Captain Oloe awoke from his sleep from a start. He had just had an idea. The sea rat leapt out of his bed and paced around his cabin, rubbing his paws with glee and muttering to himself. This went on for a while, and then there came a hesitant knock on his door, and Floptail entered.

Floptail cleared his throat nervously. "Captain Oloe, sir, me 'n the others heard you pacin' round down here, I..um... just came to make sure nothin's wrong." The ferret trailed off at the sight of his fearsome captain rubbing his paws together and grinning wickedly.

The sea rat glanced at Floptail, and then ran over to him and grabbed his paw. "Floptail," whispered the sea rat captain excitedly. "I've just had a marvelous idea. Guess what it is?"

Floptail was afraid to guess, but even more afraid to disobey his captain. "I don't know, sir. What is it?"

Oloe leaned in, deathly close. "Guess!"

Floptail hastily tried to guess. "Um, sir, something 'bout the ship, or...or...'bout somebeast aboard...the prisoners?" Floptail closed his eyes, hoping fervently that he was correct and not wanting to know what would happen otherwise.

Oloe's grin widened. "Exactly, my friend. Exactly. Now, we have the two prisoners on board, and what we're going to do to them is almost revenge enough. But guess how we can make it even better?"

Floptail opened his mouth, ready to begin guessing frantically again, but the sea rat silenced him with a wave of his paw. "Surely our friend Gonff will be trying to follow us, so why don't we leave a little surprise for him to find?" Oloe leaned in closer to the confused ferret. "What we're going to do, beetlebrain, is sail back towards that Abbey. We torture the mousewife and the little whelp, kill 'em, and leave them somewhere's convenient for Gonff to find. Then we turn back, head to the open seas, and have us some more fun. Now ain't that a perfect little plan?"

Floptail tried to think of an intelligent response, but thinking was too long of a process for him. Oloe hissed in the ferret's ear. "Ain't it!?"

Floptail came to his senses and nodded hastily. "Aye Cap'n, it's a perfect plan! Why, it couldn't be any more perfect. Sir, it's the most perf---" Floptail stopped with an agonized squeal as the sea rat grabbed him by the throat and hissed at him again, with a tone even softer and deadlier than before. "Now Floptail, I want you to go out there and tell the crew to turn this ship around and head back. Is that clear?"

Floptail nodded vigorously. "Aye, Cap'n, it's clear. It's perfectly clear--- Yoooowch!" The ferret squealed again as the sea rat captain kicked him out the door.

Columbine spent the day playing with Gonflet, trying to keep both of their spirits up. Delpa came in a few times that day, usually with meals. Columbine had told her what had happened the night before, and when the hogwife came with the prisoners' lunch, she had an idea.

"Every day, and sometimes a few times a day, the captain gathers all of his crew together, with the exception of one or two guarding the oarslaves. I imagine he discusses what he plans on doing next, like which island to raid, or something of the kind. I'm going to try to hear what the captain says to his crew tomorrow. It should be simple enough to do, since both my room and the kitchen are in easy listening range of the captain's cabin. I never bothered to try before because I didn't think there would be any use to it, but I really want to help you and your son. Since you two are the newest captives, that's probably what the meeting will be about. I can listen and then tell you what I heard after I'm finished serving the crew."

Columbine smiled and hugged the kind hedgehog to her, careful of her spikes. "Oh, that would be so kind of you. But wouldn't it put you in danger if the captain found out?"

The hedgehog shook her head. "Not really. You see, I wouldn't even have to leave my room or the kitchen, whichever one I happen to be in at the time. Even if they did suspect that I was listening, I doubt they would care. I can't really help you escape in any way, and that's the only thing they would be at all worried about."

Columbine considered the idea. "It's a wonderful idea, and I would be very grateful for anything you could find out. But please, if it becomes a risk to you in any way, then please don't do it."

Delpa smiled. "Don't worry, it won't be any trouble at all. You two are such kind creatures, and it makes me angry to se the vermin treating you and your husband this way. It's not much, but I hope it helps."

Columbine hugged her friend again. "Thank you."

The next day Delpa listened to the meeting, the fear on her kind face growing with every word the captain said. When it was over, she had a hard time getting back to work and not focusing on what she had just heard. That night, after serving the crew, the hedgehog went to Columbine's room. She sat down on the bed and told the mouse what she had heard.

"The captain told his crew about how they had captured you and Gonflet. He told the story of what Gonff had done to him, for all those who hadn't heard it before. And then he told them what his plans were." The kind hedgehog stopped to wipe her eye before continuing.

"He said that he was going to hold you and Gonflet for ransom, and the payment would be Gonff. That was bad enough to hear, but then...He described to the crew what he planned on doing to your husband once he caught him."

Delpa shuddered. Columbine just sat there. She didn't want to hear the details, and she didn't need to. She had seen how evil the sea rat captain was, and she couldn't bear to think of the torture and pain that the vermin would inflict on her Gonff. She mustered up her strength and gave the hogwife a brave smile.

"Thank you," she said, "For telling me. It was hard to listen to, but at least now I know what I'm up against."

Delpa looked at her sadly. "But what can you do? The captain has so many vermin under him, you wouldn't stand a chance."

Columbine looked back at her, determined. "I know it may not be good odds, but that rat is not going to get my husband. I don't know what I can do, but I'm not going to let him get my Gonff."

Delpa smiled at her courage. "It doesn't look good, but I'll help you, Columbine. I will do everything in my power to help you keep your family safe from that evil sea rat and his crew."

Columbine patted Delpa's shoulder spikes. "Thank you, my friend. You should go now and get some rest. Thank you for all you have done for my son and I."

After Delpa left, Columbine sat on the bed, holding her sleeping son, as she had done so many times before. She looked at Gonflet fondly. He was the image of his father. Thinking of her husband, Columbine sat up a little straighter and made a silent vow that the evil sea rat would not get any of her family and friends, especially her Gonff, whom she would do all she could to keep safe from the vermin.

Martin began to feel hopeful again as he and his crew came upon Gonff's tracks coming from the back of the Abbey and headed towards the forest. It would have been hard to track him in the forest, but Martin had a mole on his team. Dinny touched the ground with his digging claws and nodded.

"Burr aye, Gonffen were agoin' this way. Oi feels et en moi claws."

Martin and his crew were freshly motivated as they headed into the woods. Martin, Timballisto, Wurlpo, Mlira, Topra and the others searched from the ground, with Dinny confirming the tracks and Bramble the squirrelmaid scouting out tracks from the treetops. Mlira the ottermaid held up a paw. "Wait. We're getting close to the river, mateys. I can feel it."

Dinny agreed. "Boi okey, yore right. Oi feels et, too."

They continued along, and them Bramble let out a shout. "Hold up. I can see the river. We'll be there in a few moments."

Bramble, Dinny, Mlira and Topra followed their senses and guided the group to the river. Looking downstream, they could see the bridge that Columbine and Gonflet had crossed to get to the side they were now on. Looking down at the ground, they saw several mouse tracks. Two of them, Columbine's and Gonflet's, were meandering around by the bushes they had picked berries from. The fresher tracks, unmistakably Gonff's, cut in a straight line as he followed his family's trail.

Martin took a deep breath and kept going with his group as he followed his friend's trail. They had been following the tracks for quite some time when they noticed that Gonff's tracks began to weave crazily. Confused, they followed them for a distance, and suddenly the tracks disappeared! No one could figure out what had happened. Then Topra the ottermaid noticed some crumpled plants by the river's edge.

"Look!" she cried. "The plants are disturbed here. He must have fallen in!"

It seemed like that must have been what happened. Then Wurlpo noticed that the tracks had ended right in front of a large tree root. "He tripped on the root and flew into the river," said the hedgehog.

Martin looked at the river. "Yes, but where is he now?"

Timballisto came up to him. "We know he landed in the river. From then on, only two things could have happened."

Martin knew where his friend was going with his idea. "He either stayed in the river or got out. To stay in the river would mean he had drowned, and I don't think that happened," Martin said thoughtfully. "It looks like Gonff wasn't doing too well at the moment, judging by his tracks, but Gonff is a strong swimmer. He would have gotten out," the mouse concluded, adding softly, "I hope."

Dinny saved the group from despairing by use of mole logic. "Burr aye, if'n ee gotten out, ee'd 'ave left tracks somewheres."

Martin straightened up. "You're right, Dinny. I refuse to believe that Gonff drowned, and that means his tracks must be here somewhere. Dinny, Mlira, Topra and I will search on the other side of the river. Mlira, if you carry Dinny across on your back, and Topra carries me, the four of us can get over there safely and quickly."

Mlira and Topra nodded, and Dinny, looking nervous as all moles do when faced with being in water, climbed reluctantly onto her back while Martin climbed onto Topra's back. The ottermaid twins dived into the river and swam to the other side. Dinny shook his soft fur dry while complaining. "Hurr, we molers know better 'an to swim 'cross a moighty river!"

Mlira patted him reassuringly. "You did fine, my mole friend. Soon you'll be a champion swimmer!"

Dinny shook his head wildly. "Burr, not oi!" Martin laughed, then began checking the ground for tracks. The others followed his example. Suddenly Martin called the other three over. "Look," he said urgently.

He was pointing downstream, where there was a large swell in the bank. There were also several crushed plants there. "It looks as though someone went through the—" Martin was unable to finish his sentence as strong paws pulled the warrior mouse and his companions into the river!
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