“Mmmm, I’m about ready for a late lunch. What d’you say to a vegetable pastie and a drop of cider, Jess?”

Jess opened her pack. “I think I’ll have a bilberry muffin and some cheese.”

Basil undid his haversack. “Er, lessee, I fancy a few slices of nutbread and some candied chestnuts. Yes, that should be just the ticket.”

They pulled out the food and began eating with much munching, slurping and satisfied sighs. Cheek reached for a candied chestnut, but Basil slapped his paw.

“I’m ’ungry,” the little otter said, giving them what he thought was a pitiful look.

Basil licked crumbs from his whiskers. “So you’re ’ungry, eh? That’s funny, I thought you were Cheek.”

Cheek attempted a half-giggle. “H’hee, no, I mean I want food.”

Matthias nibbled the end of his pastie. “Ah good, we’re acting sensible at last. Right, information first, food later.”

Cheek eyed the food longingly. “Well, them two weasels I was tellin’ you of, they said to each other: ‘Let’s dump the cart here and get back to the others.’ That was Fengal, of course. Then Deadnose, he says: ‘Right, mate, I’m sick of trailin’ this old thing around the forest in the rain. If we dump it here and now we can be back with Slagar and the rest by tomorrow night.’ Then they just leaves it ’ere an’ off they goes. An’ that’s all I ’eard, so where’s me vittles?”

Jess covered the food with her haversack. “Not so fast. Which way did they go and how long ago was that?”

Cheek waved his right paw. “Straight that way, must ’ave been about midmornin’ or so.”

Basil stopped him as he made for the food again. “Just two more things, you little blot. What’s my name and what is that good lady squirrel called?”

Cheek looked seriously hungry. “You’re Basil Stag Hare and that squirrel’s called Jess.”

“Aye, and don’t you forget it, young rip. Come on, tuck in.”

Cheek went at the food like a savage wolfpack. What he couldn’t swallow he packed into his cheeks like a hamster, and what he couldn’t pack into his cheeks he tried to grab with his paws. Chuckling, Basil rolled him from under the wagon.

“I’d sooner keep you a day than a season, Cheek. Go on, be off with you now, back to your mum and dad.”

Cheek swallowed enough to allow himself to speak. “Mums’n’dads? Cheek doesn’t ’ave mums’n’dads. I want to go with you.”

Matthias shook his head. “I’m afraid it’s a long and dangerous journey. You might get hurt.”

Cheek giggled and rolled under the wagon again. “Cheek doesn’t get ’urt. Take me with you if I give you some more information, good information, somethin’ that only Cheek knows at the moment,” he begged.