A paw on his shoulder woke Jon-Tom. He couldn’t hear anything over the din of night critters from within the swamp, but he could see a furry shape standing in the darkness staring down at him.
“Mudge?” His eyes were reluctant to open.
“No. You be quiet, man.”
The silhouette turned and approached the otter’s bed.
“Don’t worry about me, stranger,” Jon-Tom heard his friend whisper. “I’ve been awake ever since you set foot to board.”
“So I see.” No doubt their visitor also saw the glint of moonlight on Mudge’s knife.
“’Tis a bit early for breakfast and a shade too late for sweet goodnights. Wot is it you want?”
“To help you. I listen during dancing and talking and bullshitting, hear whole story. Got one for you.”
Jon-Tom was sitting up on his cot now. As his eyes grew used to the light he saw that their nocturnal visitor was about Mudge’s size and shape. At first glance he thought the stranger wore a mask to disguise his identity, then he realized the mask was part of the face.
“Name is Cautious.” The raccoon was looking out the cabin’s front window as he spoke. “I hear much of what you talk with fox and others. You looking for your beloved.”
“My loved, anyway.”
“Love what matters.” He was wearing vest and short pants with a hole cut in the latter to allow the bushy gray tail egress.
“The fox told us he’d discuss Mudge’s problem in the morning.”
Dark eyes winked at him. “Fox say anything to change the subject.”
“So you do know something about the pirates.”
“Sure we know ’bout ’em. We sell them food and other supplies and sometime two or three of us go help work fix up their boat. Their ship-place not too far south of here.”
“We just didn’t sail far enough,” Jon-Tom muttered half to himself.
“You sell them supplies; wot do they pay you with?”
The raccoon shrugged. “Money, goods, none of it earned honest, you bet. We’re isolated village here. Do pretty good business with them and don’t ask too hard where payment come from.” He spat disgustedly to one side.
“Only you’re different.” Jon-Tom was wide awake now.
“Pretty sick of whole stinkin’ business, but nobody listen to Cautious. Ever’body listen to fox who he say if we doen sell them food then next village inland or one beyond that will get the gold. He say we not cutting anybody’s throat. Me, I think you take the money, you take the blood that come with it, you bet. Once in while you get paid with silk dress or boots that got funny stain on ’em you know don’t come from maker’s mistake, you know what I mean.”
“We know wot you mean, mate.” Mudge put his knife up.
“Now maybe they take your lady someplace and trade her for gold. Not around here. Swamp folk doen traffic in live people. Others do.”
“Why are you telling us all this?” Jon-Tom was slipping into his clothes.
“I ask myself: Cautious, you mean anything of what you say or you just full of swamp gas? So I decide to come help you fellows because what you lost lot more precious than gold. I doen know, maybe we get killed this night, but I can take you to where pirates sleep. Help you much as I can.”
“Damn decent of you. Just show us where they are and Mudge and I will try and do the rest. This isn’t your fight. There’s no reason for you to risk your life.”
“Me, I ain’t got much life.” His face was sad. “Two year ago big storm hit swamp. Big wave come all the way in from sea, right through village. Most of us know it coming so go up in trees until wave go by, then climb down and fix up house.” His voice grew raspy. “My mate and two cubs way out picking oysters. They doen get back in time and I doen get out in time to warn them. Oysters get washed away, wife and babies get washed away.” He swallowed hard, his voice breaking. It was dead silent inside the cabin.
“So that’s why you want to ’elp us?” Mudge finally murmured.
“That why I know what you feeling. Storm take my loved ones from me. Pirates take yours. Can’t do nothin’ about storm, maybe can do something about pirates. So you doen worry about ol’ Cautious, you hear?”
“We hear.” Jon-Tom considered. Could they believe the raccoon, put their trust in him completely? Was the story about losing his family just that, a clever story they were about to buy unknowingly?
The same thought had occurred to Mudge. “No offense, mate, but ’ow do we know you ain’t making this tragedy up as you go along? ’Ow can we be sure you ain’t plannin’ to sell somethin’ besides shellfish and shellac to these pirates?”
“Maybe I leave you find them on your own.” Cautious took a step toward the doorway. Mudge restrained him.
“Easy, guv’nor. Consider our position ’ere.”
The coon hesitated, glanced from otterish visage to human. “Hokay. This time I forget you say something like what you said. You say it again and I disappear into trees.”
He led them out the back of the cabin. The village was silent, sleeping off the previous evening’s binge.
“Come on now, quick. I hear about your boat.”
“What’s the rush? Just because everyone else was intentionally evasive doesn’t mean they’d try and stop us.”
“No telling what they might do. Swamp folk like that. Party with you one night, put you in the gumbo next. Fox and others make good living off pirates. You sneak up on their camp and steal one of their prizes, maybe you jeopardize that living. Better go quiet.”
“Me feelin’ precisely.” Mudge pushed aside a branch. It snapped back to smack Jon-Tom in the gut. Murmured curses rose above the drone of the crickets.
“Funny boat,” Cautious commented when they reached the place where the zodiac was tied. “Sure like to see animal builder took skin from.”
