Reservoir Cats 30

Slimy: Now that was real interesting that stuff about Al Catone.
Tabby: Yes, it was, let’s ask Reggie or Ronnie Crat what happened. After all it was their dad that was leading the Black Paw Gang when Al Catone arrived.
Reggie, do you know anything about Al Catone.
Reggie Crat: Al Catone, now you are talking about legends. ‘e saved us all really, didn’t ‘e Ronnie.
Ronnie Crat: Well I was only a kitten at the the time, but I remember me mum and dad talking about ‘im as an ‘ero.
Slimy: Wot ‘appened.
Ronnie Crat: Well after Al Catone arrived ‘e joined up wiv our dad’s gang, but dad realised then that ‘e was somefing special. See, ‘e was a good organiser. Never said much, but his eyes and ears were everywhere. At the time when ‘e arrived there were a lot of lazy cats in the gang. Only interested in their own fing really. Used to catch mice they did and just ‘id them away. Then Al came along…….

Al Catone: Reggie Senior, can I have a few words with you .
Reggie Senior: Why somefing don’t suit you ‘ere.
Al Catone: Where I came from my dad led our gang and anyone that cheated him could be lucky when he escaped with his life.
Reggie Senior: Are you telling me that some of my gang are cheating on me.
Al Catone: Well, when was the last time that you caught a mouse, or had your share of a mouse.
Reggie Senior: Well, let me think, that was last week. Mice seem to be a bit scarce at the moment.
Al Catone: I followed Jack McCattie down the sewers last week. He didn’t see me, but he had four of his sons with him. They must have caught at least 10 mice between them.
Reggie Senior: That can’t be, all mice ‘ave to be delivered to me when caught.
Al Catone: Well he just takes them up to the cemetery and hides them under the stone of the second grave on the left. Keep an eye on him when he goes out. I am sure he is dealing with them.
Reggie Senior: Mice dealing, no, not possible under my nose.
Al Catone: Just keep an eye on him, and see what he is doing.
Reggie Senior: Ronnie Senior, come ‘ere. Al Catone was just telling me that Jack McCattie is doing mice dealing wiv ‘is sons. Fink we ought to keep an eye on ‘im just in case.

Jack McCattie: ‘Allo Reggie, Ronnie, ow’s fings?
Ronnie Senior: A bit slow at the moment. Me and Reggie Senior was wondering where the mice ‘ave gone. Only caught one last week down in the sewers.
Jack McCattie: Ya don’t say. Probably all fell in the sewers and drowning.
Ronnie Senior: Well I never ‘eard of mice falling in sewers. I mean if they were lemmings it would be a different story wouldn’t it?
Jack McCattie: Tell you wot. I’ll ‘elp ya look for em tomorrow.
Ronnie Senior: Tomorrow is a bit late, I was finking this evening we could organise a search party.
Jack McCattie: This evening won’t be a good idea. I ‘eard that the country cats might be planning a raid and ‘ave to keep a watch wiv me sons on the main path into town.
Ronnie Senior: Well that’s new to me. I fought the country cats were all nice and polite.
Jack Mc Cattie: Well you never know, I mean that don’t even speak like we do, do they. Needs someone like me and me boys to keep an eye on fings. Don’t worry though, we ‘ave everyfing under control.

Reggie Senior: And that’s wot Jack McCattie told ya. Sounds a bit dodgy to me. Never ‘eard of country cats coming ‘ere to make a raid.
Al Catone: I think it might be a good idea to shadow Jack McCattie this evening. Do you have a couple of trustworthy cats here.
Ronnie Senior: Well our kittens ain’t really kittens any more and gathering their experience in town. We can take them. Wot d’ya fink Reggie Senior?
Reggie Senior: Well my two boys, Ronnie and Reggie, are still too small for that sort of fing. But If ya can take your boys together with Al Catone, I fink that will be enough to keep an eye on fings. Let’s go and ‘ave a look at the second grave on the left first to see if Al Catone is telling the truth.
Al Catone: Maladetta, we catafia cats always tell the truth, we have to swear an oath on that, holding a live rat in our paws for at least a minute. And if he bites you still have to hold him. After the minute is up, we can kill him and then do what we want with him. That separates the honest from the liars.
Reggie Senior: Well didn’t want to insult you Al Catone, but we ain’t acquainted so much wiv the catafia methods. Sounds a good idea.
Ronnie Senior: Well, ‘ere is the grave and I can already smell mouse.
Reggie Senior: And wot’s that mouse tail peeping out from under that stone there. Al Catone, giv it a shuv.
Al Catone: So what did I say. There they are, at least 10 mice, all freshly killed.
Reggie Crat: Ronnie take em down to our storeroom under next in the tomb at the entrance to our sleeping area. They will stay nice a fresh there. I fink we will all go on a little excursion this evening. Make sure yer claws are nice and sharp and yer boys’ claws as well Ronnie.

Jack McCattie: So come’on sons, get those mice ready there.
Sons: Wot about the lot we got stowed away at the second grave on the left.
Jack McCattie: We only caught them yesterday, so they are still fresh. If we ain’t got enuf, we can come back and get them can’t we.
Sons: OK dad, but don’t you reckon this is a bit of a risky business if we get caught.
Jack McCattie: Not if your as sly as I am. Reggie and Ronnie Senior wouldn’t notice if a mouse sat on their nose when they were sleeping.
Sons: Looks like that big black cat from the country cats is coming.
Jack McCattie: Hello Mr. Black, got yer gang wiv yer.
Mr. Black. Of course, I can’t carry a bag of cat nip all on my own. How many mice do you want to pay this evening.
Jack McCattie: Normal price I fought. Ten mice for one bag.
Mr. Black. Sorry Jack, but times are changing. My gang want a bit more than that. They had a lot of work gathering all this cat nip from the fields and if I got caught by the other cats in the country, they might get a bit annoyed seeing where the catnip harvest disappears to. They already have a few suspicions.
Jack McCattie: So wot’s yer price
Mr. Black: 20 mice, take it or leave it.
Jack McCattie: 20 mice, that’s double as much.
Mr. Black: The catnip market is no problem at the moment. There are a few cats up at the farms that wouldn’t mind some, so is it a deal or not.
Jack McCattie: Sons go and get the other 10 mice.

Al Catone: Looks like our job of work will be dealt with by fate,
Ronnie Senior: ‘Ow comes.
Al Catone: When Jack McCattie’s boys see that their mouse reserve has disappeared I think justice will take its own course, Let’s just wait and watch. No good making our paws blunt on a bag of cat scum like Jack McCattie.

Sons: Dad, the mice have gawn.
Jack McCattie: Wot, gawn. We ‘id em under the gravestone ourselves.
Mr. Black: So I’m waiting. I don’t like people playing games with me. Me and my gang have trotted all the way down the road to town and now we get nothing for our troubles. Gang, pack the cat nip away, I think Jack McCattie is not to be trusted any more.
Jack McCattie: Awww, wot was that
Mr. Black: OK gang, just give this town pack of cats a lesson they won’t forget. That was a scratch on the nose from me. You can be glad to get away with one of your nine lives this evening McCattie.
Sons: Dad, they are attacking us. Let’s make a run for it.
Jack McCattie. Don’t leave me alone ‘ere, those country cats ain’t playing games.
Mr. Black: McCattie, this is the last warning. The next time I catch you messing up a deal like this, you can be glad they don’t find you floating in the river with a rat where your heart was.
Jack McCattie: Wait for me boys I’m coming.

Reggie Crat: Now, what do we ‘ave ‘ere. I fought you was protecting our town from a country cat raid this evening.
Jack McCattie: Well they didn’t turn up
Ronnie Crat: It seems to me that they did. Where did you get that scratch on yer nose and ‘ow comes yer tail is waggling like a puppy. Anyfing wrong McCattie.
Jack McCattie: I fell down and scratched me nose on a stone.
Al Catone: Did that stone look like a big black cat speaking with a country accent together with other cats all carrying catnip.
Jack McCattie: Don’t know wot yer talking about.
Reggie Crat Senior: Ronnie think we will take a walk down to the tomb at the entrance to our sleeping quarters.
Ronnie Crat Senior: Now just look at that Jack. Wot ‘ave we got ‘ere. 10 little dead mice, just waiting to be eaten.
Sons: Look dad, that’s where our mice got too.
Jack McCattie: ‘old yer miaws sons, this could lead to trouble.
Al Catone: You already have the trouble McCattie. Cheating on you cat family. What shall we do with you. I will leave the decision to Ronnie and Reggie Crat Senior.
Ronnie and Reggie Crat Senior: A month down in the sewers and a delivery of 20 mice a week to the black paw gang. Got it McCattie. Yer sons can stay up ‘ere wiv their muvver just to put them on the right cat path again.
Jack McCattie: No, not the sewers, I will smell for ever.
Reggie Cray Senior: Only for as long as we don’t throw you in the fountain for a good wash when you come up. Wot d’ya fink Al Catone.
Al Catone: A good punishment. that’s the result of dealing in catnip and mice. My dad always left his fingers away from catnip dealing. It corrupts the kittens. They just don’t grow up to be serious cats.
Ronnie Crat senior: Well you got a point there Al Catone.
Al Catone: It’s more than a point, and if I may say, it seems to me that you and your brother Reggie are letting things slip a bit around here. Mice just don’t disappear, unless there is a reason behind it. I think it is about time that I started giving the instructions around here, or do you want the black paw gang to know how Jack McCattie pulled the whiskers over your eyes..
Reggie Crat senior: ‘e’s got a point there Ronnie. We would look at bit stupid I suppose.
Ronnie Crat Senior: Sounds like you want to take over Al Catone.
Al Catone: Well either I take over and do things my way, or you two will be the laughing stock and can be happy when you still have your claws tomorrow. If the catafia had found out that my dad had been cheated out of mice, there wouldn’t have been a cat left to tell the story.
But I don’t want to be too harsh on you two, after all you took me in and looked after me well. I could really do with a good gang like the black paws. What about things carrying on the way they have been and I just pull the whiskers.
Ronnie Crat Senior: Well you do ‘ave a point and me and Reggie ain’t getting any younger I suppose.
Reggie Crat Senior: There is just another little point to this deal. I always fought that me kittens, Reggie and Ronnie, could grow up to take over the Black Paw Gang. I ‘ave sort of started training them for the job. Like showing them ‘ow to organise the other kittens.
Al Catone: Reggie I find that’s a good idea. It stays in the family, and you and your brother Ronnie Crat Senior have so much experience, I think it would be a good idea.
Ronnie Crat Senior: Take my paw on it Al, if you are fair with me then I will be fair with you.
Reggie Crat Senior: And me to, it’s a deal

Tabby: And that’s how Al Catone became boss of the town gang.
Slimy: That’s a lovely story ain’t it.
Long Tail Al: Wot’s a lovely story Slimy.
Slimy: Ronnie and Reggie Crat were telling us a bit more about Al Catone and ‘ow he got rid of Jack McCattie and took over the town cats.
Tabby: He must have been a very wise cat.
Long Tail Al: Oh, he was, the best dad you could ‘ave.
Tabby: He was my grandfather?