A little more than an hour later, the Siamese prisoner had regained consciousness. Bill Bailey and Grumbuskin had gone down to the brig to interrogate him under close watch.
Bill Bailey kept the tom restrained while Grumbuskin tried to extract some information. He used a lot of physical force to persuade him. The tan and black Siamese tom did not utter a word; he did not even tell them his name.
After landing a few fierce blows onto the Siamese tom's face, he paused to catch his breath. He eyed the prisoner closely and told him "We can do this all night, you know. It's only a matter of time before you crack."
The Siamese tom remained silent. Grumbuskin pounded his face twice more. The second blow landed just below his jaw. In response, the tom coughed violently.
"Feel like talking, yet?" remarked Grumbuskin, "Or do you want some more?"
"Give me all you got," snarled the Siamese tom, "You'll never get anything out of me."
Grumbuskin grinned wickedly and said "We'll just see about that."
He continued to brutally beat the Siamese tom, but the foreign cat would not tell them anything. He was determined to submit himself to torture without giving away any pertinent information.
After over twenty minutes, the prisoner finally gave in, but only told them one thing: "We have indeed been after you for a while now. My Captain did issue an order for your captain to be killed."
Grumbuskin smirked and struck the prisoner again. He told him "If it's a war you want, you shall have one."
The Siamese tom also smirked. He said "If there is a war, my people will not be the ones to start it. If you kill me, you seal your fate."
"What makes you so sure your side will win?" Bill Bailey remarked.
"For one thing, you are one lone ship," the Siamese tom replied, "Genghis has an armada at his disposal."
"We have many allies on this river," said Grumbuskin sharply, "All of them will gladly side and fight alongside us."
"Even so, you're outnumbered," said the Siamese tom, "You should probably just surrender now before the fighting begins."
Grumbuskin struck the Siamese tom again. This time the prisoner started bleeding and coughed violently.
"We'd never surrender to the likes of you!" Grumbuskin shouted, "We'd all rather die fighting than live with such a dishonor!"
There was a knock on the door to the brig. Bill Bailey kept the Siamese cat restrained while Grumbuskin went to the door. He opened a slot in it and saw Growltiger looking back at him.
"Progress report," the Bravo Cat requested.
"We've tried everything, Captain," Grumbuskin answered, "He won't talk. He's more rigid than a beam made of titanium."
"I was expecting as much," sighed Growltiger, "Oh, well, I suppose it's time to give the crew a little entertainment."
Grumbuskin knew exactly what his boss meant. He grinned mischievously and asked him "Shall I prepare the plank, sir?"
Growltiger nodded. "Have the crew assemble on the bridge."
"It will be done, sir," Grumbuskin closed the slot in the door and turned back to the prisoner. He walked back towards him, leaned down to his face, and said "This is your last chance. Talking might save your life."
"You are such a liar," snapped the Siamese tom, "I know that I'm dead anyway. So let's just get this over with."
Grumbuskin and Bill Bailey looked at each other and shrugged, as if they were going to say "Oh, well."
About fifteen minutes later, the entire crew of the Demagogue was assembled on the bridge. They were gathered around the only part of the barge that had no railing. Grumbuskin stood by a computer panel; Tumblebrutus was at his side.
"What exactly is going on?" Tumble whispered to Grumbuskin.
"We're about to let someone off the ship," Grumbuskin responded.
"Who?" asked Tumble, "And how? We're not docked, and there aren't any other boats close by."
"We're letting the Siamese tom we captured earlier off the ship," Grumbuskin clarified with his wicked grin, "We're giving him to the depths of the Thames."
In a way, Tumblebrutus was and was not surprised by this answer. He had a feeling that Growltiger would not keep the Siamese prisoner for long and that he would be executed, but he did not suspect that it would happen this quickly.
Soon, Bill Bailey and Farios came up to the bridge. In-between them was the Siamese prisoner, who had his front paws bound in front of him. Soon, the crew of the Demagogue cleared the way to give them a straight path to Grumbuskin. As Bill Bailey and Farios forced the prisoner to walk with them down the aisle, the crew started jeering and shouting at the Siamese prisoner. The Siamese prisoner remained incredulous to everything he heard and saw.
Soon they reached Grumbuskin. When that happened, the First Officer turned to the computer panel and activated a switch. A long, metallic board started to jettison itself from the ship. It extended right underneath the part of the ship that had no railing. Tumblebrutus could recognize that part of the ship anywhere: It was the plank.
Before long, Growltiger and Griddlebone arrived on the bridge. The two of them made their way over to the area around the plank and stopped in front of the Siamese prisoner.
After getting the order from Growltiger, Grumbuskin looked down at the Siamese tom and told him "Waelik, son of Mouveilyr, you are found guilty of murder, attempted murder, and conspiring against our Captain. For this, you shall walk the plank."
(The only other thing they managed to extract from the prisoner was his name and his father's name.)
The crew started cheering as Bill Bailey and Farios pushed Waelik onto the plank. Bill Bailey took his spearhead and used it to force Waelik out to the very end of the plank.
"Any last words?" offered Growltiger.
Waelik turned around and glared back at Growltiger. He seemed perfectly calm, even though he was fully aware that he was about to die. He only said one thing: "The days of your domain are numbered."
No one spoke for a few moments. But then Growltiger just scoffed and retorted "As are the moments of your life."
He turned to Grumbuskin and gave him a nod. Grumbuskin pressed a button on the panel. The metallic plank started shaking violently. Waelik lost his balance and fell into the water.
The crew continued to cheer as they watched the Siamese tom struggled to remain on the surface of the water. But with his front paws bound, it was useless for him to even attempt to do so.
Tumblebrutus watched as Waelik slowly drowned in the Thames. Normally, the thought of death made him cringe in fear and disgust. But this time, he felt no such emotions. He cheered with everyone else until Waelik was dead.
After all the excitement died down, Growltiger turned back to his crew and told them "Gentlemen, due to recent events, a war with the Siamese is inevitable now. I will not delude you by telling you that it will be an easy war, as there is no such thing. If anyone here does not wish to participate, he must speak now."
He paused and listened for a response. But no one uttered a single word.
Grumbuskin smiled and told his Captain "We're all with you to the end, sir."
At that, everyone cheered in agreement, even Tumblebrutus. He felt that the thrills of being a sailor were about to really begin now.
Growltiger had moved the departure time for the Demagogue down to nine o'clock at night. He planned to do a lot more work at night than usual during the upcoming war.
A few hours later, the ship docked again. Tumblebrutus got off the ship and headed back to the Jellicle Junkyard. When he got there, he found that everybody was already asleep. Alonzo was on patrol duty, but Tumble managed to slip past him.
When he arrived in the clearing, he expected to find it empty. But to his vast surprise, he found Jemima there all by herself.
Jemima had been waiting all night for Tumblebrutus to return. When she saw him enter the clearing, she quickly went over to him.
"Hi, Tumble," she told him sweetly.
"Um… hi, Jemima," he said, nervously, "How are you doing?"
"I'm doing alright, thank you," she responded, "Look, Tumble, there's something we have to talk about."
"Oh, yeah," he said, "Jem, I'm really sorry about how I acted the other night. I don't really have any excuse for how I reacted during our conversation-"
"Tumble," she interrupted, "It's alright. I understand now."
"You do?"
"Yes," she said, "Tugger told me that you went to him for advice on how to work a relationship with a queen. He told me about your plan to start one with me."
Tumblebrutus was speechless. How long had Jemima known this?
"What… what else did he tell you?" asked Tumble.
"Well, I told him about our conversation," she elucidated, "And he interpreted that you were trying to ask me to be your future mate."
Tumble did not respond to that statement. After a short silence, Jemima asked him "Tumble, were… were you trying to ask me that?"
Tumble started to sweat in anxiety. He wanted to answer that question intelligently and properly. He took a deep breath and told Jemima "I… Well, I… Yes, Jem. I guess I was."
Jemima then did something Tumble was not expecting at all. She stepped forward quickly and hugged Tumble. That action took him very much by surprise. But then he hugged her in return.
She whispered "Tumble, you shouldn't have been afraid that I would have refused you. In fact, there is something you should know; something I've wanted to tell you for a while now."
"What is that, Jem?" he asked her quietly.
The two of them came apart and Jemima looked up into Tumble's eyes. She told him "Tumble, I… I love you."
Once again, Tumblebrutus was left speechless. He had no idea that Jemima would say that phrase to him before he said it to her. He hugged her again and said "I love you, too, Jem. Not just as a best friend, but as an actual lover."
When they came apart again, Tumblebrutus and Jemima looked into each other's eyes again. He said "Would you like to have dinner together tomorrow night?"
"Ourselves alone?" she assumed.
"Of course," he confirmed.
She slowly nodded. "That would be lovely, Tumble. What time?"
"How about seven o'clock in my den?" Tumble offered, "I'll make sure that we'll be by ourselves for at least a half-hour."
"Sounds great," she replied, smiling again, "I'll see you then."
A little while later, the two of them went to bed.
The next day, word quickly went around that Jemima and Tumblebrutus were together. Several members of the Tribe were congratulating the two of them. Their respective mothers Jennyanydots and Jellylorum both made comments about how they made a very adorable couple. Needless to say, Jemima and Tumble tried their best to avoid listening to everything their mothers said about their relationship. It was mostly along the lines of "You two would be so cute together!" It was enough to make Tumble sick.
They spent much of the day together, but they were usually in the company of their friends.
At seven o'clock sharp, Jemima arrived at the entrance of Tumblebrutus' den. She politely knocked and Tumble let her in. They smiled at each other as Tumble escorted her inside.
There was a makeshift table in the front room of the den. It was lined with a clean white table cloth. A few linen napkins were placed on two makeshift chairs. Tumble had already placed food on the table. His mother had helped him cook some ham, bake some bread, and make some salad. There were also two large mugs of milk on the table.
Tumble had taken the time to reference human etiquette books on how to properly set a table for semi-formal occasions. He had made sure every detail was flawless. The bread plate went to the left of the main plate; the drink went to the right of it. The fork also went to the left; the knife and spoon also went to the right in that respective order. Tumble had even placed two lit candles in the center of the table.
"Tumble, I'm so amazed!" was all Jemima could say when she saw the table's display.
He just smiled and led her to her chair. The two of them sat down and began eating.
Jemima decided to start a conversation. She remarked "I must say, everybody seems thrilled that we are together now."
"I know what you mean," he said, "It's almost as if they were expecting us to be a pair."
"That would not surprise me," she said, "I guess they think it was only a matter of time before we got together."
Tumble shrugged. "I guess."
There was a short interval of silence in the room as the two adolescent kittens continued eating. Only the clinking sound of the plates could be heard. Finally, Jemima looked up at Tumblebrutus and said "Tumble, can I ask you a question?"
"You just did," he pointed out.
She chuckled at his little joke, and then said "But seriously, there is something I would like to know."
"What might that be?" he asked.
"Where did you go the other night when you were in the city?" she inquired.
Tumblebrutus was more than prepared to answer this question. He told her "I went to the docks to spend some time by myself."
"Why?" she asked.
"Oh, I like the docks," he explained, "It seems that I can always find some amount of solace when I go there."
"That makes sense," she concurred, "I'll bet everyone has a place like that."
"Wouldn't surprise me," he said.
"Also, Tugger told me earlier that he thinks you got a job in the city," Jemima stated.
This was one thing Tumblebrutus did not expect to hear. But he simply asked calmly "What do you mean by that?"
"He told me that he overheard you talking to Coricopat and Tantomile yesterday morning," she explained.
Tumble rolled his eyes in annoyance and commented "Tugger just has to know everything, doesn't he?"
"Perhaps," she shrugged, "But I would like to know; did you get a job?"
Tumblebrutus was careful when he answered this question. He could not bring himself to lie to Jemima, but he did not want to share everything with her. His answer was "Yes, I did get a job. A job that involves helping a group of cats trading goods and information across the city."
"That's nice," she smiled at him, "Your job involves helping other people out?"
"Indeed it does," he nodded, "But I want you to promise me one thing."
"What's that?"
"Please don't tell anyone else about this," he requested, "My… employer does not like too many people knowing about his business."
"How come?"
"He just doesn't. That's all I can say. But I'm sure he has his reasons."
"Well, alright then, Tumble, you have my word," she promised, "I won't tell anyone else. But what should I say if somebody asks where you are?"
"Just tell them I went on a walk around the city," Tumble instructed her, "It wouldn't be lying, as I do have to walk a long way to get there, and I do a lot of travelling around the city."
"Alright, I'll do that."
He kept smiling at her and said "Thanks."
After dinner, the two of them had some hard candy for dessert. At eight-thirty, Tumble told Jemima that he had to get back to the docks.
"What time will you be home tonight?" she asked.
"I don't know, probably late," he answered.
"Well, get home safely," she told him.
"I will," he said. He kissed her on the cheek and started making his way back to the docks.
Tumble arrived just five minutes before the ship was set to depart. Grumbuskin was standing at the boarding ramp with the attendance roster in his paws.
Tumble said brightly "Good evening, Grumbuskin."
"Good evening, Tumblebrutus," replied the First Officer. He looked up from his clipboard and saw that Tumble had a wide smile across his face. Grumbuskin smirked and commented "You seem to be in a good mood tonight."
"Oh, I am," Tumble nodded.
The next few days went by in a similar manner. In the daytime, Tumblebrutus would hang out with Jemima and his friends. In the nighttime, he would work on board the Demagogue with Growltiger's raffish crew.
Growltiger found some other tasks for Tumble to take on. In addition to sentry duty, Tumblebrutus also showed a certain aptitude for organizing goods, overseeing negotiations, and even settling disputes between different divisions of the ship. The crew was starting to show him much more respect for his work. Even Victor and George were beginning to like him.
Many more events went on at night. To prepare for the war, Growltiger had arranged several meetings with the Captains of his ships run by the Bravo Cat's allies. At least once a night, the Demagogue rendezvoused with other vessels either at port or in the center of the river.
Tumblebrutus played a good role in making the visitors from the other vessels feel welcome. Growltiger had him escort the company on board and give them a proper greeting. On some nights, Tumblebrutus did more work than most other members of the crew did in an entire week. Tumble would go home exhausted, but he was proud of all his accomplishments.
On board the Demagogue, Tumblebrutus was an important person. It was not long before the crew somewhat relied on him. Some of the members of the crew took the work lightly or procrastinated every once in a while. Tumblebrutus took the work incredibly seriously and always did it when he was ordered to. Even if he was assigned menial or arduous tasks, he never complained.
Six nights after Tumblebrutus joined Growltiger's crew, Growltiger had him, Grumbuskin, Victor, George, Bill Bailey, Carbucketty, and a few other members of the crew assemble on the bridge. Once they were all lined up, Growltiger addressed them: "Gentlemen, tonight is the night that we make the first move in the war against the Siamese. I have selected you for this task for one reason and one reason alone: Because you are the best of my crew!"
Every tom there was obviously proud to hear those words, especially Tumblebrutus.
Growltiger faced them all and told them "I am depending on you tonight, gentlemen. The outcome of tonight will determine the war's length and effects. If you succeed, this may be a brief war that will end with us as the victors. If you fail, then this war may go on much longer than we would prefer it to. Do you understand me?"
"Yes, sir!" the toms answered simultaneously.
In the back of his mind, Tumblebrutus felt a twinge of fear, but he set it aside. If Growltiger needed him, then he would do whatever his Captain asked of him.
Note: The next chapter will be a little more exciting and violent than any of the past chapters. But there won't be anything too graphic.