“Frightened, eh? Legs turned to jelly, have they?” he taunted them.

“We never bargained for anything like this, Chief!” Threeclaws gulped.

Slagar strolled to where two weasels, Drynose and Damper, stood guard over the expedition’s food and water. Pushing them to one side, he took the three large water canteens and carried them to the head of the bridge.

“What d’you mean ‘bargained’? You’re not here to bargain, you are here to obey orders. You, Skinpaw, show them how it’s done. A weasel like you isn’t afraid of crossing a bridge.”

Skinpaw shook his head vigorously. “Ask me to do anything, Slagar, anything. March, fight, climb mountains, cross rivers . . . but not that!”

The silken masked fluttered. The Cruel One seemed to be smiling beneath it. He turned to his slavers one by one.

“You, Halftail, or you, Vitch? How about you, Scringe? Or Bageye there? No?”

They remained silent, while Slagar spoke as if he were cajoling nervous young ones.

“Oh, come on now, it’s only a little bridge across a gorge. Besides, do you see the bushes and trees on the other side? There’s a lovely little pool there, full of nice cold water. Just think, you can drink all you like.”

Skinpaw eyed the canteens that Slagar held.

“We’ve got water, Chief,” he pointed out.

The fox swung the canteens out wide, letting go of them. He leaned over, watching them disappear into the abyss.

“Where? I don’t see any water. Now, you spineless toads, listen to me. You have a choice: either you cross this bridge and drink water, or you stay on this side and die of thirst!”

Threeclaws was the first to go. He stepped gingerly out onto the swaying bridge, gripping the rope sides tightly. Carefully he tested each wooden slat before putting his weight on it.

When he was a short way out Slagar called, “Fleaback, Scringe, pick that line up and start the prisoners going. Halftail, you go with them. The rest of you follow after they’ve crossed.”

Encouraged by Threeclaws’ slow but sure passage, Fleaback and Scringe stepped onto the bridge, tugging the leadrope.

“Come on, you lot. Step lively, and no hanging back or stumbling,” Scringe chivvied them.

*   *   *

Mattimeo could not shut his ears to the sobbing of Cynthia and Jube, who were in a state of frozen shock. He tore a strip from the hem of his habit and bit it into two pieces.

“Here, Tess, put these around their eyes. Cynthia, Jube, listen. Hold on to Tess and Auma, and keep going. You’ll be all right.”

The trick worked. Groping awkwardly, the blindfolded creatures held tight to Tess and Auma, who, though they were both frightened of the swaying, sagging bridge, found that a lot of the fear was taken out of the crossing by attending to Cynthia and Jube.