Chapter 7 – Radagast Goes In

While Otter was having such a busy time, the wizard and the water rats were taking it easy. Radagast had gone out early with tools borrowed from the Water Rat and cut himself two stout willow wands. "A proper wizard's staff takes a lot of work to prepare" he told them. "While a wand can be finished in a day and is better than nothing. I might even be able to use one to find my old staff if it is still in the area. If I don't have a staff then I always arm myself with two wands; it never seems to occur to anyone that a wizard may be carrying more than one."

Ratty was taking a well earned post-washing-up nap, and Cola was warming to the subject of votes for women, when Portly tied up at their landing stage. He was bursting with news.

"First," he said, "the stoats are determined to earn the hundred pounds award money; there are stoats, some carrying rifles, everywhere. They could be nosing around here any time looking for their 'spy'."

"Not for an hour or two they won't," yelled a recumbent Ratty from the next room, "a big storm will be breaking any minute now and they just hate getting wet."

However, once Portly got onto Fox's news Ratty was wide awake and on his feet. "What is your father going to do?" he asked. Portly explained that Badger had been sent for.

"Thank goodness. Don't say I said so, but your father is liable to rash decisions at times. Badger will see he doesn't do anything he'll later regret."

Radagast, meanwhile, had come to a decision. "This bother at Toad Hall may be connected with my own problems. It is time I did something; I must go to Toad Hall now and see for myself. I will need a guide."

Ratty clapped his hands "The secret passage! Badger led Toad, Moley and myself into Toad Hall from a secret passage near the river. I'm sure I can find it again."

Cola suggested that it would simpler just to walk up to the front door, but Radagast agreed with Ratty, much to the latter's delight. "Remember there are stoats out there looking for him" said Ratty. "They won't find him in a tunnel so secret that even Portly hadn't heard of it."

"There is another reason," said Radagast. "I do not know who these 'foreigners' may be, but I fear the worst. If I can sneak in quietly I may find what I need to know, and get out again without giving myself away." He would not be drawn on what his worst fear might be.

Meanwhile the storm had arrived; it had gone so dark that the lamps had to be lit; the wind howled, and the rain lashed down. "No point in going out in that," said Cola, "You won't find the tunnel without a lantern, and I don't think that even our best storm lantern will stay lit in that wind."

Almost as she said this, the voice of the wind dropped to silence and then swiftly rose to an almighty roar. Cola and Ratty clung to each other, and Radagast stood tall, looking up and around, frowning. Almost as quickly the roar ceased and the howl recommenced. "We must wait a little," announced the Wizard, "storms like that soon pass and do not return."

Soon their plans were laid. Cola and Portly would row Portly's boat back upstream to Otter's modest chalet; once there they would tell Badger what Radagast was intending. Portly thought that for the present the less his father knew about the wizard the better. Meanwhile, Ratty and Radagast would walk along the river bank to find the entrance to the secret passageway. Then both would go up the tunnel as far as the trapdoor. Radagast would go in and look around while Ratty waited below.

Ratty collected together his weapons and miscellaneous bits of equipment, and loaded his pistols. The wizard accepted a short sword but refused other weapons. He spent time working on his two wands, waving each over the other in turn while muttering under his breath. When he was finished he was able to conjure a persistent weak light from the tip of one, and throw sparks from the other.

Outside, water dripped from the trees but otherwise nothing seemed changed, the River flowed on just as before. They left Cola and Portly bailing the rain water out of the rowing boat, which had been half-filled by run-off from the Water Rats' roof, and made their way along the river bank, much overgrown at this time of year. It was slow going because the entrance was well hidden and the Water Rat was afraid of going past it. Once found it was a tricky business lowering themselves into the tunnel without falling in, as Toad had done years before. Safely inside Ratty lit the lantern he was carrying, and Radagast conjured up a light from one of his wands. The passageway was low and its floor uneven and the wizard had banged his head a good many times before they judged themselves underneath Toad Hall. They could hear nothing but their own breathing. They continued, more stealthily now, up the passage to its end. They listened but still nothing could be heard. The wizard stood wobbling on the camping stool that the Water Rat had brought with him, and gradually raised up the trapdoor immediately above them. All was darkness.

Ratty was silently berating himself for not bringing a stepladder, but there was no need: the wizard heaved himself up and into the room above with surprising agility and silently lowered the trapdoor. Their plan was that the Water Rat would wait for one hour. If the wizard had not returned by then he was to go back down the tunnel and raise the alarm. Only now, sitting on his little camping stool with only the flickering lantern light for company did he realise how long that hour was going to feel. He checked his pocket watch; it was just six o'clock.

He brought out the little notebook and pencil he kept in an inner pocket, but he could not concentrate and the light was poor even for his sharp eyes, so he put them away again without a line of verse written. He looked again at his watch: ten past six. His legs were stiff from sitting on the low stool, so he paced two and fro swinging his cutlass. The candle guttered for a moment and he had a sudden fright: what if the candle should go out? Where were his matches? Why hadn't he thought of a spare candle? He was not comfortable underground; this would have been a job for Mole. Where was Mole, was he even still alive? More important right now: where was Radagast, was he still alive? Could the hour be up already; at least if it was he could leave this horrible tunnel? Why had he agreed to an impossible plan? It was only twenty past six, and yes his watch was still ticking. Realising that he had to take control of his rising panic, he placed the stool right into an end corner of the tunnel and sat down leaning into the corner. Then, holding his cutlass out in front of him, he closed his eyes and concentrated on calming his breathing. He thought of his brave young wife and what she would think of him if he did panic - and what she would say.

When, a few minutes later, sounds were heard overhead it was to his considerable credit that he did not freeze in fear, bolt down the tunnel, scream, or even be seized with the thought that some nameless horror was coming to get him. A glimmer of light was visible as the trapdoor was raised, and he heard the wizard's calming voice, "Are you there Water Rat? There are some people up here I would like you to meet."