“You and you, get in the boat and take it down to the lake. The rest of you, pick up that tapestry. Be careful with it. We’ll walk along the bank and meet the boat at the lake’s edge.”

Stolidly obedient, one of the two rats got into the logboat and picked up a paddle. However, his companion took one look at the pounding, rockstrewn rapids and stayed where he was, safe on shore. Mokkan patted him on the back reassuringly. “What’s the matter, afraid of a little rough ride?”

The water rat’s eyes were wide with fear as he nodded dumbly. Mokkan shrugged, smiling at the rodent. “You don’t have to go if you don’t want to. Stay here.”

The Marlfox’s ax flashed in the sunlight as he slew the unfortunate beast with a single hard blow. Still smiling, he pointed to another water rat. “Would you like to stay here with him?”

The rat leapt into the logboat and seized a paddle. “No, sire, I’ll take the boat down to the lake!”

Mokkan stowed the ax back in his belt. “Good. We’ll meet you by the shore!”

*

Dann and his friends reached the bottom of the falls at precisely midday. They searched the area as best they could until nigh on late noon. Dippler and Burble came back from their reconnaissance to find the young squirrel seated despondently on the ground, shaking his head.

“There’s not a sign of Song or that osprey, not a feather, a scrap of rope, nothing!”

Ever the optimist, Burble nodded in agreement. “Yiss yiss, that only means one thing, Dann me bucko. Song’s alive an’ safe somewheres. Yiss yiss, y’know wot they say, no news is good news!”

Dippler flung out a paw in the direction of the water. “Then which way d’ye think she’s gone?”

Dann was suddenly struck with an idea. “The Swallow should tell us. Let’s get away from this area to where the water’s smoother. Then we’ll launch her and see which way she carries us. The current goes the same way for anything on the water. Right?”

“Yiss yiss! Good ole Dann, yore right, mate!”

Finding a good spot, they launched the boat and sat in it, leaving their paddles shipped, so that the water could carry them along. When they were out in the mainstream of the wide swirling pool beneath the waterfall, Dann pointed off to his right. “Look, there’s a broad stream running off that way. Maybe that’s the way Song went?”

Dippler watched the prow of the Swallow nosing along in the water. “Maybe, but it ain’t the way we’re bound, pals. Look dead ahead.”