Gawjo sat down at the table, wriggling a paw in his damp ear. “All part o’ the plan, me young beauty. This lake’s swarmin’ with pike. They’ve tried to attack us before now—you don’t realize how big an’ dangerous some o’ those fish’ve become. So the plan is to shoot one. The pike are natural cannibals, they’ll go for that ’un an’ eat it. So we shoot a few more an’ pretty soon they come far far’n’wide to feed on ’em.”

Song shuddered. “Ugh! How horrible!”

Gawjo shrugged, pouring himself some hot mint and dandelion tea. “Aye, ’tis not a pretty sight, but that’s the nature o’ pike. They fight o’er eatin’ their own so fiercely that they bite each other, causin’ more blood t’flow. Before you know it nearly all the pike in the lake are gathered there, snappin’ an’ rippin’ each other to bits. While their blood lust is on them they won’t bother us or our raft.”

Megraw watched the rainy skies from the window. “Whit a waste o’ guid food! Nary a sign o’ they maggypies oot on yon lake yet. Mebbe inclement weather’s keepin’ ’em close tae hame on their isle.”

Gawjo sipped his tea gratefully. “The weather’s on our side an’ the wind’s drivin’ us toward the island. With luck we may make land by the morrow’s dawn.”

Burble picked up a small stringed instrument from the corner where he was sitting and twanged it.

“Can anybeast be after playin’ this thing? May’ap Song’ll give us a ditty, yiss yiss?”

A huge male hedgehog relieved Burble of the instrument. “Nay, rivermousey, sound doth carry far o’er waters like these.”

Song pulled a face at her friend. “He’s right, y’know, rivermousey. You’ll have to recite us one of your rivermousey poems, nice and quiet now!”

Burble’s fur actually bristled with indignation. “Sure I’ll recite nothin’ while I’m bein’ insulted. If anybeast calls me rivermousey once more I’ll fight ’em. Yiss yiss, so I will! I don’t call you treewalloper, do I?”

Song laughed at her bristly companion. “Call me what y’like, I don’t care. Rivermousey!”

Dippler burst out laughing. “Hawhaw haw! Rivermousey, that’s a good ’un!”

Burble rounded on him with a wicked grin. “Who asked you, boatbottom?”

The cabin became a verbal battleground as laughing and giggling they hurled insults at one another.

“Hohoho! Boatbottom, that’s a great name for you, Dipp!”

“Ho is it now, Dannflower broomtail. Hawhaw haw!”

Gawjo joined in. “Heehee, flopears is a better name for that ’un, or popplepaws. Heeheeheehee!”

“Popplepaws yoreself, ole baggybarrel-belly! Yahahaha!”

Torrab poked her head round the cabin door. “Be there any within to relieve the watch this day?”

She was greeted with a barrage of impudent merriment.

“Go ’way, spikybonce!”

“Aye, push off, needlenose!”

“Out in the rain with ye, soggyhog!”