“I’ll keep the mole pinned down, Splittie. Look through that pack over there, and see if you can find some cord.”

Splitnose scuttled off and rummaged in the pack.

“Even better, mate. Look, a rope,” he called.

“Give it here and keep your spear on the mole, stick him if he moves. Blacktooth wound the rope round the travellers. Binding them together, he tugged the end to make sure it was tightly secured.

Picking up his spear, he strutted around them. “Ha, you’re our prisoners now. You’ll pay for breaking the laws of Kotir and leading us on a wild-goose chase. Be still!”

Splitnose was emptying the supply packs out. “Heehee. Look, apples, bread, cheese, mmfff. Pie!”

Blacktooth threw extra fuel on the fire and crammed food wolfishly into his mouth, while menacing them with his spear.

“Hey, this is more like it, Splittie,” he enthused. “Come and get warm by the fire.”

Gonff winked at Martin and whispered, “Leave it to me, matey. I’ll settle these two idiots.”

Blacktooth yanked sharply on the rope’s end. “No talking there. One more peep out of you and you’ll be sorry, d’you hear me?”

Gonff shrugged as best as he could. “Don’t worry, Captain. You’ve got us, all right. But please don’t eat all our supplies, we’ll have nothing left to keep alive on.”

Splitnose threw an apple core at Gonff and bit into a cheese. “Ah, stop moaning, mouse. Look at us, we’ve lived on one skinny crust and grass for the last few days. Mmmm, this is good cheese. Hey, a fruitcake! By the claw, that’ll do for me.”

“Come on greedyguts, half for me.” Blacktooth prodded Splitnose with his spear.

“Get your own, fatbelly,” Splitnose retorted.

“Why, you gluttonous worm!”

“Ouch! You keep that spearpoint away from me, rottengums.”

“That’s the stuff, matey,” Gonff called out encouragingly. “You show him that stoats are the bosses.”

Blacktooth was about to stab Gonff with his spear when Splitnose jabbed him in the bottom with his spearpoint.

Martin took Blacktooth’s side. “Don’t let him do that to you, ferret. Get him.”

Dinny supported Splitnose. “’Ee be nowt but a gurt bully. Jump on furret’s tunnel, skoat.”

Blacktooth cracked Splitnose across the head with his spearshaft. Splitnose retaliated by stabbing Blacktooth in the paw.

The three friends egged them on with loud shouts.

“You’ve got him now. Stab!”

“That’s it. Keep him pinned down!”

“Get his throat with your teeth!”

“Shove him in the fire, quick!”

Filled with blind rage, the stoat and ferret battled all over the camp site, rolling through the fire, splashing in the shallows, stumbling against the captives, oblivious of all except the desire to win.

“Grr, take that, stoatswine!”

“Aarghh, you won’t push me around any more, ferretface. Get this!”

Blacktooth fell, pierced by his opponent’s spear. Splitnose backed off, dropping his spear, and stumbling further into the shallows. Blacktooth pulled himself upright and staggered toward his foe, spear held outright. Splitnose blundered into deeper water, unarmed, holding his paws out pleadingly.