CHAPTER II

The forest floor was thick with pine needles as four figures trekked on through the dense woodland, unknowing of the two forces looking at them from the trees.
Colonel Sapwood noted the position of the sun through the trees. "Time for a flippen rest, wot, wot? Unpack the tucker Swiftpaw!"
After a leisurely lunch, the group set of through the trees at at a swift pace. "What's that awful smell Breeze?" Bluestripe asked plugging her nose.
"Don't know Blue me of Stripe, but it's an absolutely foul smell, wot?:"
A mole appeared from the undergrowth and handed them nose plugs made from doc leaves. "Hurry, plug 'ee nosers oop whi' dis an' foller' oi'," he said.
After following the mole for some distance, they stopped at an old oak tree where she showed them a secret entrance into her home. "Hurr, oi'm Tammy ee' moler, whom be yurr?"
"I'm Bluestripe. This is Colonel Sapwood of the long patrol. These are Breeze and Swiftpaw, also from the long patrol. What was that smell back there, Tammy?"
"Hurr, them varmints be painted uns."
"Painted ones, shoulda knoweth it!" Colonel Clary said looking disappointed in himself.
"What are the painted ones?" Bluestripe said looking puzzled.
"There are weasels that dress up in vines and paint themselves all over their bally bodies provides jolly good camouflage, wot!"
"Are they dangerous?" Swiftpaw said looking excited at the prospect of a fight.
"Ho hurr them varmints be reg'lar terrors!" Tammy said in her strange mole dialect, as she put out vegetable pasties with gravy poured on top. "This is thoi lunch et it oop!" and with that Tammy melted into the undergrowth.
After the four travellers had eaten, Pollykin was still gone so they decided to have a short nap until she returned.
Bluestripe awoke to find Tammy's homely face smiling above her, "Hurr, yurr bin asleep furr hours, git oop an' have breakist." After breakfast, Tammy showed the travellers a way around the painted ones territory. All the while the two faces followed, always watching . . .