The boats were floating side by side. Tubgutt snarled across, “D’you hear that, shrews? He’s sorry. We might all be dead meat by tonight, but Log-a-log’s sorry! Log-a-log? He’s not a proper Log-a-log. Where’s the Blackstone that should be hanging round his neck? We don’t have to take orders from him! I say we make for the shore!”

Mutinous murmurs started arising from both crews.

“Tubgutt’s right, without the Blackstone he’s just an impostor!”

“I say we elect another leader!”

“Aye, Tubgutt for leader. He’ll get us out of this!”

The fat shrew stood up with a triumphant sneer and faced the shrew leader. “Find yourself another name, shrew. You’re Log-a-log no more. I’m the new Guosssom leader now. Right?”

All the shrews were frightened at the thought of being out on the lake where Deepcoiler lurked. Tubgutt’s plan to strike for land caught on immediately. Rather shamefacedly they murmured agreement with Tubgutt, though they kept their eyes averted from Log-a-log, who had always been a good and fair leader.

Log-a-log touched his rapier hilt as he gazed coolly across at Tubgutt. “We’ll settle this once and for all. You name the time and the place, shrew.”

Tubgutt quailed under Log-a-log’s stare, but he put on a brave front and began blustering. “There’ll be no fighting to the death around here or on land. I’m the newly elected leader now. The moment we get to shore you’re banished from the Guosssom—you and your son!”

Fussing busily about, Tugbutt sat down and picked up his paddle. “Hear me now. As your newly elected leader, I say we put about and paddle for land.”

“Make one move and you’re fishbait, shrew!” Mara had been moving gradually along the boat until she was level with Tubgutt in the other boat. She stood within easy reach of him, brandishing a paddle close to his head.

“Did you hear that?” The fat shrew appealed to his new followers. “This stranger is going to kill your new leader. Get her, shrews. Put the stripedog over the side. She and the hare are the cause of all this trouble. Seize them!”

With lightning agility Log-a-log leapt into the other logboat and was on Tubgutt, his rapier point tickling the fat shrew’s throat. “Mutiny and incitement to murder, eh, Tubgutt? You’ll face a full council of our Guosssom comrades when we return home. Mara and Pikkle helped our shrews and my son to escape the toads’ prison pit; they are honored guests. I’ve allowed you enough leeway, Tubgutt. Myself I don’t care for, but when you threaten the life of Guosssom friends, that’s mutiny on the open waters. You there, and you Rivak—get some line and bind this rascal tight and sit him in the stern. I’ll deal with him when the time is right.”