Rakkety Tam by Brian Jacques Read Free Book Online Page B

young carrot. “Hurr hurr, you’m furgettin’ to amember jus’ loike oi. Yurr Jem, you’m a dozy ole pudden ’ead, hurr hurr!”
    Jem made a stern face at the molebabe. “Don’t be so cheeky to yore elders, ye young rip, an’ leave those carrots alone!” He turned to the Abbot. “Why do ye wish to know the rhyme?”
    Humble shrugged. “Just because it’s a puzzle, I suppose. The idea of a Walking Stone intrigues me.”
    Jem selected a cauliflower and plucked off a few of its outer stalks. “Hmm, that puzzle had me wonderin’, too,Cousin. Ahah, wait a moment! Screeve wrote it down at the meeting in Cavern Hole. She did, I remember now!”
    Humble’s eyes gleamed with pleasure. “What a splendid Recorder we have. Once Screeve makes another copy, Brother Gordale and I will get down to studying it. Mayhaps you and Walt would like to help us?”
    Jem agreed instantly. “Aye, we’d love to ’elp out. Me’n Walt dearly likes a good riddle to solve, though we ain’t learned as you Abbeybeasts. Shall we be startin’ today?”
    The Abbot shook his head. “Oh, good gracious no! We’ve got to attend the mole festivities tonight. All our Redwallers will be rehearsing their party pieces. I hope we shall see you and Walt doing something—a song, a dance, a poem. Even a trick would be acceptable.”
    Jem scratched his spikes thoughtfully. “Well, it’s been awhile since we was called upon t’do such things, but I’m sure we can oblige. I’ll go an’ speak to Walt if’n you’ll excuse me, Cousin.”
    Â 
    Wandering Walt was down in the cellars with Foremole Bruffy and his crew. They were drinking daisybud and dockleaf tonic whilst tracing back through their ancestry. This was a pursuit beloved of moles. Though they were never quite truthful and were given to inventing tales, it was all in good fun.
    Ole Jarge, an ancient, grey-backed mole armed with an ear trumpet, pulled a series of bark sketches from his belt wallet. He pointed to each in turn. “Naow, this ’un wurry Burby Longseason, ee’m wurr moi gurt-gurt-granfer’s gurt-granfer. They’m sayed Burby cudd fall in ee barrel of ’tober ale at brekkist an’ drink ee’m way owt afore supper, hurr aye!”
    Laughing uproariously, the molecrew stamped the floor with their hefty footpaws, evidently vastly amused at anybeast who could perform this feat. They refilled their tankards and drank deep, waiting for a mole to cap Ole Jarge’s tale.
    Jem felt he was intruding on the all-mole gathering. Hebacked out, politely tugging his headspikes. “Er, you’ll excuse me, friends. Beg pardon. . . .”
    A fat, homely molemum bustled him to a seat. “Nay nay, zurr Jem. You’m welcum as ee bumbly bee in ee rose garding. Set ee daown, ee’m ’edgehog bee’s only ee mole with a spoiky ’ead!”
    Some of the molecrew fell over backward with laughter at this remark. Jem found himself seated next to Walt, a large tankard of the fizzy tonic thrust into his paw. It tasted odd but rather pleasant, and it made Jem become quite giggly.
    The moles continued with their stories. One jolly-looking fellow took the floor. “Hurr, moi ole granmum, she’m lived close by ee gurt mountain. So oi sez to ’er, ‘Granmum, ’ow long’ve ee lived yurr?’ An’ she’m sayed, ‘Since this yurr mountain bee’d only a likkle hill. Oi jus’ woked upp one mornin’ an’ et’d growed thurr in ee noight!’ ”
    The moles were now in paroxyms of laughter, rolling about on the floor and gripping their sides. Jem giggled helplessly, even though most of what was being said went right over his head. Clearly, the jolly atmosphere was having a marked effect upon him.
    Walt tapped his friend’s shoulder. “Bee’s you’m