Columbine sat back and looked at her work. The hole was now large enough where she could fit through if she had to. It had gotten so much larger that Delpa had brought her some extra material to cover it. It was dangerous, but Columbine felt better knowing that if an emergency came up, she could take Gonflet and jump out through the hole, or at least push Gonflet through. That would also be dangerous, but much safer that whatever the sea rat could be planning.

Columbine sighed. She knew Gonff was out there somewhere, but she almost wished he wasn't. He was the point of the sea rat's scheme, although her husband wouldn't know it. He wouldn't be expecting any danger to come to himself. Columbine leaned against the wall, deep in thought. She was confused. Earlier today she had looked out through the hole, and for a moment she had been sure that she had seen a small boat far away on the river, but then it had disappeared.

She shook her head. It must have been her imagination. She hadn't been getting much sleep lately. She took one last look out the hole. The ship was turning a particularly sharp bend in the river, and the water behind her swung out of view. She covered up the hole and lay down on the bed where her son was already sleeping.

Some time later she woke up as she felt the ship grind to a halt. She sat up and was about to look out her makeshift window when she heard feet rushing to her door. Without knocking, Delpa rushed in, her usually calm face nervous. "The ship's stopped moving, and no one knows why!"

Columbine stood and hurried to her friend. The door was still open, and she peered out. Crew members were running all over the deck, snarling at each other as they ran into each other's way. Columbine closed the door and went to the hole. She pried it open and looked out. Sure enough, the ship had stopped moving, but there was nothing out of the ordinary happening outside, either. Then suddenly she saw movement in the trees. She stared hard and saw someone behind the foliage, but she couldn't get a clear view. Then the bushes moved to the side, and she gasped.

It was Gonff! She was about to shout his name but stopped herself. Desperate to get his attention, she leaned out the hole as much as she dared. She saw his head turn slowly and then he was staring at her. His face frozen in shock, he moved as if to leap from his hiding spot, but something stopped him. Columbine saw Martin holding tight to his friend. The warrior mouse said something to Gonff, who nodded. Then she watched as the two mice carefully slipped through the trees until they were at a spot that was right at the edge of the bank. Columbine hardly saw them slide into the water in one fast movement. Then they were swimming toward the ship, two barely detectable ripples in the water.

Columbine turned to her friend desperately. "Can you get rope?"

Delpa nodded and raced out the door. She was back in a moment, clutching a coil of rope. "I don't know if it's enough," she said breathlessly as she handed it to her friend, "But it's all I could get without being seen."

Columbine grabbed the rope, patted her friend, and began to tie the rope to one of the bed posts. Then she dropped the rope down, fervently hoping none of the vermin had seen it. She watched as Gonff reached the rope first. He held it steady, then beckoned to Columbine, implying that she should climb down. She grabbed Gonflet, who had also been awakened by the ship's stopping.

Columbine hugged Delpa, but then the hogwife pushed her friend away. "You have to hurry," she said, tears in her eyes. Columbine clasped her friend's paws in hers. "I'll come back for you one day," she said with determination. With that she held Gonflet close to her and began to descend the rope.

As Columbine climbed through the hole and began her descent, she was numb with fear. Her son clung to her and she was aware of Gonflet's fright. She held him tight as she climbed down the rope as quickly as she could.

Suddenly she felt the spray from the river and she knew she was close. Strong paws pulled her and Gonflet from the rope. She turned to see Gonff, tears of joy streaming down his face. He hugged her tight, and she wanted him to never let go. "Daddy," Gonflet cried, and Gonff held his son close to him, embracing his family as tightly and warmly as he could. Then he came to his senses. "Come on," he said hoarsely. "We have to be fast."

He pulled Columbine and Gonflet beneath the water with him and began to swim as fast as he could, Martin by his side. Suddenly he heard shouts. He looked up for a split second and saw vermin watching them from the deck. He focused on one of them and his heart went cold. It was Captain Oloe. He hadn't seen the sea rat in years, but he would have known him anywhere. He saw the evil sea rat focus on him, and Gonff felt a deep sense of foreboding. He pushed Columbine and Gonflet ahead of him.

Martin sensed the danger and helped pull them through the water. They were near the banks when Gonff felt something heavy smash into his leg, sending pain searing through his body. Martin heard him gasp and turned back to help him, but Gonff waved him away.

"No," he gasped. "Just get Columbine and Gonflet out of here."

Martin was torn with indecision as he pulled his friend's family through the water. Columbine and Gonflet were barely conscious as he pulled them onto the bank.

Columbine's eyes fluttered. "Gonff," she said weakly, then fell into a deep sleep.

Gonff felt himself sinking. He looked back at his leg and saw that it had been smashed by an anchor, which the sea rat had thrown from the ship. He fought desperately to stay afloat, and then to swim away as he saw a small raft being lowered down from the deck. In it he saw the sea rat and six tough-looking vermin. The vermin began to row to where Gonff was trying to tread water, the sea rat keeping an evil grin on his fearsome face. He shot Gonff a look of pure hate as he drew alongside the mouse. Then he pretended to look concerned. "My, my, look at that, it's a poor little mouse, and he's drowning in the river. What should we do?" he turned to look at his minions. "Should we help him?"

The vermin shook their heads, fiendish expressions on their evil faces. There were cries of "Kill him!", "Slay the mouse!" and "Let the silly little woodlander drown, cap'n!"

The sea rat smiled at Gonff. "I suppose you don't remember me?"

Gonff spat at the rat. "I remember you, sea scum."

The sea rat hid his rage. "Now, now, it's really not nice to go spitting on others," he said, then leaned over to whisper in Gonff's ear. "Especially when the one you spit on is me."

Gonff brought up a paw and hit the rat in the face. Captain Oloe glared at Gonff with a look that made his lackeys tremble. "For that you die, mouse!"

Suddenly there was a cry from across the river. "Don't you hurt my daddy!"

The sea rat smiled suddenly and turned back to Gonff. "Your little son, eh? I knew you'd come to free him and your wife. Family always did come first, didn't it, Gonff my friend?"

Gonff snarled at the evil captain. "I'm not your friend, and don't you dare touch my family!"

The sea rat's grin grew wider. "Oh, but I must. You see, I'm going to make them watch you die. That should be a fun little family outing. But don't worry, your son won't grow up fatherless, and your wife won't be a widow. Because I'm going to kill them, too!" he laughed.

"No, you won't," Gonff said quietly.

The sea rat glanced at him. "And why is that?"

With all the strength he had left, Gonff sprang at his enemy. "Because I'm going to kill you before you have the chance!" Gonff knocked the rat out of the boat before his minions could do anything. The two enemies grappled with each other in the water, each filled with the desire to kill the other. Gonff fought hard, but he was badly injured and weaponless. After he had scored several blows on the sea rat, the vermin captain pushed him down into the water and raised his sword high over his head. He was too angry to for even a mocking smile as he shook Gonff hard and began to push him beneath the water's surface. Gonff struggled, but his leg was useless, and the pain consumed him.

Just before his head went under, he heard a cry of shock from the six vermin in the boat, and the sounds of a fight. The sea rat spun around to see Martin lunging off the boat at him. He began to turn the blade on Martin, but wasn't fast enough, and the warrior mouse knocked him down into the water once more.

On the boat Dinny, Drakk, Wyst, Mlira and Topra were fighting fiercely against the other vermin that had jumped off the ship to join the fight going on in the boat. The sea rat struggled to get away from Martin and hold onto Gonff at the same time. Martin had almost reached him when half a score of vermin that had dropped off the ship grabbed him. They were about to kill him when the sea rat stopped them. "Hold up, crew. I know you want to kill the mouse, but we're going to wait and punish him a little." He laughed as Martin struggled madly. "We're going to let him watch his friend here die."

The sea rat turned back to Gonff and raised the sword high. He paused and looked around. The vermin were holding the mole and the otters. This time, no one would interfere. He smiled at Gonff. "Ever since the day you escaped I have waited for this day. I made a vow to kill you, and I intend to hold to it," he paused and lowered his face till it was even with Gonff's, whose anger had overcome pain. "You thought you escaped when you jumped off my ship. But no one escapes from Captain Oloe without killing him. And since you're obviously not going to accomplish that, don't consider yourself escaped. Consider yourself dead." He raised the blade and began to bring it down.

Gonff stared at his enemy and into the face of death. Then he saw a blur out of the corner of his eye, and Captain Oloe fell back into the water, impaled on his own sword. Upon seeing their captain dead in the water, the cowardly vermin surrendered, crying out for mercy from the woodlanders who had taken the vermins' weapons. Gonff stared at his dead enemy, and then looked past him.

There, just behind the captain's body, was Columbine. She was treading water and shivering with cold, fear, and anger. Then she looked up and saw Gonff. Without a word the two silently moved toward each other. Gonff took Columbine in his arms and held her tight. She looked up at him, tears in her eyes. "Oh, Gonff," she whispered.

Gonff held her close to him and whispered back. "It's all right. Everything is okay." He looked at her with an expression of astonishment, pride and love. "You saved me."

She gazed into his eyes and managed a wink. "You saved me first, matey."

Gonff laughed and hugged his wife tightly, wishing he could never let go. He winked back at her and smiled. "I had to. If I didn't, I could never scoff any pies again. No one else makes them nearly as well as you do, my dear."

He laughed again as Columbine pretended to hit him. Columbine's eyes twinkled with mischief as she leaned close to him and murmured, "And no one steals and eats my pies as fast as you do, my Prince of Mousethieves."
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