Martin had trouble sleeping that night. He tossed and turned, kept awake by haunting images. He saw an evil sea rat, glaring with one wrath-filled eye, and images of other vermin. But he also saw his friend Gonff. He saw Gonff running wildly, then falling. He saw Gonff floating facedown in a river. And he also saw Columbine and Gonflet, their faces full of fear. Then he saw the sea rat again, and then Gonff.

Martin sat upright in his bed. Gonff. He knew he shouldn't worry, but some instinct within him kept telling him to check Gonff's room. He sighed as he looked out the window. The sky was growing lighter, and it would be dawn before long.

Well, he thought, I might as well wake him up. After all, we're going back on the search soon. Martin got out of bed, got ready, and went to Gonff's room. Strange, thought Martin, he's still in bed. I would have thought he'd be pulling me out of bed. He went over to Gonff's bed and pulled the covers back, about to shout, "Rise and Shine, Prince of Sleeping,", but he never did let those words out of his mouth.

Gonff was gone! There was no mouse under the covers, only neatly arranged piles of clothes. On the pillow was a note.

Martin, I'm sorry for sneaking out, but I couldn't wait till morning. Not with my Columbine and Gonflet at risk. Also, I didn't want to risk anyone else. I'll be back soon, with Columbine and Gonflet. And whoever is responsible for taking them is going to be paid in full. Tell the Abbess and all the other Redwallers not to worry. I'll be back and pie-pinching before you know it.
Your matey,
Gonff

Martin put the note down, proud of his friend but frustrated. "Yes, you will be back soon," he said to himself, "Because I am going to find you, help you, and bring you back even faster, matey."

Gonff felt pleasantly full after breakfasting with the otters on a delicious meal of skilly 'n duff, made by Treev's wife Ploak with a special recipe. The otter tribe was friendly and jovial, and encouraged Gonff to play his flute and sing a few songs for them. He obliged, and felt much better afterwards. Still, he knew what he had to do. Downing the last of his October Ale, he stood up.

"I want to thank you all for your hospitality, especially Treev and Ploak. But I really must be going now. Thank you again for being such kind hosts."

He turned to leave and found Treev blocking his way. "Gonff, matey, you aren't going anywhere without one of our boats and at least a couple otters." He turned to his tribe. "Now, who would be willing to go with our friend Gonff to help him get his family back?"

Every otter in the cave raised his or her paw.

Grinning, Gonff laughed. "Well, how many times am I going to end up thanking you otters?"

Finally Gonff sailed off, accompanied by two otters. With him was Drakk, Treev and Ploak's son, and his friend Wyst. "Thanks again, mateys, for coming with me," Gonff said. He laughed.

"And Drakk, thanks for convincing your mum that we sailing beasts need plenty of vittles to keep us going."

Drakk laughed. "Ha, she would have packed ten times that if you gave even the smallest hint that it wouldn't be enough."

Wyst joined in. "Aye, and your father probably would have packed half the tribe along with it!" All three laughed heartily, happy to be out on the moving water and feel the breeze against their faces. Suddenly Gonff grew serious. "How big of a lead do you think that ship has on us, mateys?"

Drakk couldn't answer, having not seen the ship. "I dunno. How long ago do you think it started sailing?" Gonff filled them in on what his friends had told him.

"My wife and son went over the bridge about four hours before dark fell. It looked like they picked some berries and played for at least a short time before they were taken." He took a deep breath, then let it out. "I miss them."

The three companions continued on, joking and laughing as they went, but full of solemnity about what lay ahead.

Columbine was numb with fear and anger as she and Gonflet were escorted back to their room. She was glad that Gonflet was able to fall asleep quickly, but she herself was not so lucky. The mouse sat on the crude little bed and fondly stroked her sleeping son's head. Little Gonflet was certainly a character, just like his father. Columbine sighed. Her son looked just like Gonff. Columbine leaned back on the bed, careful not to disturb the sleeping Gonflet. For a moment she just lay there, thinking of her Gonff. What would he be doing now? He must have known by now that we were missing.

She felt a pang of nostalgia as she pictured Gonff coming home to the Abbey, probably accompanied by the otters. He would be up to more mischief than the Dibbuns, most likely pinching a few pies and puddings, and acting as a constant source of amusement for the other Redwallers. She smiled. That was her Gonff.

Not long after, Columbine fell asleep beside her son, her mind full of worries but slightly reassured after thinking of her Gonff.

Martin reluctantly descended down the Abbey stairs for breakfast with the others. He had already told the Abbess about Gonff's disappearance. She had told him firmly to go down and have something to eat, and try to act casual. The Abbess would announce that Gonff had left during the night. She would have Bella organize a search party to look for both Gonff and his family.

Martin knew this was the only thing they could do at the moment, but that didn't soothe his frustration. He pounded one paw angrily into the other as he thought. I should have known Gonff would slip off during the night! I was watching for him, and so was the Abbess, but we missed him. Of course Gonff would have known we were watching for him. He may be a cheeky, mischievous little rascal, but he's smart, too. He's also my best friend. I have to find him and help him before he does something stupid.

Martin knew Gonff could take care of himself on his own. It was what would happen when Gonff caught up with whoever had kidnapped his family that had the warrior mouse worried. Martin was given no more time for thought as he sat down at the table with the creatures that were already there. He looked around, half expecting to see Gonff pinching puddings off the table, but no such sight greeted his eyes. Everyone there was acting cheerfully, chattering away. They didn't know Gonff was missing.

Skipper sat down beside Martin. He spoke quietly into the mouse's ear. "The Abbess told me about Gonff," he said. "Don't worry, matey, we'll find him."

Martin looked up and smiled. "I know, but I'm angry at myself for letting him go. I should have kept a closer watch on him."

Skipper looked at him seriously. "Martin, do you honestly think anyone could have stopped him? We're talking about Gonff. To find his family, he would have found a way out of the Abbey no matter what we did." Skipper laughed. "Unless, of course, we were to bribe him with pies."

Martin gave a laugh. He felt better after Skipper's kind and wise words, although he was not completely reassured. The Abbess came down the stairs, followed by Bella. She greeted the Abbeydwellers and then sat down. She cleared her throat.

"Friends, you all know that Columbine and little Gonflet have been missing since yesterday. This morning we found that Gonff has gone off by himself to search for them. I'd like to think that none of them are in serious trouble, but we must search for them all the same. After breakfast, I would like most of the older Redwallers to split into search groups and look for them. Since Columbine and Gonflet will have had quite a head start, I recommend searching for Gonff instead. Hopefully by following him we will find the others."

The Abbess paused, and several Redwallers blurted out questions. The Abbess answered them calmly and as best as she could, telling them all that she and Martin had found out. When there were no more questions, the Abbess said grace, and they all began to eat. Everyone tried to keep cheerful, although they were all confused and worried.

When the meal was finished, nearly all the Redwallers besides the very young and the very old were divided up into groups. A few creatures stayed to tend to the Abbey while the others were gone on the search. Martin, Bella, Skipper, and Foremole each led a group.

With Martin was Dinny the mole, Timballisto the mouse, Wurlpo the hedgehog, Bramble the squirrelmaid, Mlira and Topra the ottermaid twins, and a few others. Martin got his group together and held a quick discussion.

"Since no one saw Gonff head directly for the river, he probably went around the back of the Abbey first. Let's go that way, and then hopefully we'll find his tracks headed towards the river, probably through the forest." The group agreed with Martin's logic, and headed off to the forest around the back of the Abbey.

Gonff stared intently out at the water. "Mateys, how do we know for sure that the ship went this way?" he asked of his comrades.

Wyst shrugged. "We don't know for sure. We passed a couple of forks back there, but they were shallow, and it would be hard for any craft to go that way, let alone a large ship."

Drakk nodded in agreement with his friend. "And also, if you take a look along the banks, you'll see a couple of signs that these waters have been disturbed lately. Take a look at the small birds over there. They usually only fly like that when their habitat is disturbed. Same thing with those water beetles over there. And, if you look closely, every so often some of the plants along the banks have been disturbed. Even this route would be hard for a large ship, and it probably grazed the banks a few times."

Gonff felt reassured by his friends' logic. "How far ahead would you say they are, mateys?"

Wyst inspected the water to the side and in front of them. He winked. "Well, they did get a good head start, but it's a lot harder to sail a big ship in this river than one of our small, fast crafts. I'll wager they've got a good gain on us at the moment, but we should be seeing them in a few days."

Gonff was impressed. "Really? This boat must be pretty fast."

Drakk smiled. "Aye, our tribe makes some pretty seaworthy vessels. This here craft is one of the best. They might have a big fancy ship, probably crewed by scores 'o slaves, but you, matey, are aboard this sleek craft and it's crewed by otters. Don't worry. We'll catch up to them."

Wyst broke in. "In the meantime, let's get some vittles. Gonff, you must be hungry. What would you say to a big meal with some 'o Drakk's mother's cooking to tide you over?"

Gonff broke into a grin. "Why matey, I thought you'd never ask!"

Drakk and Wyst heaved a huge package form the storage compartment. Opening it, they pulled out biscuits, pastries, puddings, pies, and so many delectable dishes Gonff's mouth began to water.

Wyst winked at him. "We should just drop these vittles onto the big ship when we catch up to her. That'll sink her right to the bottom!"

Gonff winked back. "That would work, except just looking at it is making my mouth water enough to sink us!"

Drakk joined in the merriment. "No problem there, we'll just chuck you onto that ship, and your watering mouth can sink them instead!"

The light, jovial banter went on for some time. In the presence of good food and good weather, none of them could be downcast, even with the mission facing the companions.
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