Brogg released the rat, who stood nursing his ear tenderly. “All right, all right! I haven’t seen nothing, heard nothing, and I won’t say nothing. It’s none of my business.”

Brogg contemptuously wiped the claws that had been nipping Chinwart’s ear on the rat’s tunic.

“Good. Now get about your business, pigsears.”

When the rat had scurried off, Brogg stood sunning himself. He held the larder keys, had a new red velvet cloak and a dangerous-looking curved sword. To all apparent purposes, he was the only Captain at present serving in Kotir.

Life was beginning to feel fairly good.

* * *

A packed lunch was served at the river’s edge.

Bella tossed an apple core into the water, they watched it bob to one side then stick in the shallows.

Skipper plucked it out and flung it far. “All I can say is that somehow the River Moss is at a low ebb. Those holes were underwater when we dug them, and now they are high and dry.”

Ben Stickle lay flat out on the bank, gazing up at the cloudless sky. “Must be the mild spring we had. Look at it now, hardly a week into the season and it’s like midsummer. Huh, it’ll be late autumn before we see a drop of rain at this rate.”

“So, what is to be done?” Abbess Germaine asked, putting her milk beaker aside.

Lady Amber stroked the space where her ear had been. “What d’you think, Skip? Would it be possible to dam the river now that the level’s fallen a bit?”

The otter picked up a pawful of banksand. It ran freely through his claws.

“Marm, even as things are now, it’d be like trying to stop the sunrise at dawn. We don’t stand a chance of even trying to block off a river the size of old Moss.”

“Er ahem!” Chibb perched on a young chestnut shoot.

They continued talking, ignoring the robin.

“Maybe if we dig the channels a bit deeper.”

“Tunnels, you mean.”

“Channels, tunnels—it’s all the same, isn’t it?”

“Ahemhem harrumph!” Chibb called again.

“It is if you’re a squirrel, but to a mole or an otter a channel and a tunnel are two completely different things.”

“Humph, ahem, harrumph!” Chibb was becoming impatient.

“Hurr, that be correck. ’Oles is ’oles an’ furrers is furrers.”

“Harrumph, ahemhemhemhem!”

“What d’you mean, furrows, a channel isn’t a furr—”

“Ahem!“

“Chibb, what’s the matter with you? Some nut stuck in your throat, is it?”

“Er ahem, no. But I thought you’d like to know there’s a ship coming up the river.”

“A ship!”

“What, you mean a boat?”

“Harrumph, I beg your pardon, but I’d have said a boat if I meant a boat. It is a ship, full size, all black, white skull thing on the front, rolled up canvas sails, lots of oars. Ship!”

Bella leaped up, spreading her paws wide. “Every creature take cover. Abbess, you stay with them. Be ready to make a dash for Brockhall if you hear my signal. Skipper, Lady Amber, come with me. We’d better go and investigate. Chibb, did you see who was on the ship?”