gear aboard. He leapt in after it and held the vessel still by grabbing firm hold of overhead branches. “Goin’ wid you, yiss yiss, ain’t livin’ in some ould hole on a riverbank till I got gray whiskers like the rest of ’em. Stir yer stumps an’ get in ’ere. We’ve got to get goin’ quickish, afore the River’eads wake up an’ find their Swallow gone!”

Dippler was about to debate the point when Song shoved him unceremoniously into the boat and thrust a paddle at him. “Don’t argue, Dipp, we haven’t got time. Something tells me Burble’s right. Let’s get away from here. We can argue all you like as we paddle. I’ll take this side with you, an’ Dann, you an’ Burble take the other side. Don’t waste time, dawn’ll soon be up!”

With the two oars already aboard the friends had an oar each. They steered their vessel out into the fast-flowing center of the river, heading downstream. Wise in the ways of boats, Dippler praised their new craft immediately. Even with their limited knowledge, Song and Dann had to agree with him: the watervole’s boat was a traveler’s dream. The Guosim shrew watched happily as the boat responded to their paddles.

“Light as a feather she is, mates. This’n don’t sit in the water, she skims it, like a bird. So that’s why y’called ’er Swallow, eh?”

Burble nodded vigorously, casting worried glances behind. “Yiss yiss, Dipp, now less o’ the tongue an’ more o’ the paddle!”

Song peered suspiciously across at the young watervole, even as she took his advice and paddled harder. “Burble, I’ve got a feelin’ you haven’t told us all. The way you talk, anybeast would think we stole the Swallow.”