When the courtyard was clear of prisoners, and the mice were gorging themselves on plundered bread, cheese and baked potatoes, Roamer asked: ‘How many of our mice were hurt, Ben?’
‘None that I knows of. A great victory, zur!’
‘It was brilliant!’ Tamina’s eyes were shining. ‘You should have heard Cheesemite down on the landing-stage. He completely fooled those rats, and led them up the path, yelling that the mice were attacking!’
‘What we do now, Capitano?’ asked Rio.
‘Send word to Lukas. We’ve a night’s work ahead. At dawn tomorrow, we attack Malatesta’s fleet in the harbour of Viperium.’
17. Hellburner
At first light, while Tamina and a force of buccaneers stayed behind to guard the fort, Avenger and Raven glided upriver.
Aboard the captured ship, now empty of treasure, Rio was loading the guns with double-shot and laying gunpowder trails to where Cheesemite was building a pile of rags, spare sails and bits of the rats’ spare clothing. Ben was deep in the hold, lashing gunpowder-casks together. When they had finished, the mice gathered in the bows and signalled to Roamer. It was not a moment too soon for the river was widening and the harbour of Viperium lay before them.
‘Lord of Light!’ exclaimed Lukas. ‘I never seen so many ships!’
Several were lying at anchor, many others were moored in a long line to the quayside. Slowly, the Avenger glided in. The Raven was some distance to starboard, a small rowing boat moored to her side. At Roamer’s signal, both ships dropped anchor. ‘It’s a terrible thing we’re going to do, skipper,’ said Lukas grimly.
‘I know. But if Carminel is to be saved, this fleet must be destroyed, or at least damaged so badly that Malatesta won’t be able to bring as many stoats as he’d have liked. But I don’t like it any more than you do.’
‘Look, skipper!’ Lukas was pointing skywards. Vultures were circling above the harbour. ‘Just as well you posted sharpshooters.’
‘Aye, and netting across the upper deck. But there’ll be no protection for you and me.’
Lukas grinned. ‘We’ll survive! Look, Ben and the others are ready. Shall we start?’
He waved across to the Raven. Rio and Cheesemite clambered into the rowing-boat and made ready to cast off. Aboard Avenger, all eyes were on the Raven. Suddenly, a tiny flame blossomed on her upper deck. Old Ben appeared at the side-rail, gave a cheery wave, and climbed down to the boat. At the same moment, Rio hacked through the Raven’s anchor cable with three mighty blows of his cutlass. By the time the mice were safely aboard Avenger, the fire which Ben had started had reached the Raven’s rigging and she was sailing straight for a gap between two enemy ships. The Raven had been turned into a gigantic firework, and any moment now...
Suddenly, her double-shotted guns exploded with a deafening roar and shattering broadsides slammed into the enemy ships. Splinters flew, gaping holes appeared in their sides, and as terrified rats dived overboard and swam for their lives, the two mighty ships keeled over and sank.
The Raven sailed on, more guns exploding, flames licking up the rigging, snaking up the masts and out along the spars to turn the black sails red before devouring them. Panic-stricken rats were cutting their cables, but as the fire aboard Raven reached the lower deck, another broadside roared across the harbour and ships flinched and groaned as the huge weight of flying metal struck home.
The ship was now a pillar of fire. ‘She’s almost at the quayside,’ muttered Lukas. ‘Now!’
With a rending crash, the Raven struck the line of warships. Instantly, the fire leaped from her spars to attack the ships alongside, which burst into flame and set those on either side ablaze. Several sea-rats managed to sail their ships out of danger, but the fire aboard Raven was still blazing hungrily. At last, it found the powder barrels.
With a thunderous roar, the ship exploded, guns, masts, spars flying into the air. When the noise had died away, all the mice could hear were the yells of the furious sea-rats and the frantic squawking of the terrified vultures. But there was no time to waste. From far off to the right, a tall ship, all sails set, was racing towards them. Lukas was the first to spot it. He recognised it at once. ‘Skipper, look out! Here comes the Night Crow!’
‘Cut the anchor cable!’ snapped Roamer. ‘Make more sail! We can’t fight Malatesta here, there’s not enough space and we have to get back to the fort for Tamina. Lukas, turn the ship round!’
‘There’s no time!’ Lukas was spinning the wheel, but the ship, heavy with treasure, was turning with painful slowness and the Night Crow was almost upon them.
‘Port-side guns, stand by!’ roared Roamer. His mice were ready, staring through the open gunports at the approaching enemy. ‘We’ll give her a broadside! Fire!’
The Avenger shuddered as her guns flamed and roared. Splinters flew from the Night Crow’s bows, holes appeared in her sails and the mice cheered as the top section of her foremast vanished in a shower of splinters. As the Avenger completed her turn, mice leaped to haul the sails round to catch the wind. Guns were firing from the Night Crow, but the cannonballs fell harmlessly into the water, for the Avenger was clear and sailing for the river-mouth. As the banks closed in, the ship seemed to fly along. But something strange was happening. Aboard the Night Crow, sea-rats were taking in sails. The ship was slowing. ‘They’re giving up the chase,’ said Lukas.
‘Why would they do that?’ asked Roamer. But high in the crow’s-nest, Cheesemite’s sharp eyes had spotted the reason, a worse peril even than Malatesta. ‘Captain! Vultures!’
Beyond the Night Crow, a flock of huge birds was rapidly approaching. As they drew closer, the mice could see stoats perched on their backs. Their cloaks were flying in the wind, they were yelling and waving their swords. The vultures flew low over the Avenger, streaked down the river, then climbed into the sky.
‘Aren’t they going to attack?’ muttered Lukas.
‘They’re gaining height,’ said Roamer. ‘They’re going to charge down on us. That’s why Malatesta’s slowing down. He’s leaving room for them. Sharpshooters! Stand by! Here they come!’
18. Vulture Attack
‘Ben, take the wheel,’ said Roamer calmly. ‘Lukas and I will cover you. You mice on the deck, keep your heads down! Sharpshooters, fire when you like!’
In arrowhead formation, the vultures were swooping lower. Perched astride the leader, Captain Blacktail was flying straight for a group of frightened-looking mice. They were clustered together in the foremast’s fighting top – a large, basket-shaped structure, just below the topsail. Blacktail was aiming his pistol and was about to pull the trigger when the mice suddenly raised their hidden rifles, took split-second aim and fired.
As a bullet zinged over his head, Blacktail saw several rats toppling from their vultures, and one screeching bird plummeting to the water. As the mice in the mainmast fighting top fired as well, Blacktail’s vulture swerved aside and the rest followed, the cheers of the sea-mice echoing in their ears.
‘We showed them, eh, Cheesemite?’ said Rio.
Cheesemite had clambered down from his perch on top of the mast to join his friends in the fighting top. He grinned broadly. ‘Yeah, we showed them, Rio! Them ugly great birds won’t come back in a hurry – oh, Lord of Light, Rio, here they come again!’
Blacktail was flying in from the starboard side, his stoats aiming their pistols at all three fighting tops at once. Two vultures, more daring than the rest, flew low between the masts and Cheesemite flinched as a long, vicious beak and massive, hooked talons streaked past him. A hail of bullets struck the fighting top and Cheesemite staggered back, over-balanced and fell.
A rush of air in his ears, a black blur as he flew past the billowing sail – then his claws fastened on a dangling rope. As he came to a sudden stop, the shock nearly pulled his arms from their sockets, but he clung on, swaying wildly, the excited cheering of his friends above corning dimly to his ears.
When his heart had ceased poundin
g quite so loudly, Cheesemite clambered up the rope until he emerged onto the platform in the middle of the fighting top. ‘Where you been, Cheesemite?’ asked Rio.
‘I just popped out for a moment,’ replied Cheesemite, rather shakily.
Rio gave a delighted bellow of laughter. ‘Well, I’m sure glad you decided to pop back! You just in time, li’l pal. Here come them stinkin’ vultures again!’
Blacktail was getting desperate. He knew Malatesta was counting on him to kill the sea-mice. So far he had not even injured one, but had lost several rats and at least two vultures. Now he changed his tactics. He signalled with his sword and the well-drilled stoats swung their vultures into a new formation. ‘Oh-oh,’ muttered Rio. ‘I sure don’t like the look of this.’
The vultures had flown back along the river until they were well astern of both ships. Now, they wheeled, circled and split into two groups, one on either side of the river. ‘They’re going to attack from both sides at once,’ muttered Lukas.
‘To confuse our fire,’ said Roamer. ‘If it works, they’ll try it again, next time from our front. By that time, we should be almost level with the fort... I know what we’ll do!’
Roamer gave a piercing whistle. At once, two mice ducked beneath the netting and climbed to the quarterdeck. ‘Take our rifles,’ said Roamer. ‘Make sure Ben doesn’t end up as vulture meat. Lukas, come with me. We’re going to fire the carronade!’
Ducking below the netting, Lukas followed Roamer to the bows. There was the squat, ugly cannon known as the carronade, its stubby barrel pointing out at an angle to the deck. ‘Not much use at long range,’ muttered Roamer. ‘But devastating in close action. And we can raise it much higher than the other guns. Help me with the levers.’
Together, they struggled to raise the short barrel until it was pointing upwards. ‘Now lever it round! We want it pointing forward... Look out, here they come!’
Vultures were flying in single file on both sides, the stoats firing in turn as they drew level with the ship. Several cries from the fighting tops showed that some bullets had hit their mark. When the vultures had passed, shouts came from the fighting tops. ‘Captain! We’re almost out of ammunition!’
Far ahead, the vultures were turning for another attack. Lukas was hastily ramming powder and shot into the carronade; it did not fire ordinary cannonballs, but big, exploding shells. As the vultures came swooping down again, Roamer touched the fizzing match to the big gun and jumped aside as the carronade thundered. ‘Look at that!’
The shell exploded with a shattering roar. Several vultures fell with a mighty splash, the others wheeled away in panic. But only one line had been hit. The other was still flying; and the mice had nothing left to fire at it.
From the fort’s gun-platform, high above the river, Princess Tamina and her buccaneers had been anxiously watching for the Avenger. They had loaded the big cannons in case Roamer needed help. For some time, they had heard firing and had seen the clouds of vultures; now, at last, they saw the Avenger and heard the carronade’s roar.
‘Here they come!’ shouted Tamina.
‘Look, Princess! Them vultures is getting ready for another charge!’
‘We can stop them!’ cried Tamina. ‘Fire!’
Six cannons thundered. By the time their deafening roar had died away, four more vultures had plummeted to the water. In despair, Blacktail broke off the attack. The Avenger, clear of the river, was sailing out to the open sea.
‘Where’s he going?’ demanded Tamina. ‘Has he forgotten about us?’
‘Look, Princess!’ yelled a buccaneer. ‘There’s a Salamex warship – hanged if it ain’t the Night Crow! The skipper ain’t forgotten us; he’s getting ready to fight! The wind’s blowing towards us. See how Avenger’s tilting over to the wind? Skipper will wait till he’s got enough sea-room, then he’ll turn, so he can attack the Night Crow with the wind behind him.’
‘Ar,’ said another mouse. ‘He be gettin’ the weather gauge, y’see. That’s what it be called, the weather gauge. Now, if he hadn’t – ’
‘That’s all jolly interesting,’ said Tamina. ‘But shouldn’t we be getting back to the cutter? As soon as Roamer’s dealt with the Night Crow, he can pick us up.’
‘Ar,’ said the mouse. ‘That might take a while. Nasty big ship, the Night Crow. Specially if that old varmint Mal’testy’s aboard!’
19. The Cannon’s Roar
‘I think we’ve got enough sea-room now,’ said Roamer. ‘Bring her round, Lukas, so that we have the wind behind us. Then we can do whatever we like.’
Lukas spun the wheel and the Avenger, which had been tilting steeply, swung gracefully round. ‘Take in sail,’ shouted Roamer. ‘I don’t want to fly past him – I want time to sink him!’ The crew laughed and the Avenger sailed slowly towards the now distant river-mouth, the fort and the Night Crow.
‘Action stations!’ called Roamer. ‘All guns to load with double-shot! Load the carronades! Cheesemite, come down from the crow’s-nest and help Rio on the lower gundeck.’
Cheesemite felt relieved not to be spending the battle high above it. He slid down a rope, landed on the deck and called: ‘Captain, sir! Shall I hoist our colours?’
Roamer had forgotten that the dead empress’s flag still waved from his topmast. ‘Thanks, Cheesemite. Haul down that foul spider’s rag and run up our own flag!’
As the Royal Banner of Carminel rose to the masthead, the sea-mice cheered and when Roamer drew his sword and shouted: ‘King Caladon and victory!’ they cheered even louder.
But as they drew closer to the enemy ship, the buccaneers fell silent. The guns were ready and the smell of slow-burning matches lay heavy on the air. The only sound was the creaking of the rigging. As Cheesemite crept along the lower gundeck, he felt the butterflies dancing in his stomach and a sick feeling rising in his throat.
Cheesemite and Rio crouched in the semi-darkness beside their long cannon. Through the open gunport, all they could see was the water flowing by but they knew that in a few minutes they would see the enemy and hear the crash of guns.
Cheesemite gulped. ‘Rio! I’m scared!’
Rio put his arm round his trembling friend. ‘Sure you are! And I let you into a secret; I scared too!’
Cheesemite was astonished. ‘You are?’
‘Sure I am! We all are, even the capitano. You’s in good company, Cheesemite. But it’ll be all right. Rio will look after you.’
Cheesemite felt better. ‘Sure, Rio. We’ll look after each other, shall we?’
Roamer’s eyes were fixed on the Night Crow. With the wind against her, and her sails hauled hard round, Malatesta’s ship was leaning steeply. ‘Her lower gundeck must be awash,’ said Lukas. ‘Shall we attack her on that side?’
‘No. We’ll pass down the other side, to starboard. Her guns will be pointing upwards and may do some damage to our masts and rigging. But with her hull tilting so much, we can get in a broadside below her waterline.’
Aboard Night Crow, the tilt was so steep that Malatesta was clinging to the rail. He glared at Mouldcrust, the sea-rat who was steering. ‘Can’t we go any faster, curse you?’
Mouldcrust shook his head. ‘Not with the wind against us, m’lord.’
Malatesta ground his teeth. He was furious with Blacktail and the vultures and was wishing he had brought Gweir along to work some magic. But now the Avenger was looming larger. She would soon be level with the Night Crow.
‘Stand by to fire!’ screamed Malatesta. ‘Sink that cursed pirate, do you hear me? Kill every mouse aboard! But take Roamer and that meddling tamarin alive. And I’ve a hundred gold pieces for the rat who finds the ruby!’
Cheesemite was staring through the gunport. Suddenly, the enemy hull was alongside, streaking past with cannons blazing! The ships were so close that Cheesemite could see the rats behind their gunports and he flinched from the dazzling flashes and deafening roar.
‘Fire!’ At Roamer’s command, Avenger’s guns thundered in re
ply. Rio yelled: ‘Now we show them rats who’s boss, Cheesemite!’ Powder-smoke billowed along the gundeck; there was no more time to be scared. Deafened by the cannons’ roar, mice were sponging out their guns and ramming more powder and shot into those smoking mouths before running out the guns and firing again.
Malatesta felt his ship reel. But his guns had done some damage and he grinned savagely as the top of Avenger’s foremast vanished, sails and rigging crashing to the deck. ‘There goes her main topmast, too!’ he shrieked triumphantly. ‘We’ve won! Let’s ram them and board them and kill them all! Avenger’s finished!’
‘No, she ain’t,’ muttered Mouldcrust.
‘What was that?’ snarled Malatesta.
Mouldcrust had been in more sea-fights than he could remember and he knew that Malatesta was leading them all to disaster. ‘We’ve not hit their hull, though they’ve hit us good an’ proper!’ he said angrily. ‘Two dozen cannon balls on the waterline! You think we can survive that? And still them mice are firing! Now see what they’re doing!’
‘What?’ snapped Malatesta.
‘Crossing behind us, same as I’d do if I had the wind behind me!’
Mouldcrust was right. Avenger had sailed clear past her enemy. Now, she was turning, ready to cross the Night Crow’s stern. Suddenly, Malatesta caught sight of Roamer, standing, like him, on his ship’s quarterdeck. The stoat lord seized a rifle, rested it along the rail and took careful aim.
As Avenger swung into the turn, Roamer cried: ‘Port-side carronade! You’ve only one shot, so make it a good one!’
The mice at the carronade grinned and waved. As the Night Crow’s high stern loomed above them, they fired. At the same moment, Malatesta pulled the trigger.
It was the flash of sunlight on the spike that alerted Lukas. But his warning shout was drowned by the carronade’s roar. He flung himself on Roamer and they both crashed to the deck.
The Ruby of Carminel Page 8