“Listen, friend,” Orlando said, keeping his voice low so that the others would not hear, “I don’t know how much rubble has fallen across this cave mouth, but I think we both know it’s far too much for us to move. We’re becoming weaker, Matthias. The air is running out in here. I keep feeling dizzy and wanting to lie down to sleep.”

Matthias clasped the big badger’s paw. “Same here, Orlando. But don’t let the others know. Young Cheek will only panic and Basil will start jumping about trying to think up schemes to get us out. I know it’s hard, but we’ll just have to sit here and try not to fall asleep.”

“Do you think there’s anybeast outside?”

“The only ones I can think of are Slagar and his gang. We’d be in no condition to fight them, even supposing we could get out.”

“I wish we had a strong mole with us.”

“Aye, and if wishes were fishes there’d be no room in the river for water.”

“I’m sorry, Matthias. I was only thinking aloud.”

“Pay no heed to me, Orlando. It’s this terrible darkness, the heat and the lack of air—”

“And this confounded dust in me ears, laddie buck!”

“Basil! You were listening to us.”

“Say no more, old lad, say no more. Backs to the wall and all that, I say, I don’t suppose anyone’s got a bite to eat stowed on ’em?”

Even young Cheek managed a faint laugh. “Trust you to think of food at a time like this, mate.”

“Sorry, Basil, we left the supplies outside so they wouldn’t hamper us in the ambush,” Jess Squirrel called from the far side of the cave.

Jabez Stump yawned. “Some ambush, eh? We’ve got ourselves rightly scuttled, you mark my spikes. Best thing is to sit quiet, think hard and breathe light.”

A gloomy silence fell as they acted on the hedgehog’s good advice.

*   *   *

Mattimeo dug and scrabbled wildly at the huge ever moving landslide. The sun was reaching its zenith and the digging was becoming more heated and futile. Grunting with exertion, he straightened up and passed a paw across his brow as a pile of loose earth rattled around his ears. Mattimeo’s quick temper snapped. He seized a pawful of pebbles and flung them at Tim, who was digging higher up the pile.

“By the fur! Can’t you stop loading muck down on top of me every chance you get?” Mattimeo grumbled.

Tim straightened up. “Sorry.”

“Sorry’s not good enough,” Mattimeo snorted. “Just watch where you’re chucking that stuff, will you!”

Tess passed Mattimeo a broad leaf containing water she had scooped from the stream. “Here, drink this and cool down. We’ll get nowhere yelling at each other.”