And there it was – spades.
‘Listen,’ he said, his memories becoming clearer. ‘There’s something else about that card game. Just before the game commenced, when the animals were choosing their suits, one of the meerkats made a comment about spades. He said, the quickest way to riches is with a good old spade – and I don’t mean by digging.’
‘Maybe spades was his lucky card suit,’ Ruby said. ‘We all have one.’
‘That was my thought, too,’ Whisker said. ‘The fox had just stated diamonds was his lucky suit and the meerkat appeared to be following his lead.’
‘But now you think differently,’ the Captain said, reading between the lines.
Whisker nodded. ‘I think it relates to the endless supply of spades being brought into the mine.’
‘But the meerkat said it wasn’t about digging,’ Pete argued.
‘That’s true,’ Whisker agreed. ‘But what else can you do with spades that doesn’t involve digging?’
‘Oh, I know,’ Horace said, raising his hook. ‘They make great paddles.’
‘Paddles?’ Pete repeated. ‘What kind of ill-conceived answer is that? Spades are made from iron, and iron rusts, and then you’re up a creek without a paddle.’
‘Well, you could always sell the rusty handles to the blacksmith,’ Horace ventured. ‘I’m sure he could melt them down to make more spades, or paperweights, or those little garden ornaments people stick in flower pots.’
Pete screwed up his nose. ‘You’re digging a great big hole for yourself, Horace.’
‘On the contrary,’ Whisker said excitedly, rising to his feet. ‘He’s just given us the answer.’
Horace’s face lit up with pride. ‘Hear that, Pete? Who’s the smarty pants now?’
‘I dare say that would be Whisker,’ Pete muttered as the apprentice reached into his brown drawstring bag and removed its two remaining items: a compass from the Island of Destiny and a Freeforian gold coin. Placing the compass on the table, he held the coin out to Mama Kolina.
‘Courtesy of our friend the fox,’ he said. ‘Take a look and tell me if it’s genuine.’
Cautiously, Mama Kolina took the coin and examined it closely.
‘Hmm,’ she pondered, weighing it in her paw. ‘It looks like gold, it feels like gold, and appears to weigh the same as all the other Freeforian coins.’ She paused and then added a small disclaimer. ‘But I am no expert. Up until now we had no currency on Freeforia, so there is nothing else I can compare it to.’
‘Exactly,’ Whisker said. ‘But what if I gave you something to make an accurate comparison – say an Aladryan gold coin?’
‘And I have one right here,’ the Captain said, reaching into his jacket pocket and pulling out a shiny coin. ‘Straight from our Pirate Cup winnings.’ He passed it to Mama Kolina and she held a coin in each paw.
The contrasting designs on the faces of the two coins made them easily distinguishable. The Freeforian coin featured two paws inside a diamond. The Aladryan coin displayed the banana insignia of Governor Cazban.
‘Well?’ Whisker asked as Mama Kolina compared the weight of the two coins. ‘What do you think?’
‘The Freeforian coin is definitely lighter,’ she said hesitantly. ‘But I suspect you already knew that.’
‘Yes,’ Whisker confessed. ‘I noticed something strange about the weight of the coin when I first received it from Rat Bait, but I couldn’t quite put my finger on what it was. Mr Tribble detected something, too, and so did Eddie the Ear. But each time they dismissed their concerns when they realised the coin belonged to a new currency.’
‘Perhaps the Freeforian coin is thinner,’ Mama Kolina guessed, ‘or maybe the Aladryan coin is wider in diameter.’ She placed the coins back to back and stared at them from several different angles. ‘Gracious me!’ she exclaimed. ‘They are positively identical. There is not a single difference in size or thickness.’ She looked across at Whisker, a puzzled expression on her face. ‘If they are identical in size, then surely they should be identical in weight.’
‘Not necessarily,’ Whisker said. ‘But I might need some help to prove my theory.’ He glanced across to see the Book of Knowledge sitting closed in the centre of the table. ‘Perfect,’ he said, leaning over and grabbing it by its spine.
As he dragged the book into a patch of sunlight, he noticed several annotated bookmarks protruding from the pages.
Good old Pete, he thought, spotting a bookmark labelled Densities, Hardness and Magnetism.
Using the bookmark as his guide, he opened the book and peered up at the sea of expectant faces, hoping his theory was correct.
‘Not that page again,’ Horace whined as a four-columned chart grew clear in the sunlight. ‘I’ve had enough science talk for one day.’
Whisker ignored Horace’s antics and began to explain, ‘We are looking for two entries. One is for gold and the other is for iron.’
‘Here they are,’ Athena said, pointing to the entries with her fingers.
‘Okay,’ Whisker said. ‘Let’s start with some facts. We know there is a coin mint in the mountain – as evidenced by the coins produced. And judging by the volume of smoke created, the furnace must be enormous, capable of melting a whole range of metals including – you guessed it – Aladryan gold coins and iron spades.’
‘Hang on,’ Horace said. ‘Are you suggesting the meerkats are turning their spades into iron coins? What a waste of firewood. Iron is practically worthless.’
‘A rusty old iron coin might be worthless,’ Whisker conceded, ‘but a gold-plated iron coin is a totally different story.’
‘Shiver me forgeries!’ Horace exclaimed. ‘You mean to say the Freeforian currency is a fake?’
‘Finally the penny drops,’ Pete sniggered.
Whisker pointed to the chart. ‘As you can see, gold is denser than iron, making the solid gold Aladryan coin heavier than the gold-plated iron coin of the same size.’
‘So what about the Freeforian gold?’ Aphrodite asked. ‘If the meerkats are melting down Aladryan coins to plate the iron, what are they doing with all the gold from the mine?’
‘I don’t think there is any Freeforian gold,’ Whisker said frankly. ‘For a start, they wouldn’t need any secret payoffs of Aladryan coins if there was a natural supply of gold in the mountain. And, secondly, if what you have told me is correct, no locals have been permitted inside the mine to verify what gold, if any, has been discovered.’
‘That is true,’ Mama Kolina said with a sigh. ‘All we see are the coins coming out.’
‘Hmm, we’ll need some concrete proof of what’s inside that coin,’ the Captain said, ‘On face value, it’s still gold.’
Whisker looked back to the chart. ‘There is a simple way to test it,’ he said, scanning the final column. ‘Iron is magnetic. Gold is not. If the gold-plating was thin enough, the Freeforian coin should be attracted to a powerful magnet, whereas the magnet will have no effect on the Aladryan coin.’
‘Very astute of you, young apprentice,’ Pete said, with a rare hint of admiration. ‘And I have just the tool for the job.’ He gestured to the bookcase behind Hera. ‘Second shelf, in the bottom of the large red bag.’
The tall rat rose from her chair and retrieved a floppy red bag from the shelf. Pouting her lips, she leaned across the table, and slid the bag to Whisker.
‘Here you go, detective,’ she said with a wink.
‘Err, thanks,’ he said, trying not to blush. He slid his paw through the bag’s opening and removed a flat magnet from the bottom of the otherwise empty bag. It was shaped like a horseshoe, painted red in the centre with exposed metal at either end.
As he moved the horseshoe magnet towards the coins, he noticed the iron needle in his compass swivel on its axis and follow the direction of the magnet.
Wow, he marvelled. That’s one powerful magnet.
He drew the ends of the magnet level with the Aladryan coin. The solid gold coin remained motionless on the tabl
e.
Taking a deep breath, he shifted the magnet above the Freeforian coin and began lowering it closer and closer. As if by magic, the entire coin suddenly lifted off the table and, with a soft clink, attached itself to the bottom of the magnet.
‘Science has spoken,’ Pete marvelled.
‘Maybe so,’ the Captain said warily. ‘But we still need proof we can see. One coin and a magnet is hardly sufficient evidence to discourage an entire fleet of pirate ships from attacking Freeforia. If Sven or Brawl have the slightest suspicion we’re trying to trick them, they’ll sink our ship and then burn the village to the ground.’
‘If physical evidence is what you want, Uncle,’ Ruby said, drawing one of her scissor swords, ‘then you only need to ask.’ Before anyone could stop her, she had raised the blade above her head and was swinging it down with all her might.
There was a loud CHING as her sword struck the Freeforian coin, slicing through the thin layer of gold. The three sisters jumped back in alarm.
‘What?’ Ruby said, staring at the sea of shocked faces. ‘Gold is a soft metal. It slices like butter. Look it up in that chart if you don’t believe me.’
She moved her blade away from the coin to reveal a deep gash in its surface and a core of silvery-grey iron beneath.
The shocked faces transformed into gasps of understanding. The Captain picked up the coin, handing it to Madam Pearl for a thorough examination.
‘Nice sword work, Ruby,’ Whisker said, giving her a friendly nudge. ‘I’d call that science in action.’
‘Yeah, well, I couldn’t let those pageant queens hog all the limelight,’ she whispered as Mama Kolina and her daughters began tipping out the contents of their purses. ‘You might forget I was in the room.’
‘Forget about you?’ Whisker said. ‘I could never –’
‘I’m joking,’ she said, seeing the hurt look on his face. ‘Lighten up, will you?’
‘Okay,’ Whisker said with a sigh.
‘What’s wrong?’ she asked, studying him carefully. ‘Is it your parents?’
‘It’s a lot of things,’ he said, ‘This whole mine business has sent my head into a spin. The coins are one thing, but what if Papa Niko has uncovered something bigger? And what if he is being held against his will? Who knows, he could even be chained up in the same location as my parents.’
‘Do you think they’re on this island?’ Ruby whispered.
‘It’s just a thought,’ Whisker said. ‘Eddie told us the fox was planning to leave Aladrya. Wouldn’t Freeforia be the logical place for him to go? After all, he is the so-called head geologist of the mine.’
‘I doubt he’d return now, even if he did have prisoners waiting for him,’ Ruby said. ‘It’s too risky with the pirates on their way. They’d tear him to shreds the moment they discovered the mine was a hoax.’
‘You’re probably right,’ Whisker said, slumping down onto the barrel. ‘The fox did sound eager to distance himself from the pirates. Now I understand why he refused to join them on their raid. I just hope that Rat Bait finds him before he vanishes off the face of the planet.’
‘Attention please,’ the Captain boomed, calling the animals back to order. ‘Now that the ladies have emptied their purses and all Freeforian coins have been tested, I believe we have sufficient evidence to prove that the mint is indeed producing gold-plated coins.’
‘But we still don’t know why,’ Horace interjected.
‘And we don’t know where Papa is,’ Aphrodite added.
‘And we don’t know who sent those albatrosses,’ Hera chimed in.
‘I’m afraid there are many things we do not fully understand,’ the Captain said, gesturing for them to remain calm. ‘And that is why I propose we send a small party to the mine to search for Papa Niko. If we find him, we may also find our answers.’
‘Isn’t it a bit risky sending Pie Rats ashore?’ Pete sniffed. ‘Papa Niko made it quite clear that none of us should land on the island. For all we know those great oafs the albatrosses are still sitting around waiting for us.’
‘Oh, I’m quite sure they’re still on the island,’ the Captain said, unconcerned, ‘but I doubt they’ll pay us any attention.’
‘And why is that?’ Pete asked suspiciously.
The Captain revealed the corner of a smile. ‘Let’s just say I’ve been inspired by one of Whisker’s classic undercover plans.’
Incognito
Three delightfully-dressed rats followed Mama Kolina down the rope ladder and into the canoe. Despite their pristine appearance and heavily made-up faces, their movements were about as graceful as a herd of hippopotamuses in a ballet class.
Hera’s stilettos were two sizes too small for Whisker and he struggled to maintain his footing on the rungs of the ladder while clutching a handbag that moved of its own accord. Aphrodite’s floral frock was far too long for Horace and he kept standing on the hem of the dress, sending the ladder swinging wildly from side to side. And Ruby’s constant mutterings of ‘I don’t do dresses,’ and ‘Why do I have to wear Athena’s stupid pink glasses?’ did nothing to help the situation.
Benny lowered his bucket and looked up in surprise as the three incognito Pie Rats made their way to their seats.
‘Bruised bananas!’ he exclaimed, lifting up his eyepatch for a clearer view. ‘What happened to dem charming daughters of yours, Mama Kolina? It looks like yuh traded dem for Cinderella and her two ugly stepsisters.’
‘I take it I’m not Cinderella,’ Horace said, greeting Benny with a complicated paw-shake-fist-pump-palm-slap manoeuvre.
‘Nah, mon, yuh don’t have the hips,’ Benny chuckled.
Horace shot a quick glance down at his stumpy body then swept his hook in Ruby’s direction. ‘For the record, Cinderella over there goes by the name of Ruby, and the second ugly stepsister is Whisker.’
‘Hi there, Benny,’ Whisker said, trying to copy Horace’s handshake but tripping up on the fist-pump.
‘What’s with the wooden bananas?’ Ruby asked, not even bothering with a greeting.
Benny moved his long fingers to his belt and removed one of six banana-shaped pieces of wood. They were each painted bright yellow, curved on one side and flat of the other.
‘Dis is a boomerang, Cinderella,’ Benny said, passing the object to her. ‘Or as mi likes to call it, a bananarang.’
Ruby rolled her eye.
‘And what do you do with this bananarang?’ she asked, inspecting the yellow shape closely.
‘Mi throws it at palm trees to knock down da coconuts,’ Benny replied. ‘But it’s also useful for hurling at runaway sailors who don’t like paying dair landing fees. And if mi misses mi target, mi bananarang always comes back.’
Ruby shrugged and handed the boomerang back to him.
‘I’ll stick to my bow and arrows,’ she said, gesturing to a pile of umbrellas in the bottom of the canoe, concealing her quiver, longbow and four scissor swords. ‘My arrows aren’t self-returning but, then again, I rarely miss.’
‘Ahem,’ came a voice from above them. ‘If you have finished the weapons discussion, I suggest you get a move on before the sun sets and you run aground on those rocks.’
‘Aye, Captain,’ Ruby said, taking her seat and picking up an oar. ‘We’re already on our way.’
‘And don’t forget to let Smudge out of that handbag,’ Pete added.
‘And keep my dress clean, Horace,’ Aphrodite chimed in, peering over the bulwark in a stripy red pirate shirt. ‘Not a splotch of dirt. Do you hear?’
‘Sure, Sis,’ Horace droned, running his hook over the floral-patterned fabric. ‘I’ll return it in mint condition.’ He let out a small laugh. ‘Get it? Mint condition because we’re going to a coin mint.’
Pete, groaned loudly. ‘You are as pathetic as you are short, Horace.’
The remaining animals waved their farewells to the departing companions as the canoe cast off and began its slow journey towards the river mouth. The tide had turned, maki
ng paddling into the estuary an easier task, but the steady breeze whipped up the waves, soaking the animals in minutes.
While Benny and the Pie Rats paddled, Mama Kolina sat near the front of the vessel, using a small spyglass to monitor the headland. The albatross watched them suspiciously from the foot of the lighthouse.
As the banana-shaped canoe drew closer to the mainland, the bird took off from his perch and circled overhead.
‘Heads down. Keep paddling,’ Mama Kolina hissed.
The three rats did as they were told, hoping their dresses and wide-brimmed sunhats would be enough to hide their true identities. The albatross circled twice, let out a shrill trill, and returned to his lookout, satisfied with what he had seen.
The wide estuary narrowed to become a gently flowing river with overhanging palm trees on its northern shore and thick rainforest vegetation spilling over its southern bank. Grass-roofed huts and a long, hardwood dock came into view around the first bend. Nestled into the jungle, the village of West Freeforia ran up the side of a steep hill which formed the lower slope of the volcano. The rim of the crater was visible high overhead, bathed in the amber light of the late afternoon sun.
Without a word, the companions paddled past the western edge of the dock where a second albatross sat aloft a wooden bollard. His head moved to follow them upstream but he quickly lost interest and returned to his vigilant watch over the river mouth.
Moving out of sight behind the boatshed, Benny steered the canoe towards the eastern end of the dock, well away from the bustling waterfront cafe, and the passengers scrambled onto the wharf, their weapons hidden inside their colourful umbrellas.
‘Thanks for the lift, Benny,’ Horace whispered as the young chimp tied the canoe to a bollard. ‘We’ll see you on the return trip.’
‘Hold on, sister,’ Benny said, dropping his rope and scampering after him down a side wharf. ‘Yuh’ll be needing someone who knows dair way around dem volcano caves.’
The Golden Anchor Page 13
