Chapter 2
Ivy and Port
Basil returned to his flat soaking wet. A heavy rain had started just after Auburn fled into the darkness. Auburn's parting words still echoed in the detective's ears.
"Ivy and Port," Basil muttered, brushing past Mrs. Judson. "Ivy and Port, Ivy and Port…"
Mrs. Judson raised one eyebrow. "Are you feeling quite all right, Mr. Basil?" she asked. Basil paused only a moment to look at her.
"Perfectly fine!" he chirped.
"…Would you care for some tea, sir?"
"No thanks, I'll be out again soon!" Basil called as he busily rummaged through a basket full of rolled-up posters and maps. Finally, he located his London street map and pinned it to the wall. Mrs. Judson shook her head and went back into the kitchen as Basil began to study the map intensely.
A few minutes later, Basil was out the door again, this time dressed as one of Ratigan's thugs. After a quick stop to collect his loyal canine friend Toby, the two of them were off and running towards the river. Using the information gathered from the map, Basil quickly guided his mount to Port street. Basil hopped off and looked around. Toby tilted his head in a questioning manner when Basil got back on.
"Well, old friend," Basil said, "Do you have any idea where there's an Ivy street that connects to Port street?"
Toby barked and started running again. Basil held on tightly to the dog's collar, surprised at the suddenness of the takeoff.
Several blocks down, Toby stopped running. Nose to the ground, he trotted along the side of the street nearest to the river. It was not long before he found what he had been searching for. Basil swung down from Toby's back to take a closer look.
"Ah-HA!" He laughed happily. "Good boy, Toby! No wonder this wasn't on the map…" What Toby had found was not a street, but a sewer grate at the entrance of an alley. A rusted piece of metal attached to the stone street pronounced the grate to be the entrance to "Raven's Roost, Lower Shipping, Ivy, and the Map Room." Basil didn't pause to wonder what the other three names could be. He instructed Toby to stay then scampered down into the grate.
The winding sewer paths below the city were lit with torches. Wherever the way split, the same metal signs told which way led where. It made Basil's job immensely easier. With any luck, Auburn's daughter would be safe sooner than expected.
Basil reached the place leading to Ivy in no time. He turned from the main road and ran down the smaller tunnel. The walls ahead were lined with lights quite unlike the torches that lit the main way. When Basil got closer, he could see that the lights were windows. The bricks in the walls had been cleverly modified to make a long line of flats. Basil marveled at the miniature city that stretched before him. He guessed that there must be more of these occupied tunnels throughout the city. It was no wonder he never caught a criminal at home. Their homes were hidden more cleverly than Ratigan's hideout!
Now Basil began his search for the right flat. A few had names carved on their doors, but not many. Basil's method was primarily to use his sense of smell to locate the correct door. That method, however, proved difficult and time-consuming due to the great variety of smells that would be there even without the rodent inhabitants.
Suddenly, Basil's search was interrupted by a rough voice behind him. "Hey, you!" it growled. "What are you doing here?"
Basil spun around. One of the tunnel's occupants stood at his door, arms crossed. Basil answered him in the same low growl.
"I'm lookin' fer a friend o' mine," he said. "Name's Auburn. Tol' me to meet 'im here."
The other mouse pointed down the tunnel. "Three more flats to number 16," he said, then slammed his door. Basil turned and scampered hastily to the indicated door and knocked on it. A few moments later, the mail slot clicked open and two suspicious eyes peered out. Basil jumped back, startled.
"What do you want?" said a muffled voice behind the door.
"I'm lookin' for Auburn," Basil answered.
"He already left," the owner of the eyes snapped.
"Are you Ginger?" Basil asked quickly as the mail slot was closing. The eyes glared back.
"What's it to you?"
"Your father sent me to get you."
"Prove it."
Basil sighed and took out his gold pocket watch. He handed it to the girl through the mail slot. "Here. You can keep that until you see your father again. If I'm lying, you can do whatever you want with it."
The eyes glared out a moment more before disappearing into the house. Basil heard the sound of a latch being undone and the door creaked open.
Ginger stood in the doorway with a sack slung over her shoulder. Basil noticed how fitting the girl's name was, for her fur was as ginger as anything. She was small for her age, undoubtedly underfed, and dressed in what looked like badly hemmed clothing that once belonged to Auburn. Her sandals were made from wood and string. To top the whole tom-boy image off, she also wore her father's blue cap, turned backwards to keep it from falling over her eyes.
"I'm ready," she said.
"For what?" Basil looked confused.
"To go. Papa said somebody might show up and I should go with him if he does."
"And you're packed?" Basil could hardly believe his job was going to be this easy.
Ginger nodded. "I've got everything. Oh! Except this…" She ran off into another room, returning only seconds later with a tiny box in her hands. She put the box gently into her sack and tied the top shut. "Ready?" she asked, looking up at Basil.
"Certainly. Can I carry that sack for you?"
Ginger's eyes narrowed in suspicion once more. "Well…"
"Oh, come on! It's too big for you. Either I carry the bag or I carry you both. We've got to get moving."
The girl grinned. "I was only testing you to see if you're a real gentleman. Papa said you were." She handed her sack to Basil. "Be real careful with it!"
"No worries, my dear. Now, let's go."
Once Ginger figured out which way out they were going, she led the way in a quick race and beat Basil to the exit. Slightly annoyed, Basil lifted her out onto the wet street only to have her leap back into the grate the moment she sighted Toby.
"What on earth is the matter?" Basil asked the terrified child.
"There's a **dog** out there!!" she squealed. "A real, live, fang-toothed **dog**!!!!"
Basil sighed. "Yes, his name is Toby. We're going to ride him back to my flat."
"We are?"
Basil nodded.
"It's quite safe then?"
Basil nodded again.
"I **knew** that. I was only testing to see if you were a real gentleman." She scrambled out of the grate and climbed onto Toby's back. Basil followed, and they rode home as the sun rose over the city.
Ivy and Port
Basil returned to his flat soaking wet. A heavy rain had started just after Auburn fled into the darkness. Auburn's parting words still echoed in the detective's ears.
"Ivy and Port," Basil muttered, brushing past Mrs. Judson. "Ivy and Port, Ivy and Port…"
Mrs. Judson raised one eyebrow. "Are you feeling quite all right, Mr. Basil?" she asked. Basil paused only a moment to look at her.
"Perfectly fine!" he chirped.
"…Would you care for some tea, sir?"
"No thanks, I'll be out again soon!" Basil called as he busily rummaged through a basket full of rolled-up posters and maps. Finally, he located his London street map and pinned it to the wall. Mrs. Judson shook her head and went back into the kitchen as Basil began to study the map intensely.
A few minutes later, Basil was out the door again, this time dressed as one of Ratigan's thugs. After a quick stop to collect his loyal canine friend Toby, the two of them were off and running towards the river. Using the information gathered from the map, Basil quickly guided his mount to Port street. Basil hopped off and looked around. Toby tilted his head in a questioning manner when Basil got back on.
"Well, old friend," Basil said, "Do you have any idea where there's an Ivy street that connects to Port street?"
Toby barked and started running again. Basil held on tightly to the dog's collar, surprised at the suddenness of the takeoff.
Several blocks down, Toby stopped running. Nose to the ground, he trotted along the side of the street nearest to the river. It was not long before he found what he had been searching for. Basil swung down from Toby's back to take a closer look.
"Ah-HA!" He laughed happily. "Good boy, Toby! No wonder this wasn't on the map…" What Toby had found was not a street, but a sewer grate at the entrance of an alley. A rusted piece of metal attached to the stone street pronounced the grate to be the entrance to "Raven's Roost, Lower Shipping, Ivy, and the Map Room." Basil didn't pause to wonder what the other three names could be. He instructed Toby to stay then scampered down into the grate.
The winding sewer paths below the city were lit with torches. Wherever the way split, the same metal signs told which way led where. It made Basil's job immensely easier. With any luck, Auburn's daughter would be safe sooner than expected.
Basil reached the place leading to Ivy in no time. He turned from the main road and ran down the smaller tunnel. The walls ahead were lined with lights quite unlike the torches that lit the main way. When Basil got closer, he could see that the lights were windows. The bricks in the walls had been cleverly modified to make a long line of flats. Basil marveled at the miniature city that stretched before him. He guessed that there must be more of these occupied tunnels throughout the city. It was no wonder he never caught a criminal at home. Their homes were hidden more cleverly than Ratigan's hideout!
Now Basil began his search for the right flat. A few had names carved on their doors, but not many. Basil's method was primarily to use his sense of smell to locate the correct door. That method, however, proved difficult and time-consuming due to the great variety of smells that would be there even without the rodent inhabitants.
Suddenly, Basil's search was interrupted by a rough voice behind him. "Hey, you!" it growled. "What are you doing here?"
Basil spun around. One of the tunnel's occupants stood at his door, arms crossed. Basil answered him in the same low growl.
"I'm lookin' fer a friend o' mine," he said. "Name's Auburn. Tol' me to meet 'im here."
The other mouse pointed down the tunnel. "Three more flats to number 16," he said, then slammed his door. Basil turned and scampered hastily to the indicated door and knocked on it. A few moments later, the mail slot clicked open and two suspicious eyes peered out. Basil jumped back, startled.
"What do you want?" said a muffled voice behind the door.
"I'm lookin' for Auburn," Basil answered.
"He already left," the owner of the eyes snapped.
"Are you Ginger?" Basil asked quickly as the mail slot was closing. The eyes glared back.
"What's it to you?"
"Your father sent me to get you."
"Prove it."
Basil sighed and took out his gold pocket watch. He handed it to the girl through the mail slot. "Here. You can keep that until you see your father again. If I'm lying, you can do whatever you want with it."
The eyes glared out a moment more before disappearing into the house. Basil heard the sound of a latch being undone and the door creaked open.
Ginger stood in the doorway with a sack slung over her shoulder. Basil noticed how fitting the girl's name was, for her fur was as ginger as anything. She was small for her age, undoubtedly underfed, and dressed in what looked like badly hemmed clothing that once belonged to Auburn. Her sandals were made from wood and string. To top the whole tom-boy image off, she also wore her father's blue cap, turned backwards to keep it from falling over her eyes.
"I'm ready," she said.
"For what?" Basil looked confused.
"To go. Papa said somebody might show up and I should go with him if he does."
"And you're packed?" Basil could hardly believe his job was going to be this easy.
Ginger nodded. "I've got everything. Oh! Except this…" She ran off into another room, returning only seconds later with a tiny box in her hands. She put the box gently into her sack and tied the top shut. "Ready?" she asked, looking up at Basil.
"Certainly. Can I carry that sack for you?"
Ginger's eyes narrowed in suspicion once more. "Well…"
"Oh, come on! It's too big for you. Either I carry the bag or I carry you both. We've got to get moving."
The girl grinned. "I was only testing you to see if you're a real gentleman. Papa said you were." She handed her sack to Basil. "Be real careful with it!"
"No worries, my dear. Now, let's go."
Once Ginger figured out which way out they were going, she led the way in a quick race and beat Basil to the exit. Slightly annoyed, Basil lifted her out onto the wet street only to have her leap back into the grate the moment she sighted Toby.
"What on earth is the matter?" Basil asked the terrified child.
"There's a **dog** out there!!" she squealed. "A real, live, fang-toothed **dog**!!!!"
Basil sighed. "Yes, his name is Toby. We're going to ride him back to my flat."
"We are?"
Basil nodded.
"It's quite safe then?"
Basil nodded again.
"I **knew** that. I was only testing to see if you were a real gentleman." She scrambled out of the grate and climbed onto Toby's back. Basil followed, and they rode home as the sun rose over the city.