“Boi okey, this’n’s owd granfer near losed a dear liddle mole back thurr. Oi never see’d a skwon afore, gurt feathery burdbag they be, stan’ on moi tunnel.”

They lunched on apples and bread, supplemented with some cow parsley that Dinny had discovered.

* * *

Blacktooth and Splitnose sighted the pond. They had been running ahead of Scratch after a particularly nasty bout of name-calling. The stoat and ferret had called Scratch a frogwalloper; this seemed to touch some hidden nerve in the weasel, and he took strong objection to the insult. The pair ran off, cackling gleefully as the weasel threw pebbles and earth clods after them.

“Come back here and say that, you cowardly custards. I’ll give you frogwallopers when I get you!”

Running wide, they approached the pond at a different angle from that of the travelers. Blacktooth and Splitnose whooped with delight.

“Look, a river, a river! Truce, Scratch!”

Scratch joined them, the quarrel temporarily forgotten at the sight of the watery expanse.

“That’s not a river, it’s a pond,” he pointed out. “This is more like it, a good fresh drink, a nice bath for our paws. Look, a swan sitting on a nest. Swan eggs—what a tasty idea!”

Splitnose was not so sure. “Er, don’t you think that bird looks a bit big, Scratch?”

“So what?” the weasel snorted. “There’s three of us and we’ve got spears. I bet swan eggs are lovely.”

“Have you ever eaten one?” Splitnose asked.

“No, I’ve never even seen one, but I bet they’re very big and good to eat.”

“Well, all right, we’ll back you up. How do you get the eggs?”

“Easy, just stand in the shallows and chuck our spears at the swan until it’s forced to fly away, then we rob the eggs.”

Buoyed by Scratch’s confidence, they waded into the shallows. The female swan watched them fearlessly. She issued a warning hiss.

The would-be plunderers were enjoying themselves immensely.

“Ooh aahh. Hey, Blackie, doesn’t this mud feel great when you squelch it with your paws?” Splitnose called.

“Aye, ’specially after all that running, mate. Just watch this.” Blacktooth flung his spear. It fell far short of the target.

Splitnose laughed scornfully, then threw his. It went a little further, but still far short of the swan.

Scratch sneered contemptuously at their efforts. “Huh, you two couldn’t throw a frozen worm and hit the earth. Go and get some stones to fling at her. I can probably wade out that far and stab the bird.”

The ferret and the stoat waded back to the bank, and ran off to search for missiles.

Scratch ventured recklessly on until the water was around his middle. There was a crackle of parting rushes behind him. Scratch turned in the water. The giant male swan blotted out everything in his vision; he did not even get a chance to cry out or lift his spear.

Scratch was dead before he knew it!

Splitnose and Blacktooth returned to the water’s edge, their paws full of rocks and earth clods.